Veronica Mars - 3x01 Welcome Wagon
Late, late on posting this, seeing as how the new episode airs tonight (or rather, is already airing in some parts of the country), but I wanted to throw this on here for the record, anyway. I was going to back-date it, but what the frak? :)
I liked it. Not a top ten ep for me, but it was really enjoyable and fun and I think they did an admirable job of introducing the show to new viewers, while not ignoring those of us who've been around since the beginning.
Things I Liked:
Credits: Love and adore them. The visuals are awesome for so many reasons. The remixed song...the opening bit that plays over KB and JD is not working for me, but the rest of it I really like. Maybe the music will sound better on the TV. Or I'll just get used to it.
Veronica: KB was so on this episode. So many killer lines delivered well. The Eastwood impression, the "Lord, no!" response to Keith's question about making friends, "That's the spirit!", the melting and loss of quip-ability in the key scene.
Logan: How refreshing and nice it was to start a season with a Logan I can actually like! Yay! And not just for my own sake, but for new viewers. I am hoping that now that Dick's speaking to him again, Logan will become a little less subdued and a little more funny-snarky (as opposed to the mean-snarky of seasons past). His request for Veronica to carry his books -- the facial expression JD made -- has become one of my favorite little Logan moments for some reason. Not sure why, but it was just damned adorable.
Veronica/Logan: I'll throw myself in the minority here and say that I had no issue with the way the relationship was portrayed in the ep. New viewers will see that the lead character is part of a couple who are in a physical and emotionally committed relationship. A couple that can also play with each other verbally. Yet, they'll also not be misled into thinking the show's main focus is on relationships.
I seriously loved the bench scene. It looked to me like Logan was just sitting there, sprawled out, and Veronica walked up and mirrored his posture and just started playing with him. It was cute and funny and showed a sense of being comfortable enough with each other to play like that. And then later, we have someone other than Logan (or fanfic writers) praising his sexual prowess, so new viewers will know Veronica's happy in that department, too. And it leads to another sign of this couple's playfulness with the pro/college experience sports talk. The VMVO that followed seemed more like Veronica rolling her eyes at herself and her own hypocrisy, rather than questioning the relationship, so I had no quarrel with that either.
The key scene...again throwing myself in the minority here when I say that I just don't see where people are seeing that Veronica is obviously not as into Logan as he is with her. She seemed really affected by the whole exchange in a heart-melting kind of way.
I also like that the kiss Logan gave Veronica in front of Piz didn't at all come off like a possessive boyfriend kiss. It looked to me like as soon as Logan walked up, Veronica forgot about Piz and Logan didn't even really take notice he was there until they were already heading in for the kiss. So it was just a genuine kiss goodbye, not a kiss done to prove something to anyone.
And not answering Piz about Logan being the boyfriend? It seemed obvious to me that she'd just come to the awkward realization that this guy might have been interested in her. It wasn't that she was hesitant to admit to a relationship with Logan.
Mac: Just loved her in this episode. I'm really enjoying the friendship between her and Veronica. They're both so not girly-girls and it's cool to see them play off of one another.
Backup: Probably a weird thing to say, but I felt like he was an actual character in his scene, rather than just a prop hanging around.
Wardrobe and Hair: Veronica looked frakkin' fabulous. In fact, everyone looked really fabulous (w/two notable hair exceptions). The wardrobe and hair departments need to pat themselves on the backs and keep doing whatever they did for the rest of the season. Right after they cut Piz's hair, that is.
Piz: So far, I'm liking him. I'm not troubled by how much time was given to him this episode, in relation to Parker. His was the MOTW, hers just started at the end of the episode. I thought he was dorky and funny. Chris Lowell's acting seemed shaky to me in a couple of scenes -- one of them being the scene where he discovers his stuff has been stolen. His surprise was so very fake. They chose to put that scene online a couple of weeks ago and it had me nervous about his ability to play the role, but I think he was much better and likable in the rest of the episode. I agree with those who think he'd be good with Mac. Veronica would just run right over him.
Weevil and Lamb: I'm glad they weren't in this episode, to be honest. There was just no reason for it this week. This week was about introducing the new characters (who have no connection to Weevil or Lamb), setting up the rape mystery (which I'd guess Lamb will be brought into next week or soon after) and wrapping up the Kendall/briefcase thing. So I'm happier they weren't there just to be there for the premiere.
'Meh' Things:
Opening Scene: While I love the scene itself, I'm not sure it was the best way to open the season. I'm not at all sure what would have been better, to be honest, but I don't think this was the best new-viewer hook they could have done.
