# Latecomers to Veronica Mars, check in here **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182 "2007-11-12T21:58:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/1 "2007-11-12T21:58:03Z")
Please **box all spoilers** in this thread. I’m almost done with Season 1, with two episodes to go. I actually copied episode 21 onto my iPod so I could watch it at lunch, and literally swore out loud when I noticed I forgot my iPod at home. I’m working my way through _Buffy_, so I’m well aware that dramas starring blonde high school students making cutesy pop references\* aren’t necessarily as dumb as they sound, but holy crap. This show is goddamn amazing, and certainly not a kid’s show. It’s one of those shows where you finish an episode and think, “That was only an _hour_?!” not because it was horrible, but because the episode was so dense, covered so much, and messed with your emotions so much, and you’re _still_ wanting more. I think my only complaint (this being the Internet and all) is Jason Dohring (Logan)'s acting. I honestly can’t tell half the time if he’s angry, dumbfounded, or embarrassed. They all look the same to me. \*- I think the line that pushed me over the line was “Egg sandwich? Egg sandwich? Three Orange Whips!” Anyone just discovering this gem now? And I apologize to all fans of _VM_ (as I also have to _Firefly_ fans) for not discovering this earlier. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2007, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/2 "2007-11-12T23:49:18Z")
So, now’s your chance to impress everyone with your perspicacity… who do you think did it? And yes, it’s an amazing show, particularly season 1. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/3 "2007-11-13T00:11:50Z")
I’m not going to spoil anything. It’s a great show. I’m envious that you get to check it out for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2007, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/4 "2007-11-13T00:51:58Z")
As the guy who started the thread, [Veronica Mars is the best show in the universe!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=299035) back in January 2005 I’m going to agree with you that it’s a damn good show. It’s a shame my local UPN / CW affiliate ruined it for me. They had technical problems for months that caused static in the sound of each show. Drove me crazy, and I just stopped watching. By the time I got frustrated enough to call the station to complain, I was already done. I’m glad to see Kristen Bell as a new character on Heroes. Logan is in some vampire show now, isn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/5 "2007-11-13T01:18:24Z")
I’m halfway through Season 3, and I’m sad that I only have 2 disks left until it’s over. I dearly wish there had been a spin-off where Veronica becomes an FBI agent and returns to Neptune to clean it up. Is there any chance anymore of that happening? I have to say, it’s hard for me to watch Kristen Bell as Elle on Heroes without thinking of her as VM. She’s got such a distinctive face (I mean that in a good way). ETA: Yes, Jason Dohring is playing a vampire on Moonlight. I tried to watch the show because he was on it, but I found out I don’t like him THAT much. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/6 "2007-11-13T17:25:07Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] So, now’s your chance to impress everyone with your perspicacity… who do you think did it? [/QUOTE] Oh my. ---
**Author:** ![Phantom\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@Phantom\_Dennis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phantom_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/7 "2007-11-13T20:31:39Z")
The first season is a classic. The second is also very good, but there’s a significant decline in quality in the third season, possibly because the network began to tinker with the format, and possibly because Veronica’s transition to college could’ve been handled better. It’s still very watchable and there are several high points, but it doesn’t develop the kind of momentum present in seasons one and two. VM deserves a lot more credit than it was given. I wish more people had discovered it while it was on the air. To be fair, the network was unusually generous about giving it time to find an audience. I think the problem was the show’s format – those season-long story arcs are compelling when you’re watching it on DVD, but they’re too involved for the average TV viewer. I think most people don’t like having to catch up when they miss the occasional episode. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/8 "2007-11-14T06:03:39Z")
The first season was stellar. The second season I got a little confused towards the middle. The third season was good, but ended permanently on a cliffhanger. Although the ten minute or so “pilot” for “Veronica Mars in the FBI” on youtube is a tantalizing look at what might have been… ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/9 "2007-11-14T20:53:33Z")
Eh, the third-season cliffhanger isn’t all that hangy. I love _VM_ so much. I think the first season is the strongest overall, but I watched it faithfully all the way through. Have you seen the last two episodes of Season One now, **Troy**? Those really represent the emotional high point of the entire series. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2007, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/10 "2007-11-17T05:40:15Z")
Just wanted to mention, I happened to notice that [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) has the first and second seasons on sale for 15 bucks each, so if anyone’s been tempted to check it out… ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2007, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/11 "2007-11-17T06:47:35Z")
[QUOTE=cbawlmer] Eh, the third-season cliffhanger isn’t all that hangy. [/QUOTE] There were a few loose threads, but maybe they weren’t so much cliffhangy as… lacking closure and being generally… a bummer. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/12 "2007-12-11T17:12:47Z")
[QUOTE=cbawlmer] Have you seen the last two episodes of Season One now, **Troy**? Those really represent the emotional high point of the entire series. [/QUOTE] Ugh. Due to the stupidity of myself and of the USPS, I finally got the DVDs I ordered three weeks ago yesterday. I think that finale may have been better than most entire seasons of television. The TWoP recapper said it best- “And with that, we fade out on a season that shows how television should be done.” [spoiler]I did have a problem with the truck that hits Aaron near the end. It would’ve been a lot more satisfying to have Duncan behind the wheel of one of the catering trucks, and sidestepping/ignoring vehicular manslaughter charges against Duncan would be easier, I think, than the cliched “stumble into the middle of the street and get hit by wayward truck” deus ex machina. I obviously don’t know how Logan & Weevil make out on the Coronado Bridge, but that sure got dropped in a hurry. I hope it’s not forgotten.[/spoiler] I’m re-watching Season one now to go back and catch clues, and also just to make the whole thing last a bit more. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/13 "2007-12-11T17:29:15Z")
I also want to point out that Kristen Bell is amazingly hot. ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2007, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/14 "2007-12-11T22:05:10Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] I obviously don’t know how Logan & Weevil make out on the Coronado Bridge, but that sure got dropped in a hurry. I hope it’s not forgotten. [/QUOTE] Not at all. What happened on the bridge is a major Season Two plot point. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/15 "2007-12-12T03:54:38Z")
I watched the first 2 seasons of VM via Netflix during the summer of 2006. I then watched the 3rd and final season in real time. When I finally removed the show from my Tivo season pass, it made me sad. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/16 "2008-01-10T18:15:11Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] Oh my. [/QUOTE] As mentioned in the [original thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=370884), I am kinda glad this was followed up on. Having Duncan be the culprit seemed like a surprisingly “easy” way out for a show that had been so ballsy through-and-through. I am definitely glad Dick and/or Beaver ended up paying off. I was cursing the fact that they were in the opening credits, seeing as how they were so annoying. Why didn’t Beaver try to kill Dick, too? I mean… _I_ would have. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/latecomers-to-veronica-mars-check-in-here/426182/17 "2008-01-11T15:59:20Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] I’m re-watching Season one now to go back and catch clues, and also just to make the whole thing last a bit more. [/QUOTE] It’s worth watching again just because it’s so good, but there are not many clues that would lead you to the killer. Roger Ebert’s Rule of Economy of Characters is used to its fullest - the biggest name with the least to do is the killer. If I were you, I would go on to season two immediately. It’s not as good as the first season, but it’s still great TV. You can always go back to the first season later. Edit: I see now that this thread was bumped and you’ve watched season two already.