Veronica Mars - The Complete First Two Seasons
List Price:
Our Price: $39.85
You Save: $80.13 (67%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $25.00 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Kristen BellBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 1864 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-08-22
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of Veronica Mars - The Complete First Two Seasons
DVD Review: Veronica Mars: The High School Years Prove High School Is Hell (Figuratively)
Summary: 5 Stars
It's strange how the reception Veronica Mars the show receives is similar to the treatment Veronica Mars the girl gets. Veronica Mars is a show on a smaller network (UPN, but now it is, most likely if it gets picked up for a third season, moving to the new CW) that is surrounded by more popular and higher-budgeted shows like Lost, 24, Desperate Housewives, and such. While it gets ratings that are mediocre at best, she has some very ardent fans. Veronica (Kristen Bell) is a young girl living in a very rich San Diego suburb called Neptune where she is an outcast from a lower-middle class family. Still, she has some very loyal friends, like Wallace Fennell (Percy Daggs III), a new kid from Ohio who gets himself duct taped naked to a pole on one of his first days of school after angering the local bike gang. Said biker gang is led by Eli "Weevil" Navarro (Francis Capra), who also befriends Veronica when the two realize that they can have a mutually beneficial relationship. There's also Cindy "Mac" MacKenzie (Tina Majorino), a computer geek and fellow outcast/lower-middle class student who is picked on for not being rich. Finally, her father, Keith Mars (Enrico Collantoni), a private investigator, and the former sheriff, has a very strong relationship with his daughter (one very rarely seen between fathers and daughters on television). Though Veronica does have her share of enemies, ranging from the incompetant new sheriff Don Lamb (Michael Muhney) to Vice Principal Van Clemmons (Duane Daniels) to many of the rich kids, known as 09ers (due to the fact that they live in the wealthy 90909 zip code), who used to be her friends.
You see, in her sophomore year in high school (a year prior to the show's pilot), Veronica was part of the in-crowd. While her family wasn't rich, they were doing pretty well. Her father was the sheriff, her mother Lianne (Corinne Behrer) was still living with them, and they had a nice house. Veronica was dating the son of the richest man in town, Duncan Kane (Teddy Dunn), was best friends with Duncan's sister Lilly (Amanda Seyfried), and was very popular. Then, Duncan broke up with her out of the blue, Lilly was murdered and Veronica's dad accused Duncan and Lilly's father Jake (Kyle Secor), the man responsible for making so many people in Neptune rich. He is beloved in Neptune, and the people of Neptune wouldn't accept him as the murderer. Keith was removed as sheriff, Veronica became an outcast, and Lianne skipped town. Now, old friends like Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), Lilly's old boyfriend, despise her, and the two Mars still in Neptune are struggling to make ends meet.
The series begins at the beginning of Veronica's junior year, and the popular, bubbly Veronica is gone and has been replaced by a sarcastic, jaded, outcast who is derided by many, feared by some, and even respected by others. She uses her vast intelligence that went unused during her time on the cheerleading squad to help her father solve crimes as Keith's new assistant. Furthermore, she helps fellow students with problems, provided they can pay her enough. While the idea of a teen sleuth sounds cheesy, and I know it does, because that was my initial reaction to hearing about this show, the detective element is handled excellently. But in addition to the plots, the character development is superb. Logan is a great example; Veronica introduces him as the school's obligatory psychopath, and at first glance, he appears that way. But as we learn more and more about him and his home life, we begin to see that he isn't everything we originally thought him to be. Duncan also has some hidden demons that he needs to slay, and as his full character is revealed, we find ourselves reevaluating past feelings about him. Of course, Veronica is more than just the damaged goods she originally appears to be.
In addition to being an entertaining drama/detective series, the show deals with themes of being the outcast in high school, class wars, and justice, which often intercedes with the class warfare. With the richer citizens of Neptune able to buy their way out of penalties, the poor often feel contempt for their rich neighbors, which nearly escalates to civil war in the second season. The best part is that both sides are somewhat at fault. Sure the 09ers are jerks to the poorer students and are able to sidestep certain land mines that the poorer students have to endure, but often the lower class kids respond with their own kind of justice, whether it be from the PCH Bike Gang, led by Weevil, or property destruction, to grade sabotaging.
The first season is great; while many shows try to find their footing in their first seasons, Veronica Mars is able to jump right into intricate plots and character development, allowing for a level of quality that some shows don't achieve until their third seasons. And it only continues to get better. The second season involves a much grander mystery with numerous mini-plots tied into the main story. The first season did have subplots, but most of them didn't have to do with the main story. Although, it did lead to one of the show's only problems; the second season was perhaps TOO ambitious, and some things got pushed into the background for too long, then drawn out for a little too long, but the season was still amazing and much better than a lot of other, more popular shows. One other thing regarding the second season was the identity of the killer. I am very conflicted towards it; on one hand I liked it, but on the other, I found it almost too hard to believe (the season one culprit was also a left field pick, but it worked without question, whereas in season two, it is a little hard to buy the person as the killer). Many fans were split over the revelation, with some claiming that the person is the only plausible answer while others are threatening to stop watching due to feelings of betrayal. I guess you'll have to watch and decide for yourself (though it should be known that it wasn't a random decision; Rob Thomas and company had the answer to season two planned since before the end of season 1). Also, check it out because it's great television, not just to decide which camp you fall into.
All of the actors do a great job bringing their characters to life. Bell and Colantoni are amazing as the father/daughter team, and whether they are together or separate, they both can perform at a large range of emotions. All of the regulars are equally or nearly as good, and a good 95% of the guests are great as well despite the fact that there were very few big name stars (the network did require the creators to use some stunt casting, like Paris Hilton or America's Next Top Model contestants to get ratings). Though, a few (relatively) bigger names like Alyson Hannigan and Jonathon Taylor Thomas did show up. Other great guest stars include Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Kevin Smith (of Clerks fame), and Arrested Development's Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat. In recurring roles, Harry Hamlin, Lisa Thornhill, Alonna Tal, Charisma Carpentar, and Steve Guttenberg all give performances that are comparable to the regular actors.
Sadly, the show gets ratings that can be described as "mediocre-at-best", which led to a budget cut for the second season, as well as a few "suggestions" from the network to improve ratings, such as introducing a "new female friend" for Veronica. That "friend" was Jackie Cook (Tessa Thompson), who actually started off as an enemy to Veronica (as well as the audience) for the first half of the second season. But the show was able to overcome these challenges and continue to be one of television's best, if not underappreciated (from a ratings perspective; critics love it), shows.
The bottom line is this; if you've never watched an episode of Veronica Mars, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. There are very few shows on TV right now that can be as funny and dramatic as this show, and when I say that, I mean that it is funny and dramatic almost simultaneously. Very few other shows on TV have as much heart nor will draw you in like this one. You will fall in love with some of these characters and boo others for the way they treat the ones you love.
Description of Veronica Mars - The Complete First Two Seasons
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 12/12/2006Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Veronica Mars: The Complete Third SeasonWarner Brothers; Release date: 2007-10-23; DVD
Best price: $9.69
Price in other shops: