Mars Resurgent

This weekend, Veronica Mars returned with a feature film famously funded by a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. For me, this big screen return of a beloved television series got me thinking of Firefly and Serenity, and I found it hard not to draw comparisons.

Unfortunately, Serenity set the bar pretty high. Brilliant as it was, you can't even say that Firefly was cut down in its prime. With only two-thirds of a season, it didn't even get that far. This only added to its mystique for the fans who loved it. The film Serenity thus felt like something that would bring closure that had been cruelly denied. And Joss Whedon crafted a movie that left it all on the field. It was grander than anything the series could have brought us, a true last hurrah.

Veronica Mars was a different situation altogether, though just as brilliant in its own ways. That series found a way to keep going for three years. And while the witty writing and wonderful characters were there right until the end, the essence of the show had already been compromised in its final season. Creator Rob Thomas gave in to network pressure (understandably, trying to keep his show on the air), abandoning the season-long story arcs that marked years one and two. Any fan would acknowledge that season three was the weakest of the series, even if in the same breath they'd wish the show had kept going.

From the moment Firefly left the air, Joss Whedon and all the actors were out there in the public eye, vowing it would return some day. And it only took them a few years to do it. On the other hand, while Rob Thomas, Kristen Bell, and others were out there for a while pounding the pavements for Veronica Mars, it seemed like that talk had long since died down. All the Veronica Mars fans I know were shocked last March when, seemingly out of nowhere, the word of the Kickstarter campaign arrived. Really? A Veronica Mars continuation was still even a possibility?

But Veronica Mars (the movie) doesn't come to us as the conclusion of an unfinished story. It's absolutely as welcome to its fans as Serenity was to Firefly fans, but it's not something we've been clamoring for. Nor did Rob Thomas envision it as the grand finale that Joss Whedon clearly saw in Serenity. The plot of the film is not a larger than life tale that could only be told at the end, and only on the big screen. Part of this is budget. Rob Thomas put on the screen every penny of the nearly $6 million given to him through Kickstarter. Yet that's still less money than Serenity had. And then there's the other part of this: intention. Veronica Mars didn't really "end" before, and Rob Thomas isn't "ending" it now either.

And so this movie comes to us largely as just another chapter in the adventures of Veronica Mars. Through the lens of "ten years and one unprecedented Kickstarter campaign," that is almost inevitably a disappointment. But through the lens of "a chance to see more of that thing we all really liked?" Well, Veronica Mars is a chance to see more of that thing we all really liked.

Everything fun about the series lives on in the movie. Smart characters with crackling dialogue. Great relationships, particularly between Veronica and her father Keith. A tangled mystery with lots of suspects and surprising twists along the way. A romantic throughline for all the 'shippers. It is, simply, a movie that's impossible not to like for anyone who liked the show.

But that said, I didn't quite love it. The plot unfurled rather slowly in the opening act. The efforts to find space in some scene for all the significant characters of the series felt sometimes forced. The odd cameo appearances (from people I won't spoil) felt bizarre and out of place.

Yet overall, the fact that we got a Veronica Mars movie is a great thing overall. The Kickstarter supporters did a good service for all of us fans. And the word is that if the film manages to drum up enough money (no one is saying exactly what the magic number is), Warner Brothers has expressed willingness to pay for another one themselves. We'll just have to see.

For now, we have this one to see. And you should. I give it a B+.

Mars Attacked

The third and (sniff) final season of Veronica Mars came out on DVD this week. Since it did actually last three seasons on the air, it was a little easier to let it go when it was cancelled a few months ago. It hadn't been cut down so quickly (and stupidly) like Firefly, Wonderfalls, Freaks and Geeks, and others. Even with most of the new fall shows this season being crap, I thought I'd gotten over the whole Veronica Mars cancellation.

Until the DVD this week. Because one of the features included is the full 12-minute presentation they put together to try to sell a season four to the network. In an effort to try and help them "re-market" the show to viewers (and, according the creator, jumping ahead to where he'd intended to take the character one day anyway), season four would have skipped several years to Veronica having graduated from Quantico, beginning her rookie year as an FBI agent. No more Veronica Mars, Teen P.I. Instead, meet Veronica Mars, FBI.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying this 12-minute presentation (a sort of "mini-pilot" of all original material) is complete brilliance. But then, it is only 12 minutes. It was meant to show the idea.

