Neptune Noir: Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars

by Rob Thomas

  At the show's start, Logan was set up as emblematic of the kind of treatment that made Veronica who she is today. However, while the rest of the 09ers' behavior toward Veronica was appalling, the fact that it was Logan who was leading the charge against her hurt the most because he, unlike the others, mattered to Veronica. In the preshow flashbacks, we see Veronica mainly interacting with Lilly, Duncan, and Logan. The other 09ers were peripheral at best. Then Lilly died, Duncan became a zombie, and only Logan was left. Since those we love are the ones who can hurt us the most, it was Logan who had the most power to damage Veronica. Thus, while Veronica could have endured the antipathy of those she cared little for, it was Logan's treatment of her that caused Veronica to, as she put it to Meg in "Like a Virgin" (1-8), "get tough." Logan also helped keep Lilly's murder fresh in her mind. Duncan's behavior toward her had changed before Lilly's death, so it was Logan's transformation from goofball to jackass that reminded Veronica how, as the theme song says, they used to be friends.

  Veronica shaped Logan just as much as he did her. Veronica started off as his friend but then he believed she betrayed him first by telling Lilly about Logan's extracurricular kiss with Yolanda ("Lord of the Bling," 1-13) and again when she stood by her father in his suspicion of the Kanes. This double betrayal caused Logan to focus his grief and anger into active cruelty; Veronica was a constant reminder of his loss and an easy target for his pain. Later, Veronica's willingness to help him look for his mother, despite the last year of hurt between them, seemed to cause him to soften. Similarly, it was Veronica's suspicion of Logan for murder that triggered Logan's self-destructive behavior at the beginning of season two-and Veronica's rejection of him for it that began to convince him of the need to regain control.

  In season two, their involvement and subsequent breakup kept them changing, but largely in negative ways. Without Logan to challenge her, Veronica became less thoughtful and less reflective. Without Veronica to keep him grounded, Logan spiraled out of control and ended up hurting other people as well as himself. Without the other to balance their flaws, they became characters in The Wizard of Oz: Veronica is the Tin Man, living in her head without much idea of what to do with her heart, while Logan is the Scarecrow, filled with emotions but without the wisdom to know how to manage them appropriately.

  But as each continued to grow into their own skin, they made their way back to each other. Veronica let go of her past when she let go of Duncan, and acknowledged that perhaps she preferred the person she had become. And based on her experience of losing Duncan and Meg, almost losing Wallace, and the looming prospect of losing Logan to time and distance, Veronica also realized that she needed to let down her guard and let other people in. Thus, when Logan finally opened his heart to her during his epic speech at Alterna-Prom ("Look Who's Stalking," 2-20), she was ready to hear it. The Veronica who was learning to let down her walls was able to say what the Ve ronica who distrusted everyone never would have, telling Logan, "I don't want to lose you from my life either."

  Logan learned that his acting out had severe consequences and was not getting him what he wanted. His fight with the PCHers led to a charge of murder, and his efforts to seek revenge cost him his relationship with Veronica. However, in repairing his relationship with Duncan and being honest with Hannah, he learned that people do appreciate the good things he has to offer, and that he is worthy of forgiveness. Consequently, he decided that it was time to let go of the physical risks (the excessive drinking, the constant antagonism of people who could hurt him) and take some emotional ones instead. This allowed him to be upfront with Veronica about what happened with Hannah ("The Quick and the Wed," 2-15) and, later, about his feelings towards her. As a result of what he learned, a sober Logan was physically and emotionally available to help Veronica on the Neptune Grand's roof when she needed him the most.

  The TV landscape is littered with thousands of pairings but it is the rare couple who truly strike a chord with viewers. One reason for this is that many TV couples get together with only token resistance to the pairing. They may overcome traumatic events together but they are rarely forced to deal with what is dysfunctional in their dynamic or weather the changes that result from doing so. We like to see Logan and Veronica suffer from heartache as long as it eventually leads to interpersonal rewards; it was much more satisfying to watch Veronica finally admit to Logan that she wanted him in her life because we knew that the admission came at great risk. Most TV couples don't work for their relationships and, as such, don't deserve the rewards of being together. Logan and Veronica do.

