Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season (2004)

 

 

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Thank you Warner Home Video, for releasing the second season of my favorite television series in August instead of waiting until October as you did for Season 1.
For those looking for the true heir to Buffy the Vampire Slayer in terms of a sharp script and snappy dialogue look no further than the UPN show Veronica Mars. Not since Sunnydale dropped into a deep chasm has television seen such a fabulous ensemble of talented young actors deliver such inventive dialogue in intelligent, darkly humorously directed fare.
For me Tuesday nights became the most anticipated TV night of the week and I could not get enough of the show or its hot star Kristen Bell. It quickly shot up the rankings on my TiVo season pass where it now sits at number one and my Kristen Bell TiVo wish-list was set to auto-record so I would not miss any program in which she was featured. I remember the anger when my local UPN station decided to air a baseball game instead of one episode - never have I felt more like putting pen to paper to express my displeasure with a programming decision.
So what is this show that induces such passion? It's a detective show, no it's a romantic drama, or is it a dark comedy? Well, in reality it is all of this and more. Set in the California city of Neptune, it paints the picture of a society split between the have's such as the rich Kane family or movie star Aaron Echoll's children and the have-nots (notably title character Veronica Mars and her friends Wallace and Weevil).
Veronica is the daughter of Keith Mars, the former Sheriff, who is now a private detective. The first season centered around the investigation into the murder of Veronica's best friend Lilly and Veronica's rape and the second season centers on the investigation into a bus crash that sent a group of students over a cliff to their deaths - a bus that Veronica was supposed to be riding. In addition a second mystery that is not resolved until later in the season is who was responsible for the death of Weevil's cousin Felix.
But, as Veronica continues her investigation each episode involves the investigation into a lesser mystery. From who was responsible for the death of a classmates dog to the blackmail of gay students
Veronica (with the help of Wallace, Mac and assorted other friends) must navigate a world of pirate radio stations, Irish gangs and still vie for the Kane scholarship, which would allow her to make her dreams of attending Stanford a reality.
In addition to the great script the other strength of the show is in assembling a wonderful ensemble of young actors. Led by Kristen Bell who as Veronica outdo's Buffy in the dry humor department, and ably supported by Canadian actor Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars, the two really display a true father-daughter affection for each other which apparently was true off-screen as well. In addition to this dynamic there is also Percy Daggs III as Veronica's best friend (and cohort in her investigations) Wallace and Jason Dohring appears as Logan, the bad-boy rich kid son of Aaron (played by Harry Hamlin of "Clash of the Titans" fame).
Completing the talented young cast is Francis Capra as biker bad-boy Weevil and new to this season is the very appealing and spunky Tessa Thompson as Wallace's girlfriend Jackie. She was disliked initially by fans though as the season went on she became more popular - personally I had liked her from her first scene.
This show needs to be seen to be believed. Sure I am a diehard fan of the show, but I defy any viewer not to became charmed by the drama, romance, humor and well drawn characters. Yes, the mysteries are solved but a lot of the fun comes in the journey towards those last episodes of the season. The season finale aired just last night and I was blown away by it. I was shocked and drawn in to every emotionally powered minute of it and fans across the internet are raving about it. Season 3 simply cannot come soon enough for me.
On this DVD set of six discs we are promised a behind the scenes featurette, gag reel and deleted scenes which would be a vast improvement on the relatively bare-bones season 1 release. Warner Bros. was apparently surprised by the fan following that VERONICA MARS had developed during season 1 so they did not prepare adequately for that season's DVD release. Thankfully they were better prepared this time around.

