Veronica Mars made an impact and we still miss her

I can honestly say I’ve never heard someone say that they hate Veronica Mars. It seems that years later, we still think about the spunky heroine with her arsenal of witty comebacks, her trusted group of outsider friends and her sheer determination to bring about world peace. Well, that last part is just my interpretation, but doesn’t it seem like she wanted to bring out the very best in everyone she met, even if by doing so she had to teach them a lesson they maybe didn’t want to learn? Not many shows can boast a huge fan base three years after it went off the air and such an overwhelming desire for a movie spin-off to see where they are now. But Veronica was a different kind of heroine, and that made the show special. Here’s what some of our team has to say about why she influenced them and why their interest has not cooled.

An: It’s because she’s awesome, that’s why! Rebel punk girl with a cause….

Julia:  I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days, and I’ve come down to the fact that I just don’t know. I mean, I could easily write hundreds of words on why Veronica Mars is, bar none, the most influential TV show I’ve ever watched, but as for why… I guess the best answer is because it was the show that made me fall in love with television, because I didn’t really watch TV before Veronica Mars. I think what worked for me was the sort of perfect storm of amazing characters, stunning visuals, snappy writing, and a killer soundtrack. It pretty much will always be my perfect show even if it’s not perfect, just because it’s personally so meaningful for me. This, I guess, is the best answer I can give to the question.

Deb: I too have been thinking about this since Carissa started the ball rolling, and I can’t quite define it either. It felt very unique at the time — I’d never watched a show quite like it. The first season and the way the mystery unfolded was masterful and the approach was fresh and new.

The main reason is probably because it was the first show for me that filled the void that Buffy the Vampire Slayer left because, like Buffy, it had it all — story arc, humor, fascinating and likable characters (my fictional friends!) and all of the things that Julia already mentioned. I finally had a show that I’d wait all week to see again … so satisfying.

Bob: I came to Veronica Mars late and it took me a little while to really appreciate it. At the end of the day, it’s a really, really fun show. I think the thing I enjoyed most was the snappy writing. The dialog was really great and did help to fill the post-Buffy void. The show was also really unique — a crime solving, private eye procedural… set in a high school? Somehow, it really worked.

I think Veronica is a really relatable character too. She’s the poster child for the high school outsider (and who didn’t feel like an outsider at some point in high school?), while maintaining a snarky, no-fail attitude.

Special Guest, my sister, Lisa O’Conner (Veronica Mars fanatic): I still love Veronica Mars. Very few shows grab you from the start. Veronica Mars did.  Losing friends, making friends, losing love, finding love, bad parents, good parents, with a little mystery and a little spunky heroine thrown into the mix.  The show had great storylines but it was the characters, Keith, Weevil, Wallace, Logan and Veronica that kept me coming back and they are the reason I still miss Veronica Mars.

So, what about you? Did watching Veronica Mars have any impact on YOUR life? What did the show, and the characters, mean to you? Or, are you one of the people I’ve never met that didn’t like the show at all? Sound off in the comments!

Clacked by Carissa Pavlica
on Dec 14, 2010 @ 15:45 EST5EDT