[veronica mars] thoughts | "just remember me when you're good to go..."
SEASON ONE OF VERONICA MARS IS NOW OFFICIALLY ON MY "SEEN IT" LIST! I finished watching the final episode about fifteen minutes ago and have been trying to pull my thoughts together into something coherent so I can make a post while I'm still in the "honeymoon phase" and haven't begun to over-analyse everything yet!
So, while most of my thoughts are still pretty much along the lines of "ILU, LILLY KANE!" and are now intertwined with things like, "There was NOT ENOUGH of you in the back half of this season," and "Where were my perfect flashbacks of perfection?", I do also have thoughts about the other characters too. Well, some of them. SO, SUCCESS!!
"I was hoping it'd be you..."
OHHHH... cliffhanger. MEAN.
But I'll get to that later. Firstly; a run-down.
VERONICA | She really grew on me as the season progressed, but I guess I kinda stuggle A LOT with the whole premise of her character. I think I need to get to a point where I can see what she does as something akin to vampirism or magic or something, so it's easier to 'believe' it. If that makes sense? It was difficult to relate to her a lot of the time because of the inconsistencies in her characterisation. It was like the story wanted her to be two things (super sleuth PI and 'ordinary' teenage girl), and while I think it could have been possible, I do think the transitions were kinda jarring at times. And maybe that should/could/did come across as realistic for some people, but I just found it made the character kinda confusing in a way that emphasised the lack of realism.
LILLY | I was looking for graphics just now on tumblr and stumbled across some opinions of Lilly that were along the lines of victim blaming. Ie. that she was a horrible person for sleeping with Aaron Echolls in the first place so, dot dot dot. I managed to get away before total rage-blackout set in, but I did just want to comment briefly on this. Yes, Lilly wasn't perfect. Yes, she made questionable choices. WHAT SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD HUMAN BEING DOESN'T? Does this mean she deserved to be murdered?? Well, I'm not even gonna dignify that with a response. It seemed to me that a lot of what Lilly did she did simply because she wanted to. And she'd been brought up in a lifestyle where doing things because you wanted to was possible (money, privilege, beauty made it that way for her). Besides the occasional attempt to side-track her mother, and stealing the sex-tapes from Aaron Echolls, there was never any 'motive' for her actions. She did things because they were fun! Because she could! Not because she was a malicious bitch who wanted to hurt people. I don't think she had a CLUE about consequences. Not really. Not even with regard to hooking up with her boyfriend's father. Or with Weevil. She was over-confident and naive to the end (as evidenced by her taunting Aaron about the tapes) and that's what got her killed.
Also, there was a comment made about her knowing Aaron used to beat up Logan. Did I miss something where that was confirmed? I mean, I know that Veronica knew, and I know that Duncan knew. But I don't recall it ever being mentioned that LILLY knew. Maybe it's a fair assumption to make, based on the above, but yeah, I'm not willing to condemn her for something unless I know it's true so if someone can clarify that? Thanks!
DUNCAN | Type Four Epilepsy? What even IS that?? I studied epilepsy at university level and I've NEVER heard of it. Was it intended to create a fake disease so as not to offend anyone with their 'diagnosis = you must be the murderer' schitck, or did they really just mean temporal lobe epilepsy (which is what the description of his symptoms most closely resembles)? Was there ever any commentary on this? As for Duncan in general? He kinda grew on me as the season progressed, too. But I don't think I have any strong opinions one way or the other... I might have to think about this some more!
LOGAN | I think I've finally figured out why I really don't enjoy/care about/feel anything for the character. It's Jason Dohring. He's my Veronica Mars version of Eric Dane. His acting, ESPECIALLY in the heavier moments where I'm probably meant to be ~developing an ~understanding of Logan or whatever, is so incredibly awkward and off-putting it's all I can do to keep watching. Give him sarcasm or humour, and it's all fine. Excellent even. Anything more serious, or heartfelt than that and it makes me cringe. In exactly the same way Eric Dane does. Mark Sloan (RIP) was an awesome character when all he had to do was bring the comic relief. Outside of that, though? NO! And that was all due to Eric Dane, and I feel exactly the same way with Jason Dohring. In fact, I put this down to the main reason why I tuned out of so many back-half episodes (see below for more on that).
