Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Watch Veronica Mars, Be Cool Like Me ...

Finally ...

Finally, that stupid Pussycat Dolls reality show is off the air.

Finally, Veronica Mars, though on the bubble it may be, is back on my TV.

Finally, I am reminded what A-level, honest-to-goodness *great* TV looks like.

Tonight, a show that's been a little more up and down than usual this year came back and once again silenced any doubters. With seeming effortless pacing, tonight's episode picked up on all of the leftover plot threads from several weeks back, introduced a number of killer twists in the ongoing saga of Ms. Mars, AND presented a one-and-done standalone mystery that actually looked at the problems facing Muslim-Americans in a thoughtful and well-balanced manner. Whew. Not bad for 44-odd minutes.

So many shows have strong plotting, but make their characters utter dialogue so cheesy it could have come from a Bazooka Joe comic strip. Somehow though, VM continually manages to impress with lines that would make the Cohen Bros (who often get shoutouts in the form of gratuitous Big Lebowski references) very proud. "At half-time I'll show you my private box" - a double entendre worthy of Adam West. Hahaha ... I don't think there's a more quotable drama on TV. In fact, I'm sure of it.

Now, I know some fans haven't warmed to Piz. I don't know, I kind of like him. To me he kind of represents the everyman who until now hasn't really been seen in the VM-verse. Even so, if handled incorrectly, any Piz-Veronica romance could have been semi-lame. Amazingly, this episode brought the much-speculated beginnings of such a romance to fruition, well, pretty much perfectly.

Piz wasn't the only supporting character who seemed reinvigorated this episode. Wallace, Mac, Parker, Logan, Keith -- all had great little moments here. Dick Casablancas over the last few episodes has been a total show-stealer. His MySpace-enabled hookup prospects were pretty hilarious.

Look, when a show like Arrested Development or Veronica Mars is continually on the bubble, it gets kind of tiring to constantly extoll its virtues and hope that it gets picked up and gains some footing in the ratings. But tonight's VM just made it all the more sad that this show - easily the watermark for quality on the CW, and one of the top dramas in all of TV land - once again faces the prospect of cancellation.

If this show does manage to come back for Season 4, trust me, the risk to the CW, with a show this good, is more than justified.

My Grade: A

- One other quick review: I loved tonight's Gilmore Girls as well. The characters on the show are simply some of the best on TV, to the point where you can anticipate their actions and reactions like you would a real person. The show has done a great job building up Rory's growing anxiety over her future, all the while offering up Paris and Lane as interesting comparisons / contrasts to Rory. Meanwhile, the rekindling of the Luke / Lorelai relationship is progressing pretty well. You know people always ask me what I'm doing watching a, um, chick show like this. But to me Gilmore is as much a guy's show, and a geek show to boot. How can I say that? Well for one it has some of the best and to me most relatable male characters on TV. Luke is a great character. Zach is a great character. Richard Gilmore as played by Edward Hermann is one of my favorite characters on TV. Meanwhile, we have SMART pop-culture references all over the place that actually enrich the show, great comedy, and a lot of heart. Good stuff - tonight's episode was another good one.

My Grade: A -

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