Ode to Veronica Mars

I've mentioned to some of you how much I love the show Veronica Mars. The current (third) season is not as stellar as the first two, but I still love it and watch it avidly. After repeated threats of cancellation, it looks like it may return for a fourth season. Yay!

Why would I recommend a show that airs on the CW you might ask? Let me tell you:

Remember in high school, where it seemed the b.s. that played out amongst your friends (and enemies) was an incredibly huge deal, and your world was so small and your reputation hung in the balance on barely a thread (or, was this just my experience?)? Imagine all of that, but add real, awful, adult-laden drama to the mix. That's precisely where Veronica Mars begins.

A "have-not" recently ostracized from her wealthy friends, Veronica is cynical, witty and smart. She drops scathing, often hilarious comments at key moments. When her peers try to undermine her, she initially takes it with stride (to keep a stiff upper lip), then finds an ingenious way to get them back. She excels in school and does investigative work for her dad on the side (he's a P.I.). Did we ever know a chick like this? No, but I would have liked to.

As a huge fan of noir, this is my kind of show. Beneath the sunny, cheery veneer of Neptune (the fictional seaside town near San Diego where the show is set) lies a seedy underbelly full of secrets. Veronica navigates both worlds and does so with ease (sometimes) and difficulty (often). She has a certain moral flexibility that lets her manipulate people in order to get things from them, without ever doing anything too harsh for us to dislike her entirely.

Now, Veronica Mars is not perfect. It can be cheesy at times, certainly unbelievable. But I can't hold that against it. The show features some great music, fun cameos (Lucy Lawless as an FBI agent?) and some surprising plot twists. The writers of the show know exactly when to show Veronica making a significant misstep in order to remind us that she's only a teenager, and therefore, predisposed to making some bad choices. As thirty-somethings, the writers throw in comments, jokes and cultural references you wouldn't expect a high school student to get, but if you suspend disbelief just enough, it can be a lot of fun to watch.

I highly recommend it!