Mystery Archives - TV Breakroom

Look Who’s Back – Veronica Mars Movie

Yes, Veronica Mars is back! As one of the Kickstarter backers, I couldn’t be more excited! I’ve watched the trailer, but I’ve tried to avoid some of the rumors swirling around this sure-to-be-epic movie, as I want to be surprised!

Also, I’m back! I’ve been without a computer for more than half a year, and the one post I managed to scrape together on my Kindle Fire was torturous. But yesterday while I was home sick in bed, my tax refund came in, and I promptly scoured the internet for the best President’s Day deals on laptops. Best Buy enticed me with a great deal on a new HP (I was looking at refurbished/used ones) that I could pick up in-store that day. I ordered it, took medicine, and fell back asleep, only to wake up to hear I’d been laid off from my office job.

But my loss is your gain! This site was born from unemployment and TV binge-watching, so when better to return? I’m sure I can find an acceptable job application/TV episode/blog post ratio!

So what shows are tickling your ears and dancing before your eyes lately? Leave a comment and let me know! I’ve finally started making some headway on Supernatural (now that I’m sadly not blogging about every episode) and am partway through season 3!

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David Boreanaz Directs The Finder with 50 Cent and Eureka Alum

The Finder returns tonight at 8/7 central in its first Friday outing! Scheduling the return on a holiday is bad enough, but Fox has done little promotion about the return of this hilarious show. Be sure to watch!

Guest-starring in tonight’s episode is rapper 50 Cent, as well as Eureka cast member Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Also, a special behind-the-scenes treat – Bones star David Boreanaz steps into the director’s chair for this episode!

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Eureka – Quirky Genius

I’d heard Eureka mentioned a few times in passing as a good show, but it wasn’t until I heard that Felicia Day (of The Guild, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and Dollhouse fame) was appearing in several episodes that I decided to investigate further. Netflix had the first three seasons on instant play, so I mentally put it on my to-watch list.

When I started watching Warehouse 13, I heard that it had a number of crossovers with Eureka, so I began watching Eureka so I could have the crossovers in their correct places.

The premise of the show is a small town full of geniuses working in a secret government facility (and on their own projects at home in their spare time). A U.S. Marshall stumbles upon the town on the way back from retrieving his runaway teenage daughter, and helps out with an investigation. He’s rewarded with a “promotion” (which felt similar to the Warehouse 13 agents’ “promotion”) to the position of Eureka’s sheriff.

The double-length pilot episode was a little slow, but it showed the potential the series had. The following two episodes didn’t wow me, though. I think one of the reasons I’m not liking the show very much is that I generally dislike small-town shows. I prefer shows with close-knit teams or groups of friends than with gaggles of eccentric neighbors. Even the one small-town show I did enjoy, Gilmore Girls, I liked for the main group of characters and just ignored the others.

Another thing I dislike is the clichéd workaholic dad/rebellious teen dynamic. I’m guessing the show was trying to make them as everyday as possible to contrast with the rest of the town, but they just make me yawn.

And for a town that caters to the geeky side of the population, where are the twenty-somethings? We have gifted children and preteens, a main teenager, and plenty of adults in their thirties and forties, most of them parents. The deputy is probably in her twenties, but she doesn’t have much of a story of her own. I would expect there to be a lot more characters like the director’s assistant (loved his Sarah Michelle Gellar comment!), and I’m hoping further episodes of the show will rectify this.

As of three episodes in, this just seems like a quirky family drama, with the intelligence of the characters dumbed down and the science mashed into clichés. And it doesn’t help that I’m not familiar with any of the main actors. But I’ll give this a few more episodes (mostly for Warehouse 13 and Felicia Day’s sake) before I decide whether I’ll keep watching.

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Sherlock – 21st Century Detective

Words cannot express how much I enjoy this series. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman bring the Victorian detective to the year 2010 in a smart, witty manner. The first season’s three 90-minute episodes felt like a movie trilogy on their own, yet as soon as I finished I wanted more of this show’s particular brand of scathing dialogue and dry humor.

This post won’t be a proper review, as it’s been far too long since I watched the show and I’d like to comment on each episode in detail at some later point. But if you’re looking for detailed reviews now, go straight to my friend Ruth Anderson’s blog, where she elaborates on “A Study in Pink,” “The Blind Banker,” and “The Great Game.”

