Post by Pear on Aug 2, 2015 0:25:01 GMT -5
EPISODE 1: “WELCOME WAGON”
Those dorm rooms are HUGE. Anyway, from what I’ve heard, season three is generally considered the weakest of the three, and I’d guess that part of why is due to the show tackling college (something FNL did not do, even if it meant straining credibility a bit with character ages). It’s not that college can’t make for great stories; it’s just that from a television standpoint, the daily routine of high school allows for more structured and universal storytelling…which while not inherently good or bad, has fit well with this type of mystery series. Structure still exists here in season three, but it feels too much like the writers trying to mold college into that very structure they’re used to. From the beginning of the episode, there’s clearly a desire to both capture the setups of previous episodes and to inject something new into the series, but the show loses something in the process. Nevertheless, it’s still an entertaining premiere that gives us some great Veronica-Wallace and Veronica-Mac moments, along with a surprisingly moving Logan-Dick scene at the end and a Piz-Veronica one about why Veronica does what she does. The Keith storyline seems a bit detached from everything else, but we’ll see where that goes. And finally, as for the new credits, they actually look pretty cool.
EPISODE 2: “MY BIG FAT GREEK RUSH WEEK”
I love that Veronica’s continuing to use “frak”, especially since I just finished BSG a few weeks ago. I also really like the episode itself, even if it relies heavily on annoying stereotypes (stupid sorority girls vs. hateful feminists). Thematically, it continues to explore the idea of being wrong, of false assumptions leading you down paths you can’t go back on, and it’s a very different feeling for Veronica here than it was in that criminology class. As for the Stanford Prison Experiment storyline, it’s without a doubt something that wouldn’t be allowed, but it’s still a nice way to get some Logan-Wallace interactions.
EPISODE 3: “WICHITA LINEBACKER”
The fact that Veronica is caught so easily is an indication that she doesn’t quite have the handle on her new environment that she had in Neptune, and it’ll be interesting to see her and Stan Sitwell battle it out over the remaining episodes. And in terms of other pairings I like, I hope to see more of Weevil-Keith at some point; it’s great to see their storyline play out in this episode, and both Capra and Colantoni do a great job of conveying their similarities and differences.
Overall, the episode is a look at the idea of trust, specifically in the Veronica-Logan relationship (complete now with tracking device!). I don’t know how long this relationship can realistically last, but the final scene of the hour puts a little bit of hope into it for them, hope that maybe things can work out.
EPISODE 4: “CHARLIE DON’T SURF”
I’m still not feeling the rape storyline because it’s too thinly written most of the time (which is disappointing for a show that’s handled the subject better beforehand). However, I do like the Logan stuff in this hour, which begins with a nice little moment in which he smiles as Keith and Veronica talk in front of him. At first, it’s just a fun thing to see, but you remember over the course of the hour how difficult his family life is and how good Dohring is. We also learn about Logan’s half-brother, which provides the season an emotional through line that it’s been sorely lacking.
GRADES: B, B+, B+, B+
