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Veronica Mars Roundtable: Our Take on Season 4
It’s been a minute since Hulu released season 4 of Veronica Mars. We’ve posted our advance review. We’ve posted why we think [SPOILER] isn’t dead. Now that all the Nice Girls have watched the season, it’s time for a roundtable discussion of what we liked, what we didn’t, and where Veronica’s story could be headed next.
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
What was your overall impression of season 4?
Ange: I binged all eight episodes in one go into the wee hours of the night. (The new season dropped in the evening over here.) I didn’t intend to watch it all in one hit but once one episode ended, I just had to watch another to see where the mystery was going to turn (and also which familiar face would pop up next). It’s definitely more mature than the original series but the majority of relationships are still there and the repertoire was still the same, which made it nice to be with old friends again. I wish we could have had a bit more with the old friends though. Wallace, in particular, was underused!
Cay: I enjoyed it! My favorite part is that the mystery was on a slow burn – I loved all the misdirection about who was the bomber. Until the very end, there was that question of whether Penn really did it or not.
Leah: I can’t tell you how excited I was to have the show back. Giddy even. I’m with Roz on the friends part – having the main focus of the show be Veronica sleuthing, but not surrounded by her friends who in the past have helped her along the way was a bummer. There were some great things happening overall though. The show’s look, the pacing, the witty banter between father and daughter, that was all intact and done really well.
Lisa: I loved it! I was so excited to have Veronica back! She is grown and witty as ever. It was great seeing most of the cast back and where their characters ended up. I will say that I missed seeing Mac though.
Mel: I enjoyed this season from start to (almost) finish. The mystery was compelling for the most part and keeping up with all the twists and turns was fun. Loved seeing familiar faces and places, some of them wholly unexpected (looking at you, Mercer and Moe). I’d have liked more Wallace and Weevil, but I get that their roles in Veronica’s life have changed, as they should.
Roz: I was so happy to have the show back, but it lacked time where Veronica had to rely on her friends to get the job done. Only seeing Dick, Wallace, and Weevil for a few episodes made it feel less like the show I watched before, especially when Veronica treated most of her old friends poorly.
Rueben: I was so excited to watch the episodes, and while I LOVED the banter between Veronica and Keith, sometimes I felt a little unsettled about it all. I really enjoyed the game that Veronica and Keith were playing to see who could go longest without saying a certain word. That whole thing was priceless! That being said, I missed seeing Wallace and Weevil more. I also felt bad that Weevil seemed to get the short end of the stick once again. I just wanted to see him HAPPY!
Did season 4 “feel” like Veronica Mars to you?
Ange: Quips, mystery, a tinge of darkness (okay, maybe a lot more), and Veronica fighting for justice, even if it sometimes means doing questionable things – yep, felt like Veronica Mars to me, just a bit older! It’s interesting to hear you guys describe Veronica as bitchier this season, as I kind of felt that way about her in season 3. But the fact that she’s still so jaded and distrustful after all these years, especially after getting out of Neptune and seemingly becoming a happier person in the movie, makes you go hmm. Don’t get me wrong, I love Veronica because she’s a strong woman who will fight for what she believes in, but she’s also flawed and that’s just a part of who she is.
Cay: I thought it did, but I haven’t watched the original series in several years. It felt like it worked with the movie. Loved the banter between Veronica and Keith as always – a bit more grown-up but felt authentic to what I remember from the original series run.
Leah: I think I wanted it to feel like Veronica Mars so badly that the first time I watched it I let some things go. After rewatching and stewing about it I realize it wasn’t like Veronica Mars of the past at all. Sure Veronica is still witty and Keith is still amazing, but Veronica was kind of a bitch this season. She was bitter and rude – a lot. More so than usual. It’s a product of her aging and life in Neptune getting to her, I suppose. Do I want to watch more seasons where she is just mean? Nope, I do not.
Lisa: Yes, it did. Of course, it was a little different because they are adults, but I felt like they did a good job of keeping it authentic to the original show. I loved the scenes with Veronica and Keith. That father-daughter relationship is one of my favorites on TV.
