What You Should Have Been Watching: Veronica Mars

As he previously mentioned, The Common Man spent a great deal of time this week, snuggled up with The Uncommon Wife in their bedroom, watching DVDs. It has been a delightful respite from feeling like crap, not just because The Common Man loves him some wife and values their time together, but because they are entirely wrapped up in the second season of the subject of the second edition of What You Should Have Been Watching: Veronica Mars.

Veronica Mars picked up the torch of the teenage heroine when it was discarded by Buffy Summers in 2004. Gushed over by fanboys and by critics, it should have been a hit, pairing a hot and versatile young star (Kristin Bell) with a terrific concept (90210 meets Nancy Drew). With an impressive stable of supporting talent (Enrico Colantoni and Jason Dohring in particular) and a
supportive network that gave the show three years to find an audience, you'd assume that VM was perfectly placed to find success. Sadly, that network was UPN, a third-rate joke whose best performing product was Friday Night Smackdown (The Common Man hesitates to italicize that title. Does that even count as a show or is it some vaudeville freakery gone even more freaky?), which did not exactly appeal to Veronica's demo. The network bumped it around into various timeslots and local affiliates preempted it for local sports, meaning that building a consistent audience was incredibly difficult, particularly for a serialized show.

That said, maybe it's best that Veronica Mars never made it onto one of the four main networks. Largely left to himself, series creator Rob Thomas was able to create an impressive universe for his characters and could touch on social commentary as well as revel in his star's sexybombshellness. And he was able to develop long, season-length story archs, patiently giving away clues, and teasing audiences along to a final payoff.

The series revolves around Bell's Veronica, the daughter of the local sheriff in Neptune, CA (a smallish city in So-Cal with huge disparities between rich and poor). When her best friend is murdered, Veronica's life collapses around her. Her father accuses Veronica's boyfriend's father of the crime, her boyfriend dumps her, she becomes a social pariah, her father is ousted in a recall election, her mother (already an alcoholic) leaves home, and the remaining Mars' are forced to move to a two-bedroom apartment. Veronica's father becomes a local private investigator and she his assistant. In her spare time, she investigates her friend's murder and helps classmates who fall into some kind of trouble or other, using her Batman-esque detectiving skills.

The series rode high on the strength Bell's performance. Her role as the class private eye forced her to invent several different versions of the character who could cajole, intimidate, and hustle other characters for information. And her status as an outsider inspired her every word to drip with sarcasm. She was, to be fair, given terrific, updated-Raymond Chandler-like dialogue to work with, but her delivery was consistently on point. Also, her hair was hot and bounced on her head like it was spring-loaded.

So, why is this show here? Sure, you're thinking, it sounds awesome and you probably should have been watching it. But what, besides the eye-candy is there to interest men. To instruct men. To be a boon to mankind. Ladies and gentlemen, Keith Mars, Veronica's father, as played by Enrico Colantoni, is the embodiment of responsible fatherhood. Abandoned by his wife and his community for pursuing his convictions and a suspect, Keith has every reason to start his life over in another town, or to be bitter and take out his frustrations on his daughter. But he doesn't. Instead, he stays in Neptune, and endures the scorn and ridicule of his neighbors. He embodies responsible fatherhood, sacrificing so that his daughter can be as well-adjusted as possible in their home. Love, money, pride. None of it matters as much as the safety and happiness of his little girl. Add to that his moral strength and physical toughness, and you have one hell of a man. Again and again, Keith Mars is held up as the pinnacle of manhood, and he is never found wanting. He is an example for fathers everywhere to follow, understanding that something as simple as a smile or a hug from one's child is a far greater reward than anything tangible.

Also, The Uncommon Wife has noted on several occasions that she would do incredible things to him, and once purred. So, um, ladies...he's apparently got that sexy dad thing going for him.

Anyway, if you liked Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and don't say you didn't, you'll just make The Common Man shed manly, manly tears), you'll love Veronica Mars. Though it plays down the action, adventure, and danger, it heightens the mystery, suspense, and wittiness of Joss Whedon's masterpiece. And when the show does get dangerous, it's incredibly intense. So go, enjoy all three seasons that Veronica Mars has to offer. And, now that the fall TV season is upon you, start watching good television, for God's sake, so they won't keep airing Who Wants To Break Up Their Family For a Million Dollars?

