Entertainment
Kristin Bell’s 4-Part Cult Classic Finally Hits Netflix After Its Unexpected End
The mid-aughts were a treasure trove of heightened teen dramas, and in its day, Veronica Mars was the crème of the crop. The series was a perfect combination of film noir tropes within the heightened world of teen drama. Starring Kristen Bell as the titular teen detective, Veronica Mars was full of wit while also delving into mature topics set in a high school setting. The daughter of a former sheriff turned private investigator, Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni), Veronica is devastated when her best friend Lilly Kane (Amanda Seyfried) is murdered. In typical film noir fashion, Keith turns into a hard-boiled detective after he ruins his career by accusing the Kane family of foul play.
Veronica’s social cachet is destroyed when she sides with her father, even though this weaponizes her friends against her. She loses her boyfriend, Duncan (Teddy Dunn), and becomes a social pariah. The worst treatment comes from Lilly’s boyfriend, Logan (Jason Dohring), who makes it his purpose in life to ruin hers after what Keith did. Veronica Mars cleverly takes the genre of film noir and adapts it for a high school setting as Veronica becomes just as clever as her father in solving crimes. As she continues to look into Lilly’s case, refusing to believe the killer has been caught, her romantic life develops as well. Bell’s chemistry with Dohring was unavoidable, and their respective characters grow closer because of it. This setup leads to an epic romance between Veronica and Logan, which spans the life of the series. This fact is ultimately what put the nail in the coffin for the series, despite all its potential.
‘Veronica Mars’ Season 4 Shocker Ruined What Was So Good About the Series
Veronica Mars’ cult status was secured long before the last season of the series premiered. After the UPN merger with The WB, the series tragically only lasted one more season. Season 3 ends in the college setting, leaving Veronica and Logan’s relationship up in the air. Much like Veronica herself, fans demanded justice and eventually got it with the 2014 fan-funded film. The Veronica Mars movie gave Veronica and Logan the ending they deserved without the characters skipping a beat.
The film gave the series the momentum it needed to return in the streaming age with another season on Hulu. This result regrettably had a less than favorable response. Because Veronica returns to Neptune, California, as an adult, the series effectively became more mature. Veronica’s relationship with Logan becomes more complex, which was not necessarily a direction that fans were interested in. The couple’s engagement and subsequent marriage end in tragedy after Logan is killed by a car bomb meant for Veronica. This tragedy turns her into a jaded version of herself who is a far cry from the character that fans fell in love with in the first place.
Logan is the MVP of ‘Veronica Mars’
Veronica Mars still maintains a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, a fact that is soured by the destruction of one of the main selling points of the series. Jason Dohring steals the show in absolutely every scene he’s in. His snappy one-liners and fleshed-out backstory made him a fan-favorite. This is one of the reasons why he so quickly turns from a one-dimensional villain in the first season to a complex character with depth. Fans fell in love with him after seeing him as the survivor of domestic abuse at home. It redefined the character for everyone and revealed the vulnerability of the character.
His relationship with Veronica isn’t forced, but a gradual coming together of two people who have lost something. Both Logan and Veronica are filled with rage about Lilly’s death, and though they initially point it at each other, it becomes clear that they are the only two people in the world who can understand each other. Logan began the conversation of what an epic romance could look like and took fans along for the ride.
Logan’s death at the end of the season wasn’t just a move made for shock value. It also shook the foundation of why fans fell in love with the show in the first place, turning it into something that felt unrecognizable. Season 4 was left in Hulu limbo after the fact, with no clear plans to return.
Veronica Mars is now available to Netflix subscribers, with the extra season tacked on for those interested in seeing the full story, for better or worse. The ending was certainly controversial, but that doesn’t stop the beauty of the first few seasons from remaining intact. Veronica Mars became a cult classic for a reason, hammering home themes around sexual assault, domestic abuse, and class structure. It remains a perfect time capsule of the 2000s, which fans can finally enjoy on Netflix.
- Release Date
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2004 – 2019
- Network
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UPN, The CW, Hulu
- Directors
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John T. Kretchmer, Nick Marck, Michael Fields, Harry Winer, Jason Bloom, Steve Gomer, Guy Norman Bee, Marcos Siega, Mark Piznarski, Sarah Pia Anderson, Scott Winant, Dan Etheridge, David Barrett, Joaquin Sedillo, Kevin Bray, Martha Mitchell, Nick Gomez, Rick Rosenthal, Tessa Blake, Tricia Brock, Amanda Marsalis
- Writers
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John Enbom, Phil Klemmer, Dayna Lynne North, Jed Seidel, Aury Wallington