Mel: It was definitely darker and grittier than the first three seasons, but Veronica is 15 years older than she was at the end of season 3 – I wouldn’t want her to be the same. Seeing how being back in Neptune feeds Veronica’s darker impulses and behaviors was disturbing but consistent with what we’ve been told and shown from the beginning. Overall I felt like this season gave us a believable, recognizable picture of the characters and town more than a decade after we last saw them.
Roz: Yes and No. The banter and wit were there, but as I said above, I missed all those interactions Veronica used to have with her friends to get the job done. I also question some of her attitudes (since when do I think Veronica would willingly drop E after high school and also irresponsibly fire her gun while intoxicated – never!). But she was smart when she needed to be in solving the case.
Rueben: To a degree it did. It was much more mature than the Veronica Mars of old, of course, but I agree with Leah that Veronica was even more of a bitch than usual. She was always her own person but she seemed to be on an emotional “bender” (for lack of a better term), keeping nearly everyone – even Logan – at arm’s length and treating people like crap. It just always felt that little bit off to me.
Was the mystery compelling/engaging? Did you figure out who was responsible for the bombings before the big reveal(s)?
Ange: Yes, the mystery had me engaged and it didn’t even cross my mind that there were two bombers – it took me back to the Hearst rapist mystery of season three and my mind being blown when it was revealed that Mercer and Moe were working together. Shame on me for not thinking out of the box! Early on I did think that Penn was involved but then I thought it was too obvious and dropped the theory. Got to give props to the writers for weaving those twists and misdirects! (I’m glad that it wasn’t Nicole in the end!) I also didn’t see the twist that Matty had the ring.
Cay: I loved that there were twists and turns and it wasn’t clear to me that Penn was the copycat because of the misdirection. I thought it made it very interesting. And I was really surprised that Matty ended up having the ring after all! It definitely reinforced how morally dubious quite a lot of plots on the show are! Yes, it allowed her to keep the Sea Sprite, but it also nearly got Congressman Maloof killed (twice!). Guess she wasn’t nearly as wholesome as she seemed!
Leah: The mystery was well done. The bringing back of old foes and nemeses from past seasons was done in an organic way – so I liked that. I’ll admit I thought it was Nicole for a moment. I totally fell for the “fake clues” they were laying out for us. Four episodes in I messaged someone who had already watched the whole thing and asked if the pizza man did it. That was partly because of the actor – he is a big enough name that I figure he had to be more involved.
Lisa: I thought it was compelling. I didn’t know it was Penn right away and they did a good job of keeping us guessing. At one point I thought it was the Congressman’s mom just because she wasn’t the obvious choice. Boy was I way off base. Also, I loved that Matty is like a young Veronica Mars with her intelligence and wit. She is a great addition to the cast.
Mel: Boy, this kept me guessing! Like some of you, I was pretty sure Penn had to be involved because of Patton Oswalt’s real-life celebrity status but that also made me think JK Simmons’ Clive was involved more than he was. Throw in the multiple possible motives and I was revising my theory over and over!
Roz: I figured that Penn was involved with how often he was around, but I didn’t think he was capable of it all until those final clues about his life in Neptune dropped. Big Dick was a good foil to Penn because we all know not to trust him in the end. 09ers are going to look out for their self-interest even if the town needs Spring Break to stay relevant. (I say this as someone whose town is somewhat dependent on tourism and college students)
Rueben: I kept waffling between suspects, thinking it was the Fitzpatricks for a while and then a great part of the time thinking it was Big Dick just coz, well, it’s Big Dick. I didn’t figure things out (for once) until it was nearly too late. My spidey senses just weren’t working this time around, I guess.
Let’s talk new characters: what did you think of Nicole? Matty? Penn? Clive? Alonzo?
