Veronica Mars: Season 3

Warning! Spoilers littered throughout this review!Note: I'll rewrite the following paragraph soon (pressing matters keeps me from doing more right now) but we now know from reliable sources that Veronica is not going to be back in any way. She will not be back as a college student and she will not be back as an FBI agent in a reworked format. The only reason the CW hasn't already made the announcement, according to Kristin of Eonline.com, is that they are afraid of the anger fans will heap on them. They will deserve that anger! For me the CW will always be the network that made room for a mother-daughter beauty pageant, a second season of the Pussycat Doll show, and THE FARMER TAKES A WIFE. It had room for absolutely miserable excuses for shows like these, but couldn't find room on its schedule for VERONICA MARS. That pretty much tells you all you need to know about the CW.I will revise this first paragraph as soon as we know for certain, but it is not true, as has been almost universally reported, that VERONICA MARS has been cancelled. As of today this is what we know for certain: it has not yet been placed on the fall schedule. The head of the CW, Dawn Ostroff, says that while the VERONICA MARS of the past three seasons is gone, she is working with Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell on a possible future project, which most believe means the widely reported successor series to VERONICA MARS, in which the plot would shoot to the future, to deal with Veronica Mars as a FBI agent. This would be accompanied with a completely new supporting cast and perhaps even a title change in the show. Numerous sources have reported and Dawn Ostroff herself has stated that she has until June 15, 2007 to make a decision on whether to pick this new series up. To be honest, not many insiders are offering fans much hope that this series will be picked up. But as the old expression goes, "The opera ain't over until the fat lady sings." Well, she isn't singing yet, but she might be warming up. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed that the next three weeks will bring some good news.Certainly we need not fear for the long term future of Kristen Bell. One of the most talented actresses on TV, she is not only lovely but a gifted actress, singer, and dancer all in one diminutive package. The question is not whether she will be involved in some project in the future, but which one. Most immediately it appears that she will be the narrator for GOSSIP GIRL (this might not happen if she plays VERONICA MARS in some way, but even if she does, it might be possible for her to serve as narrator--she did do the narration for the pilot that critics saw at the Upfront in New York).If VERONICA MARS is cancelled and we see no more of our pint-sized but large-spirited teen detective, we can, in a way, be grateful that we got three full seasons. I fell in love with this show immediately and watched it religiously through its entire run. When UPN inexplicably scheduled it opposite one of my other favorite shows, LOST, I recorded LOST and watched VERONICA MARS live. Veronica was when she debuted the latest in a string of strong female characters to have arisen in the wake of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER making TV safe for such creatures. She was, in fact, the heroine who most resembled Buffy. The first two seasons were simply glorious, two utterly perfect seasons that topped almost everything else on television. Season Three, unfortunately, represented something of a slip for the show. (I refuse it give it less than five stars, however, simply because it was still better than most else on television.) Many people have felt this and have speculated on why. My own belief is that VERONICA MARS suffered from network interference. Both Season One and Season Two were driven by deep emotional needs in Veronica to solve major mysteries. Season Three had no such deep mystery (though there were two lesser ones) and as a result lacked the emotional intensity of the previous seasons. No doubt a lot of this was the result of the network putting pressure on the show to make it accessible to new viewers. We've seen this take place again and again over the years with various shows and the brute fact is: it doesn't work. Mainly such an approach wins no new viewers and alienates many of the viewers the show already has. I spent all of Season Three with a mild feeling of disappointment, yearning for the intensity to return. Yet, sometimes it did. "Spit and Eggs," which resolved the campus rape mystery, was as stressful and as wonderful as the best Season One and Two episodes, but it turned out to be the exception and the rules.My own thinking on the "how to win new fans" issue with series is that watering down the show never works. Instead, I think the way to go is to rely on online streaming and DVD to get potential fans caught up. I didn't, for instance, start watching FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS last fall when it debuted. But I was able to catch up by watching it on NBC.com. The CW put up a few episodes for streaming, but only a few. What they needed to do was place the entire season online for its shows, much like NBC does. Serial dramas like VERONICA MARS can attract and build up a fanatically devoted fanbase, but you keep that fanbase by continuing to produce a high quality serial drama, not by forcing it to become more and more episodic. The truth is that networks almost always complicate rather than improve a series through their meddling.Another perplexing problem with Season Three was the near disappearance of several supporting characters. At times I wondered if Wallace was still part of the show. And Weevil played less and less of a role as the season went along. My understanding is that Francis Capra, who plays Weevil, had some health problems during the season (and that medication he was taking led to a rather startling weight gain early in the year with accompanying skin problems--these seem to be on the way to clearing up by season end). Mac became an opening credits character, but she didn't seem to play any more important role than she had in the past.Still, some things remained really great about the show. Veronica and her father continued to have one of the most satisfying, if not the most satisfying, father-daughter relationship on TV. Veronica continued to impress and overwhelm all those disposed to doubt her. And as a huge BATTLESTAR GALACTICA fan she made the best frakkin' BSG references on all TV (though Dwight Schruette of THE OFFICE and Seth Cohen of THE O.C. gave her a run for her money), even helping one client find a woman she met at the BSG session at Comicon. But a lot of the passion of the previous years was gone. TV critics noticed. For its first two seasons, VERONICA MARS was probably one of the five most critically praised shows on TV. In Season Three it probably dropped out of the top ten to somewhere in the 10-15 spot. I blame this entirely on network interference.The most heartbreaking part of the season came with the finale, which left several plot lines unresolved. This was not entirely the network's fault. Rob Thomas obstinately refused to do a "just in case" ending for the season. He apparently wanted to increase the pressure on the network to renew the show. That is one philosophy, but I prefer Joss Whedon's when he was on BUFFY. His idea was that you never knew whether you would get cancelled (fortunately BUFFY never did, though both ANGEL and FIREFLY would be), so you leave the end of each season in a place where it could both lead into something if you get renewed, but it would be satisfying to the fans if you don't. EVERWOOD filmed two versions of its Season Three finale in case it didn't get renewed. It didn't, but thankfully a finale existed that wrapped up the show Now, unless the FBI Agent Veronica Mars series materializes, we are left with a dangling show. Moreover, it will dangle most likely regardless, since a time shift to several years in the future will take the show well past the subsequent events on the show. Networks should do a better job of ending serial drams with dedicated fanbases, but the executive producers need to take some responsibility as well. I can understand Rob Thomas's reluctance to not go gentle into that good night, but I wish he had filmed an episode that did a better job of wrapping up the series. As it is, we are left wondering whether the homicidal nutjob Logan beat up got his revenge, whether Jake Kane was once again a part of the show's story, and whether Vinnie Van Low was the new sheriff of Neptune.Television is going to miss this show. Although NBC debuts THE BIONIC WOMAN in the fall of 2007 (with a crackerjack production staff, a strong cast, and some very good writers, making this look like a more like one of the more promising series of 2007-2008), television is lacking somewhat right now in strong female characters. In fact, only BATTLESTAR GALACTICA with characters like Laura Roslin, Sharon Agathon, and Starbuck has much in the way of strong women. I'm delighted that we got to see Kristen Bell portray Veronica for three wonderful years, but I'm still going to miss her mightily.

