TV on DVD: Veronica Mars (The Complete Third Season)

Creator: Rob Thomas
Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Ryan Hansen, Tina Majornino, Micheal Muhney, Chris Lowell, Francis Capra, Julie Gonzalo
Original Airdate: 2006-2007

*** (out of ****)

"Now that we're on the CW, I feel like we're finally on the right network. As long as we hold most of the Gilmore Girls audience, we'll be successful. That's what we need to accomplish this year." -Veronica Mars Creator Rob Thomas

I wasn't there when Rob Thomas made that statement but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that a CW executive was pointing a loaded gun directly at his head when he did. Anyone who's actually seen Veronica Mars knows that it ISN'T THAT KIND OF SHOW. And as long as network executives tried to shape it into one and gain that coveted teen demographic the more we realize the actual problem and why it really struggled in the ratings. It was on the wrong network…twice. Networks that just didn't deserve the show and had no idea what to do with it.

The audience who would have watched the show don't watch UPN or the CW but rather than try and promote the show for what it was (the best written and acted drama of the decade) they decided the show must have some creative problems that need fixing. It didn't, at least until they stepped in. All this off screen drama concerning the fate of Veronica Mars came to a head in its third and final season, one considered even by the show's most loyal devotees to be a massive disappointment plagued with creative issues.

Fans of the show are probably looking at my rating above, scratching their heads and thinking three and a half stars is excessive. That I'm bias. You're thinking three stars seems more on the mark. But that's the thing. Giving this season three stars would be like some kind of admission that even when this show isn't at its absolute best it can be categorized as "good," "average" or in the slightest bit comparable with anything else on television. What's really scary is despite the network clearly running interference it's still better than anything on television.

While I found some of the changes made to the show this season to be questionable (and there are times when you can almost see the network notes onscreen) I can't say I was angered or offended by any of them or that the overall integrity of the series was compromised. But there was something in this DVD set I was angered by and it had nothing to do with the third season. Instead, it was on a bonus disc of special features, one of which gives us a glimpse of what the show would have become in its fourth season had it been renewed and paints its cancellation in a whole different light for me.

Season 3 should stand as a warning sign against network meddling and what can happen when the wrong element of a show is emphasized. It's a testament to Thomas and his writers that by the end they were able to overcome this intrusion, finish strong and deliver a reasonably satisfying conclusion. It's also worth noting that this final season is nowhere near the disaster everyone has made it out to be and at worst it's merely uneven. A step down only in comparison to the other two. Haters are quick to point out the flaws but may have missed the flashes of brilliance that come in the form of interesting new directions for certain characters, a couple of great guest starring performances, and Thomas' refusal to lose sight of "the big picture," even when we we fear he has.

My first reaction upon popping in Season 3 was that it was a completely different show. Actually that was clear from the second I saw the DVD packaging, which is noticeably different and sleeker than that of the previous two seasons. It's obvious, with the show moving out of high school and into college an effort was made to make it seem more "mature," which is ironic considering there was nothing in the slightest bit immature about it to begin with. This carries over to the new opening, which features an opening title sequence that better emphasizes the noir aspect of the show and a slower, darker re-mix of the contagiously catchy Dandy Warhols theme song, "We Used To be Friends."

At least the change in the title sequence was a good idea and probably overdue, but unfortunately the tone of it is more applicable to the previous seasons than this one, which is the most lightweight of the three. The look of the show itself is even a little different as it appears it was shot on a higher budget this time around with more interesting camera work and in higher definition. My eyes could be playing tricks on me here, but although the same soft colors fans have been accustomed to are used, it appears to have been shot darker. The biggest change this season though has nothing to do with aesthetics, but narrative.

Hearing complaints from viewers that the second season's bus crash mystery was "too complicated" (which at times it was) Thomas takes a different approach to the mysteries this season, doing away with one giant story arc that pays off huge in the finale and instead replacing it with one mystery that wraps up halfway through the season and a second that concludes just before the final episode. The goal of making this season simpler and more accessible to casual viewers is accomplished but it comes at the expense of the forward moving momentum that were trademarks of the first two. It's simple, but at times it feels maybe too simple. It's almost as if the writers thought the audience was too stupid to follow a complex season-long mystery. With the show's future in doubt right up until the very last episode we got 20 episodes instead of the usual 22.
Unsurprisingly (and likely unavoidably) the shift of the setting from high school to college hurts the show some. The value of the high school setting was seeing how Neptune High was a microcosm of the class system in the town and reflected its prejudices and corruption. It hit on a universal truth that's reflected in high schools in wealthy ZIPs across the country. College is different. There isn't as much of a struggle and the dramatic potential is considerably lessened. So here the writers are called upon to do more to create it.