  Much has been made of the fact that Logan and Veronica are seriously bad for each other. Logan can be cruel, has a propensity for violence, and is destructively impulsive. He used a drugged Veronica as a saltlick during a party, smashed her headlights, and picked fights with gang members. He's also emotionally needy, desperate to experience the love he didn't receive from his parents. Veronica, on the other hand, is actively distrustful and emotionally unavailable. She suspected Logan of many misdeeds and turned him into the police for murder, she lied to his face instead of talking it out with him, and has extreme difficulty with trust and intimacy. Being with Logan will take endless understanding; being with Veronica will require infinite patience.

  As such, their relationship is so wrong, it's right. It is like a highwire act in that the potential for disaster is great, but it's an amazing feat if it works. Whenever Veronica and Logan are onscreen together in any capacity, we're usually treated to the best these two characters have to offer-passion, intelligence, humor, resilience-but when they're with each other romantically, even greater qualities emerge: Veronica demonstrates an amazing capacity for forgiveness while Logan displays gentleness, affection, and even, sometimes, hope.

  Because They're E,pit

  While the chemistry, body language, psychological complexity, and growth are all extremely important in shaping the Veronica and Logan pairing, at the end of the day, it is their epic nature that brings it all together. At the core of it all, Veronica and Logan just get each other. They have a long history together, and no one else knows them better than they know each other. Logan and Veronica are also both larger than life; their lives will never be simple. As Logan told Veronica at Alterna-Prom, "I thought our story was epic, you know? You and me ... Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined, bloodshed. Epic" ("Look Who's Stalking," 2-20). Although they are still young, their story has indeed spanned years (a long time ago, they used to be friends ...) and while they have yet to traverse continents (give them time), their relationship has already been marked by ruined lives (the Kanes, the Casablancases) and bloodshed (Lilly, Aaron, Cassidy). Logan and Veronica will never be able to sit on the sidelines, so it is only together that they can emerge damaged but unbroken from whatever else may await them.

  However, being epic isn't easy. Veronica and Logan will never experience the happily-ever-after; they will constantly have to struggle to be with each other. Yet it is this battle that makes the show so compelling. Already we have seen the two of them kept apart by murder, other people, violence, fear, and mistrust-yet they always return to each other. Season one began with them as archenemies and ended with them seeking one another's comfort after a night of trauma. Season two began with Logan in Veronica's arms and ended with Veronica in Logan's; the overarching story in between was their struggle to understand and forgive each other. While I don't know what season three will bring, I feel certain that it will involve my favorite couple arguing and separating yet eventually finding their way back to each other because, no matter what happens, they cannot stay apart for long.

  So yes, it is their epic nature and the dynamite therein that makes them such a fascinating and wonderful couple. Everyone adores a good love story and Veronica and Logan give us that; they are starcrossed lovers, soul-mates who belong together no matter what the cost. They are each other's destiny and the idea of that is incredibly romantic. Who among us has not wanted a partner who not only see
s into our soul but also accepts it? Who among us has not wanted a love that would keep us coming back, no matter what, because we are so right for each other? Who among us has not desired a relationship that is so sexual and loving, exciting and tender? Veronica and Logan give us all of these things, and we can't help wanting more. Consequently, while the mysteries are intriguing and the dialogue is fun, it is the exciting, angst-ridden, and explosive relationship of Veronica and Logan that keeps me coming back week after week. I watch in anticipation of Logan's latest romantic gesture and Veronica's next step on her journey toward emotional intimacy. I eagerly wait for the time when Veronica will fight for their relationship the way Logan always has. In short, they are so dynamite together that I want-no, I need-to see more of them together. In a show filled with great entertainment, it is this couple that keeps me on the edge of my seat, and it is their pairing that truly drives the show

  MISTY HOOK received her Ph.D. from Ball State, the place where "Boom Goes the Dynamite" originated, and views that as the show's personal shout-out to her. After getting her degree, Dr. Hook spent five years as an assistant professor of psychology and it was there that she learned how to analyze pop culture. She is now a licensed psychologist in private practice where she sees couples who unfortunately do not bear any resemblance to Veronica and Logan. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son even though they are annoyed by her Veronica Mars obsession.