Ange: Since we didn’t have Mac this season, it was nice to see Veronica have a new female friend and also just someone new that she could open up to. It did suck that she pretty much disappeared after the reveal that Veronica had been bugging her but I’m with Leah, can you blame her? I’ve enjoyed Izabela Vidovic’s previous work on iZombie and The Fosters so I was delighted to see her as Matty. I liked Matty and that she ended up being a Veronica protege, but I hope that she doesn’t become as jaded and emotionally closed off as Veronica. I am totally with you guys on why does a smart and witty girl on this show have to be marred by some sort of trauma?! I warmed up to Alonzo and his buddy and was also very intrigued by Clyde. I liked his friendship with Keith and his backstory of playing Big Dick to his own agenda but not getting completely involved with Big Dick’s dirty work.
Cay: For all the time Nicole got in the early episodes, it seems like they just erased her completely after her falling out with Veronica. I feel like they should have kept her as some part of the storyline after that. Matty was interesting because she wasn’t as innocent as she at first seemed. And Penn was a real enigma. They’d present evidence against him, but then there seemed to be another explanation, but it all kept coming back to him.
Leah: Quick note on Nicole – I’m sorry to see her go, but can you blame her? Veronica’s antics were too much. So…I’m not super happy with the character of Matty. I am assuming we are supposed to see the similarities between her and a younger Veronica – so much so that she is temping at Mars Investigation at the end. However, she crossed a huge line for me when she kept the ring she found and then pawned it. That was pretty unacceptable. Also – see Lisa’s comment below, “It is possible for a girl to be smart and witty without…dealing with personal tragedy.” THIS, PEOPLE. THIS IS AN ACTUAL THING WE SHOULDN’T HAVE TO TELL WRITERS! You know who I really liked though? Alonzo – I know he was a cartel enforcer, but he had a very charismatic way about him and I liked his back and forth with his buddy.
Lisa: I am here for Nicole! She kicked major ass in the pilot and I loved her. I agree with Cay, I wish they would have kept her in the storyline longer. I think Matty is a great addition to the cast too because she reminds me of a young Veronica although I wish her character wasn’t introduced because of a tragedy. It is possible for a girl to be smart and witty without being jaded by an ex-lover or by dealing with personal tragedy. Being hurt doesn’t make someone witty, they just are. Penn was a hot mess the whole season. He was funny in some parts and ended up being a killer. Who knew?
Mel: I’m with you all – Matty did NOT need to be traumatized to make her sympathetic or even to set her up as Veronica’s protege. And I’m not at all happy that she stole the Maloof family heirloom; that family did nothing to her that required reparations on that level. I liked Nicole and wish she’d stuck around, but I get that her character was meant to show us Veronica’s inability to trust and the repercussions of that defect. Clive was a cipher – good guy? bad guy? a genuine friend for Keith? using Keith for his own ends? all of the above? I’d like to see more of him. Alonzo was oddly compelling. I’m not a fan of violence, particularly not casual violence like our nonchalant hitman displayed, yet I found myself wanting to know more about Alonzo. Kudos to Clifton Collins, Jr. for making the most of a limited role.
Roz: Many of the new people in Neptune felt like they were there for a limited purpose – Nicole was a red herring and a woman who could have been a friend to Veronica. Matty felt like a mini-Veronica who needed to be traumatized before she figured out her life (can we do something else to young girls than kill family members for them to ‘grow’?).
Rueben: I felt that Matty was too close to a Veronica mini-me, and I agree with the other girls that we didn’t need to have yet another angsty girl dealing with a horrible death to get through her teen years. Really?! For all the bad things that he did, Alonzo was an interesting character. And, while I can’t say that his character was redeemable, any time you have J.K. Simmons in a program, well, it’s made all the better. He was ruthless without having to lay a hand on anybody. I also felt bad for the way Veronica treated Nicole. Most of all, I was floored when Mary McDonnell turned out to be Logan’s therapist. The BSG fan in me was squeeing, to say the least!
Season 4 brought back so many familiar faces! Who was your favorite returning character? Did you like the cameos or were they distracting? Who did you miss seeing?
Ange: I loved the cameos and callbacks. I missed Mac but also wish that we saw more of Wallace and Weevil. I felt like we had more of Leo than those two. (Speaking of which, as a LoVe shipper I could have done without the Veronica/Leo sex dream!) Weevil at least had a storyline and some gritty scenes (seriously, that showdown between him and Veronica at MI was Francis Capra’s best work on the show!) but poor Wallace didn’t really have a purpose this season. Always fun to see Cliff and Vinnie too.
