With finale season charging forward in full-force it seems an adequate time to assess the makings of a kick-ass, heart-pounding, I’m-going-to-have-a-panic-attack-if-they-don’t-come-back-from-commercial season capper. Case in point this week: whipper-snapping teen sleuth Veronica Mars.
I had to use a paper-bag to provide essential respiration for my body during the finale last week. Known for its fast-paced mystery solving, the show provided such a rapid denouement of its multiple plot threads in the 40-odd minute episode, I found my mind sprinting to keep up. That was a good thing, considering the final act was remarkably haunting with the revelation of pouty-but-cute Beaver as the season’s main culprit.
Fast-paced and action-packed is an essential to good one-hour storytelling, but leaving all the season’s biggest revelations to one episode can add the slight hue of contrived to an episode. That is something Veronica, despite its relative brilliance in comparison to most other network programming, suffered from during its blockbuster episode last week.
I was shocked as any to find out that little Beaver had a big hand in causing the bus crash, killing Curly, and raping Veronica. But I was a little weary that the writers were going to accuse him of wielding weapons of mass destruction as well. The resolutions leading to his revelation as killer were logical, but it was a little too much all at once. Not to mention the stretches of assumption Ronnie had to make in order to nab Beaver as The One guilty party in the mass of suspects that were established throughout the season.
Great finale, just a little too much cake for the party audience. That was made relevant when Beav took a non-chalant hop off the rooftop of a sky-rise. As simple and silent a move as it was, it was the voice of reason through the whir of action that was the hour. A Dr. Phil defining moment, if you will.
Damaged boy loses sight of rhyme, reason and personal interest in forwarding his own life.
When it came down to it, the action, confusion and relative de-fuzzing of season-long plots were a far second, third and fourth to the poignancy and of course utter tragedy of the moment.
Essentially the base of the season’s story arc lay in the final few minutes, revealing a very human story of loss and sadness. When Veronica, writers, audience, et al finally got to that point, it redeemed the hour of its speedball insensitivity and recaptured what ironically, had made the show a success in the first place.
Remember that scene from last season’s finale with Veronica and Lilly idly sunbathing in the pool after the mystery had been solved?
Some simple R&R does wonders for people and plotlines.