If the second season opened up the town of Neptune the first half of Season 3 closes it off, quarantining us at Hearst College. Anyone who attended college would be thankful if it bared little resemblance to the depressing Hearst, which boasts an entire student population consisting of sleazy frat boys and militant feminists whose extracurricular activities include rape, faking rape, murder, gambling and kidnapping. Good thing one of their incoming freshmen is Veronica Mars.

The season starts off on a note of confusion since when we last left Veronica we were under the impression she'd be attending Stanford. Now all of the sudden she's at Hearst joining her best friend Wallace Fennell (Percy Daggs III), who's there on a basketball scholarship. The lack of explanation is related to the final change Thomas (or more likely "the network") implemented on the show. In the opening episodes of this season the underlying mythology and references to past events are downplayed so not to confuse potential new viewers who have never seen the show.

There's a clearly conscious effort to start with a clean slate on a new network in what was a "do or die" situation for this series. But notice I say "downplayed" and not forgotten as will be evident as the season wears on. There is a quick wrap up to a lingering plot thread and cliffhanger from the second season finale in the first episode (3-1: "Welcome Wagon") and it's interesting in that it's the only time in the series where we see Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) in a position of real helplessness and weakness. He's bruised, battered, and really has no one to blame but himself. Like Veronica, we've come to view him as completely infallible, a notion that's challenged this season as Keith makes some morally questionable decisions. He even begins an affair with a married woman (guest star Laura San Giacomo), even if that relationship feels independent from everything else plot-wise and a little tacked on.

The shift to college puts the writers in an awkward position of having to come up with a new set of characters to fill the void left by Veronica's graduation from Neptune High. If Principal Clemmons served as Veronica's foil and sometime nemesis in high school, a similar role is assumed at Hearst by Dean Cyrus O' Dell, played by guest star Ed Begley Jr. And fans of Begley's guest starring performance in the other great cancelled show of this decade, Arrested Development, will be pleased to discover that this time around he has all of his hair in place. The character is written as kind of a buffoon but Begely brings so much more to the role, investing him with real depth and making him a likeable guy who always seems to be in on the joke. His lively performance helps save the more problematic portions in the first half of this season.

In an interesting development that carries throughout much of the season, Veronica becomes the star protégé of cocky criminology professor Hank Landry (Patrick Fabian) who has all the connections to hook her up with a summer internship in the FBI, but seems to be struggling more with personal problems of his own. He also has a teaching assistant who just might be the most unintentionally hilarious character in Veronica Mars history. For some reason I just laughed every time he appeared onscreen. Helping some was the actor playing him, who will look eerily familiar to diehard fans of the series.
Unintentional or not, anyone who enjoys this show for its comedy will have the most to laugh at by far in this season. You really do have to wonder how much of it was intended to be taken seriously at all and it's hard to get that upset at any of the flaws precisely because of that reason. When you have Veronica investigating the kidnapping of guest star Patty Hearst and Richard Grieco as a meth head abducted for his bone marrow you can't help but just sit back and have fun. Those who can let go and do that will find a lot to love about the third season, but those who can't probably won't care for it at all.

Michael Muhney and Tina Majornino, who both had big recurring roles in the first two seasons as Sheriff Don Lamb and Veronica's pal Mac, become series regulars, but it's in billing only as neither seem to have any more screen time. You could actually argue Muhney has less than ever. And unfortunately many times during this season the writers seem more preoccupied with Mac's love life than her helping Veronica solve cases. What they do well, however, is subtly address the tragedy that befell both Mac and the irritating Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen) at the end of the second season.

Without giving too much away I really liked how they showed how both were impacted differently and handled it in a way befitting their personalities. Casablancas reaches new unlikable heights with his abrasive and the over-the-top behavior but a twist late in the season teases us with the possibility we didn't think could exist: That he may actually have a soul. With so much focus on the newer characters the unfortunate consequence is that two of the most likeable regulars in the series are given very little to do this season.