DUNCAN VERSUS LOGAN w/r/t VERONICA | I'm guessing I'm meant to have an opinion by now? And I think I probably do? I think? Like, I don't actually, actively ship Veronica with anyone that isn't Leo. BUT, if it was a 'choose or die' situation then I'm saying Duncan, hands down. I'm not sure if I missed something (there were some episodes there for a while - 16-20 I'd say - where I totally had trouble maintaining interest and I'd often find myself scrolling through tumblr or checking my emails) but... how did Logan/Veronica even come about? I remember looking at my screen and seeing them kiss and being COMPLETELY... WWWTTTTTFFFFFF??? I didn't see it coming AT ALL. Actually, no. I saw it coming from a "teen show inevitability" point of view. I just didn't see it coming THEN. But like I said, it's entirely possibly I missed something vital in one of those episodes that would have explained it all a little more clearly!
I loved the screwed up reveals between Duncan and Veronica in the last couple of episodes. I think Kristin and Teddy have all kinds of chemistry in a really understanding/gentle/shared history/we are both so screwed up/I love you but I'm not sure if it's because you're my sister/brother kind of way. And now that they have the whole sibling thing sorted out, I'm interested to see what, if anything, comes of these two next season.
HOWEVERRRRR... I DO find the fact that Veronica a) stalked both boys to the point of STEALING MEDICAL RECORDS and b) believed them both capable of killing Lilly AND raping her, to be something of a sticking point for future romantic relationship development. And if any DO come about and none of these things are addressed I'll be so disappointed.
WALLACE | I freaking LOVE his friendship with Veronica. LOVE. They are so unquestioning of each other, and the implicit trust is amazing. The last few episodes, like with my Veronica + Duncan thoughts, really cemented their friendship for me. I think it could be easy to view Veronica as using him, and I do agree that this is what she does to an extent, but I also think it's not done in a power-play kind of way. If Wallace said no, she'd probably beg and plead a little (because history tells her this will work), but if he still says no, she'd eventually respect his decision (and just get the information she wanted some other way). But I think this also works because I think Wallace trusts Veronica's motives. He knows she doesn't want the information she asks for for shits and giggles, if that makes sense. There is always a reason.
LEO | I'm not sure how much my undying love for Schmidt is colouring my glee at the Leo character but, wow. I loved Leo!! I have no idea if he's in anymore episodes, and I think I'll be okay if he's not given my developing interest in Veronica and Duncan (as individual characters), but I really, REALLY enjoyed him!
THE CLIFF-HANGER | "I was hoping it'd be you..."
I hope it is: Wallace. This would make the most amount of sense to me. He'd have to know that his mother has gone to sit with Keith at the hospital, so he'd know that something crazy has gone down. And the last two or three epsiodes have really cemented the strength of the Veronica+Wallace friendship. He's the only one I can buy her genuinely saying those words to with that amount of relief and happiness.
I think it is: Wallace. This show is a big fan of the "fake out" [for recent example, see: Keith and the prostitute in Vegas, plus, pretty much every other storyline ever!]. So while I got the impression that I was probably ~supposed to think Duncan or Logan, I don't. It just wouldn't make sense for me in the context of Veronica's reaction and the events that had just gone down. So yeah, Wallace it is!
THINGS I WANT FROM SEASON TWO | I don't really know! I have zero expectations. I REALLY want Lilly to be a continuing presence, but I'm not sure how that can be achieved (unless the Aaron Echolls thing is a fake-out like all the other fake-outs this show has delivered us!). Maybe there'll be the court-case or something, that could be a way to keep her relevant. Also, we only have Veronica's assumed version of events so far, yes? So we could get the 'real' version of events from Aaron himself at some point. And I really want the mistrust between Veronica/Logan/Duncan to be addressed (I mean, it wasn't just Veronica that suspected both boys at different times, they also suspected each other too), especially if there are to be relationships re-built, regardless of configuration.