Parker: It's not the writing. It's not the actress. It's just a type of 'OMG, she's so bubbly and perky and friendly and gah!' character I find annoying. I think, like Mac & Veronica, I may be too jaded and cynical to deal with it. All the comparisons to Dawson's Creek's Audrey aren't helping, either, because for the most part, I didn't like her. But it's only been a couple of scenes and I'm assuming (hoping) there'll be some change brought about in the next episode. So, I'm going to withhold judgment on her for now.
Keith, Kendall & Cormac: This storyline felt a little off. It's not so much that I was confused by it, as it seems many out there were. It's that it was so completely and utterly separated from the rest of the episode that it felt like there was a different series intruding upon the episode like a commercial break. Maybe it's because the setting was away from Neptune, but even with the two Veronica/Keith scenes, I wish there'd been a little more to connect Keith's story to Veronica's. Or something.
I expect to learn more about Vinnie's involvement later, so I'm not upset (yet) that we weren't told the whole story with him in this episode. At first, I was a little disappointed in Keith not picking up on the tracking device early on, like Veronica did in DR, but then I reminded myself that she found it because she already knew he was planning to watch her. Same with Vinnie in MvM. Veronica gave him the pen in the same conversation that she pumped him for info on one of his cases. Keith had no reason to suspect Vinnie was working on a related case. It just came off like his annual "let's team up!" proposition.
I also hope that we'll get concrete proof of Kendall's demise (i.e. a body) so there'll be no doubt about it and we can all move on from that story. Because I'm really, really ready for that. Although I did think Charisma was lovely in her scenes, here.
Dick: Maybe I'm just cold-hearted, or maybe Ryan's hair was just too distracting, but I didn't have that much of an emotional reaction when he broke down, as it seems many people did. I appreciated Logan comforting his friend. I thought that was great and touching. I was glad that Dick may have realized he messed up. But I couldn't muster up the sympathy for him I know I was supposed to be feeling. I don't know. Maybe Logan's used up my entire supply of "character forgiveness" on this show, because I can't seem to get past all the rotten things Dick's done and said. And not just his actions in the first two seasons, but in this very episode. I wanted to feel sympathy, but I couldn't and I felt a little bit like I was being manipulated into feeling sorry for him.
So, to sum up: I enjoyed it, didn't actively dislike the new characters, appreciated the way the Veronica/Logan relationship was introduced to new viewers and I really can't wait for the next episode!
I liked it. Not a top ten ep for me, but it was really enjoyable and fun and I think they did an admirable job of introducing the show to new viewers, while not ignoring those of us who've been around since the beginning.
Things I Liked:
Credits: Love and adore them. The visuals are awesome for so many reasons. The remixed song...the opening bit that plays over KB and JD is not working for me, but the rest of it I really like. Maybe the music will sound better on the TV. Or I'll just get used to it.
Veronica: KB was so on this episode. So many killer lines delivered well. The Eastwood impression, the "Lord, no!" response to Keith's question about making friends, "That's the spirit!", the melting and loss of quip-ability in the key scene.
Logan: How refreshing and nice it was to start a season with a Logan I can actually like! Yay! And not just for my own sake, but for new viewers. I am hoping that now that Dick's speaking to him again, Logan will become a little less subdued and a little more funny-snarky (as opposed to the mean-snarky of seasons past). His request for Veronica to carry his books -- the facial expression JD made -- has become one of my favorite little Logan moments for some reason. Not sure why, but it was just damned adorable.
Veronica/Logan: I'll throw myself in the minority here and say that I had no issue with the way the relationship was portrayed in the ep. New viewers will see that the lead character is part of a couple who are in a physical and emotionally committed relationship. A couple that can also play with each other verbally. Yet, they'll also not be misled into thinking the show's main focus is on relationships.
I seriously loved the bench scene. It looked to me like Logan was just sitting there, sprawled out, and Veronica walked up and mirrored his posture and just started playing with him. It was cute and funny and showed a sense of being comfortable enough with each other to play like that. And then later, we have someone other than Logan (or fanfic writers) praising his sexual prowess, so new viewers will know Veronica's happy in that department, too. And it leads to another sign of this couple's playfulness with the pro/college experience sports talk. The VMVO that followed seemed more like Veronica rolling her eyes at herself and her own hypocrisy, rather than questioning the relationship, so I had no quarrel with that either.
The key scene...again throwing myself in the minority here when I say that I just don't see where people are seeing that Veronica is obviously not as into Logan as he is with her. She seemed really affected by the whole exchange in a heart-melting kind of way.
