Confession time: When I decided to watch and then write a piece about the first season of Veronica Mars as part of my internship at TWoP, I told the editors that I had never before seen the show. But I had -- just once.
I was around 15 years old when the pilot premiered, and if I remember correctly, I watched it on the night it did. Here's the premise -- and seriously, no spoiler alerts needed; the following is all recounted in the very first episode. Veronica is a high school student in Neptune, California. As we start out, her entire life is in shambles. Veronica's sheriff dad has wrongly accused a man named Jake Kane of murdering his daughter, Lily Kane (Lily was also Veronica's best friend). The problem? Jake Kane essentially runs Neptune -- his company employs just about everyone in the town and he is incredibly well liked. So not only has Veronica lost her best friend, but because of her dad's mistake, she also loses her boyfriend (Jake Kane's son), all of her friends and her mother, who leaves town out of embarrassment. Her dad is soon out of work and they have to move into a rather...unwelcoming apartment complex. And oh yeah, during all of the Jake Kane chaos, Veronica was raped at a party and doesn't know by whom. So the season commences -- Veronica now assists her dad as a private detective, and she spends the season solving the mystery of Lily's murder, her mother's departure and her rapist's identity.
It's three mysteries wrapped into one season, with a kick-ass, mystery-solving heroine, so how could I have had enough of it after just one episode? I loved it this second time around -- what went wrong back then?
Well, here's the thing -- and it's the most admirable and difficult thing about the show, and about Veronica -- she's not a victim. All of the aforementioned happens before the show starts, but the Veronica we meet is not broken. She's a hardened smart-ass instead. She's got an answer for everything, and she's very rarely sad about Lily or her mom -- she just wants answers (and sometimes revenge). So she doesn't dwell on the tragedies that have happened to her; she makes huge moves to figure them out instead. She demands respect from people and she has very little patience for those she deems unworthy (many of whom are people she used to hang out with).
When I was 15, I wasn't looking to watch a show about a strong, intimidating girl -- I couldn't relate to her. I wasn't like her, and I'm not sure many teenagers are. Whether you were a tough teenager or not, even little things affect you so much you can barely breathe. If someone looks at you the wrong way in the cafeteria, you obsess over it for the rest of the day. Veronica was raped and is just out for blood. Watching her made me uncomfortable -- what high school girl doesn't care that her friends abandoned her? All these awful things had happened to her, but she was okay. I didn't understand that. I much preferred Marissa and Summer on The O.C., who obsessed over boys and appearance and parental drama (much to my parents' chagrin).
But if I had stuck with the show, I would have seen that Veronica was not at all a one-dimensional. She's actually quite delicate at points. The good thing about the show, however -- what really makes it -- is that it's aware of how ridiculously strong Veronica is, and it rewards her for it. But in being aware of her strength, it makes sure to remind the audience that she's not the norm, and her out-for-blood mentality isn't always good. It's almost as if it's suggesting that I should be as strong as Veronica, but it's okay to be hurt, too -- which I think is the best possible message I could have gotten out of a show then or now. In high school, it's easy to either give the world the finger and pretend things don't affect you (like Veronica) or feel like everything affects you and just end up wanting to cry all the time. The balance is tricky, and what Veronica Mars is brilliant at is acknowledging just how tricky. When a popular girl-turned-loser asks Veronica how she deals with newfound outcast status, Veronica says "You get tough. You get even." The girl responds, "The getting even part? You may want to rethink that one." When Veronica breaks up with her first boyfriend on the show, he tells her that she was just looking to find a personality flaw in him. And when that same popular girl tells Veronica that no one comes up to her because "people are afraid of you," Veronica says that it means "something is working." The popular girl just smiles. Even Veronica acknowledges that she is "not programmed to forgive and forget." We're reminded that being as hard-hearted as Veronica -- as difficult to please and as critical -- isn't always a good thing. Sometimes we've just got to swallow our pride and hurt. Which, I should mention, Veronica eventually does.
So it's no surprise that if I could put a flashing sign on this piece that said HAVE YOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTERS WATCH THIS SHOW, I would. They should see how strong they can be. Veronica doesn't forgive people when they don't deserve forgiveness (which young people tend to do) and she moves on from what holds her down (which young people often don't do). There's a lesson there.