If you’re wondering how the tales translate into the present, just imagine Sherlock Holmes texting. And John Watson recording stories about his eccentric roommate on his blog. While I’ve never read an actual Holmes novel, from the bits I’ve caught over the years and reviews I’ve read, this show pays tribute to its source material in many fun and unique ways.

While I was aware of Martin Freeman’s acting in the past (primarily in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but I can’t wait to see him as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit), this was my first exposure to Benedict Cumberbatch (except for seeing him a minor role in Amazing Grace), but after this I plan to watch for his appearance in other shows and movie.

Season 2 (or series 2, if you’d prefer British terms) is filming now in London, though it was delayed a bit by the riots.

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Tru Calling – Reliving Days

I began watching this show for two reasons: Matt Bomer and Eliza Dushku. I’d heard the two were reuniting in an upcoming episode of White Collar (which aired earlier this week and was awesome), so I figured it was time I checked out this “canceled before its time” show.

I wasn’t all that impressed with the first few episodes. Dushku’s portrayal of Tru didn’t seem all that different from her portrayal of Faith on her early Buffy the Vampire Slayer days, and the other Davies siblings were annoying. Zach Galifianakis wasn’t as funny as I’d anticipated, and it took a while for Matt Bomer to show up in more than a scene or two. The show quickly fell into a formula – the first 10-15 minutes was the original day, and the rest of the show was Tru reliving the day and trying to save the victim.

I was kind of seeing why the show got canceled.

Then things started to change. Episodes delved deeper. Writers played with the formula. Bland characters gained added complexity. Harrison and Davis found out about Tru’s ability and helped her out. People closer to Tru – both friends and enemies – were put in danger. The mythology behind the show expanded, and a villain began to emerge.

And now, with ten episodes left, I’m starting to get attached to Tru Calling.

I still wish Eliza Dushku had decided to take the Faith spinoff show instead of doing this one, for several reasons. One, knowing this show only got 26 episodes. Who knows how long “Faith the Vampire Slayer” would have run? Two, because Joss Whedon pretty much makes anything better. Three, if the spinoff was a hit, it would have helped things out with Angel, especially if there were crossovers, and perhaps Angel wouldn’t have been canceled.

And is it just me, or do the intro credits seem to have a lot in common with the Dollhouse credits? Plus the graphics for the day rewinding remind me of the memory wipes on Dollhouse.

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Veronica Mars – Of Watching Canceled Shows

There’s a special feeling of sadness you get when you watch the last episode of a favorite show you already know has been canceled. It’s heightened when it’s been several years since the cancellation and you know there’s no chance of another network picking it up, and when it’s not just a rookie show but you’ve had several seasons to fall in love with the characters. Veronica Mars has both.

Of course, I willingly began watching the show knowing it had been canceled before its time. But I figured the third season would have to be not so great for them the CW to cancel it, and I would be glad the show hadn’t fallen into complete mediocrity before saying goodbye. But season three was great. Perhaps not as gripping as the first two, but that was the fault of exchanging season-long story arcs for shorter ones.

I personally blame the third season intro credits. Instead of sassy and fun with poignant undertones like the previous ones, they stripped down the theme song into an echo of its former self and kept only the poignantness with sepia tones and serious looks.

Since I watched the entire show in less than three weeks, the untimely end hit especially hard. After new, witty, endearing episodes an average of three times a day for weeks straight, it’s depressing to think that I will never again watch a new episode of Veronica Mars.

And unlike shows with planned endings, you never find out what happens to the characters. Fortunately, the show didn’t leave too many dangling plot threads. You don’t find out who is elected sheriff, though you can assume it’s Vinnie – who would have made a perfect replacement for Sheriff Lamb, while Keith goes back to being a PI. You don’t know if Weevil returns to a life of crime. And you don’t know who Veronica ends up with.

For the latter, in my mind she and Logan end up together. Piz has no personality, and their relationship hasn’t weathered any storms. Duncan is long gone. And even though Leo’s around again, I never really felt the two of them as a couple. With Logan and Veronica, however, the sparks are as subtle as lightning bolts.

I know I already compared the show to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the parallels extend far beyond the setting and sense of humor. Both Buffy and Veronica are somewhat unlikeable by themselves, but you grow to care about them through their friendships and relationships. Many of the supporting characters in one show match up with similar characters in the other. Keith Mars is Giles. Wallace is Xander. Mac is Willow (especially the early Willow). Sheriff Lamb is Principal Snyder (smug idiot in charge). Vinnie is Ethan Rayne (evil counterpart to Keith/Giles). Jackie is Cordelia. Duncan is Angel (right down to the ex-girlfriend dying and the baby living – plus he does the brooding thing awfully well). And even more, the latter two pairs leave the show around the senior year of high school. Leo is Riley.