And the idea was pretty damn good. Maybe ultimately not as enjoyable as the high school Veronica I first enjoyed, but something I want to see more of. So now it's kind of like having the show cancelled all over again.

Sniff.

Mars Descending

Tonight, the best show on television became another grave marker in the Brilliant But Cancelled cemetery -- tonight, the final episode(s) of Veronica Mars aired. (Sure, there's been gossip over the last month that a new incarnation of the show, jumped a few years in the future and featuring Veronica as an FBI agent, would surface -- but that's been pretty thoroughly shot down in the last few days.)

Unlike other shows I love, which have suffered creative downturns this season, the quality of Veronica Mars never really waned. The nature of the show changed pretty dramatically this season, as the show tried "mini-story arcs" instead of a season-long mystery (and, in the last five or six episodes, no major mystery at all). Nevertheless, on an episode-by-episode basis, the show remained entertaining and witty, well written and well acted.

The last hour in particular tonight made me really feel sorry for what we're losing. Things came back around full circle, with Jake Kane -- an integral part of the season one story -- returning to the mix. It made for a fine solo episode, but I couldn't help but wonder if the whole plot of "The Castle" was originally intended to be the final "mini story arc" for the last third of the season, compressed when the decision was made to finish the year with stand-alones. It felt like a story that demanded more than 42 minutes could contain.

And it left us with a host of unanswered questions. Not just "will Keith win the election?", but "will he stay out of prison for tampering with the evidence of Veronica's crime?" Will there be repercussions on Logan for going after someone "connected" to the Castle? We'll probably never know.

Still, it would be a shame to focus only on the loose ends left here at this ignominious finish -- and in doing so, lose sight of the three good years the show gave us. Other brilliant shows didn't even get that much of a chance. And the DVDs will always be there to enjoy.

But Veronica will be missed.

Revisiting Mars

Recently, I was asked if I still watch Veronica Mars, since I don't blog about it anymore. I guess I was just trying to keep the number of TV shows I talk about in check, so there'd be other stuff here to read about too.

But the fact is, not only do I still watch it and love it, but with the way Battlestar Galactica has stumbled a bit in season three, Veronica Mars is now my favorite show currently running. I think the way they've traded one season-long "uber mystery" for the "mini arcs" of this year hasn't hurt their game at all.

If I had to find something negative to say about the show, it might be that they haven't used some of the secondary characters particularly well this season. Wallace has been "Sir Not Appearing In This Episode" quite a lot this year, and he doesn't always really have anything good to do when he does. Mac got promoted to regular status, and Parker and Piz were added to the mix, but you hardly see them either.

But it's a minor issue. Everything about the show has been great. The relationship between Keith and Veronica must be the best parent/child relationship on the air. The "Hearst rapes" storyline that began the season was strong, and had all the fun twists and turns of past ongoing plots. The recently-wrapped-up Dean O'Dell murder was even better, as it touched on the same tones as the original season one "Lilly Kane murder" story -- someone Veronica cared about had been taken from her.

Now, for what could be (but I hope isn't) the show's final few episodes, they're in brand new territory. Keith's back to sheriff again (interrim sheriff, anyway), as has always been in the backstory but never seen on the show. The loss of Lamb as a foil for Keith and Veronica is a shame, but it opens up some doors to do something different for a while, and that's good too.

I think the quality is just as good now as it's ever been, and I hope they get rewarded with a fourth season.

Crossing the Streams

There's nothing quite like the giddy rush of having two of your geeky passions cross paths. Shocho has been feeling that rush every Monday, when some new comic book reference is made on the latest episode of Heroes.

Well, I got it tonight big time, when Guitar Hero got a shout-out on Veronica Mars. And no mild shout-out either. The game was referenced by name at two different times in the show, and characters were shown actually playing the game on screen. (Totally hamming it up to Smoke on the Water.)

Between that and Veronica working "frak" into her volcabulary in the last two episodes, it's like eating one of those lethal chocolate desserts from a Chili's/Applebee's/Bennigan's type restaurant... I'm on the edge of a very happy coma.

Out of This World

I just finished watching the second season finale of Veronica Mars, and I was blown away.