With most television shows, the sophomore season is kind of key. That's when you can tell if the series has long-term potential to be one of the great classic shows, or if the first season will always be remembered as the only "true" season of what once was a good show. With this second season, "Veronica Mars" proves to be the former. While most of the sophomore efforts of the big hit shows that I've seen have been disappointing this season (the worst offenders being the ones on ABC, imo), "Veronica Mars" and NBC's "The Office" remain as two of the only exceptions. For those new to the show (and I hope there will be plenty of those, b/c the show still doesn't get the viewers it deserves), here's a quick, as-spoiler-free-as-possible, season 2 synopsis:

With her best friend's true murderer finally behind bars thanks to her, 18-year-old detective Veronica tries to start her senior year by getting her life back to normal after the cataclysmic events of last year. As we learn in the phenomenal season premiere, "Normal is the Watchword," she'll find that very difficult since the noir-ish town in which she lives, Neptune, CA, is practically crumbling around her. Tensions between the haves and the have-nots have escalated exponentially ever since a mysterious tragedy that occured over the summer. In season 2, the class warfare becomes literal with someone very close to Veronica at the center. Oh, and at the end of the first episode, 8 people will be killed in a not-so-accidental accident that may have been meant for our heroine. This season introduces many more of the shady faces of Neptune, including femme fatale Kendall Casablancas (gleefully protrayed by Buffy/Angel-alum Charisma Carpenter), the new friendy, yet kind of creepy mayoral candidate Woody Goodman (Steve Guttenberg), and Neptune's "first family of crime," the Fighting Fitzpatricks. As she gets reluctantly sucked into the season's two big murder mysteries, Veronica will also encounter everything from psychotic babysitting clients to a serial rapist at the college she will probably attend in season 3 to a dead guy who washes up on shore with her name written across his hand, and she will learn throughout the season that "normal" just isn't her.

The great thing about "Veronica Mars" that sets it apart from other high-concept mystery shows (yes, I'm referring to "Lost") is that you have complete confidence in the writers (which was justified in season 1) to actually answer it all and tie all of these threads up into a neat little bow at the end of the season and still leave you dying for more. Next season, this and "The Office" will probably be the only non-HBO shows I'll be watching (unless the miracle that is "Arrested Development" somehow returns). This amazing 2nd season is not only more briskly-paced than season 1, but it's also more, as Logan would say, "epic" in scale and complexity, so this season, even more than season 1, will benefit from the DVD format so viewers can watch the episodes back-to-back to keep up with everything. As a major bonus, this set actually has *gasp* EXTRAS! It will have a behind-the-scenes featurette, a gag reel (Rob Thomas has mentioned that it will be from both seasons. Huzzah!), deleted scenes, and maybe more. That said, if you haven't seen Season 1, what are you waiting for?! That's available now! The brilliant writing and acting alone (Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring both turn in Emmy-worthy performances) make this well worth the price of a DVD set, not to mention the gorgeous and quirky cinematography/art direction and great music. Pick up both seasons. You won't regret it.

After solving her best friend's murder at the end of season 1, Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) swore off detective work. She was going to relax and enjoy her senior year. In fact, she's got a boring job serving coffee. Just your typical high schooler.

Unfortunately, just when she thinks she's out, she's pulled back in. Firstly, on again off again friend Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) is accused of killing a PCHer. Then best friend Wallace (Percy Daggs III) is part of the group of starting athletes accused of steroid use.

But worst of all is the bus crash. After a routine field trip, the bus the kids were riding in plunges over the side of a cliff, killing all on board. The rich kids had gotten off, so once again social status plays an issue. But worse yet, Veronica thinks it was intended to kill her. Was she the target or was there another sinister purpose?

This show started off with a strong first season and only improved with this one. The writing is as sharp as ever. Not only did the season long storylines keep me guessing from start to finish, but the individual mysteries that only last one episode were full of twists and turns as well. In addition to the great plotting, the dialog is fast moving. Veronica's sarcasm, both in dialog and her voice over narration consistently cracks me up every week.

Building on the great writing is equally strong acting. All of the actors take the wonderful words they are given and nail it every week. Kristen Bell receives lots of praise for her work here, and it is well deserved. She consistently hits all the peaks and valleys the role demands, and makes it look effortless. Equally praise worthy is Enrico Colantoni in his role as Veronica's Dad. Their scenes together are the heart of the show, and I love watching the two of them together.

While the first season set contained little in the way of extras, this one does include some. There are 22 minutes of deleted scenes, a gag reel, and two behind the scenes featurettes. All this is on top of wide screen picture and surround sound. If you are a fan of this show, this set is not to be missed.

And if you aren't a fan of this show, what's wrong with you? There's still time to get up to date on a great show and be ready to start season three when it premiers in a few weeks.

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