OVERALL THOUGHTS | I don't think it's ground-breaking television. And I think it relies A LOT on cliched storytelling techniques and has a very casual relationship with reality. But I do think it's entertaining. And I definitely plan on watching season two when I can find somewhere decent that streams it get my hands on it!
So, while most of my thoughts are still pretty much along the lines of "ILU, LILLY KANE!" and are now intertwined with things like, "There was NOT ENOUGH of you in the back half of this season," and "Where were my perfect flashbacks of perfection?", I do also have thoughts about the other characters too. Well, some of them. SO, SUCCESS!!
"I was hoping it'd be you..."
OHHHH... cliffhanger. MEAN.
But I'll get to that later. Firstly; a run-down.
VERONICA | She really grew on me as the season progressed, but I guess I kinda stuggle A LOT with the whole premise of her character. I think I need to get to a point where I can see what she does as something akin to vampirism or magic or something, so it's easier to 'believe' it. If that makes sense? It was difficult to relate to her a lot of the time because of the inconsistencies in her characterisation. It was like the story wanted her to be two things (super sleuth PI and 'ordinary' teenage girl), and while I think it could have been possible, I do think the transitions were kinda jarring at times. And maybe that should/could/did come across as realistic for some people, but I just found it made the character kinda confusing in a way that emphasised the lack of realism.
LILLY | I was looking for graphics just now on tumblr and stumbled across some opinions of Lilly that were along the lines of victim blaming. Ie. that she was a horrible person for sleeping with Aaron Echolls in the first place so, dot dot dot. I managed to get away before total rage-blackout set in, but I did just want to comment briefly on this. Yes, Lilly wasn't perfect. Yes, she made questionable choices. WHAT SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD HUMAN BEING DOESN'T? Does this mean she deserved to be murdered?? Well, I'm not even gonna dignify that with a response. It seemed to me that a lot of what Lilly did she did simply because she wanted to. And she'd been brought up in a lifestyle where doing things because you wanted to was possible (money, privilege, beauty made it that way for her). Besides the occasional attempt to side-track her mother, and stealing the sex-tapes from Aaron Echolls, there was never any 'motive' for her actions. She did things because they were fun! Because she could! Not because she was a malicious bitch who wanted to hurt people. I don't think she had a CLUE about consequences. Not really. Not even with regard to hooking up with her boyfriend's father. Or with Weevil. She was over-confident and naive to the end (as evidenced by her taunting Aaron about the tapes) and that's what got her killed.
Also, there was a comment made about her knowing Aaron used to beat up Logan. Did I miss something where that was confirmed? I mean, I know that Veronica knew, and I know that Duncan knew. But I don't recall it ever being mentioned that LILLY knew. Maybe it's a fair assumption to make, based on the above, but yeah, I'm not willing to condemn her for something unless I know it's true so if someone can clarify that? Thanks!
DUNCAN | Type Four Epilepsy? What even IS that?? I studied epilepsy at university level and I've NEVER heard of it. Was it intended to create a fake disease so as not to offend anyone with their 'diagnosis = you must be the murderer' schitck, or did they really just mean temporal lobe epilepsy (which is what the description of his symptoms most closely resembles)? Was there ever any commentary on this? As for Duncan in general? He kinda grew on me as the season progressed, too. But I don't think I have any strong opinions one way or the other... I might have to think about this some more!
LOGAN | I think I've finally figured out why I really don't enjoy/care about/feel anything for the character. It's Jason Dohring. He's my Veronica Mars version of Eric Dane. His acting, ESPECIALLY in the heavier moments where I'm probably meant to be ~developing an ~understanding of Logan or whatever, is so incredibly awkward and off-putting it's all I can do to keep watching. Give him sarcasm or humour, and it's all fine. Excellent even. Anything more serious, or heartfelt than that and it makes me cringe. In exactly the same way Eric Dane does. Mark Sloan (RIP) was an awesome character when all he had to do was bring the comic relief. Outside of that, though? NO! And that was all due to Eric Dane, and I feel exactly the same way with Jason Dohring. In fact, I put this down to the main reason why I tuned out of so many back-half episodes (see below for more on that).