A lot of new shows with big buzz and/or critical acclaim started last year. I've watched many of them. But nearly all of them let me down in year two. Desperate Housewives has been a near total misfire this season compared to year one. Lost has had a few great episodes this season, but has just as often treaded water -- and rarely has it approached the greatness of the best first season installments. Even Battlestar Galactica, which stayed phenomenal in the first half of season two, hit the skids pretty hard before bounding back for the last two or three episodes.

But Veronica Mars never faltered. If anything, it got better in year two. And tonight's episode was a perfect culmination to another perfect season.

We got a shocking but logical reveal of the culprit behind the bus crash. Another jaw-dropping development with Aaron Ecchols. Further ties all the way back to the first season mystery of Veronica's rape. An interesting "alternate reality" dream sequence featuring Veronica's mom and Lilly Kane. Heartstring-pulling moments between Wallace and Jackie, and Logan and Veronica. Heart breaking moments for the short time Veronica thought she'd lost her father. And pithy dialogue, as always. This finale was an absolute triumph.

The industry rumors still seem to be that Veronica Mars' chances for a season three on the new CW (Clarence Weedman? Don't think that exchange of dialogue didn't have a "meta" significance: "CW?" "It's a done deal.") network are good. We'll know for sure next week. Til then, my fingers are crossed that TV executive idiots won't mow down yet another impossibly brilliant show that's still going strong.

Week 13 - Final Score: Veronica Mars 7; Lost 6.

The "Series Series" has ended. Lost and Veronica Mars will no longer be airing in the same time slot. And Veronica Mars pulled out the win.

There was nothing "wrong" with tonight's Lost. My problem is that it was completely predictable from beginning to end. In the past, when watching Lost, I've had moments where I've been completely blindsided ("Walkabout" from season one, "Man of Science, Man of Faith" from season two), and moments where I've anticipated some plot threads while being surprised by others ("Maternity Leave" from a few weeks ago). But I've never had an episode where I guessed every single major beat from beginning to end.

The moment we see Hurley's asylum friend "Dave" shouting at basketball players who are strangely ignoring him, someone in the group I was watching with said, "he's not real." And she only barely beat me to actually saying it out loud. What can I say? Fight Club has mined this territory.

The moment Hurley headed off alone toward the caves (where Dave can torment him with no one else around), I knew Dave was going to tell him the entire island was a figment of his imagination. I knew because I saw this same plot thread on a sixth season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And before that, on a sixth season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. And I'm fairly sure that long before any of that, it must have been an episode of The Twilight Zone.

And then there was the twist with Libby at the end. Except that when Hurley first mentioned that she looked familiar many episodes ago, I immediately assumed it must have been from the asylum.

It was entertaining to watch. But it ultimately felt like an amusement park ride you've been on many times before. Too familiar to get your juices going.

Veronica Mars, meanwhile, served up major developments on several ongoing plots. The "who really killed Felix, and will there be justice?" thread was closed down. Weevil earned some serious dark side points.

Something new and strange is going on with Mayor Steve Guttenberg. He has a stalker, clearly knows what they're after, and doesn't want Keith Mars to find out what it is.

Something is up with Beaver. Mac confronts him about their relationship, and he pulls away. One can suppose a few reasons why that might be, but what's really going on there?

Meanwhile, an overdose of the pithy wit we all love about Veronica Mars. "I think that's Scout's Honor." "I told you, when I started on losers, I'd come to you first." "Fine, Dirty Sanchez, then." "What, like total silence? Imagine what that would be like."

An episode among the best of the season. So good, in fact, that I'm starting to get worried again. I absolutely loved the first season of Veronica Mars, but near the end I had come to terms with the likelihood there wouldn't be a season two. So I suppose I should look upon this season two as a gift, when so many other great shows I've loved didn't make it out of year one. But now I find myself getting greedy, and really hoping for a year three -- hoping that this move to Tuesday nights doesn't spell impending cancellation by the CW (Country and Western?) network.

Stay tuned.

Week 12: Veronica Mars 6; Lost 6.

Late last week, UPN announced that Veronica Mars would be airing on Wednesdays for only two more weeks. After that, it's returning to the Tuesday time slot it held in its first season. Which means tonight was the penultimate Veronica Mars vs. Lost contest. How fitting then that Lost should pull out a win tonight to tie the series. (Heh... double meaning, there.) It will all come down to next week's showdown.

But for now, let's consider what we had tonight.