I also like that the kiss Logan gave Veronica in front of Piz didn't at all come off like a possessive boyfriend kiss. It looked to me like as soon as Logan walked up, Veronica forgot about Piz and Logan didn't even really take notice he was there until they were already heading in for the kiss. So it was just a genuine kiss goodbye, not a kiss done to prove something to anyone.
And not answering Piz about Logan being the boyfriend? It seemed obvious to me that she'd just come to the awkward realization that this guy might have been interested in her. It wasn't that she was hesitant to admit to a relationship with Logan.
Mac: Just loved her in this episode. I'm really enjoying the friendship between her and Veronica. They're both so not girly-girls and it's cool to see them play off of one another.
Backup: Probably a weird thing to say, but I felt like he was an actual character in his scene, rather than just a prop hanging around.
Wardrobe and Hair: Veronica looked frakkin' fabulous. In fact, everyone looked really fabulous (w/two notable hair exceptions). The wardrobe and hair departments need to pat themselves on the backs and keep doing whatever they did for the rest of the season. Right after they cut Piz's hair, that is.
Piz: So far, I'm liking him. I'm not troubled by how much time was given to him this episode, in relation to Parker. His was the MOTW, hers just started at the end of the episode. I thought he was dorky and funny. Chris Lowell's acting seemed shaky to me in a couple of scenes -- one of them being the scene where he discovers his stuff has been stolen. His surprise was so very fake. They chose to put that scene online a couple of weeks ago and it had me nervous about his ability to play the role, but I think he was much better and likable in the rest of the episode. I agree with those who think he'd be good with Mac. Veronica would just run right over him.
Weevil and Lamb: I'm glad they weren't in this episode, to be honest. There was just no reason for it this week. This week was about introducing the new characters (who have no connection to Weevil or Lamb), setting up the rape mystery (which I'd guess Lamb will be brought into next week or soon after) and wrapping up the Kendall/briefcase thing. So I'm happier they weren't there just to be there for the premiere.
'Meh' Things:
Opening Scene: While I love the scene itself, I'm not sure it was the best way to open the season. I'm not at all sure what would have been better, to be honest, but I don't think this was the best new-viewer hook they could have done.
Parker: It's not the writing. It's not the actress. It's just a type of 'OMG, she's so bubbly and perky and friendly and gah!' character I find annoying. I think, like Mac & Veronica, I may be too jaded and cynical to deal with it. All the comparisons to Dawson's Creek's Audrey aren't helping, either, because for the most part, I didn't like her. But it's only been a couple of scenes and I'm assuming (hoping) there'll be some change brought about in the next episode. So, I'm going to withhold judgment on her for now.
Keith, Kendall & Cormac: This storyline felt a little off. It's not so much that I was confused by it, as it seems many out there were. It's that it was so completely and utterly separated from the rest of the episode that it felt like there was a different series intruding upon the episode like a commercial break. Maybe it's because the setting was away from Neptune, but even with the two Veronica/Keith scenes, I wish there'd been a little more to connect Keith's story to Veronica's. Or something.
I expect to learn more about Vinnie's involvement later, so I'm not upset (yet) that we weren't told the whole story with him in this episode. At first, I was a little disappointed in Keith not picking up on the tracking device early on, like Veronica did in DR, but then I reminded myself that she found it because she already knew he was planning to watch her. Same with Vinnie in MvM. Veronica gave him the pen in the same conversation that she pumped him for info on one of his cases. Keith had no reason to suspect Vinnie was working on a related case. It just came off like his annual "let's team up!" proposition.
I also hope that we'll get concrete proof of Kendall's demise (i.e. a body) so there'll be no doubt about it and we can all move on from that story. Because I'm really, really ready for that. Although I did think Charisma was lovely in her scenes, here.
Dick: Maybe I'm just cold-hearted, or maybe Ryan's hair was just too distracting, but I didn't have that much of an emotional reaction when he broke down, as it seems many people did. I appreciated Logan comforting his friend. I thought that was great and touching. I was glad that Dick may have realized he messed up. But I couldn't muster up the sympathy for him I know I was supposed to be feeling. I don't know. Maybe Logan's used up my entire supply of "character forgiveness" on this show, because I can't seem to get past all the rotten things Dick's done and said. And not just his actions in the first two seasons, but in this very episode. I wanted to feel sympathy, but I couldn't and I felt a little bit like I was being manipulated into feeling sorry for him.
So, to sum up: I enjoyed it, didn't actively dislike the new characters, appreciated the way the Veronica/Logan relationship was introduced to new viewers and I really can't wait for the next episode!