Cay: I thought Leo coming back felt a little contrived. And Wallace seemed to serve no purpose at all other than to remind us that he and Veronica “used to be friends”.
Leah: Some of it was great – the callback to Beaver and the Phoenix Land Trust. Some of it was distracting – the jail visit with her attempted rapist and TA. Also, what was Parker’s point again? That did not work for me. I understand why Mac wasn’t in this season, it wasn’t friend-centric, and I appreciate that they put her out of the country so we didn’t think she and Veronica just didn’t talk, but I really missed her.
Lisa: I was excited to see them all, especially Wallace. It is always nice to see a successful, educated African American man on television who dispels stereotypes. He is a teacher (which is perfect for him because he always had a good heart), a husband, and a father and I loved it. I wish we could have seen more about his family but I guess we will have to wait until season 5. Also, I have to give a shout-out to Logan’s entrance coming off the water in the season premiere episode! Lawd! Not only was he hot, but Veronica put those thirsty girls in check and I thought, yes! Veronica is back!
Mel: Cliff and Vinnie are always cringey but fun. I was completely caught off-guard by the cameos from Mercer, Moe, and Clarence Weidman. Brilliant nods to Veronica’s past! I’d have liked more Wallace but I 100% understand why his role was what it was in this season – he’s a husband, a father, and a teacher/coach at Neptune High. While he and Veronica are still friends and spend time together, the dynamics have changed dramatically since high school and that first year of college. This is probably the most normal relationship Veronica has in her life and I appreciated that it was portrayed realistically. Hand’s down my favorite returning character was Weevil. As Ange said above and I noted below, even with limited screen time, Francis Capra gave a career-best performance.
Roz: Vinnie and Cliff served related purposes as they always have. Clarence Weidman was my biggest shock because he’s always with Jake Kane and I was not expecting him either. I didn’t think Parker moved Logan’s decision to get married, nor did Max (Mac’s old beau) do much as a small business owner on the beach for the sake of seeing businesses fail.
Rueben: I loved that Leo was back. Next to Logan, he was always my choice for Veronica. I REALLY wanted to see Mac in the episodes. It just felt a little off to me not having her there. I could’ve done without Veronica going to the prison to see Tim and Mercer. I HATED them in season 3 and did NOT need to see either of them. Parker’s appearance came out of left field and just felt unnecessary. I loved that Wallace had the most stable and, well, normal life, but I wanted to see SO much more of him. The same for Weevil, as I said before. I just wanted him to have a nice life after the turmoil he suffered in the movie.
Keith and Veronica: Still the best father-daughter duo on TV?
Ange: Yes! Loved all their scenes and their banter. Their moments made it feel like time hadn’t passed! I am also relieved that Keith is okay and (hopefully) not dying any time soon.
Cay: Love their relationship and snarky back-and-forth!
Leah: Absolutely! They don’t always agree, but their banter and how they are always there for each other is fantastic.
Lisa: Yes, 100% yes. Their relationship is one of my favorites on television. I am a total smartass to my dad too and he digs right back at me. That is how we are and sometimes people are like, “Lisa, don’t say that to your Dad” not understanding that is how our relationship is (and it totally pisses me off when someone says that too, I’m grown get out my biznass). Because of my own experiences, I love to see Keith and Veronica’s relationship because their bond is strong and it is uniquely their relationship. They don’t have to define it and I love it!
Mel: They’re the gold standard. It’s not a perfect relationship but, to quote another excellent TV dad, it’s “perfectly imperfect“.
Roz: Veronica has never been good at listening to Keith when it matters, and I felt like her reaction to the rat case at the grocer’s moved that point. She’s still so headstrong and as a partnership, I don’t know if there is a way for them to work well together, but if we have another season (and lacking any other personal connections) we need someone to ground her. If not Keith, I worry.