I was ambivalent about the flashback elements of tonight's Lost. They sort of told a new story, in which Locke's father faked his own death to escape some mobster-esque thugs. And yet at the same time, the story was essentially a restatement of all the themes and story points of the last Locke episode. Locke still hasn't gotten over being duped by his father; Helen delivers an ultimatum to let it go, or let her go.

Fortunately, the island material this week was far more compelling. The "blast doors" discovered in the hatch many episodes ago by Michael (whom I'm still not missing) finally came into play this week. The Henry Gale storyline took an exciting turn. A new hatch mystery literally revealed itself, under the strange black lights that kicked in. And the good folks at Dharma apparently air-dropped in supplies to the island.

The causal relationship of all these events is what's intriguing. What made the blast doors come down? Was it because the air-drop was imminent? And did they then retract after the air-drop was complete?

Or did someone do something to trigger the air-drop?

Or is there no relationship between the two things?

Did "Henry Gale" really input the numbers as he said? He seemed to memorize them pretty quickly when Locke told him about them, implying he was already familiar with them. So was he bringing some belief of his own that compelled him to input the numbers even as he was lying about everything else? Or did he simply lie and do nothing? And if he did nothing, is that what triggered the black lights? Is that all that happens if you let the countdown expire?

All that, and fun poker action too between Sawyer and Jack. Good episode.

Veronica Mars was fun as well, offering drama in the Logan storyline, humor in the Keith Mars storyline, and our usually plucky gumshoe-ing starring Veronica herself. The featured roles for the two kids from Arrested Development was fun. (Particularly considering that their Arrested Development characters mentioned in one of that show's final episodes that they watched "[name of off-network teen private eye drama withheld by FOX].")

In some ways, this episode offered a possible hint of what might come should Veronica Mars get to the third season it deserves to on the new CW (Crack Whore?) network. And since this week's announcement from Arrested Development's creator pretty much kills the dim hope of it continuing on Showtime, it would be kinda cool to see those two find a home as regulars on Veronica Mars next year. If the "all the gang conveniently goes to college right there in the same city" thing was good enough for Buffy, it's certainly good enough for the show so many people call its heir. And I truly hope we get to find out how VM will address the "high school graduation problem."

But, despite the interest this episode triggered about the future, it simply didn't go as far as other episodes of the show have gone. It was indeed funny, emotional, and entertaining. But the show has set standards of being funnier, more emotional, and even more entertaining. A victim of its own success. (Well, critical success... sadly, ratings success still not so much there.)

So I kicked tonight's contest in Lost's direction. See you back here next week for the final, deciding matchup.

Week 11: Veronica Mars 6; Lost 5.

It's been a month-and-a-half since the last Lost vs. Veronica Mars face-off, but finally we're back on track. In fact, Veronica Mars is airing from now until season's end with no weeks off or repeats, so there should be a number of these little contests to come.

Tonight's showdown goes to Lost. I've always been partial to the Sun/Jin episodes in the past, so right away, this episode had that going for it. There were a number of great comic touches in there: Sawyer reading "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret," Evil Charlie's interplay with Ana Lucia, Hurley's lame attempt to explain himself when caught sneaking food. And we had very interesting advancement in the Henry Gale "is he an Other or not?" plot.

But to me, the biggest thing about this episode is that it managed to do what only some of the seasons two episodes have done so far -- it offered flashbacks that told us background on the characters we didn't already know. Sun learned English from her arranged husband? Jin foolishly thought having a child would help improve their relationship? He's not able to have children?

Which now leads us to an interesting question. Was Sun lying when she said she hadn't been with anyone else? (The look on her face as she hugged him seemed to leave room for that possibility.) Or was there some sort of strange "Island Healing" going on, perhaps of the type that restored Locke's ability to walk?

Oh, which reminds me... Locke got put down some more in this episode. Loving that. I used to like Locke a lot. I still like watching the character on the show. But I feel he's gone a bit high-and-mighty lately, and I've enjoyed watching him be taken down a few notches. I suppose many could make the same arguments about Jack (and I wouldn't disagree), which has made this whole "Jack vs. Locke" theme in the last several episodes entertaining.

So, lots to like all around.

