VERONICA MARS (SERIES, THE) - DVD review

"Veronica Mars" is a surprisingly twisty show with a main character that combines dashes of Philip Marlowe, Nancy Drew and that other iron-willed blond TV starlet, who resided over in Sunnydale. The titular character, as played by fresh faced, acerbically gifted Kristen Bell, is one of TV's best new heroines. What's impressive about the show is in the way it handles elements such as date rape, teen murder, corporate espionage, possible incest and a myriad of other less than reputable dealings and still manages to come across as an intelligent whodunit rather than a pretentious teen soap opera.

The series opens with 16 year-old Veronica, as she works at her father's private investigation agency as a secretary and sometime detective. Nine months prior, her best friend, Lily Kane (Amanda Seyfried), was murdered during the previous school year. Prior to Lily's death, Veronica's boyfriend, Duncan (Teddy Duncan), Lily's brother, broke up with her. Lily's murder caused a scandal in the town of Neptune, California, where the show takes place. Veronica's father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), the sheriff at the time of Lily's murder, lead an investigation with all fingers pointing to Lily's father as the main suspect. The town went up in arms and immediately ordered a recall and Keith lost his job. Subsequently Veronica's mother up and left for reason unknown and Veronica was quickly branded an outcast by the affluent friends she was so accustomed to for so long.

All of this is quite a bit to ingest in the set up but the writer's do so in a deft and intelligent fashion. They manage to inject virtually every episode with many fine character moments, sharply enjoyable dialogue, and a plethora of clever twists and turns. The result of this craftsmanship is one of the best show's you're probably not watching on television. It elevates itself above the run of the mill teen dramas by injecting itself with a healthy dose of mystery, social drama and teen angst.

That's not to say that the show is without its flaws in this area. Sometimes pressing series issues aren't dealt with in a timely fashion. The overarching mystery sometimes takes too much of a back seat to individual episodic storylines, which are good in and of themselves but often leave you wondering about the mystery behind Lily Kane's murder and how it relates to the disappearance of Veronica's mother. These kinds of episodes are minimal but they pop enough to raise the frustration level a bit.

There is also the question of Veronica's descent from the upper echelons of social acceptance and how that affects her character. In the nine months since Lily's death it seems that Veronica has picked up enough detective talent to put "CSI" to shame. The story develops in such a fashion that leaves you wondering about her apparent new lifestyle and how she managed to survive the transition into an outcast. The series provides enough insight into this but does so in manner similar to the overarching storyline. At times it can feel tedious.

The shows greatest strengthen, besides the writing, comes in the form of its brilliant cast. Bell imbues Veronica with a gracious balance of biting bravado and vulnerable complexity that immediately engages the viewer with a great sense of empathy for her character. Enrico Colantoni's Keith Mars is another standout. Often known for his comedic characters, Colantoni is the perfect blend of quick wit, non-nonsense toughness and wise paternal guidance. He deftly steers between the three and creates a perfect foil for Veronica. As Veronica's best friend, Wallace, Percy Daggs III manages to transcend the typical sidekick, best friend waiting in the wings role. He's almost as resourceful as Veronica and provides her with an excellent bouncing board for her verbal gunfire. Jason Dohring also provides an excellent antagonistic foil for Veronica as Logan Echolls, who is the son of movie star parents and was also Lily' boyfriend at the time of her murder. Dohring plays Logan with a clever mean streak; his only seeming intention is to make Veronica's life as unbearable as possible.

Spread across six discs are the following episodes: disc one: "Pilot", "Credit Where Credit's Due", "Meet John Smith", "The Wrath of Con", disc two: "You Think You Know Somebody", "Return of the Kane", "The Girl Next Door", "Like a Virgin", disc three: "Drinking the Kool-Aid", "An Echolls Family Christmas", "Silence of the Lamb", "Clash of the Tritons", disc four: "Lord of the Bling", "Mars vs. Mars", "Ruskie Business", "Betty and Veronica", disc five: "Kane's and Abel's", "Weapons of Class Destruction", "Hot Dogs", "M.A.D.", disc six: "A Trip to the Dentist", "Leave it to Beaver"

Video:

The episodes are presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. The DVD transfer of the show is very well done. Colors are rich and bright as the pop off the screen. Being a noir inspired series, the colors and production design are put to great use. The transfer does a wonderful job of capturing the rich color tones and trapped in a dark corner sensibility often associated with the genre. There is some minor ghosting in some of the episodes but barely noticeable; overall, this is a solid transfer. English, Spanish and French subtitles are also included.

Audio:

Audio is presented in a clear Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. A dialogue and voice-over heavy show, music never overpowers any scenes and everything, including ambient noises and effects, are well balanced. Music is also a strong, present factor in the show and comes across nicely. No other audio options are included on the DVDs.

Extras:

"Veronica Mars" is severely lacking in the extras department. Included in the DVD set on the final disc are a number of unaired scenes. There are no commentaries on the scenes or any of the episodes for that matter. It's interesting to see that even the first five discs in the set come with a special features option on the menu screen when there are no special features on any of those discs. For a show with such glowing praise and an increasing following, it's a wonder why there was so few extras provided on this DVD set. It's disappointing.

Film Value:

"Veronica Mars" is a cleverly crafted show laced with nice splashes of sentimentality and intelligence. It's fun, smart and brimming with enough adventure and mystery to keep you coming back week after week. The series is full of wonderful, clever dialogue that suits each character and the world they inhabit with subtle perfection. There are enough skillfully drawn plot twists to keep you guessing until each episodes' (and the season's) end. "Veronica Mars" is definitely worth a watch.