Rueben: They are THE best father-daughter duo on TV ever for me. (Granted I LOVED Alexis and Castle on Castle, but nothing beats Veronica and her dad). But I do have to agree with Roz that Veronica just does NOT know how to listen to her dad. Sure their relationship is great, but her taking advice and listening to her dad – well – she just sucks at that.
Veronica and Logan’s relationship was a focal point this season. Ignoring the final moments for now, what did you think about LoVe in season 4?
Ange: While it was nice to see them living together and witness how much Logan has grown (which by the way was a nice arc that I would like to have seen more of), it was frustrating to see Veronica still unable to work through her distrust and other feelings and allow herself to be happy with him. I’m not asking for them to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after – I would have been fine if they didn’t get married, I just wanted to see a bit more give from Veronica. I understood why she was reluctant to completely let Logan in during the original series but he’s proved himself by now.
Cay: I was impressed by how far Logan has come and by how far Veronica didn’t seem to have come until her near-death experience. I liked her relationship with the new Logan; I think he was a good stabilizing influence for her.
Leah: The idea that one of the most damaged people in Neptune could grow up and mature so much was a great story arc for this character. He was such a little punk in high school; he clearly had his reasons, but still. To put that next to Veronica’s inability, or refusal, to work through her own problems just made her behaviors so much more glaring. I’ve always liked them together, and I will always ship them.
Lisa: I was here for their relationship. It was nice to see how much Logan had matured. Veronica on the other hand, while her feelings were valid, it broke my heart when she first turned down Logan’s proposal. Of course, she came to her senses after a near-death experience but it would have been nice to see her come to that realization on her own.
Mel: It took me a minute to adjust to their new dynamic. Logan put in the work to overcome his past and become a much, much better man which I deeply admire. It really threw the spotlight on Veronica’s immaturity which was disconcerting and made me a little cranky that her flaws were shown in such sharp relief. Then I started getting angry with Veronica for being so stubborn about working on her own issues. She did make some forward progress during the season, though. A bit too little too late, as it turned out, but she was beginning to change and grow toward Logan.
Roz: This pains me, but Logan has grown so much and Veronica not enough for this relationship to have been healthy. Logan’s progress to overcome his traumas was impressive, but Veronica was so dismissive of it all. I wish we could have seen Logan work to get Veronica to accept the things she cannot change and not stagnate in her grief and pain. If you can’t accept that not everyone will cheat or leave, why did Veronica agree to marry him in the first place, mortality notwithstanding?
Rueben: I loved how much growth there was in Logan, and was, quite frankly, pretty taken aback by how little growth there was in Veronica. It was like she was even worse than her teen years (if that’s possible). I would see random glimmers of who she could be and then that thinly-veiled anger of hers just came out. It took, like Lisa said, her near-death experience to slap her in the face, but she’s in her 30’s now, grow up girl!
There’s been a lot written about Logan’s death – that it was unnecessarily cruel to both Logan and Veronica; that it was necessary for Veronica to get out of her self-destructive rut; that it was necessary to uphold the show’s noir style; that Logan’s storyline had come to a natural end. What are your thoughts?
Ange: There’s still a part of me that refuses to believe he’s dead – no body, no funeral, no actual words. Yes, I’ve read and seen all the interviews since watching which have chipped away at my denial but I’m still holding on. If he is dead and the reasons for killing him are the ones that have been said, then I’m pissed because that’s such a shit way for a beloved character to go out and Logan deserved better. (Also, the title of the episode itself – could they not? *sobs *) You want VM to be a noir show? Cool. But to say that this character needed to be killed off in order for the strong female lead to grow and not be tied down by a partner – total BS. Besides, how much tragedy can one person experience in a lifetime? Veronica’s best friend was murdered, her mother took off twice, she was raped, thought her father wasn’t her biological father, had multiple near death experiences, lost another good friend, witnessed a classmate kill himself – the list goes on and now you want to add the love of her life dies just hours after they got married? Cruel indeed! If anything, wouldn’t this push her to be even more self destructive? It’s not just cruel to Veronica – what about Dick? He’s lost his brother and then lost his father and best friend on the same day? Who is going to help him get through it all?