Veronica Mars was certainly good tonight as well, it just had a high mark to beat set by Lost. You could tell a lot was going to happen this episode when the "previously on..." recap was nearly three minutes long. And indeed, there was forward momentum on every major plot line -- the bus crash, Logan's upcoming murder trial, Beaver's business with Kendall, Aaron Echolls' incarceration. All that, and they had time to tell a stand-alone mystery too! An impressive feat.

Still, you could argue that the progress on the uber-plots was all incremental at best. Or at worst, that they told a story, only to have things end back up in the same place as they began. (For example, we still don't really know if Terrence Cook set the explosion or not.) I suppose in the end, that's why I gave the nod to Lost.

If South Park was involved in the competition, though, I'd have to score things for them this week. Tonight's episode was dedicated to writing Chef out of the show following Isaac Hayes' insanity.

All the Chef dialogue, cobbled together from previous episodes, was very funny. It was especially humorous to make the "brainwashed Chef" deliberately sound like somebody was using an internet soundboard to create his voice. From there, they brilliantly parodied their own "This is what Scientologists actually believe" episode that reportedly caused the split in the first place. Then they killed Chef more violently and thoroughly than Kenny ever suffered. Then they delivered the nice speech (damn touching, by South Park standards) saying we should remember all the good times we had with Chef, not his crazy behavior in the last few days -- and that we shouldn't blame him for the way he acted, we should blame those jerks who brainwashed him. Brilliant.

And the cherry on top of the sundae? The "Birth of Darth Vader" parody that saw Chef rise as some Dark Chef of the Sith. If only he'd screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" at the end, it probably would have been the best South Park ever. I suppose they didn't have that clip of Isaac Hayes from a previous episode.

Anyway, quality night of TV overload.

Week 10: Veronica Mars 6; Lost 4.

I thought both Veronica Mars and Lost brought their A-game tonight, and the contest was very close to call.

As my friend pointed out, Lost is perhaps on the verge of being frustrating, as the major plot threads hanging out there feel like they have been in a sort of state of suspension for a while now. But fortunately, they've been using their time well in juggling the character relationships around in very interesting ways. We'd become very used to the parirings we'd seen through season one. But now Locke and Claire? Hurley and Sayid?

Charlie and Sawyer?

Sawyer had definitely been "teddy beared up" too much in the course of the season, and it was time to put him squarely back in villain territory. And now we find things in a much more interesting place. And I'm already on my way to forgiving the weirdness of the Charlie episode, because it has led to this interesting state of things.

As for Michael... two episodes and most of a third without him around, and I'm pretty much already hopeful that he just never comes back.

Meanwhile, Veronica Mars served up a fun, self-contained mystery loaded with fabulously snarky dialogue, a neat twist ending, and an "uber-plot" advancing runner involving Keith Mars. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I give the edge to Lost, because ultimately this episode of Veronica Mars was really just putting characters through their paces. It was fun to see "what Logan was up to," fun to see Dick get what he deserved, fun to watch Veronica break people... but that's pretty normal fare for Veronica Mars. Well done tonight, as always, but ultimately not quite as satisfying as the more character-changing action on the castaway's island tonight.

Week 9: Veronica Mars 6; Lost 3.

It's been almost two full months since a new Veronica Mars and a new Lost aired on the same night, but at last the time has come to revisit the "series" between the series.

The truth is, I'm not sure if either one of tonight's episode really floored me. Perhaps you can chalk it up to the return of Battlestar Galactica earlier this month; maybe it just takes a little more to impress me right now.

Lost brought an episode that felt pretty far out of left field. Charlie's suddenly having strange sleepwalking dreams and thinks Aaron needs to be baptized. Well, okay. Now he's a complete nutcase, until the episode down the road (I assume) where his fears are somehow vindicated. But for the moment, the episode didn't offer much but some sympathy for Charlie over his horrible diapers commercial. In retrospect, in a few more episodes, there might have been more here. For now, just plain strange.

Veronica Mars took the week off from the "bus crash" plot to advance the "Duncan's baby" and "Logan and Weevil Investigations" plots. Things didn't quite feel like they were popping as much as usual, though there were some fun moments with Lucy Lawless, and an emotional scene between Veronica and her heart-broken father.

Ultimately, I'm kicking this week's contest in favor of Veronica Mars for actually referencing Lost in its own episode. At the very end of the episode, Veronica is scene sticking a fortune from a fortune cookie on her mirror. The lucky numbers shown on that fortune? Why, "4-8-15-16-23-42," of course.