Wallace is hardly seen or heard from until later episodes while Eli "Weevil" Navarro (Francis Capra) isn't given much more, but unfortunately I have a feeling that had more to do with the actor's health problems than neglect from the writers. That's a shame since Capra's done such tremendous work on the show, but it should be noted that he still has a couple of really strong episodes, including one early on (3-3: "Witchita Linebacker") where we see him in an interesting role we're not accustomed to, interacting and working with a major character he hasn't had any contact with over the course of the series.

There's a theory that's been floating around among fans that the character of Veronica is meaner this season and despite Thomas' denials on the issue I actually do think there's some truth to it. In fact, you could argue there are many instances early on where she comes off as a complete bitch.

Perhaps tired of being let down constantly by those who love her and victimized by the system, this attitude seems to take over her investigation into the first big mystery, the series of on-campus rapes that started last season. Criticisms have been lobbied against this storyline claiming that Veronica lacks the personal connection to this mystery that she had with the two previous cases in the series, which is probably true to an extent. But, really, how much longer can she go with everyone she's close to dying? What they're also forgetting is that Veronica herself is a victim of rape and many of her actions and harsh behavior could justifiably stem from that. She wants to get at the truth at any cost possible since she, of all people, knows what it's like to be dragged through the mud and have no one on your side.

Appropriately, and nicely harkening back to the first two seasons, this investigation once again puts Veronica on the outside looking in and makes her public enemy number to the social factions on campus. The revelation of the rapist isn't a shock, or even much of a surprise, but the episode that reveals it (3-9: "Spit and Eggs," the only episode in the series directed by Rob Thomas) sure is exciting and marks one of the very few times in the show's run when Veronica is put in immediate physical harm.

From there it's off and running with the second mystery, which concerns the potential murder of a prominent faculty member at Hearst. This fares better than the rape storyline largely because we actually grow to care about the victim. Unfortunately, it's REALLY obvious who the killer is and for the first time we're actually a few steps ahead of Veronica and she kind of comes off looking like an idiot for being an episode or two too slow to figure it out. Still, when the reveal comes (3-15: "Papa's Cabin") it makes for one of the most clever and entertaining scenes of the season.

One of the qualities we love most about Veronica is her reckless, rebellious attitude, but now she's called out on it by those closest to her as she continually risks her safety. Her behavior is becomes selfish (especially during the rape case) pushing away the people who love her. The relationship between Veronica and Logan (Jason Dohring) which was invested with such subtle depth the previous two seasons unfortunately turns into a glorified soap opera at times during this one. On again. Off again. On again. Off again. But that didn't bother me as much as the fact that it became the focal point of the show and crime solving was pushed aside to make room for it.

This is especially true of one episode where Logan is left to care for a little girl (3-13: "Postgame Mortem") and the whole universe seems to revolve around his relationship with Veronica. It's really the only major issue I have with the third season and I'm convinced the CW, in a silly attempt to lure in female teenage viewers and gain the "Gilmore Girls audience," are completely responsible for it. There are quite a few episodes toward the middle part of the season spent with Logan hauled up in the Neptune Grand Hotel moping. We should thank our lucky stars though that this material is being handled by two actors with the talent of Bell and Dohring because I can't even begin to think what a disaster this could have turned into without them to carry it.

When I reviewed the second season I said I could pretty much watch these characters do anything. Little did I know that theory would be put to the test.  Dohring deserves special praise here because this is the first time we get to see what he can do with writing that isn't at an "A" level and you could even argue in this season he's saddled with the series' all-time weakest material. But he still comes through. I believed he was a good actor before but after watching Season 3 I realize he was even better than I originally thought. He also has one of his best episodes at the start of the season (3-4: "Charlie Don't Surf"), where Logan's dysfunctional family past starts to rear its ugly head again.

A third wheel is even introduced into Veronica and Logan's relationship in the form of Wallace's roommate and campus D.J., Stosh "Piz" Piznarski (Chris Lowell), as Thomas exploits fans' over-protectiveness of Veronica and unwavering belief that only Logan deserves to be with her. The character of Piz starts off on an annoying foot, but as the season progresses a funny thing happens and he almost becomes likeable in his straightforward nice guy simplicity, at least to the point where we're not completely enraged to see Veronica with him. An attempt to pair off Logan with someone else (played another new addition, Julie Gonzalo) is less effective.