Cay: I think his story could have come to an end in many different ways, but this seemed to be the most traumatic for all involved, so of course they went with it. It’s a little strange to think of a married Veronica, but a barely married then immediately widowed Veronica seems like one that would be even more self-destructive, even if the final scenes suggested some growth since his death.
Leah: Mel forwarded me something that said the only way to completely sever the relationship with Logan was to kill him, otherwise they would always find their way back to one another. Now I can agree with that. What I can’t agree with is that killing Logan is the only way to move the story forward. It’s bullshit. (I’m still mad, okay?) The biggest problem I had was we weren’t given any time to mourn. His death had barely registered when we were suddenly a year past it. We didn’t see a funeral, we didn’t see Veronica getting to where she was a year later, we didn’t get anything with Dick. He lost his Dad and his best friend and nothing? I wanted Logan’s death to have a more visible impact. Not just a blip they hurried past.
Lisa: I think it’s all bullshit. Can I say that? If, and I do mean if, Logan died, how is that going to make Veronica grow? It will only make her more toxic and jaded. Nope! I refuse to believe he is dead. No body, no funeral and he could have escaped for all we know, or maybe she dreamt the whole thing. Who knows? All I know is LoVe never dies. *mic drop*
Mel: I’m on the record that I don’t believe Logan is really dead. Even after all the post-mortem interviews and Rob Thomas saying Logan is “definitely dead”, I don’t believe him. Narratively, sure, I can accept that he felt Logan needed to die to jolt Veronica out of her downward spiral. He does love putting her through every possible trauma and claiming it makes her stronger. I can accept that he was staying true to the show’s noir inspiration. If I squint, I can accept a “Veronica is strong and don’t need no man” rationalization although I think that contradicts the show’s constant reiteration that Veronica is unhappy and damaged because she insists on being alone. What I cannot accept is that we weren’t allowed to see a funeral or a gravestone or anyone else grieving Logan, just Veronica’s vague voiceover about the year without Logan. You don’t kill a major character, a fan favorite for more than a decade, and leave such a gaping hole for his return without a reason. Perhaps he did intend for this to be the actual end for Logan but built-in an escape hatch in case of backlash (likely) or a better “he’s alive!” story came to him (probably what he’ll say if/when Logan miraculously returns). For a plot twist this huge, I expect more from Rob Thomas & Co. than an explosion and a flash-forward to a year later.
Roz: I don’t buy any of the lines from Thomas about the necessity of this death; there are plenty of ways to keep Logan off-screen and keep them married with noir elements. As of now, I don’t see Veronica changing her ways – she might always have been a toxic person after Lily died – to see Logan’s death changing her attitude. She’s lost another person she loved and can’t seem to find a way to be supportive of Keith. Who does she have left? I said to someone how toxic Veronica is, and this can make it worse. If she doesn’t rely on her friends (Wallace, please see her attitude at your housewarming and don’t invite her back!), what is there for her without Logan?
Rueben: First of all, I hadn’t reached the final episode when all those headlines started coming out [I was very deliberate in not reading spoilers, but the headlines were hard to ignore] so I figured out before episode 4 that something REALLY horrible was going to happen to Logan. But I was so unprepared for how it played out. I screamed, I cried (like a freaking baby), and I even paced my tiny little house in denial for a while. I get that Rob Thomas wanted Veronica on her own (or whatever verbiage he used in all those other articles), but Logan was the focal point of her life (next to Keith). He DID NOT deserve to have that happen to him. I don’t want to believe that he is dead. I just don’t! There could’ve been other ways to keep the noir aspect of the show without that cruel way to end his character. Quite frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive Rob for taking Logan from all of us.
Should the show continue, what do you think Veronica’s story will be? What would you like to happen in a (currently unconfirmed) season 5?
Ange: What would I like to see happen in season 5? I want Logan to not be dead. He can be in a coma, just as long as he’s not dead. I want to see more Veronica interaction with Wallace and Weevil and for them to have more of a storyline. I want Veronica to grow and be more mature and not so self-destructive. I know that there’s been talk that if there’s a season 5, it’ll see Veronica away from Neptune. She always comes back though. It may not be ’til the end of season 5, but I’m sure she’ll be back.
