TV: 'Veronica Mars' better than 'Buffy'?
BY DOUGLAS DURDEN
The six ways in which UPN's "Veronica Mars" is the new "Buffy the Vampire Slayer":
#Sassy, smart, strong female lead with angst-ful boyfriend.
#Teenage characters who talk like adults while solving adult-sized problems.
#Teenage characters who talk like adults while trying to survive high school.
#Snappy dialogue that skewers pop culture.
#Loud, loyal fan base, but meager ratings. (This season, it's up against ABC's "Lost" at 9 p.m. Wednesdays.)
#Appearances by "Buffy" regulars Alyson Hannigan and Charisma Carpenter, plus the presence of "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon -- this week only.
 Whedon, currently without a TV series to call his own, is scheduled to play a car rental agent in Wednesday's episode. (Director Kevin Smith guested in an earlier episode as a convenience store clerk. Ha!)
This cameo appearance may be the result of Whedon outing himself as "Veronica Mars'" most passionate famous fan on the Internet last summer, declaring it the "Best. Show. Ever."
Last month, there were even more compliments when he reviewed the first-season DVD of the series for Entertainment Weekly, describing it as "the funniest and most romantic show on TV."
From Whedon's remarks, you'd think that "Veronica Mars" is better than "Buffy."
Wait, maybe it is.
Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, had to go to the world of the supernatural to find her mysteries and challenges.
Veronica, played by Kristen Bell, doesn't have to go any farther than the real world, although it's a world where a teenage girl might be drugged, then raped, at a party; where her best friend is murdered; and where her mom abandons the family.
"Veronica Mars," now in its second season, was created by Rob Thomas, a former high school teacher-turned-screenwriter who got his start on The WB's "Dawson Creek."
Thomas moved on to several other TV series -- "Snoops" and "Cupid," both of which died quickly and quietly. (Paula Marshall, who starred in both, had a recurring role on season one of "VM.")
Returning to teen angst, Thomas found his voice again. And what a voice.
Veronica is a teenage detective, working out of her father's detective office when he lets her, and going out on her own when he doesn't. The cases are sometimes personal, involving herself or her fellow students, and sometimes not.
Recently, for example, she took on the case of a wealthy young woman who wanted her fiancé investigated, fearing he was after her money. It turned out he had as much money as she did, leaving Veronica feeling cynical on the topic of the importance of money. (Cynical is one of Veronica's best poses.)
Each season has one overriding mystery, however.
Last season, it was the identity of her best friend's murderer, who turned out to be Harry Hamlin as the local has-been actor. This season, while struggling with boyfriend woes and classmate wars, Veronica is investigating the cause of a fatal school bus crash, a crash she now believes was because of her. (It's a revenge thing, all based in "VM's" complicated continuing story lines.)
Like Buffy, surrounded by helpful friends when it came to stalking vampires, Veronica has her friend Wallace (Percy Daggs III) to call on, although his life was recently complicated by the appearance of a father he didn't know he had.
That's the detective side of "Veronica Mars"; then there's the high school side.
 Last season, because of the murder of her best friend and her father losing his job, Veronica was bumped from high school insider to outsider. And in the wealthy suburb of Neptune, home to movie stars and professional athletes, millions of dollars separate the have-nots from the haves.
This season, Veronica is in a zone of her own. She's been established as the go-to girl if you have a problem, and she's back with her former boyfriend, Duncan (Teddy Dunn), brother of her murdered friend. (Duncan has a closet full of problems of his own, which Veronica had to sift through last season while she dated his best friend, Logan.)
Veronica accepts her turn on the wheel of fortune with a cynical wiseness -- and a wicked sense of humor -- beyond her years. She's that rare teenage character who realizes there's life beyond and after high school.
When a teacher innocently reminds his class that "homecoming season is upon us," Veronica grouses, "Much like the plague."
Grounding her ever so slightly is her relationship with her father, Keith Mars, the ex-sheriff turned detective who's now running for sheriff again. He's played by Enrico Colantoni ("Just Shoot Me," "Galaxy Quest") with an appealing mix of playfulness, concern and parental adoration.
Which is better: the mystery, the high school angst, the charming father-daughter relationship?
That's the ultimate beauty of the show -- you don't have to choose.
|