DUNCAN VERSUS LOGAN w/r/t VERONICA | I'm guessing I'm meant to have an opinion by now? And I think I probably do? I think? Like, I don't actually, actively ship Veronica with anyone that isn't Leo. BUT, if it was a 'choose or die' situation then I'm saying Duncan, hands down. I'm not sure if I missed something (there were some episodes there for a while - 16-20 I'd say - where I totally had trouble maintaining interest and I'd often find myself scrolling through tumblr or checking my emails) but... how did Logan/Veronica even come about? I remember looking at my screen and seeing them kiss and being COMPLETELY... WWWTTTTTFFFFFF??? I didn't see it coming AT ALL. Actually, no. I saw it coming from a "teen show inevitability" point of view. I just didn't see it coming THEN. But like I said, it's entirely possibly I missed something vital in one of those episodes that would have explained it all a little more clearly!
I loved the screwed up reveals between Duncan and Veronica in the last couple of episodes. I think Kristin and Teddy have all kinds of chemistry in a really understanding/gentle/shared history/we are both so screwed up/I love you but I'm not sure if it's because you're my sister/brother kind of way. And now that they have the whole sibling thing sorted out, I'm interested to see what, if anything, comes of these two next season.
HOWEVERRRRR... I DO find the fact that Veronica a) stalked both boys to the point of STEALING MEDICAL RECORDS and b) believed them both capable of killing Lilly AND raping her, to be something of a sticking point for future romantic relationship development. And if any DO come about and none of these things are addressed I'll be so disappointed.
WALLACE | I freaking LOVE his friendship with Veronica. LOVE. They are so unquestioning of each other, and the implicit trust is amazing. The last few episodes, like with my Veronica + Duncan thoughts, really cemented their friendship for me. I think it could be easy to view Veronica as using him, and I do agree that this is what she does to an extent, but I also think it's not done in a power-play kind of way. If Wallace said no, she'd probably beg and plead a little (because history tells her this will work), but if he still says no, she'd eventually respect his decision (and just get the information she wanted some other way). But I think this also works because I think Wallace trusts Veronica's motives. He knows she doesn't want the information she asks for for shits and giggles, if that makes sense. There is always a reason.
LEO | I'm not sure how much my undying love for Schmidt is colouring my glee at the Leo character but, wow. I loved Leo!! I have no idea if he's in anymore episodes, and I think I'll be okay if he's not given my developing interest in Veronica and Duncan (as individual characters), but I really, REALLY enjoyed him!
THE CLIFF-HANGER | "I was hoping it'd be you..."
I hope it is: Wallace. This would make the most amount of sense to me. He'd have to know that his mother has gone to sit with Keith at the hospital, so he'd know that something crazy has gone down. And the last two or three epsiodes have really cemented the strength of the Veronica+Wallace friendship. He's the only one I can buy her genuinely saying those words to with that amount of relief and happiness.
I think it is: Wallace. This show is a big fan of the "fake out" [for recent example, see: Keith and the prostitute in Vegas, plus, pretty much every other storyline ever!]. So while I got the impression that I was probably ~supposed to think Duncan or Logan, I don't. It just wouldn't make sense for me in the context of Veronica's reaction and the events that had just gone down. So yeah, Wallace it is!
THINGS I WANT FROM SEASON TWO | I don't really know! I have zero expectations. I REALLY want Lilly to be a continuing presence, but I'm not sure how that can be achieved (unless the Aaron Echolls thing is a fake-out like all the other fake-outs this show has delivered us!). Maybe there'll be the court-case or something, that could be a way to keep her relevant. Also, we only have Veronica's assumed version of events so far, yes? So we could get the 'real' version of events from Aaron himself at some point. And I really want the mistrust between Veronica/Logan/Duncan to be addressed (I mean, it wasn't just Veronica that suspected both boys at different times, they also suspected each other too), especially if there are to be relationships re-built, regardless of configuration.
OVERALL THOUGHTS | I don't think it's ground-breaking television. And I think it relies A LOT on cliched storytelling techniques and has a very casual relationship with reality. But I do think it's entertaining. And I definitely plan on watching season two when I can find somewhere decent that streams it get my hands on it!