Week 8: Veronica Mars 5; Lost 3.

As with last week, I could have gone either way in the VM v L matchup this week.

Lost's very aptly titled episode "What Kate Did" painted in a key missing piece of the backstory, and did so in a very interesting way. We had strange new animal life on the island, in the form of Kate's horse. (I wonder if it has run into Jack's dead father out there in the jungle somewhere?) Jack-and-Kate "shippers" got cause to scream for joy, while Sawyer-and-Kate "shippers" got cause to scream in anguish. We got to see Eko and Locke really interact, and it was as interesting as we knew it would be. And the "missing bit of film" led to a very cool ending for the episode. Really, the only down side was that we don't get another episode until January 11th.

Veronica Mars managed to bring back Alyson Hannigan, even though she's busy on How I Met Your Mother every week. And not just for a walk-on scene or two. The Trina Ecchols plot was twisty and cool. We saw Veronica finally get played herself -- though she showed the intuition to figure it out in the end. And there was a tantalizing revelation on the "uber-plot" front, that apparently Jake is the father of a baby, with another girl.

In the end, the only way I was able to call this race was to let them play on my Buffy nostalgia. I ate up the Trina and Kendall Bitch-Off (reuniting "Willow" and "Cordelia") and enjoyed every delicious bite.

Burp!

Week 7: Veronica Mars 4; Lost 3.

This week's TV face-off was another photo finish, and a tough one to call.

On the one hand, Lost brought us all the fallout of the shooting. Ana-Lucia's backstory was very interesting. I'm not sure it made her any more sympathetic to me (and I'm not entirely sure it was supposed to), but it certainly did explain her behavior. We now know why she's so jumpy, quick to judge, and why she was so protective of the two kids on the island, and took it so hard when The Others came for them.

On the other hand, Veronica Mars brought a story with strong dramatic and emotional impact. We got to see Veronica herself in some serious jeopardy at the beginning of the hour. We got to see a really tense torture scene involving Logan -- only to find out moments later that the whole thing was staged by him and Weevil. And we got the great line about being on the bottom bunk in "Fisty McRapesalot's" cell.

In the end, what tipped the balance for me were the two reunions at the conclusion of tonight's Lost: Bernard and Rose, and Sun and Jin. That was strong stuff, especially for Bernard and Rose. It was hard not to be moved by it.

Lost is on a streak now. Can it tie up the series? Tune in next week!

Week 6: Veronica Mars 4; Lost 2.

After a serious losing streak in this "series," Lost finally bounced back to put one over on Veronica Mars this week. It was a close "game," though.

The "Tailie's Tale" was an interesting hour (and extra) of television. It could almost have been a second pilot for a different series, but for the rapid pace it moved through its 48 days. Interestingly, it was the first episode of Lost ever where every single scene took place on the island.

Nice trick, choosing the name "Nathan," to deliberately sound so close to "Ethan," the known infiltrator of our main heroes. I'm not sure I ever completely fell for the bait-and-switch, but then this show does teach you to be on your guard. Anyway, "Goodwin" works just as well for the name of an Other -- apparently your name has to end in an "n" sound.

Yes, I could be an Other. Deal with it.

Tension, revelation, fun little connections with what's come before... (Boone's transmission from the drug plane, chiefly)... all the elements the best episodes of Lost have had.

Veronica Mars did alright. There was a truly creepy mystery for her to unravel in the child abuse case. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, some of the funniest pop culture references yet (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Big Lebowski, Doogie Howser), and the amazingly snarky like about Logan hurting Kendall's "feeling." But somehow, the parts didn't quite make as compelling a whole as the rest of the season so far has managed. Maybe it has to do with so many of the "A-string" players being on the bench this week -- no Wallace, no Weevil, and hardly any scenes involving Keith.

It's still the most brutal scheduling conflict on TV, though.

Week 5: Veronica Mars 4; Lost 1.

Veronica Mars keeps piling on the great episodes.

No question, tonight was a solid episode of Lost. But really, the big punches came in the first five minutes and the last five minutes. It was fun to see Boone again, and Locke's scenes were great as usual. Still, all the real drama and tension came at the beginning and end, with Shannon's visions of Walt... and of course what they led to. It still would have been enough for a solid win this week...