  Uetudca and Buff.} may have a few things in common, but until I read Samantha's essay, I didn't know Buffy received an award and ovation at her prom. I swear. In my earliest notes to myself about Veronica Mars, I had an idea jotted down that I never executed, though it interested me. Originally, in the pilot scene where we see Veronica eying the 09er table and commenting on their elevated status, I had her vowing that she would be prom queen her senior year. Now, this may seem at odds with, oh, everything the show stands for, but I viewed it as an entirely dark notion. She wasn't going to become prom queen by being sweet and by going out with the popular boy, she was going to become prom queen as a "fuck you" to the establishment. She would become the hero of the underclass at Neptune High. She would be the one candidate who wasn't an 09er and, within the space of those two years, she would come to represent the "anti-them." Veronica wanted the title only because she knew it would cause Madison Sinclair (and those like her) to commit hari-kari. When I decided that Veronica should receive a healthy share of applause at her graduation, it was an echo of that earlier notion. She had become a hero to the underclass whether she knew it or not.

  Innocence Lost

  The Third Wave of Teen Girl Drama

  ET'S START WITH a show of hands. Who else spent the Veronica Mars pilot waiting for the other, supernatural shoe to drop?

  Wow, that many... .

  Well, buck up, my fellow brainwashees. There's no shame in assuming a high school girl needs some kind of mystical hook or higher power to claim a show all her own. Obviously, you're A-plus students of recent TV history.

  As for the rest of you, stifle the smirks, please, and consider that Veronica came along a full decade after My So-Called Life. As you all should know, that series revolved around Angela Chase, a regular fifteen-year-old attending a humans-only high school. (And no, I am not forgetting that the Halloween and Christmas episodes involved ghosts. Those flights of fancy are immaterial here.) Critics raved about Winnie Holzman's intricate writing and the series's uniformly marvelous performances, but the show suffered for Thursday-night ratings opposite a freshman comedy called-that's right-Friends. Angela lasted just nineteen episodes as the red-headed step-child of ABC's 1994-95 schedule.

  She's lingered far longer, however, as a cautionary tale. Scared off by her example, the networks made sure subsequent high school heroines were special. Buffy was the Slayer. Joan of Arcadia kept company with a corporeal, very bossy God. And Dead Like Me's eighteen-yearold Georgia-well, the gimmick's in the title.

  Veronica Mars breaks this pattern. No monsters. No deities. No afterlife. But if we can't lump Veronica in with those "chosen" protagonists, neither can we label the series a throwback to the earnest, dreamy realism of My So-Called Life. Rather, Veronica ushers in a new, third wave of teen girl drama, in which the stakes and the hurts are as heightened as the real world will allow, and the lead must bear the brunt of them.

  Which is to say, Veronica gets her name in lights because she suffers.

  A lot.

  But I'm getting ahead of myself. How can we pin down this third wave if we haven't fully examined the first two? Let's go back to the beginning, to Angela Chase.

  The Firs[ Wane: R Su-Called Euperiment

  Signature series: My So-Called Life

  Signature character: Angela Chase

  What makes her special?: That she's not special. She's Everygirl (albeit within the confines of the white, suburban, middle class).

  Emblematic struggles: Getting along with type-A Mom. Trusting Dad though she suspects he's having an affair. Making crush Jordan Cata- lano notice her. Passing geometry.

  Key physical transformation: She dyes her mousy hair a vibrant crimson.

  Behind-the-scenes quote: "All we do is try to tell the truth and then discover that it hasn't been done before."

  -Executive producer Marshall Herskovitz (Mendoza)

  Inciting incident: Angela drops her lifelong best friend to hang out with wild Rayanne Graff.