What You Should Have Been Watching: Firefly

Men are busy creatures. There's the hunting and scavenging for food. The protection of the women and children. The bowling and softball leagues. And because of their limited time, men must be picky and choosy about what they will watch on the television (that is in no way sports related). Since it's still the boring summer months, when awesome television like Lost and The Office and 30 Rock and CSI: New York (just testing to see if you're paying attention) is on vacation, The Common Man has decided to let you in on the shows you probably missed because you were too busy. These shows are gone now. Gone like dinosaurs, Rubik's Cubes, and Ted Danson's hair. But through the magic of the Digital Video Disk, you have the opportunity to check these shows out in what little spare time you have. Here's the first installment of: What You Should Have Been Watching.

Any list of the best television programs of the last five years (just getting this in under the gun here) must include the very short-lived Joss Whedon series, Firefly. Whedon, of course, is best known for his awesome cult classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the slightly less awesome, but probably more philosophically interesting, Angel. His follow-up to those shows, Firefly marked a drastic departure from anything seen on television before. It fused the Western and Sci-Fi genres seemlessly, creating an outer space that felt like Dodge City.

The show takes place in the distant future, after humanity has left the earth and found a new solar system to inhabit, but the outer planets have yet to achieve real technological sophistication. As such, there's a certain lawlessness that pervades these brave new worlds. The central focus of the show, a nine-member crew of a cargo vessel (Serenity), operates within this lawlessness. Thieving, smuggling, and (very occasionally) doing good works while trying to stay off of the central government's radar. Picture the Jesse James Gang meets Treasure Island meets (the good) Star Wars, with a little bit of Das Boot thrown in.

The casting is excellent, though almost all the actors began the series as unknowns. Nathan Fillion shines as the morally complicated captain of the ship, but the series allows shipmates Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Jewel Staite, Summer Glau, and especially Adam Baldwin equal opportunities to be in the spotlight. It truly is an ensemble show, and each character plays a seemingly central role in each episode. There are no wasted moments, no throwaway lines, and no small parts.

And Firefly looks different from any show that came before it because of technological advances Whedon was smart enough to take advantage of before anyone else. Whedon's crew shoots with handicams throughout the episode. This gives the each scene greater energy and intimacy, as the viewer seems to be spying on the characters most private and harrowing moments. And Whedon was also able to benefit from incredible advances in CGI technology that would allow his exterior shots of the ship, space stations, planets, and space to appear more real. They go in and out of focus, and the "camera" capturing them shakes. Lens flares pop realistically. Since then, of course, Whedon's technique has been immitated by the creators of the wildly popular Battlestar Galactica and by George Lucas in the new Star Wars films, and by JJ Abrams in Cloverfield.

The story of the show's problems with Fox television have become part of its legend. The network wouldn't let Whedon show the pilot episode, instead demanding he write a new first episode in three days. And it kept pre-empting Firefly and changing its timeslot without warning. Sadly, after showing just 11 episodes (though 14 were shot), the series was canceled. Since then, it has gained second life on the DVD market, and you can pick it up for $20. The episodes have been rearranged into the proper sequence and augmented with excellent commentaries. And the film Serenity, released in 2005, continues (and perhaps completes) the story.

So why is The Common Man recommending this to you, other than the fact that it's an excellent show? Because Nathan Fillion, as Malcolm Reynolds, epitomizes manliness.


He is stalwart and true to his word. He protects his crew and disciplines them like a father. He guards his emotions closely, hiding his anger, pain, and sadness behind pithy jokes and stubborness. He may not always do what's legal, but he ultimately does what's right and accepts the consequences of his actions. He's complicated, but moral, in a time when morality is in short supply. Also, explosions. And shooting. And efficient use of space. And all nature of other awesome manly things.

Because it died so young, it shouldn't take you long to fly through the show, thereby getting you ready for The Common Man's next recommendation, which should come down to you shortly.

Your Presence Is Compelled

The Common Man requests, nay demands, your presence at Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog when you have 45 minutes to kill. But check it out today. Starting Sunday, you will need to shell out $1.99 to download an episode (or just wait for the DVD). It will be worth the money, but you get to see all three episodes for free until then. Joss Whedon's new creation, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Whedon-muse Nathan Fillion, is groundbreaking in the way it delivers original content to consumers. "Doing [the online series] was an effort to send a message to the community that there was another way ... that we could create content and ultimately create jobs without the studios," he said. It's terrific; the story is terrific and leaves open the possibility for future hilarity.