Veronica Mars season 4 delivers

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

I struggled with this review, Marshmallows. Part of me just wants to revel in the return of Veronica Mars on Hulu, to be a full-on fangirl with nothing but praise for season 4. It’s not hard to be giddy – season 4 is a treat. It’s grittier and steamier, yet still familiar in the best sense of the word.  One of the delights of this revival season is how Rob Thomas and friends build on the world they created in the first three seasons – everything that happened in the past is part of who Veronica is now, and this season embraces that for the benefit of the fans and the story.

Another part of me wants to dig into the themes and symbolism and character work of season 4. There’s a lot to unpack as Veronica realizes that she’s returned to her old, self-destructive ways while those around her (particularly Logan) have put in the hard work to leave that life behind. Pay attention to her voiceovers. The reasons she left Neptune and refused to come back, the fears she had about being dragged back into her old life, they are proven correct.

There’s a scene in the preview where a bomb explodes during a beach volleyball match. Everyone runs away from the explosion – except Veronica. No, our tiny blonde terror heads straight toward the danger. And that, Marshmallows, sums up Veronica for most of season 4.

Who’s Ready to Solve a Mystery?

We’re back in Neptune following the events of the movie. Veronica and Keith are full partners in Mars Investigations. Logan is a decorated Navy pilot-turned-Naval Intelligence Officer. LoVe is as committed as Veronica can be committed. Wallace is settled with a wife and an adorable baby and a career he loves at Neptune High School. Mac is in Istanbul. Cliff is still an exhausted public defender. Dick is still an overgrown frat boy. Weevil has been pulled back into PCH life. 

This is our setting as spring break rolls around. Neptune is invaded by spring breakers in search of the ultimate party, boosting the local economy and offending the ’09ers who don’t approve of the hedonism happening on the boardwalk and the beach. (As if there isn’t plenty of hedonism happening in ’09er boardrooms and beachfront mansions.) 

In the middle of this party atmosphere, terror strikes when a bomb explodes inside the Sea Sprite Motel, one of the more budget-friendly beachfront options. The bomb kills three people and injures two more, people whose lives and connections add layers of possible motives to the bombing. Among the dead are the motel owner, whose teenage daughter Matty had just left the motel and avoided injury herself; the nephew-by-marriage of a Mexican cartel boss; and the white fiancee of the younger brother of an Arab-American Congressman. 

Who was the target? What was the motive? The season-long mystery is absorbing and twisty and surprising and classic Veronica Mars.

The New and the Familiar

The investigation introduces us and Veronica to new places and new faces: Kristen Bell’s The Good Place co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste is a nightclub owner and potential new BFF, Dawnn Lewis is the Chief of Police who replaces the corrupt Neptune Sheriffs Lamb, and Izabela Vidovic is the motel owner’s daughter whose story bears a strong resemblance to Veronica’s.

We also meet Patton Oswalt, a pizza delivery guy who was injured in the bombing and in his free time investigates cold cases with his buddies, The Murderheads. They mean well, but Veronica does a fair amount of eye-rolling over their attempts to help solve the case.

Clifton Collins Jr is mesmerizing as Alonzo Lozano, a low-level soldier for a drug boss. Charismatic and easy-going, it’s easy to forget that we met him after he beheaded someone who pissed off his boss. 

J.K. Simmons is terrific as Clyde Pickett, an ex-con working for Big Dick whose motives are questionable. He’s perfectly pleasant, genuinely friendly even, and yet somehow he is surrounded by an aura of menace that adds to the growing unease as the bombing investigation deepens and the bodycount rises.

We’re also back on familiar ground: the renovated Neptune Grand; Weevil’s mechanic shop/PCH HQ; Mars Investigations (now with dueling offices for our father-daughter team). Over the course of eight episodes, Veronica encounters several people from her past, as one would expect in a small town like Neptune but so rarely happens on TV. Spotting familiar faces is part of the fun of this revival, so I won’t reveal everyone who returns but I do want to note a couple of my favorites.

Leo’s return is well-publicized by now, giving LoVe shippers cause for agitation. I enjoyed seeing Max Greenfield slip into this character again; he and KBell have such sweet-hot chemistry and their banter is so much fun (Veronica and Keith still take the gold, however). 

A particular standout for me is a clash between Veronica and Weevil in a later episode. Francis Capra infuses Eli Navarro with heartbreaking hopelessness and simmering rage that boils over during a searing confrontation with Veronica. I could feel the energy coming through my screen.

Collateral Damage

Back to Veronica. The theme of this season is Veronica’s choices. Or rather, her giant blindspot when it comes to the fallout of her choices. For all her brilliance, her strategic mind, her ability to decipher clues and predict human behavior, Veronica has a distinct inability to predict and mitigate collateral damage. She focuses on the case, follows bunny trails, connects dots between seemingly unrelated people and events…and yet, much like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock, she consistently misses seeing how her actions will impact those around her or (sometimes) why it should matter. 

We saw it happen over and over in previous seasons – people lose jobs, friendships are ruined, loves are lost as a result of Veronica’s actions. Every time, she was arguably doing what was right, exposing corruption, pursuing the truth with single-minded purpose. It’s hard to fault Veronica for that, and yet, at some point, you expect her to learn nuance. To understand that being the smartest person in the room with moral right on your side can’t prevent the collateral damage of exposing other people’s secrets.

There’s so much more to discuss, I can already envision the think pieces and fan analysis and debates. And the gifs! Tumblr is going to have a field day. Come back after you’ve binged season 4 and join the conversation!

All eight episodes of Veronica Mars season 4 begin streaming on Hulu Friday, July 26.

Click here for photos and synopsis from the season 4 premiere.
Click here for photos and synopsis of episode 4.02.
Click here for photos and synopsis from episode 4.03.
Click here for photos from episode 4.04.