- Veronica (investigating Piz's car, from which his moving-in stuff had been stolen): "It doesn't look like they jimmied their way in."- Piz: "It wasn't locked."- Veronica: "College campus. All your worldly possessions. Where are you from? Brigadoon?"Nope, Neptune in Cali isn't exactly as magical as Brigadoon. Neptune, like most places, hides its share of festering secrets and nefarious intents, which keeps busy the hardworking Mars Investigations agency, staffed by Keith Mars and his ever resourceful 19-year-old daughter Veronica. So for this 3rd and final season, we again say hello - and bid farewell - to these folks up in Neptune. With high school flush in her rearview mirror, part-time shamus, now full-time college student Veronica Mars turns her sardonic attention to life at Hearst College. But some things simply don't change for our feisty heroine. She still helps out her dad in the gumshoe department and still suffers an exhausting relationship with her emotionally fractured bad boy of a boyfriend, Logan Echolls. And she still touts a rep for ferreting out, and digging in, and nosing about. And, since she does get results, she's soon up to her neck putting out fires and solving campus dilemmas.Some plot SPOILERS follow.VERONICA MARS - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON is still very good, but it's the weakest of the three seasons. This time the main ongoing story arcs revolve around Veronica hunting down a campus serial rapist and sleuthing another baffling murder. On a smaller scale, her mystery plate is heaped with servings the likes of a stolen team playbook, some missing tapes, an accusation of plagiarism, a vanished heiress, a secret society, a holdup at a costume casino party, etc. So add that to her freshman woes. And, being Veronica Mars, she also doesn't take long to alienate an activist sorority and a raunchy fraternity, as well as the weasely assistant of her criminology professor. But at least her crime solving is made easier by her gigs as Library Helpdesk girl and as the photographer of the college paper. And she's always got her buds to lean on, Wallace, Mac, and Logan, even if their onscreen appearances are sporadic (just one reason this season isn't as good).But the show's not all about Veronica (it's just mostly about Veronica). My second favorite character in the show is Keith Mars, and he has his own messes to muddle thru. Logan continues to have his own issues and comes close to overdoing the tortured soul thing; Wallace juggles basketball with his mechanical engineering aspirations; Weevil is now out on parole (from his misdeeds in Season 2) but must maintain a job; and Mac, well, she's still shy. Meanwhile, Veronica's clique widens in the forms of the happy-go-lucky, kinda dull Piz (Wallace's roomie) and party girl, kinda dull Parker (Mac's roomie). So, hello, new loves and old loves, and there's even a hasty wedding. As usual, it's a blending of heartbreak and mystery and life lessons and surprises. Just life in Neptune.SPOILERS end.So I managed to blast thru all 20 episodes (plus extras) in one sleep-deprived - but worth it - marathon viewing session. Something to be said for watching your favorite shows on dvd instead of television, the dvds lending an instant gratification and an immediacy which suck in the viewer even more. Having said that, not only am I bummed out about the series's abrupt demise but pretty upset that there wasn't even a proper ending to the series. Again, only 20 episodes here, with the last one leaving its audience hanging off a cliff. Not cool, CW.Two paragraphs now about the plentiful bonus stuff, which can be found on the 6th disc (there are 6 discs in all in this set). Most interesting and quite bittersweet are the two segments devoted to what would have been Season 4: one's a 12 minute clip giving us a feel for what the next season would've been like (Veronica in the FBI), the other has the series creators talking about their pitch presentation for season 4 and their planned new direction for the show. Both segments, to me, feel decidedly unsettling because most of the familiar stuff (ie: the town of Neptune, the school backdrop, Veronica's father and circle of friends) had been taken away. A whole new mess of characters are introduced, all of whom I felt a bit hostile to.Under the banner "Going Undercover with Rob Thomas" (and with his sycophantic right hand man Dan Etheridge) we get 9 ho-hum featurettes: "Main Titles: Why the