There's a big debate among fans whether Logan and Veronica are better together or apart. While the characters have been through the wringer and certainly earned the right to be a couple I can't say I care all that much. As long as the two of them are onscreen together in any capacity the viewer wins, so long as that storyline doesn't take over the show like it did at times during this season. Their relationship works best when it's subtly worked into the show, but doesn't have enough gas to exist independently outside of the other storylines. That's the one big miscalculation in Season 3. The show's in top form when Veronica is out in the field solving mysteries and the strongest episodes of this third season can match up with any of the strongest ones from the second.

The genius of the series is how it always finds a way to but Veronica in new and fresh situations, and even when the situations aren't new and fresh, they seem like they are because they're played so well and Bell is such a pro. This is true of possibly my favorite episode of this season, 3-11: "Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves," where Veronica helps a geeky student track down a girl he met at Comic-Con. Full of twists, turns, reversals and surprises the mystery showcases everything that's so great about this show. I also got a feeling of déjà vu as I watched because I could swear the episode looked very familiar to me. Then it occurred to me this may have been the one episode I caught a part of when the series originally aired.

With the finish line in sight it's almost as if the writers had a fire lit underneath them as they approached the final episode (3-20: "The Bitch is Back"). A new mystery presents itself that's so compelling it could easily compete with anything from the first two seasons. There's the shocking return of a familiar face from Season 1 and big steps are made to get back to the mythology of the show and the class warfare of Neptune.

Keith Mars takes a very interesting turn as we get to see his character in a different capacity. You could claim a lot of supporting characters are brushed aside this season but you couldn't dare make that comment about Keith, who's given enough emphasis to consider renaming the show, Keith Mars. Certain aspects of the show may have been shortchanged this season but the relationship between Keith and Veronica hasn't.

Toward the end we're also treated to pretty great guest performances, specifically from Paul Rudd as a washed up rock star (3-17: "Debasement Tapes'). Rudd is an actor with many fans and I'm betting he earned some more with his hilarious turn in that episode. Ken Marino pops back in at just the right time as private investigator Vinnie Van Lowe and finally plays the major role I've been hoping he would throughout the entire series. What I like most about this character is even though he acts like a complete moron that's all it is, an act. He's a smart detective and an opportunist who's always playing a game or an angle.

Of all the recurring characters that travel through the revolving door that's Neptune Van Lowe is by far my favorite and if you think about it the only one who's a formidable opponent for Keith and Veronica. He's as smart as they are, except he's playing dumb. Marino is an actor who can shift from comedy to drama at the flip of a switch and we're never quite sure whether he's serious or not, making his presence that much more intriguing. The latter episodes suggest that he was set up to take an even larger role in the next season, which doesn't help to soften the already painful blow of losing this series.

In the final stretch Logan comes out of his self-induced depression and starts shows a spark we haven't seen from him since the first season. It's such a dramatic turnaround it makes me wonder if Thomas really did have a plan and was building him up for this the entire season. Wallace and Weevil who seemed to be in seclusion for much of the season come out of hiding in the final two episodes with the former having a scene in the finale more reminiscent of Saw than Veronica Mars.

There were some criticisms that with the prospect of a Season 4 very much still in the air, Thomas left some things open causing the final episode to feel more like a season finale than a series one. I disagree. I think he knew it was the end and the evidence can be seen in the show's final moments. If you pay attention to the last line of dialogue in the series and who says it we're reminded what this show at its core was REALLY about the whole time, making the fact that it didn't find a wider audience that much sadder.

There were some changes and an obvious tug-of-war with the network but enough of the elements that make this show special were retained, making this DVD set an easy buy for fans. I was overcome with a sense of dread as I neared that final disc knowing I'd never again have the chance to see a first-run episode of my favorite show. As a stand alone series you're not likely find better entertainment than this and I think a casual viewer with no previous knowledge of Veronica Mars would probably find this season more accessible and enjoyable than the second, even if it isn't up to its level creatively.

This is the only DVD set of the three seasons to contain a bonus disc with a variety of special features. It's still not enough for my taste, but it's noteworthy in that it contains something unprecedented for a cancelled television series: a look into what the next season would look like had the show continued...and it isn't pretty. Even those who had big problems with the third season will be crying and begging to run back to Hearst College after watching this horror of a presentation created by Thomas with the intention of selling the CW executives on a fourth season.