...except that Veronica Mars brought its A game once again. This episode was a huge tale reaching back into the first season to weave Abel Koontz, Clarence Weidman, and Aaron Echolls into the current season's uber-plot. Keith lost the sheriff election, another person Veronica had met turned up murdered, and we got outrageously clever lines like "what are you the head of again?" And the big cherry on the sundae: a cameo appearance by Joss Whedon. This episode had tension and excitement throughout -- not just at the beginning and the end.

Don't mistake me. I'm loving Lost so far this season. It's just that the little-UPN-show-that-could is putting it to shame week in and week out.

Week 4: Veronica Mars 3; Lost 1.

It was another solid, though this time not really outstanding, episode of Lost this week. But Veronica Mars was once again roaring strong.

I enjoyed all of the Jin/Sun episodes from the first season of Lost, and I definitely enjoyed this one too. The show is able to tap into something entirely different when they focus on these two characters... something really quite different from anything else on television. (Seriously... what other TV series has a main character who can't speak English? Though he's clearly improving on that front.)

The "missing wedding ring" was a blatantly transparent device for getting at the flashbacks, but I didn't mind so much. Hurley and Locke each appeared in only one scene, but they were both memorable. And the "Back-of-the-Planers" (Backies?) are drawing nearer to being integrated with the rest of the group. All fine stuff.

But Veronica Mars again delivered great stuff. Wallace has a Darth Vader style "I am your father" confrontation with creepy-Chicago-man who turns out to be a decorated cop? What the hell has Mom been hiding?! Who is Weevil's anonymous tipster? How great was it to see Veronica vamping it up, trying to tempt her crazy client's boyfriend?

And the line "Dim Sum... and 'then some.'" Genius.

Week 3: Veronica Mars 2; Lost 1.

It was another "photo finish" of a week, trying to compare tonight's installments of two of the best shows on TV, scheduled opposite one another. But I'm gonna have to call this fight for Veronica.

Lost brought the goods, no question. Hurley's a great character, and we're two for two in episodes focused on him. His flashbacks definitely painted in a new texture to his lottery-winning woes. Not only were the numbers cursed, but his win appeared to cost him his best friend too. And the situation informed nicely on his island-bound antics this week.

Meanwhile, we learn that Rose's feeling about her husband from all the way back in the very beginning of season one is apparently correct -- her husband did survive. We find another group of survivors, huddled inside another hatch (with what appeared to be a different symbol on the inside). The mystery of Hatch #1 deepened in a seriously interesting way, all just because of one almost off-handed "Chernobyl" referencen from Sayid.

And besides Ana Lucia, two other cast members are now listed in the main credits, other members of the "other survivors." The plot is definitely thickening.

But Veronica Mars topped it all by pulling the trigger on a revelation I had assumed was weeks down the road: Logan's "playmate" time with Mrs. Casablancas has already been uncovered by Veronica. Add to that a new mystery surrounding Wallace's mother, questions about the stuntman with Veronica's name markered on his hand, the crumbling empire of Dick Casablancas senior, and the "is she cheating or isn't she?" girlfriend Wallace is chasing, and it totalled up to the kind of jam-packed episode you'd normally expect during a Nielsen sweeps month. For me, the pure "wow" factor made Veronica Mars the more satisfying hour of television this week.

But if both shows continue along at their current level of excellence, Wednesday nights will definitely be worth looking forward to. Until the re-runs start in December, anyway.

Week 2: Veronica Mars 1; Lost 1.

If I could award ties in this little TV contest, I might have to this week. But because Lost and Veronica Mars being pitted against one another is harsh, my little contest must be equally as harsh. This week's bout is going to have to go to Lost.

Another mammoth progression of the uber-plot this week, skillfully written to provide non-answers that somehow seemed satisfying anyway, and open up more questions at the same time. And Locke's flashbacks were interesting as well, fleshing out more about who "Helen" was from his strange phone calls in his Walkabout flashbacks.

Great moments abounded: Hurley's discovery of the food cache, the strangeness of the "orientation film," the new mystery about how a woman from the plane crash ended up helping The Others (she wasn't lying about being on the plane; we saw her in Jack's flashback to the airport terminal in the first season finale). Lots of "edge of the seat" scenes for me, particularly in the first two acts.

