Veronica Mars
Rob Thomas
When Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended its run, a gaping hole loomed on the tv landscape. Sure, Angel was still around, but he was no petite blonde kicking ass. Enter Veronica Mars, a high school girl trying to solve the mystery of her best friend’s death, and not missing a single comeback in the process. Salon.com anointed the show with The Buffy, for “the season’s most unjustly ignored TV show.” Veronica Mars’ status as the Chosen One was sealed with the cameo appearance of Joss Whedon in the second season (which also featured Buffy/Angel alumnus Charisma Carpenter).
While still enjoyable, the second season had a few mis-steps, including the too-Ghost Whisperer-y-for-comfort encounters with the victims of the school bus crash. There was even an episode or two in which the dialogue just felt off. You always take consistency of tone for granted, until it isn’t. I also didn’t appreciate the storylines which went nowhere, in particular, the relationship between Veronica’s dad and her best friend Wallace’s mom.
But all was forgiven with the third season’s Rob Thomas-penned premiere. Veronica is off to college and still doing what she does best. It’ll be interesting to see if there’ll be a central case overarching the entire season even as ripples of events past continue to be felt.