VM 3x15: Strippers, ahoy!
I have conflicting emotions over this one. On the one hand, it was a nice change of pace that Veronica wasn't put in physical danger in order to solve the case, but on the other hand, it lacked the sense of urgency and suspense that comes from something like that. (That makes it sound like I enjoy Veronica being chased by a crazy rapist or burnt alive. Hmm.)
Tim being the killer was kind of obvious in hindsight, I guess. I mean, the guy was sketchy from the beginning, and consider the first character this actor played. Rob wouldn't have brought him back to be just a background character. His plan for Tim must have been to be involved in the murder somehow. So just based on that, it makes sense. I figured out he did it when he was using those gloves to look at the computer. I guess that makes me smarter than Veronica? Well, not really, since I didn't follow some of it (like usual), but I thought Mindy made a great femme fatale and I loved the tilted camera angles (not used so much in this episode, but in the previous two). That was so noir.
And yet....I can't help thinking, if Batando didn't do it, that makes Lamb's death all the more senseless. Just...what a way to go out, man. It was totally lame. I can appreciate the idea, but not the way it was carried out. Lamb was the kind of guy you loved to hate, and now there isn't really anyone like that left. I think someone else mentioned this too - there are no real foils left for Veronica. Logan is not the old psychotic jackass he once was. Weevil is reformed. So who does that leave - Dick? Madison? If there is no crooked law enforcement, what's going to happen and is it still noir?
No, nevermind the law - what about the detectives? It looks like Mars Investigations is going to be out of the picture soon, and that makes me really sad (I have an irrational love for that office and all the pretty stained glass, among other things). It just seems like closing Mars Investigations makes it too easy. Then Veronica gets to be an FBI agent (or whatever) almost by default. She doesn't really have to choose. And I want it to be more difficult for her; I want her to be more conflicted, or at least pretend to be, for at least a little while.
Besides, if there is no detective agency, then by extension there are no detectives, and therefore no mysteries. And without the mysteries, there is no show. It's partly why I'm wary about season four - if they go in the direction of every episode being a stand alone mystery, I don't know how much I'd like that. For me, the mysteries of the week are usually the weakest part of the episode (the mysteries of the weak, if you will). Aside from the story, I think that's mainly because these people aren't around long, so it's difficult to really care what happens to them. Chances are, you aren't going to see them ever again, so it's hard to become very invested. Whereas, if you see them from week to week, you get to know them and feel a bit more for them. Besides, it's the over-arching mysteries and the doling out of clues related to them that keep people intrigued and guessing from week to week. Then there's the payoff when you finally see how it all comes together in the end. The shortened mysteries this season have been mostly successful so far in that respect, but you don't really get that with cases confined to one episode. It has a tendancy to get procedural and stale, if some other shows are anything to go by. I guess we'll still have the cute little character moments, but without the long mysteries, what really separates this show from any other teen drama?
I was looking at Matt Roush's blog (from TV Guide) a few days ago and this is what he said about the show: "Have I given up hope, refuting today’s gospel, for a fourth season? A bit. I still enjoy the characters, but feel it has kind of played itself out. I’d be happy to be proved wrong." And that's kind of how I feel too. While I still enjoy the show, if it doesn't get a fourth season, I can't get too upset, because even if some loose ends don't get tied up, it seems to have reached a sort of natural conclusion. Keith is Sheriff again, at least for the time being, and that's one of the things Veronica's dreamed about. The friction between the have and have nots seems to have evaporated now that Veronica is in college and surrounded by people from more varied backgrounds. While it would be nice if Logan and Veronica were together in the end, it's okay if they're not. It's actually more noir if she's alone. Veronica is going to go off and do bigger and better things.
Now, I could be overreacting. I mean, we haven't seen the last five episodes yet. Maybe they'll be really good, enough to convince me that this will work next season. Or maybe the show won't even go the mystery of the week route. I hope so. I hope it's still around. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime...we have this horrible PussyCat Dolls reality show to get through. I cringed when a girl in one of the ads said she wanted to be a PussyCat Doll because "they're all about female empowerment." Um. NO, THEY'RE NOT. I can't believe some people actually think that. That's just sad. Is it May 1st yet?