And of course, Logan is Spike. Both hate a certain petite blonde at the beginning of the show, form a reluctant truce when he turns to her for help, and eventually fall in love. Both mourn lost love with alcohol and meaningless relationships. Both have an irreverent sense of humor and authority figures rarely take them seriously. Spunky kids can reach them when no one else can, but their attempts at matchmaking don’t help. Both love a good spot of violence.

Now does anyone know of another show that matches these two with crisp dialogue and complexity? I could use something new and awesome to get me over these canceled show blues. In the meantime, I wonder if there’s any Veronica Mars fan fiction. Or comics.

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Veronica Mars – Complex and Sassy

Wow. I’m just five episodes into this show, and already it’s blowing me away.

I first remember hearing about Veronica Mars on TVLine’s renewal scorecard page. The very first paragraph read:

TV’s queasy season has arrived. From now until late May, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW will determine which shows will be back next fall and which will be join Tru Calling, Heroes and Veronica Mars over at the MIA Network. (MIA is fictional people; stop scouring your on-screen channel guide now.)

I bookmarked the page and checked back frequently for updates (maybe once a week at first, but eventually every day around April and early May). I knew Tru Calling starred Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Echo from Dollhouse), and I had the first few seasons of Heroes (watched the pilot, but the hand down the garbage disposal still makes me grimace and has deterred further watching), but I had no clue what Veronica Mars was.

The show popped up on my radar a few other times over the past months. I noticed it on the resume of several Whedonverse alums, particularly Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia on Buffy and Angel) and Alyson Hannigan (Willow on Buffy and Lily on How I Met Your Mother).

But it wasn’t until I read somewhere that the humor and dialogue on the show was very similar to Buffy that I knew I had to try it out. I had just completed my goal of watching every episode of every Joss Whedon show, and I needed something to fill that particularly quirky niche. And I was delighted to find out that Netflix had all three seasons of Veronica Mars on watch instantly.

The sassy nature of the show captured my interest immediately. But then the show continued to unfold new layers, and I knew I’d stumbled across something special.

On the surface, it’s a show about a saucy blonde going to high school in southern California (ditto for Buffy).

On an episodic level, Veronica’s dad is a private investigator, she helps him out with cases, and she finds some of her own (modern take on Nancy Drew).

Then the show delves into her character backstory. Less than a year before the show’s start, Veronica was dating Duncan Kane and was a part of his group of friends. Now she’s forced to keep seeing them at school, and they alternately ignore or belittle her. This ties into the show’s theme song, “We Used to be Friends.”

And then we find out Duncan’s sister Lilly, Veronica’s best friend, was murdered the previous October. At the time, Veronica’s father was sheriff, and pursued Duncan and Lily’s father as his chief suspect. Mr. Kane – rich, powerful, and beloved in the community – told the media and Keith Mars was ousted as sheriff. Veronica’s mom left town.

If that wasn’t enough, we find out that things don’t add up with Lilly’s murder. And Veronica’s mother may have had an ulterior motive for leaving town.

And this is only five episodes into the show!

Kristen Bell does an excellent job playing the various facets of Veronica. She can switch from pensive to spunky to flirty and back again easily. And while Veronica has plenty of Buffy-like sass, she also has Willow’s brains. Percy Daggs III plays Wallace, a Xander-like companion I hope the writers will give more to do in future episodes. Teddy Dunn plays the brooding Duncan Kane well, and keeps reminding me of a young Shane West.

I have a feeling I’m going to be upset about this show’s cancellation.

Side Note: While trying to figure out what to call this show’s genre (if anyone has other suggestions than my choice of “mystery” feel free to mention them!), I came across this quote from Joss Whedon about Veronica Mars:

My peeps and I just finished a crazed Veronica Marsathon, and I can no longer restrain myself. Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I’ve never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn’t making, and maybe even more than those. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. Big emotion, I mean BIG, and charsimatic actors and I was just DYING from the mystery and the relationships and PAIN, this show knows from pain and no, I don’t care, laugh all you want, I had to share this. These guys know what they’re doing on a level that intimidates me. It’s the Harry Potter of shows. There. I said it.

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