Veronica Mars, UPN/CW
IMDb; TV.com; TWoP; Warner Bros.; The WB; Wikipedia
For more links see television links.

Caution: slight spoilers.

So... the title character (who in traditional detective fashion, does a fair amount of voice-over narration) was part of the in crowd (the 09ers) at her high school. The 09ers consisted mostly of rich kids, but while she wasn't rich, she was the daughter of the local sheriff, Keith Mars, and she was dating Duncan Kane, whose father Jake Kane is the richest, most powerful man in the town of Neptune, California. Also, Veronica (who we quite like) was best friends with Duncan's sister, Lilly (who we like, even if we only see her in occasional flashbacks). So, life was pretty good. Until Lilly was murdered. Keith believed Jake killed his own daughter, but was proven wrong (apparently), and lost his job (he's replaced by the somewhat bumbling Sheriff Don Lamb). He started a detective agency, where Veronica now works for him. Oh, and her mom, Lianne (who we like) left them. And because Veronica stuck by her dad, Duncan and all her former friends abandoned her, so now she's a social outcast. Plus, at a party, someone slipped her a roofie and raped her, but she has no idea who. So, life ain't what it used to be.

Still, she's a very clever girl, with a most inquiring mind. She's a great asset to her dad's agency, but she also has plenty of questions of her own, that he refuses to answer. Signs point to the possibility that Jake Kane may be Veronica's real father (and ergo, Duncan her half-brother). But then again, who knows? Anyway, she loves her dad (Keith), so she'd rather not find out the truth. For now. But she's still got several mysteries to deal with, such as her mother's disappearance, Lilly's murder, her own rape; plus there are always other cases coming into the agency, as well as cases she takes on herself, at school or whatever. What else? She has a new friend, Wallace Fennel, a new kid at school who she met after he had been duct taped naked to the flag pole by a biker gang (the P.C.H. Bike Club). She helped him down, and since then... well, neither of them is sitting alone at lunch. He also helps her with some of her investigations.

Later in the season, Keith will start dating Wallace's mom, Alicia (who we like). Someone else who occasionally helps her is, ironically, the leader of the bikers, Eli "Weevil" Navarro. They help each other out, actually. He's often at odds with the 09ers, as is Veronica, so at least they have that much in common. One of the 09ers is Duncan's best friend, Logan Echolls, whose father Aaron is a self-involved movie star. Logan can't stand him... but early in the series, I can't stand Logan, either. He's pretty much a jerk, though he used to be Lilly's boyfriend. But as we get to know him better in the course of the first season, he gets somewhat more likable. At one point, his mother, Lynn, kills herself... apparently. Though for a time he suspects she faked her own death to get away from Aaron. We'll also occasionally see Logan's globe-hopping sister Trina (played by Alyson Hannigan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who we've always loved). I think the word "step" should be added to some of the relationships in the Echolls family, but I'm not exactly sure which ones.

...Anyway, early in the season, Veronica dates an 09er named Troy Vandegraff, though that won't last. There is also a computer expert at school, named Cindy "Mac" Mackenzie (who we like), who sometimes helps Veronica with cases. And for awhile Veronica dates a sheriff's deputy named Leo D'Amato, who is often helpful. Though eventually, Veronica will shockingly start dating Logan, of all people. Other characters include Clarence Wiedman, head of Kane Software's security, who occasionally does private work for Jake Kane... sometimes working against the Marses. And there's a cheap lawyer named Cliff McCormack who occasionally brings cases to Keith and Veronica. And Veronica has a dog named Backup. Oh, and I should also mention Vinnie Van Lowe, a rather sleazy P.I. who is somewhat of a rival of Keith's.

Anyway... that's about all I can think to say for the moment. Just about everyone is a suspect in various things, throughout the first season, but by the end, it's pretty much all wrapped up. There are a great many details I'm leaving out here, of course, because it's all terribly interesting, trying to figure things out along with Veronica... The show never got good ratings, so it's a tremendous blessing that it got renewed. Twice. It really is absolutely brilliant and cool and amusing and fascinating and touching and... everything. I simply can't say enough.....

But, I should say something about the other two seasons, right? The first season was the best, I think, but I also feel the series was always brilliant, and as much as I appreciated it lasting more than a year (when many shows this good get cancelled without even getting a chance to wrap up the first season), it still bugs me that it didn't get a fourth season. Especially with unanswered questions hanging in the air.... In any event, in the second season Logan, no longer dating Veronica, has been accused of killing a PCHer named Felix Toombs. So part of the season's story will be about learning the truth behind Felix's death. The other part of the season's mystery concerns a bus full of Neptune High students that went over a cliff in the season premiere. We also get to know a couple of 09ers better, Dick (who is aptly named) and Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas. Plus we meet their stepmother, Kendall (who we quite like; played by Charisma Carpenter of Buffy and Angel). Also, Wallace meets his biological father, who his mother had told him was dead. He moves to Chicago with him for awhile, but he returns later in the season. Another subplot involved Veronica helping Duncan with a certain matter I won't spoil, but we won't see much of him after that. There was also a local political figure named Woody Goodman, who had big plans for Neptune. Coincidentally, he also owned a baseball team. Which leads us to meet an ex-major league player named Terrence Cook. And his daughter, Jackie, who becomes a love interest for Wallace, though she and Veronica don't always get along. There's also an Irish-American gang, the Fitzpatricks, who are at odds, supposedly, with the PCHers. And Weevil has some trouble of his own with the PCHers, of whom he may not be the leader much longer. Man, I'm forgetting so much that needs to be said, there are so many different plotlines that tie together... on top of the major myster(ies), there are always stand-alone cases, though even some of those may end up tying into the major story arc sometimes. Of course, it all gets resolved by the end of the season....

And then in the third season, Veronica is attending Hearst college, along with Wallace, Logan, Mac, Dick, etc. Plus Weevil is now working there. And we'll meet new characters, like Wallace's roommate, Piz, who has a radio show, and who takes an interest in Veronica. And there's a serial rape case, which was introduced in an episode of the second season, which Veronica now has to solve. And there's a criminology professor named Hank Landry who is important to the story, as is his T.A., Tim Foyle, who will be a bit of a rival of Veronica's. And we'll meet Hearst's dean, Cyrus O'Dell, who's worried that his wife, Mindy, is cheating on him. Dean O'Dell will eventually be killed, which becomes the second major story arc of the season. Um... later on Keith will run for Sheriff, but he'll be opposed by Vinnie Van Lowe. Veronica looks forward to a potential career in the FBI. And there are, as always, stand-alone cases for her to investigate throughout the season. Anyway, I'm leaving out some things, whether because I've forgotten them, or because I'm intentionally not spoiling them. So, this is all I can think to say, but again, a brilliant series, one that will be sorely missed....

Oh, and I guess I've neglected to mention that it's full of dry, quippy, often sarcastic or ironic humor, which I really love. A nice complement to all the drama. All the characters are great, especially Veronica herself; she's just about the coolest person ever. And the show has probably the best father-daughter relationship I've ever seen on TV (or anywhere, for that matter). And... there are lots of pop culture references, which is something I always enjoy. And the show can be kind of quirky, even if it's mostly grounded in something resembling reality (not reality TV, mind you, which itself has nothing to do with actual reality). Um... and I guess the only other thing to say is that the theme song, "We Used to be Friends" by the Dandy Warhols, is pretty cool....