Tim being the killer was kind of obvious in hindsight, I guess. I mean, the guy was sketchy from the beginning, and consider the first character this actor played. Rob wouldn't have brought him back to be just a background character. His plan for Tim must have been to be involved in the murder somehow. So just based on that, it makes sense. I figured out he did it when he was using those gloves to look at the computer. I guess that makes me smarter than Veronica? Well, not really, since I didn't follow some of it (like usual), but I thought Mindy made a great femme fatale and I loved the tilted camera angles (not used so much in this episode, but in the previous two). That was so noir.
And yet....I can't help thinking, if Batando didn't do it, that makes Lamb's death all the more senseless. Just...what a way to go out, man. It was totally lame. I can appreciate the idea, but not the way it was carried out. Lamb was the kind of guy you loved to hate, and now there isn't really anyone like that left. I think someone else mentioned this too - there are no real foils left for Veronica. Logan is not the old psychotic jackass he once was. Weevil is reformed. So who does that leave - Dick? Madison? If there is no crooked law enforcement, what's going to happen and is it still noir?
No, nevermind the law - what about the detectives? It looks like Mars Investigations is going to be out of the picture soon, and that makes me really sad (I have an irrational love for that office and all the pretty stained glass, among other things). It just seems like closing Mars Investigations makes it too easy. Then Veronica gets to be an FBI agent (or whatever) almost by default. She doesn't really have to choose. And I want it to be more difficult for her; I want her to be more conflicted, or at least pretend to be, for at least a little while.
Besides, if there is no detective agency, then by extension there are no detectives, and therefore no mysteries. And without the mysteries, there is no show. It's partly why I'm wary about season four - if they go in the direction of every episode being a stand alone mystery, I don't know how much I'd like that. For me, the mysteries of the week are usually the weakest part of the episode (the mysteries of the weak, if you will). Aside from the story, I think that's mainly because these people aren't around long, so it's difficult to really care what happens to them. Chances are, you aren't going to see them ever again, so it's hard to become very invested. Whereas, if you see them from week to week, you get to know them and feel a bit more for them. Besides, it's the over-arching mysteries and the doling out of clues related to them that keep people intrigued and guessing from week to week. Then there's the payoff when you finally see how it all comes together in the end. The shortened mysteries this season have been mostly successful so far in that respect, but you don't really get that with cases confined to one episode. It has a tendancy to get procedural and stale, if some other shows are anything to go by. I guess we'll still have the cute little character moments, but without the long mysteries, what really separates this show from any other teen drama?
I was looking at Matt Roush's blog (from TV Guide) a few days ago and this is what he said about the show: "Have I given up hope, refuting today’s gospel, for a fourth season? A bit. I still enjoy the characters, but feel it has kind of played itself out. I’d be happy to be proved wrong." And that's kind of how I feel too. While I still enjoy the show, if it doesn't get a fourth season, I can't get too upset, because even if some loose ends don't get tied up, it seems to have reached a sort of natural conclusion. Keith is Sheriff again, at least for the time being, and that's one of the things Veronica's dreamed about. The friction between the have and have nots seems to have evaporated now that Veronica is in college and surrounded by people from more varied backgrounds. While it would be nice if Logan and Veronica were together in the end, it's okay if they're not. It's actually more noir if she's alone. Veronica is going to go off and do bigger and better things.
Now, I could be overreacting. I mean, we haven't seen the last five episodes yet. Maybe they'll be really good, enough to convince me that this will work next season. Or maybe the show won't even go the mystery of the week route. I hope so. I hope it's still around. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime...we have this horrible PussyCat Dolls reality show to get through. I cringed when a girl in one of the ads said she wanted to be a PussyCat Doll because "they're all about female empowerment." Um. NO, THEY'RE NOT. I can't believe some people actually think that. That's just sad. Is it May 1st yet?