Take 4 TV: Veronica Mars (Season One)

Veronica Mars: Season One (2004)

What's Going On Here?: Veronica Mars is a student in Neptune, CA who, in the course of a few months, has had to deal with quite a bit more than most of us had to in our entire high school careers. First off, her best friend, Lilly Kane (the sister of her boyfriend) was found murdered. Next, she became an outcast from all her friends in the popular clique at school as her father (the local sheriff) investigated the Kane family for involvement in the death of their daughter...which resulted in her dad being removed from office by the public once the killer came forth and confessed. Finally, Veronica's mother left her and her father. Yeah, quite a lot on her plate...and she's still got to contribute to the school yearbook and paper, too, while working part-time answering phones at her dad's newly-formed private detective business.

Familiar Faces: Not a lot of well-known folks in this, but definitely some up-and-coming stars. Two favorites include Kristen Bell, who plays Veronica, and Jason Dohring, who plays Lilly's former boyfriend, Logan Echolls. Some folks you might recognize, though, include Enrico Colantoni (of Galaxy Quest), who plays Keith Mars, Veronica's dad. Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans) also has a recurring role as Logan's father, Aaron Echolls...an aging action movie star.

Life Lessons From Veronica Mars: 1) Never trust piñatas bought in Tijuana. 2) Even high schools can have secret societies, apparently. 3) Veronica Mars is smarter than you.

Random Trivia: UPN, the network that airs Veronica Mars, was concerned during early episodes that viewers would confuse Teddy Dunn and Jason Dohring, who play Duncan (Veronica's ex-boyfriend) and Logan, respectively. A color code was created where Dunn wore blues, and Dohring wore earth tones (greens, browns, etc). The color code still stands today.

And I Quote: Keith: "I used to be cool." Veronica: "When?" Keith: "'77...Trans-Am...Blue Oyster Cult in the 8-track...Foxy, stacked blond riding shotgun...Racing for pink slips. Wait a minute, I'm thinking of a Springsteen song. Scratch everything. I was never cool." Veronica: "I don't know which bothers me more, 'foxy' or 'stacked.'"

Curt's Take: Must See - Here you have a show on UPN, with a small but loyal fan base that engaged in letter-writing, petition-signing, and various other forms of guerilla campaignng (you might still run across dollar bills that have "Veronica Mars is smarter than me" written on the back) to keep the show on the air. And it worked...it's currently in its third season. In my opinion, they were fighting for something worth saving. Veronica Mars takes a fresh look at high school life through the eyes of a young woman who has seen popularity for the worthless commodity that it is, and who sees more value in honesty, integrity and helping those in trouble. Although she's seen as an outcast by her classmates, she slowly wins them over, as she uses her investigative skills to help them solve their problems...from finding missing school mascots to locating missing people. I particularly liked how the people Veronica helps don't just disappear into the background of a faceless high school crowd, but reappear in later episodes to play pivotal roles in future story lines. What might sound like a juvenile show, though, is very smartly written and constructed, with the ever-present theme of Veronica's best friend's death forming an underlying theme/mystery for the entire first season (I have yet to watch future seasons, but plan to). So check out the first DVD or two (there are six in the first season, covering 22 episodes), and let me know what you think.