Of course, Veronica Mars stepped up to the plate as well. A quality cameo from Kevin Smith (as a convenience store clerk, naturally). Wallace stepping up as a junior detective all on his own, without Veronica's help. Keith deciding to go run again for his old job as sheriff. Campy fun with Charisma Carpenter. Veronica and Duncan going all the way. Lost had to bring a pretty stellar episode to top all of that.

The good news to come out of this sick little Lost/Veronica Mars competition is that apparently, both are flourishing in their new time slots. Lost, riding the waves of its Emmy win, recent DVD release, and general watercooler buzz, has been pulling in more viewers than ever before. Veronica Mars, shifted to a new night and time, actually managed to pull the highest ratings of its entire run with last week's season premiere, despite airing in what ought to be a "death time slot." So good news for both.

Of course, this means that both are likely to stay exactly where they are, head-to-head with one another for the rest of the season.

Thank heaven for TiVo!

Week 1: Veronica Mars 1; Lost 0.

It's the first week of the most obnoxious head-to-head competition on network TV this season: Lost on ABC vs. Veronica Mars on UPN. Both excellent shows, both "can't miss" television I'd heartily recommend to anyone -- annoyingly scheduled to air at the same time. (This fact was succinctly tackled by Shocho on his blog.)

Since a competition has been made of it, I've decided to keep score. Every week that new episodes of both shows air, I'm going to judge who I think brought the better hour of television. This week was simply no contest -- Veronica Mars wins in a landslide.

Lost was unfortunately just listlessly, aimlessly marking time this week. Don't get me wrong, I'm a very patient viewer of Lost. I truly don't need answers to big mysteries every week. I often enjoy the flashbacks more than the mysteries on the island. But I still need an episode to go somewhere, to tell some meaningful story. This week just didn't.

Michael's flashback was truly a waste of time, a series of four cut scenes engineered to tell us all what we already knew: that he'll do anything to get Walt back. We already knew from last season's Michael/Walt episode that Michael's wife had moved out of the country and taken Walt away. No additional information was given here. No alternate insight or perspective to the one we saw before was offered. It was a pure retread of old news.

Michael and Sawyer have a minor adventure or two getting back to shore. No real surprise in the fact they'd end up back on the island, so what a shame it took the whole episode for it to happen. Jin appeared to have a far more compelling journey back to the island, but that potentially interesting material was not included this week. No doubt it will appear soon, probably presented in a manner similar to the way Kate and Locke's exploration of the hatch was covered in backtrack mode this week.

And as for Kate and Locke... well, they had a minor adventure or two of their own as well, but Locke really didn't get any meaningful information out of Desmond that couldn't have quickly and easily been explained to us next week.

So, barring some major revelation in the future that makes some minor detail of tonight's installment become suddenly important, it seems to me that we could have skipped this episode completely and gone straight to the next one.

Meanwhile, Veronica Mars kicked things off in high gear. All the top quality dialogue was still there. The show is still smart and fun. A new mystery got kicked off -- is someone trying to kill Veronica? Who? Why? The Veronica/Logan/Duncan love triangle was shored up. Another Buffy alum appeared on the show (Charisma Carpenter, filling a Mrs. Robinson sort of role, not that she really looks old enough for it). Good stuff all around.

Come on, Lost... you're not just going to let a show with less than a tenth the audience you have totally bitch slap you like this and get away with it, are you?

And Now We Know

The season finale of Veronica Mars has now come and gone. All our questions have been answered. Is Keith really Veronica's father? Is Mom back to stay? Who killed Lilly Kane? The episode was so full of answers, there wasn't even 45 seconds to spare for The Dandy Warhols after the teaser.

The way the murder was solved through a heretofore unknown video tape reminded me a little of the first season of Murder One. Still, any comparison between the shows would only be good -- I consider both the series to be great.

Of course, no self-respecting mystery-based show could go away for the summer without leaving us a cliffhanger. In this case, the question is: who came to Veronica's door? Seems to me the only possible candidates that match her reaction are Duncan and Logan.

My money's on Duncan. After all, her reaction to Logan I think would have been much more like, "oh my God, what happened to you?!" Because if he didn't actually go through with jumping of the bridge as his mother did before him, then surely Weevil and his gang beat him to within an inch of his life. Hmm... I suppose that's through true cliffhanger: is Logan still alive?

That answer and more when Veronica Mars returns this fall. Score 1 for quality television.