Cay: I’m guessing that she’ll somehow get dragged back to Neptune and her demons and get involved in some sort of a case where she’ll take needless risks and deliver snarky one-liners.
Leah: Veronica had better not be living back in Neptune if there is a season 5. Rob Thomas’s comments about Logan’s death were a lot of “you can’t have a boyfriend at home holding you back” crap. So we had better see a Veronica on the road, international, something. Which is also ridiculous as Neptune is as big a character as any in Veronica Mars.
Lisa: Yes, after the finale Rob Thomas pulled, he better be writing that season 5 right now! The fans deserve answers and more Veronica Mars. We don’t deserve to wait 15 years for a revival, to get our hearts ripped out at the end of the season and that be the end. No, hunny! We are getting a season 5 and possibly a 6, 7, and 8 too if they know what’s good. Sorry, I’m still a lil’ pissed off.
Mel: If we get another season, I want to see some real growth from Veronica. I want to see that she’s finally working through all the trauma from her past in a meaningful way. Maybe that means we get a few montages of her violent urges spent pummeling a sparring dummy or taking out her rage on a junk car. Maybe we see some relapses. That’s fine. I just need to see some character growth and the beginnings of a new approach to life.
Roz: One of the reasons I watched the show was all the interpersonal skills Veronica needed to solve cases. She’s nearly burned all of them so I don’t know if I can imagine a season where she isn’t as toxic with new folks around her. It’s hard to take Veronica alienating so many people (Nicole could have been a great friend if Veronica hadn’t mistrusted her) and I don’t want to watch her do that to more people we don’t relate to.
Rueben: At this point, I don’t know. Call me sentimental and old fashioned (which I am), but I simply wanted some happy endings. If nothing else, I want to see a more mature Veronica; one who has come to terms with her past. One who has learned to temper her anger. One who can be a better friend. And I want to see flashbacks to Logan so that we don’t have a season 5 (or beyond) completely without him.
Favorite scenes or lines from season 4?
Ange: I enjoyed seeing Veronica take Matty under her wing, the banter between Veronica and Keith, and then Logan joking about Piz hiding while Leo was over. I mentioned it before, but that scene between Veronica and Weevil where she questions the choices that he’s made and he fires back that he doesn’t have the opportunity to make choices the way that she has was such a powerful and standout scene to me.
Cay: No one line in particular, but definitely Veronica and Keith’s sassy banter.
Leah: I liked the scene where Logan and Veronica are arguing about how she still wants the old high school jealous explosive guy. It drove home how she swore she didn’t want that back in the day – pretty sure they broke up because of it more than once – only now she does want that. She has to have that adrenaline rush, she isn’t comfortable being comfortable.
Lisa: My favorite line was when they were in the hospital and Cliff said, “Well since Prince died, nothing in the world has been right.” I also liked that Veronica requested to hear “No Scrubs” by TLC in the second episode.
Mel: I loved the shouting match between Veronica and Weevil. Kristen Bell and Francis Capra burned that scene to the ground. Homeboy was laying down some long-overdue hard truths about Veronica and her privilege which, I think, were a catalyst for Veronica beginning to change her mind about domestic bliss and detoxifying her life. I’d like to have seen more of Veronica realizing that for all she considers herself an outsider and an underdog, she really does have more choices and opportunities than Weevil ever did.
Roz: Logan’s line about Piz in the bathroom after Leo dropped by. (It does make me wonder why Leo didn’t remember Logan after their first meeting.)
Rueben: That love scene – even though it was a dream – between Leo and Veronica. Holy crap! But I agree with Roz that the banter between Logan, Leo, and Veronica about Piz; that was laugh-out-loud funny. I also have to admit to loving Veronica holding that gun to the car window to get Fitzpatrick to back off and him saying “I hate that girl.”
All four seasons of Veronica Mars are currently streaming on Hulu.
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