Change?"; "Rob's Directing Experience"; "Favorite Guest Star Moments"; "Veronica Mars: Mean Girl" - in which series creator Rob Thomas addresses the public outcry that Veronica was too mean in season 3; "The Politics of Veronica Mars" - concerning the negative reactions to the show; Thomas goes over his "Favorite Veronica and Logan Moments" and his "Favorite Veronica and Keith Moments"; "Do-Overs?" - scenes of which Thomas wasn't too fond; and "Highlights" - more of Thomas's fave moments. Then 24 minutes worth of 16 unaired scenes with Thomas's intros; a 7 minute gag reel (best was Enrico Colantoni's many takes of "I finally got the police report on the ****'s suicide"). The Webisode gallery offers 5 clips, the most fun of which is Kristen Bell and Chris Lowell Q & A-ing each other. There's also a guidebook which breaks down the episodes. A ton of extras here, so I shouldn't gripe; yet I wish Kristen Bell and cast had done an interview or even an episode commentary.For three years VERONICA MARS has delivered the goods, consistently bringing it with the clever and the funny, with the heartwrenching angst and the occasional melodramatic twist. Once in a while, my thoughts were even provoked. Along with the crisp plotting and snappy banter, the show presented relationships that were complicated and fluid and real and multi-faceted mysteries which perplexed. But by this season's end the show had kind of broken away from its normal pattern, that of each episode being pivotal and acting as chapters to one cohesive storyline. The last five episodes instead tended to be self-contained ones, and that's when the show really began to feel fractured. There are less gems here than in the first 2 seasons, although most of the episodes are still darn watchable. If I had to pick favorites, three episodes instantly spring to mind: "Debasement Tapes," in which Paul Rudd guest stars as a rumpled, near alcoholic rock star living off his old glory; "Postgame Mortem," in which a moping Logan ends up babysitting a cheerful 11-year-old girl; and episode 20, which ends the series just as things begin to get darn good.In the acting department, Jason Dohring (the ever moody Logan) again stands out. Enrico Colantoni continues to make a case for his character Keith Mars as being the best dad in the universe. My most cherished moments in the series have to do with Veronica and Keith doing their daughter-dad thing. There's just this amazing level of understanding, caring, and humor between them, and conveyed wonderfully by Bell and Colantoni. Whenever they're in a scene together, the world is good. And, as always, Kristen Bell, playing that spunky, tenacious girl detective, effortlessly carries the show.But, well, the show's done now, and the superb cast scattered, with Bell having moved on to HEROES and Jason Dohring, to MOONLIGHT. But it's still gonna take a while before the bittersweet lyrics to the theme song stop sticking in my brain: "A long time ago, we used to be friends." VERONICA MARS, you see, it was a very good show. And, to echo Keith Mars on his daughter Veronica, "I find her nosiness charming."

For any fan of Veronica Mars Series 1 and 2 this one is no let down. It combines the sharp wit and humour with interesting cases which can often keep you guessing. This season loses nothing for the fact that it is in a different setting (having graduated from Neptune High). Even the new characters add more interest into a very well oiled cast: see as university (USA-college) changes and reinforces some of the main attributes of the characters with both happy and devastating results!!!The only downfall is that this is the last season of Veronica Mars and therefore it leaves you wanting even more.

I loved this series. I wish there was more series/episodes. Well worth a watch very enjoyable.

I had bought series 1 & 2 (region 1 but playable on my region 2 dvd player) so was relieved to find a region 2 dvd of series 3. What I hadn't considered or realised when purchased, was that all the set's written description is in German which is a bit of a pain. Other than that it was delivered on time and as promised.

I love Veronica Mars! And I can not wait for the film! I thought I'd catch up on the series before that came out. VMars is funny, sassy and very talented young sleuth! A very enjoyable TV show!

Excellent condition. What a brilliant series. Excellently written, full of sassy characters. Kristen Bell is brilliant. I love this series