  We all knew girls like Angela. Those fifteen-year-olds armed with evasive eyes, secret dreams, and hazy convictions were nearly everywhere-drifting through the mall, hiding at school, moping at the dinner table, perhaps even peering back from the bathroom mirror. The one place you couldn't find them, prior to August 1994, was on television for an hour each week. Winnie Holzman changed all that with My So-Called Life.

  Her pilot offered the most concentrated dose of what it means to be fifteen and female in suburban America ever seen on scripted television. Full of tears, confrontations, and a naive classroom outburst in which Angela described Anne Frank as lucky for having been "trapped in an attic for three years with this guy she really liked," it was not a feel-good hour ("Pilot," 1-1). But it was emotionally honest and startlingly real.

  We stumbled on Angela just as she was struggling with issues of identity-chiefly, the burden of others' expectations. "Things were getting to me," she explained, "Just how people are. How they always expect you to be a certain way, even your best friend."

  Let me be clear about how Angela dealt with this: She took action. She stopped hanging out with Sharon. She dyed her hair (according to new best friend Rayanne, doing so was crucial to, like, her life). She quit working on the yearbook because the premise felt false. This drifting, introspective, half-formed young adult made choices and acted on them-for good or for ill. No label, no power, no comic book villain reared up to make her story worth telling. Holzman gave us just a girl and her mind, and that was exactly enough.

  Which brings me to my other favorite aspect of My So-Called Life: Its writers took seriously their mission to show life from the female perspective. A chief example of this was episode five ("The Zit," scripted by Betty Thomas), a nuanced exploration of the myriad ways women can be dissatisfied with their bodies. While Angela obsessed over a pimple and the injustice of Sharon having a boyfriend when she did not, her former and current best friends had opposite reactions to their placement on an anonymous poll of sophomore girls' attributes. "Most Slut Potential" thrilled and amused Rayanne, but Sharon was humiliated by her "Best Hooters." Invisible Angela didn't rate at all.

  Home offered no refuge, as Angela clashed with mom Patty over their continued involvement in the annual mother-daughter fashion show Confused by her daughter's resistance, Patty assumed that Angela thought she was too cool for the event. The truth, finally revealed in a teary outburst, was quite different. Angela believed she didn't measure up to her mom's beauty and didn't want to parade that fact as they marched in matching outfits.

  Momen
ts like this-the small revelations and tiny shifts in per spective-made more than 9 million viewers fall in love with My SoCalled Life. And when ABC gave it the hook in 1995, we felt-well, it was a lot like a stake through the heart.

  The Second Wane: R formula Thai Works

  Signature series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

  Signature character: Buffy Summers

  What makes her special? Well, she is the chosen one, the world's lone Vampire Slayer.

  Emblematic struggles: Hiding her status from Mom, as well as kids and teachers at school. Defeating one Big Bad after another. Loving a vampire.

  Key physical transformation: Did we mention the Slayer thing? That means she's damn powerful, but also a moving target.

  Behind-the-scenes quote: "There's never a time when life is more like a TV show, whether it be a horror show, a drama, or anything else."

  -Creator Joss Whedon (Gross)

  Inciting incident: Mom moves her to Sunnydale for a fresh start.

  Everything that sucked about high school-and we all know there's a lot-became bigger, badder, and bolder in the Buffyverse. Where Angela opined, rather melodramatically, that school was "a battlefield for your heart," Sunnydale High sat atop an actual hellmouth. Teachers really were evil, sex really could be fatal-like, immediately-and Buffy's mom seriously didn't understand.

  Of course, the most obvious metaphor was the Slayer herself. One day, Buffy was a bubbly, kinda superficial teen; the next she learned she'd been drafted into lifelong service as a demon magnet. On the plus side, she'd been imbued with enough power (though steady training was recommended) to kill most of the vamps and monsters she came across. But they'd never stop gunning for her, and she'd be lucky if she made it to twenty-one.