So, I came home from work today and all my family was watching Frozen. I sat and watched as I ate dinner and the whole time I could only think how weird it was listening to Kristen Bell doing the voice of a Disney Princess when I am so used to her off-the-cuff and sarcastic performance as Veronica Mars. So, hey, I thought I'd give one of the most interesting shows I've watch all this year a nod. Let's give Veronica Mars some Screen Time.
So, why Veronica Mars? Well for starters, it's one of those shows, like Firefly or Freaks and Geeks, that has such a rabid and loyal fanbase that I was insanely curious to find out why. I am now only a season into the show's "three season and a movie" run and I can tell you right now from the bottom of my heart that Veronica Mars is completely worth its incredible fanbase.
The show is anchored, as you might imagine, by the fantastic performance by Kristen Bell in her breakout role as the inquisitive, intense, and insanely entertaining Veronica Mars. Veronica is a middle class girl living in the upper crust world of Neptune, California where she lived as the daughter of the local sheriff and rubbed elbows with the sons and daughters of country's richest men and women. However, after the mysterious murder of her best friend and her father's failure to solve the case, Veronica's world is shaken to the core. Her mother leaves, her father gets fired, and they are forced to move and Veronica watches her perfect life slowly dissolve. When the show starts, we get to see Veronica rejecting her cheerleader persona of the past and embracing the life as a private detective, under the tutelage of her father who had opened a private investigations agency after getting fired from the sheriff's office. However, her past life refuses to stay dead as evidence concerning the murder of her friend begins to resurface after a year of silence.
I think the reason I like Veronica Mars so much is that it is so similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both have incredibly engaging female leads that are strong and smart with being overly and annoyingly feminist (unlike a certain character from Frozen). Both also deal with the world of high school drama in a surprising authentic and compelling way that hardly feels forced in the least bit. Veronica Mars, while pulpy and sarcastically humorous, is a show that deals with some tremendously heavy material such as drug addiction, underage sexual relationships, and date rape. All of these are handled with intense care and appropriate emotion. However, the most engaging part of the show is the tenacious way that Veronica solves the crimes in her town. Kristen Bell shows off an incredible and flexible acting range, playing many different roles and personas to get information from others. She has fantastic chemistry with the entire supporting casts, her enthusiasm bringing bringing great performances out much of the cast.
The legacy of Veronica Mars has transcended the canceling of the show as a movie tying up the remaining character arches was released in the film festival circuit earlier this year. However, as it is all that I have seen, the first season of the original show comes highly, highly recommended by me.
Thanks for reading everyone!
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