But I'm more than aware that the last thing a teenager wants to learn is how to be a better one. That's why I didn't watch -- I didn't want to hear it. But that being said, if a teenage girl (or guy) could pick up on 10 percent of Veronica Mars' message, they'd be better off. Not only is Veronica tough, but she has a good relationship with her dad, takes her job seriously and is unapologetic about who she is. The messages are perfect for teens, yes, but they work for any age. Do I wish I had stuck with the show when I was younger? Absolutely. But it's better late than never.
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Great article. I was one of the few teenage girls who actually did watch Veronica Mars, because it is an awesome show, but just like you I probably wasn't quite ready to take in the lessons it had to give the first time around. (I, too was a devoted O.C. fan- mostly because of Seth Cohen, however.) It's one of my favorite shows, so I've rewatched it since it first came off the air, and realized most of the great things about Veronica you did. So thank you!
You've really hit on the things that make Veronica (both the character and the show) great. I definitely appreciate that the show wasn't afraid to be critical about her approach to life.
Seriously? You're only an intern? Someone promote this woman, pronto. The things you've written here lately have been better than most of the stuff I've ever read here! Great article!
I am in total agreement with Amy C. This was a great piece and the best thing I've read on this site in YEARS that was not written by someone named "Jacob." Most of TWOP's little features like this are dreadful and I hesitated to click on this one even though VM was one my favorite shows. Glad that I did. More please.
Great piece, and it really captures one of my favorite parts about Veronica Mars.
I just watched finished watching the first season of Veronica Mars a couple of days ago. Loved it from beginning to end.
It seems that young female characters with the strength and will of someone like Veronica are usually reserved only for sci-fi, where such virtues are usually lost among the spectacle.
Our TV needs more Veronicas, pronto!
Very insightful article; it reminds me of why I didn't watch "Buffy" when it first premiered, and how I felt when I went back and watched it all at once during college--man, I could have used that show in high school!
excellent read, Sophia. I was a latecomer to the Veronica party, and was 36 when I found it. Everything still resonated with me - I guess I wasn't too old to learn a lesson or two. You pinpointed exactly why I loved her - she didn't - couldn't - take shi*t from anyone. I still miss Veronica and remain a LoVe fan till the end.
Great article! VM is one of my all-time favorite shows, and as soon as Netflix started streaming it, I introduced my 13-year-old daughter to it. Between Veronica and Buffy, she has kick-ass fictional role models who demonstrate life lessons that, if I were to try to explain them to her, she would role her eyes and dismiss just because it's coming from Mom. It's unfortunate that there aren't current shows on the air with similar characters.
seriously? best. show. ever. i miss good tv.
I only just watched VM this year, and I couldn't stop. It's amazing how much teenage girls relate to the show and you are so right that more girls should be exposed to it. Thank you so much for the article.
Interesting insights! I wonder what I would have thought if I were a teenager when this show debuted. My hero was Carol Seaver (Growing Pains)- hardly a bad-ass. Veronica is indeed a great role model of a strong woman, though not without her faults. Glad you've discovered the show - it's amazing.
I was one of those "tough" teenage girls so Veronica Mars really resonated with me (and why it took me a REALLY long time to like Summer, never Marissa though). But as a kid, Seaosn 1 Joey Potter was the ultimate take-no-prisoners bad ass. Veronica Mars never ruined characters (like the Creek did) which is why I stayed until the bitter end. Great show.
Good writing, good show!
Great article. I agree. I watched Veronica Mars from the premiere until the end. It was a great show.
Very thoughtful and well written, great job.
Somebody give the intern their job.
Agreeing that this is the best piece I've read on here in a good while. Insightful and well-written in one smooth package. I loved VM when it first aired and you've made a good case for me dusting it off for my now-teenage daughter. Thanks.
Agreeing that this is the best piece I've read on here in a good while. Insightful and well-written in one smooth package. I loved VM when it first aired and you've made a good case for me dusting it off for my now-teenage daughter. Thanks.
The only bad thing about the article was that before I read it, I hoped it would be about a new movie! Veronica's tough shell was thick, but it was still a shell.
It is interesting what different people want. I was very much an outcast in high school. I was brutally teased every single day. It was bad. The last thing I wanted was to see a teenage girl victim. I wanted to see women who were strong, successful, and iconoclasts. I saw Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the Avengers and fell in love. Of course she was a grown up--but how awesome! Who were my teen role models? Jo from Facts of Life. Or Winona Ryder from Heathers. I was looking at Jodie Foster and Kristy McNichol. I wanted to see those outsider girls who were tough...because that was what I needed. Marisa symbolized all those girls who made my life miserable...I didn't need more of those figures.