It's kind of sad to watch the interview with the defeated Thomas as he attempts to explain why the entire show has to be overhauled and flash-forwarded four years into the future with Veronica as a rookie FBI agent. You get the impression that he really doesn't want to do it but his hand has been forced and it's the only way he can keep the show on the air. He's been trumped by the network and is grasping at straws, attempting to create a new vision of the show that will please them. This is not in any way a criticism of Thomas, as I can't even imagine the pressure he must have been under having created the smartest show on television that no one watched and being told by executives (who had no idea how to market it) that it's not good enough.

Thomas says he was pleased to hear that many fans, while not crazy about the idea, would have remained on board and embraced the show if it meant the character of Veronica could stay on TV. I'm sorry to say I wouldn't have been one of them. To me it's more important that the essence of the series not be compromised and I'm relieved the CW didn't buy the pitch for another season if that was in any way a taste of what we'd get. It just wouldn't be the same Veronica Mars. I can't say I was thrilled about the prospect of a sophomore year at Hearst either, but the final episodes of the third season suggested had we continued down that road the show could have possibly returned to Season 1 form, making this FBI idea even worse.

Other than a great supporting turn from veteran character actor Bob Gunton (who adds his name to the elite list of guest stars) Thomas' FBI "presentation" is the longest 12 minutes in Veronica Mars history. Believe it or not, I actually do see the temptation to move Veronica to the Bureau and have her work on the largest scale possible since she's more than earned her pass out of dead-end Neptune. But it's still a temptation that should be resisted.

If you watch crime shows like CSI or Law and Order it's almost a joke how much smarter the character of Veronica is than all of them and how silly those storylines look in comparison to anything on this show. The case of a missing pet feels more important than a double murder on any of these trite police shows and Veronica could run circles around any supposed "forensics expert." Which is why the show shouldn't go there. She's different, and it's important she stays that way. Without the lawless corruption of Neptune to fight against, there's nothing to drive the character of Veronica anymore. It doesn't seem right that she'd now be on the side of the system she's spent all this time battling.
This new vision would also be a complete betrayal, doing away with all the great supporting characters we've become so attached to over the course of the series and, if this short glimpse was any indication, replaced them with far blander ones. In many ways this short pitch to the network proves just how invaluable the entire cast has been throughout the course of the series. Doing away with Keith, Logan and Wallace would be like driving a stake through the heart of the show. Even while recognizing this was just a rough version of what we'd eventually see, it was more than enough to cause concern. Thomas even boasts that this new show would be shot differently and have a Grey's Anatomy feel to it, mixing "adventure and romance." Ugh.

According to him, the plan all along was to eventually send Veronica to the FBI, but that's something I don't EVER want to see regardless of how far into the future it is. Veronica's true calling is as a P.I. working with her father at Mars Investigations because what goes down in Neptune is far more important than anything that happens on a lame police procedural.

The only big question that remains is whether we really have seen the last of Veronica Mars. As a television series we definitely have but now with the trend of cancelled shows being turned into feature films (Firefly, Sex and the City and The X-Files to name a few) there have been rumblings that Veronica could end up on the big screen at some point. At first I was against the idea, but it actually kind of makes sense. Veronica Mars has always felt like a story wide enough in scope that it almost couldn't be contained on the small screen. And with DVD having given it greater exposure, it's possible it could also find a wider audience in theaters.

This is the kind of show that could have spoken to a large cross-section of audiences if it were just on the right network and marketed properly. That it had to come down to something so simple and correctable is sad, but true. Because of its uniqueness it was perhaps always destined to always remain a cult show, which is maybe the higher compliment. If it was a huge mainstream success, the series would likely feel less like "ours."

The prospect of a movie is largely dependent on whether Thomas wants to write it (which he says he does) and Bell wants to star in it (an iffier prospect since her Hollywood stock is justifiably rising). There's also the issue of finding a balance between pleasing fans of the show by tying up unresolved story threads and attracting the many casual moviegoers who haven't seen it. If this does ever come to pass, I'd very much like the first scene to be Veronica throwing down her FBI badge and returning to Neptune as a giant middle finger to the CW for screwing over this show. But even if we never get a feature film, I can honestly express satisfaction that it ended before we witnessed a deterioration that would have adversly shaped our view of the series.