|
Rapes, murder and abandonment all played a central part
during the first season of “Veronica Mars”. How do you follow
that up? Well I’d suggest alien abductions for the a future
season or, at the very least, the theft of Columbo’s raincoat.
The second season of the popular mystery-drama focuses much
more on the seamy side of her home town Neptune, California.
A class war brews during the second season when the Mayor
(Steven Guttenberg!) decides that Neptune (read the white
and wealthy) would benefit from rezoning and incorporation.
When a bus crash claims the lives of a group of middle-class
and lower-class kids (the rich kids rode in a limo) Veronica’s
mystery solving skills hop into overdrive unsettling residents
and uncovering secrets that the town wishes that remained
so. The change in focus to the town of Neptune and away
from Veronica was probably a wise move in many respects
as it made following the much more personal first season
easier to do but it also takes away time from the most appealing
factor of the show—Veronica herself. ***
Regardless the second season is still a solid follow
up to the popular first and the show more than holds its
own even with a refocus on the town itself. Still, it does
alter the tone of the show somewhat and some fans will probably
not be pleased. On the other hand it prevents “Veronica
Mars” from completely mutating into “Nancy Drew 90210” (which,
admittedly, it is to some extent). ---
Image & Sound: The show looks marvelous in its widescreen
presentation. Colors pop, are bright. The frequently use
of evocative noir lighting with its rich shadows also look
better than the broadcast version of the show. Audio sounds
quite nice here with dialog crisp and clear although there
aren’t as many direction effects as I expected. ---
|