Wonderful article! I loved the VM series - bought all 3 seasons on DVD. I only wish they had made more. Especially loved the Hot Dogs episode where she scolds her friend for allowing people to treat her badly. Veronica demands respect, and she gets it.
I really am a huge Veronica Mars fan and a fan of great female protagonists like Buffy. I love the shows but at the same time I wouldn't want Veronica to be a role model. I think Veronica is a great character in the first season for being so strong and yet vulnerable. But I also have my issues with her, especially in later seasons. Here are things that don't have to do with her backstory as much. She blackmails people. She's bitter. She's cocky. She's spiteful (within good reason). She doesn't apologize. She has an incredibly large ego. She doesn't really change too much. I really love VM as a show, but I wouldn't want my child to look up to Veronica all the time. I appreciate the article praising a strong teenager; it's well written. But Veronica Mars isn't my role model; she is a person I respect, but not one I aspire to be.
I don't think I can really move on from the show. This is the best show ever. I really need closure in a form of movie or maybe they should just have a spinoff or something.
I haven't move on at all. I still read the forums in TWoP and fan fiction.
@AStarling - Ah, season 1 Joey Potter. She was great. In later seasons, she'd never have considered smacking a guy across the face with a lunch tray. I don't think that it's a coincidence that Rob Thomas (creator of VM) wrote for Dawson's Creek in season 1!
I love VM, and continue to encourage my friends to watch it. I came to it as an adult, but I grew up with Buffy, and feel lucky to have done so.
The only teenage girl on TV these days who comes close to those two for sheer grit is Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries. She might not be as powerful as either Veronica or Buffy, but she's no victim, and I love that about her.
Nice piece. Think a lot of what you say about teens applies to adults too. Doesn't necessarily get easier when it comes to interacting with other people.
I may be dating myself here, but I think My So-Called Life managed the issues with VM you mention (both positive and negative) more realistically and skillfully than Nancy Drew's Mars Adventures.
Don't get me wrong, VM was a good, fun show, but the 15-year old you did recognize one of its flaws, that the main character is somewhat caricatured.
It made for great TV-watching, and it is definitely an empowering show. I'm not sure it could have sustained what it had.
"When I was 15, I wasn't looking to watch a show about a strong, intimidating girl -- I couldn't relate to her. I wasn't like her, and I'm not sure many teenagers are. Whether you were a tough teenager or not, even little things affect you so much you can barely breathe. If someone looks at you the wrong way in the cafeteria, you obsess over it for the rest of the day."
American teens sure are whiny dram queens.
Excellent article. I watched Veronica Mars for the first time this summer (it was on Netflix, but it disappeared before I could complete a second viewing of the series...haha), and I was totally impressed by Veronica's characterization. Anyways, the writing style here made me so happy. And I know this website is called "Television Without Pity," and apparently that translates to "Television Without Positivity," but it was so refreshing to see some sincere praise rather than one-dimensional snark from a staff-member. Thanks!
Thank you so much for bringing more attention to this wonderful show. The article is very well written and I am quite jealous because this is exactly the article I would love to write while bein an intern at TWOP! More people need to watch this amazing show and will not be disappointed when they do!
I watched Veronica Mars when it aired, as a 17 year old girl, and until now I guess I didn't realize why it was never popular with other girls my age. In fact, I related more to Veronica then I did to most girls in my class who never seemed able to deal with anything rationally. I mean the cold revenge thing wasn't even a difficult concept to grasp for me, and I guess that makes me atypical, but it made it easy to enjoy the story every week. I completely agree that every teenage girl should watch this show, but I also think there should be more teenage female characters like her on TV and in movies, for young girls to take their cues from.
Great Piece! Exactly my thoughts on veronica but you wrote them beautifully. I watched VM the first time around while I was still in high school, junior as a matter of fact. I always founded myself wishing I was more like her. I envy the ways she accepted herself and not care what people thought about her. I used to do exactly the opposite, I didn't validate myself till someone else did it. Veronica was someone to look up to.
One of my favorite shows ever, and the reason I will see any Kristen Bell vehicle, no matter how bad (i.e. When In Rome, You Again). I didn't meet Veronica until I was in my late 20s, and I can say that the show still had a huge effect on me, even in my golden years.
You were 15 when Veronica Mars premiered? Now I feel old -- I was 14 when Buffy premiered. In any case, perhaps because I was a slightly-older-than-teen demographic, I LOVED Veronica Mars from start to finish; it was a return to high school, but this time it was with a girl who could right all the wrongs committed therein. Man, I wish they'd continued Veronica Mars.
