Life is about choices...
..and for the past couple of weeks my primary choice (When I haven't been working my ass off because I'm in line for a promotion at work) has come down to either sleep/surf the net/go out with friends/etc or watch Veronica Mars. As my absence and my new icon indicate, I tended to choose the latter.
Seriously, where has Kristen Bell been all my life? Gah. So damn cool. The way she mixes vulnerability and strength with a dash of realistic flaws reminds me of everything I loved about Jennifer Garner and Alias in Season 1. And Enrico C? Sweet and kick ass and my new fav on-screen dad (Sorry Victor and Eddie). Same for the rest of the boys on the show, particularly Frank Capra (A fairly well-rounded Hispanic character on TV?!) and my brotha Percy. I'm really loving the pair they've given him this season. He deserved more than to spend the series playing Pete to Veronica's Clark.
But what has really impressed me is the way that the show walks the tightrope between weekly, episodic closure and longer, character-rich story arcs. Cases are opened and closed each week but they all seem to contribute to the overall plot in some way. Even better the answers aren't constantly drawn out and when they do come they're logical and yet somehow not quite what I expected. Granted it would be nice if someone on this show didn't have some secret just waiting to surface but I'm not in this for the realism. At least not when it comes to the plot. Sure it's convoluted and outrageous but all good mysteries are built on the convention that nothing is a coincidence and you either buy into it or you don't.
And, as if you couldn't tell by now, I'm sold.
Now for the whole ship issue:
I've watched some of the debates that have taken place from the sidelines over the course the past year but I didn't quite understand it until now. Do I think that Logan is the healthiest choice for Veronica? Hell no. Boyfriend doesn't just have issues, he's got a lifetime subscription. However he's not all bad. He does have that soft underbelly that he was willing to reveal to her and I can see the attraction there. Plus there was the fact that they were pretty the only two people that could possibly understand what the other one was going through at the time. And it helps that JD isn't entirely unattractive. *cough*Towel*cough* That said, I was all "You go girl!" when she dumped him. She was right that he'd allowed himself to go too far. Should she have stayed with him to help him back to the light side of the Force? Maybe. But after what she'd been through with her mom I could see how she'd be reluctant to allow herself to hope for such a reformation once again.
Then there's Duncan. He's kind of Dean to me. Sure he's sweet and kind but I don't see that he really challenges her. Now it's not that sweet and kind guys are boring or bad or that if a couple doesn't fight there's nothing interesting there. It's just that in my experience, the ships that last are ones that bring out the best in both parties while challenging the worst. And there's nothing challenging or assertive about Duncan and his ship with Veronica. Now do I think she's wrong for going out with him? Absolutely not. She's been through hell and I can see her gravitating towards the security and ease that Duncan provides. I just don't see her staying there for very long.
I'm sure I'll have more to say in the future as I come out of my VM-marathon-induced daze but until then I'll just say thanks for turning me onto such a cool show. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious withdrawals to deal with. How in the hell do y'all wait for new eps every week?!
ETA: I almost forgot. That last GA? "If love were enough..." Holy frakking frelling hell! This show is killing me with the angst and the music and the... GAH. Ouch. But in a good way. It better get a nom at the Globes come December.
Seriously, where has Kristen Bell been all my life? Gah. So damn cool. The way she mixes vulnerability and strength with a dash of realistic flaws reminds me of everything I loved about Jennifer Garner and Alias in Season 1. And Enrico C? Sweet and kick ass and my new fav on-screen dad (Sorry Victor and Eddie). Same for the rest of the boys on the show, particularly Frank Capra (A fairly well-rounded Hispanic character on TV?!) and my brotha Percy. I'm really loving the pair they've given him this season. He deserved more than to spend the series playing Pete to Veronica's Clark.
But what has really impressed me is the way that the show walks the tightrope between weekly, episodic closure and longer, character-rich story arcs. Cases are opened and closed each week but they all seem to contribute to the overall plot in some way. Even better the answers aren't constantly drawn out and when they do come they're logical and yet somehow not quite what I expected. Granted it would be nice if someone on this show didn't have some secret just waiting to surface but I'm not in this for the realism. At least not when it comes to the plot. Sure it's convoluted and outrageous but all good mysteries are built on the convention that nothing is a coincidence and you either buy into it or you don't.
And, as if you couldn't tell by now, I'm sold.
Now for the whole ship issue:
I've watched some of the debates that have taken place from the sidelines over the course the past year but I didn't quite understand it until now. Do I think that Logan is the healthiest choice for Veronica? Hell no. Boyfriend doesn't just have issues, he's got a lifetime subscription. However he's not all bad. He does have that soft underbelly that he was willing to reveal to her and I can see the attraction there. Plus there was the fact that they were pretty the only two people that could possibly understand what the other one was going through at the time. And it helps that JD isn't entirely unattractive. *cough*Towel*cough* That said, I was all "You go girl!" when she dumped him. She was right that he'd allowed himself to go too far. Should she have stayed with him to help him back to the light side of the Force? Maybe. But after what she'd been through with her mom I could see how she'd be reluctant to allow herself to hope for such a reformation once again.
Then there's Duncan. He's kind of Dean to me. Sure he's sweet and kind but I don't see that he really challenges her. Now it's not that sweet and kind guys are boring or bad or that if a couple doesn't fight there's nothing interesting there. It's just that in my experience, the ships that last are ones that bring out the best in both parties while challenging the worst. And there's nothing challenging or assertive about Duncan and his ship with Veronica. Now do I think she's wrong for going out with him? Absolutely not. She's been through hell and I can see her gravitating towards the security and ease that Duncan provides. I just don't see her staying there for very long.
I'm sure I'll have more to say in the future as I come out of my VM-marathon-induced daze but until then I'll just say thanks for turning me onto such a cool show. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious withdrawals to deal with. How in the hell do y'all wait for new eps every week?!
ETA: I almost forgot. That last GA? "If love were enough..." Holy frakking frelling hell! This show is killing me with the angst and the music and the... GAH. Ouch. But in a good way. It better get a nom at the Globes come December.