LogFAQs > #888501143

It's been a while since I did a watch-through topic, so here we go.

Season 1, Episode 1

Recap: Meet Veronica Mars. She rescues a new kid at school from his snitching on a biker gang. She fights off antagonism from school bullies at her dystopian Californian high school. She receives calls for her disgraced father's private detective agency, but moonlights as a gumshoe herself. She tracks Jay Kane to a motel, only to find that it's her mother in there. And she finds out that her father is still investigating the case that got him disgraced... and lying to her about it.

Lots happening in this pilot episode. Most of it, not really up my ally. The antagonistic high school angle is a classic setting, one where originality can't really be expected, so you search for good execution. And this episode does not give it. The school bullies flat-out suck; the dialogue isn't clever; Veronica's new buddy (whose name I missed) isn't fun; and the cast feels really diminutive. The bikers wind up sticking up for her versus the bullies in a really awkward finish.

As for Veronica herself, the school scenes give her two primary defining moments: one where she cuts down the snitch kid, and one where she pretends to be asleep but is able to answer the teacher competently and snarkily when called upon. Color me lukewarm on both.

The investigative angle feels like it takes up far less of the episode's time, but it's very obviously the more interesting part of the series, and I'm pretty sure the showrunners know that. Veronica's banter with her father feels infinitely more natural than the 'I'm untroubled by bullies because I'm TOUGH' shtick at school. The directing is much more energetic and emotional - the most memorable image of the episode, by far, is of the staring eyes of Lily Kane. Veronica really feels in her element when she's sneaking around, lighting fires and snapping photos and looking at them with childlike glee. And of course any ongoing hook comes from here.

Three main characters stand out to me so far: Veronica, her father, and the nasty new sheriff (or whatever his role is). By far the most interesting screen presences so far. It's no coincidence none of them belongs at school.

Two obvious unanswered questions now. The first is the primary arc question of the circumstances behind Lily Kane's murder. Perhaps more interesting and not so emphasized: who raped Veronica? Will this question be answered?

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* Any time the biker gang was on screen, I cringed.

* Gotta admit I chuckled at Veronica's empty locker for inspection, with the image of the principal in a heart on the door.

* Really like Veronica's banter with her father. My favorite line is when Dad talks about being cool. 'Tonight we eat like the lower middle class to which we aspire!' And then we go to the grill, and 'Don't Fear the Reaper' is playing. Aw yeah.

* My favorite bit of small characterization: Veronica figures out that her father is investigating his old case but hiding it. When her father says 'Who's your daddy,' instead of groaning about it (as established is her norm), Veronica responds, 'You are.'

* A Rob Thomas connection - the defense lawyer plays the weatherman on iZombie.

* 'WHY DON'T YOU JUST TELL ME?' - In honesty, I really despise trying to take storylines like this seriously (especially when Veronica is obviously trustworthy). Oh well.

* Dat fake accent from Veronica was pretty hot.
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yet all sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable - they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale its fickleness