Well written article. I learned a lot from Veronica when I watched the series the first time around. It seems that I learn something new everytime I watch it, or I see it in a different perspective. VM is my favourite show, ever, and I think that people have a lot to learn from it, especially with regards to the volatility of human nature.
Thank you for the wonderful article. It's nice to see some people realize the depth and intelligence that tv could have back a number of years ago. VM is the best. show. ever. Still waiting for the MOVIE to be made!
Thank you for the wonderful article. It's nice to see some people realize the depth and intelligence that tv could have back a number of years ago. VM is the best. show. ever. Still waiting for the MOVIE to be made!
This is a really great piece. I hope I get to read your recaps for one of the shows I'm watching someday soon.
I watched Veronica Mars from the start, but I was 23 at the time - just like most of the so called 'juniors' in Neptune High. A dark edgy high school drama on UPN? Never going to fly with a group whose dream show is now 'Gossip Girl' - which at least provide Kristen Bell with a paycheck.
Veronica is a lot like my won daughter, who was entering her teen years when the show was on. Veronica wasn't about petty revenge, but she didn't let anyone turn her into a victim. That's what made the show great. Too bad it became the Logan Echolls show because Rob Thomas decided to bow and scrape to TWoP fangirls. First season was awesome. Second, less so. Third, average TV. But what a first season.
Generally speaking, this is a good article. I would say better than anyone else writing on this site. (Anyone who said that Jacob is worth reading is someone I don't want to know. I can't stand reading his self-important, meandering drivel. Since he writes far too many recaps for this site, I read very few anymore.)
You forgot "preachy," but you remembered "self-important" and "meandering," so I'll let it slide this time.
I came to the show as an adult, so I think I unconsciously viewed it as an adult show that happened to be about teenagers. It was interesting to hear the impressions of someone who was a teenager at the time. I don't think Veronica would have been a very accessible character to me either at 15, when Angela Chase was much more my speed. Thanks for bringing a new perspective to this show and Veronica.
I've actually been rewatching the Show and am currently in the middle of 3rd season - and , maybe I'm just nostalgic for the show, but I'm enjoying this season far more this time around. I mean it still doesn't compare to 1st season, which is one of the most perfect seasons of tv ever written, but compared to tv shows in general, it does have quality. What I also found interesting is that I'm liking Piz far more this time around as well.
Nancy Drew's Mars Adventures? I think you need to actually watch the show, and not just judge it on it's premise and be bitter about the fact that it lasted longer than My So-Called Life.
I remember the night Veronica Mars premiered in Australia...I had absolutely terrible reception and it was annoying the hell out of me because I could tell the show as awesome. And then they took it off the air after four episodes, just enough for me to get totally and absolutely hooked. I got my hands on it eventually. Such an awesome show. I think you've inspired me to give it a rewatch.
I was so bummed when they didn't continue this show longer. I hated the way it ended too, with her dad in the middle of more slander. I was late to the VM game and absolutely loved it. Am now a die hard Kristen Bell fan, too.
I am so glad that I was 23 when this show premiered and was ready for its message. From the first episode I became a die hard fan of the series and Kristen Bell. Hell, even now, years after it's cancellation, I still watch the series on DVD.
It still mystifies me how the network could have canceled a show as great as VM. That show was truly a 'television (show) without pity.
On the upside, Kristen Bell has said more than once she is 100% in if/when Rob Thomas writes the Veronica Mars movie.
VM was being shown as a daytime rerun when I came here to the UK. I was gobsmacked,how had I missed this? I did get the DVDs. After being a Buffy fan from the first,once again coming to it as an adult, was awesome to find another strong young woman. There were none when I was a teenager. How different my life might have been.
Veronica Mars was one of the most underrated shows ever... it was probably the only "smart" teen show of the time
Simply the best! Jason dohring and kristen bell will always be the best couple ever! The show actually had substance! I hope they make the movie! "...it will always be Logan and Veronica..."
i like so few shows that it makes me genuinely sad when something of the quality of veronica mars ignominiously dribbles off the air instead of being given the fully-imagined and dignified conclusion that it deserves. god i loved that show.
i like so few shows that it makes me genuinely sad when something of the quality of veronica mars ignominiously dribbles off the air instead of being given the fully-imagined and dignified conclusion that it deserves. god i loved that show.
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