I watched the Veronica Mars pilot a few days late. I remember this because it’s one of my favorite shows of all time, and I didn’t want to have anything to do with it at first. It was a teen drama about a spunky private eye that premiered on UPN, of all places; a network that, at the time, was probably best known for Homeboys in Outer Space. I was 24, had graduated college, and had zero interest.
However, luckily for me, I was a big fan of Television Without Pity at the time, and I quickly learned from them that this show wasn’t what it appeared to be at all. It was something else: it was smart, funny, it was amazing. So a couple of days later, I decided to check out a rerun, and I’ve been a die-hard fan ever since.
As D.W. West says in our Veronica Mars Week intro post, the pilot knocks you with a one-two of jaw-dropping mysteries. First, there was the brutal murder of Lilly Kane, Veronica’s best friend. (If the video below doesn’t play, just follow it to YouTube to view.)
That was bad enough, but in an era full of Law & Order, it’s hardly the worst thing we’ve seen on TV. Everyone has a murder mystery– it’s kind of the thing to do.
What really knocked my socks off though, and made me realize that this show was something different is Veronica’s rape. Being an outcast and then getting roofied at a party is bad enough, but watching her walk down the driveway with the broken strap on her dress was heartbreaking.
Add to that the fact that she never told her father, and the brutal treatment she received from Sheriff Lamb, and you have a truly shocking depiction of a violent crime and its aftermath– not exactly the light “talking on the phone and painting her toenails” show a lot of people were expecting.
Veronica Mars managed to do in 44 minutes what most shows don’t do during their entire run. It’s as close to a perfect pilot as you can get, and sets the show up to be one of the greatest of all time.
Check out all of our Veronica Mars Week coverage.
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on Dec 15, 2010 @ 14:00 EST5EDT
