Veronica Mars is Way Smarter Than Me

Some of the Culkins take Veronica Mars very seriously. In fact, there was almost a full fledged feud when it was believed two members of the family (who shall remain nameless, for their own protection) were dissing Veronica. (I wasn't actually there for that conversation and at least one of the defendants claims he wasn't actually criticizing the show. But it stirred up some bad feelings.) Anyway, I'm clearly on the pro-Veronica side of the family. I loved last season and had been enjoying this season a lot. But it did seem like Veronica (the character and the show) were a little softer this time around. The dark, ominous, nerve-wracking, stomach-churning edge just didn't seem to be there. Well, no longer. In the past three weeks, the show has returned to its creepy, glorious best. I think the show's creator Rob Thomas was just luring us into a false sense of calm, so the mid-season barrage of action would hit us all the harder. Just to scratch the surface, there has been (spoiler alert!) a dead body in a motel ice machine, a psycho Irish gang, a house set on fire, a kidnapping, including a scary Russian roulette scene, and the unsettling sight of Veronica willingly teaming up with a character known to be at best amoral, at worst the essence of evil. Plus we learned that Veronica has a Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtle sleeping bag. And there was a cameo by Joss Whedon. It sounds like this week will keep the streak going, as the show promises two endings (one which will be available online), plus another Buffy cameo, by the beloved Alyson Hannigan. For more, visit Watch with Kristin.