Veronica Mars (Rob Thomas)

[Mara]

I liked Buffy...

It certainly has some similarities to Buffy. ("Hellmouth" shout-out in the film, hell yeah!) But VM is less goofy, more of a neo-noir detective series cross-bred with a high-quality soap opera.

[number8]

It's Brick in the style of Gossip Girl. I would not compare it to Buffy at all.

[Mara]

I would not compare it to Buffy at all.

I would. It sort of signaled the next generation of kick-ass women. When female heroines on television really came into their own, for awhile they were almost always physically battling their environments. I think that's what we needed, culturally, to signal a shift between the female victim and the female protagonist.

Veronica was not one to back down from a physical confrontation, but she moved away from "I can kill you with my bare hands" into "I will destroy you with my mind." She was far more introspective and savvy than Buffy ever was.

But the similarities are there. They are both stories of tiny blonde women trapped in a seemingly beautiful SoCal town that is actually a cesspool of death and destruction. They are both more formidable than they look and-- this is key-- they both get a ton of mileage out of playing on people's low expectations of them. (Here's a fun drinking game-- take a shot every time Buffy or Veronica pretend to be stupid, or vapid, or confused, or weak, in order to turn a dangerous situation in their favor.) Buffy and Veronica are both smart, but their biggest asset is how good they are at thinking on their feet and being resourceful. Both Buffy and Veronica start off as loners but end up depending heavily on a core group of fiercely loyal friends, while never being actually accepted by the majority of their classmates.

They are also both shows that are ostensibly about high school but aren't really focused on a high school viewing audience because they use high school as a microcosm for a larger culture.

I wouldn't say that they are similar shows, exactly, but I think that BtVS was probably an inspiration.

[Thirdmango]

I liked it but a lot less then most who watched the show. Likely because I had all but forgotten most if not all of the show since I watched it once through a long while ago. I thought about watching some of it again to refresh my memory but didn't get around to it. The movie did feel like an extended episode of the show which is good for fans but maybe not so good for first timers? If this is the ending of the show it's better then the third season ending so that's nice enough.

[Lucky]

Hmm, I wasn't as infatuated by this. The nature of the project and steady stream of inside jokes made the experience oddly self aware and off putting. It was as witty as ever, but with no emotional stakes to ground it. The romance subplot is ripped from a teenage girl's diary and paints Veronica in an immature light. Amusing ride, but hollow and forgettable. I'm not walking away with newfound knowledge of these characters I've grown to love.

[Mr. McGibblets]

Really enjoyable, but I feel like the whole case with Logan was pretty throw-away and the more interesting plot would have been about the Sheriff's department corruption. Max Greenfield stole the show in his few minutes, but I liked seeing all the old characters pop up and it almost all felt natural.

I can't believe we're still in the [

Show Spoiler

James Franco

] playing himself phase of movies. That's an idea that was tired two years ago.

[Mara]

...I'll just leave this here.

[number8]

I restarted the show again, and man, I love that perpetually quasi-90s California vibe on the show. I love the term "beach noir" to describe the show, not just because of the setting, but because there's this really great dangerous-but-laid-back surfer culture rhythm to the show that made it unique even among other beach-set crime shows (lookin at you, CSI: Miami).

The second episode ended with the PCH gang beating Weevil's cousin on the beach, and Weevil walking away, getting on his bike, and riding off in silhouette against palm trees and the sun setting. So good.

I realized that the thing I missed the most in the movie was Logan's bead necklace that he never took off, even during sex. I used to wear the same style of necklace back in the early 2000s. Sigh.

[Mara]

I need a gif of Veronica flipping that guy off while pretending to do her lipstick.

[number8]

Tumblr got you covered.

[Mara]

AWESOME.

[EvilShoe]

This coasted by a bit too much on nostalghia for me. The mystery was a bit of a bust, but then again: Veronica is back.

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm fresh off of finishing my first time viewing of Veronica Mars the series so I probably don't have the requisite distance that some of you have but this was merely average for me. I was thoroughly engaged through all three seasons but multiple times during this I was checking my phone. Besides a few cool moments of checking in with everyone and getting to see more of Veronica which is always a good thing the actual plot was lacking. I also have a hard time buying Veronica becoming a lawyer.