[Televisionary]

Okay, last night's episode of Veronica Mars was, quite frankly, one of the single best hours of TV these past few weeks. Am I just still reeling from Veronica withdrawal , sure. But whenever Diane Ruggiero writes an episode, I always know we're in for a treat and last night's geek shout-out laden installment ("Poughkeepsie, Tramps and Thieves") was no exception, as Ruggiero managed to turn in a hysterical (and touching) one-off mystery that also managed to advance the overarching Dean O'Dell murder mystery storyline. (And to think the CW is doing away with the multiple-episode mysteries .) So what was up last night? Veronica was hired by Hearst College nerd-in-residence Max (Adam Rose, last seen in the episode "Hi, Infidelity") to track down Chelsea, the love of his life, who claims to be getting married and of whom he knows nothing about save her first name. Seems the two of them shared a night of deep connections and meaningful dialogues about ho

Can I just begin by saying how very happy I am to (finally) have the incomparable Veronica Mars back in my life again? It seems as though the space between these "pods" of episodes became nearly interminable. But the wait is officially over, as of last night, as Veronica is back on the CW (until they unceremoniously yank it in a few weeks again for The Pussycat Dolls: Search for the Next Doll , that is). In any event, I will count my blessings that we're even getting to watch the latest goings-on in Neptune since it seems as if Dawn Ostroff and the programming execs have it in for '09ers. But last night's episode ("Show Me the Monkey") was a breath of fresh air after far too many lonely Tuesday nights. While the episode's central mystery (recovering a stolen lab monkey that, well, hadn't really been stolen, per se) wasn't the series' best, what made the episode click was the snappy writing (courtesy of John Enbom and Robbie Hull) and th

Mars attacks... iTunes! Has anyone else noticed that CW drama (and Televisionary obsession) Veronica Mars suddenly (and inexplicably, given all this time) has, as of Wednesday, turned up on the iTunes Store? While there's no sign of previous seasons (yet, anyway), the nine episodes that have aired to date of Veronica Mars ' third season have turned up under the CW network's banner on the iTunes site. As per the standard download price, fans can download individual episodes of Veronica for $1.99 a pop or opt for the Season Pass option, being offered at $34.99. Considering that cult shows live or die by the strength of their online fan base (some hint that it was brisk iTunes sales that showed NBC the potential of The Office during Season Two), it's only smart to offer Veronica Mars for download, especially given the show's Internet-savvy target demo. It's a long, cold wait until new episodes of Veronica Mars start airing next year on the CW, so I might just

After the high I got from watching the fall finale of Veronica Mars , that thrill was shattered the following day by reading the interview Rob Thomas gave E! Online's Kristin about the future direction of the beloved series (in the Televisionary household anyway). One of the things that I love about Veronica Mars is the sprawling, overarching mysteries: Season One had the murder of Lily Kane; Season Two brought us the bus crash (and a sundry list of other smaller, interconnected mysteries); and so far we just got the resolution to the Hearst College Rapist mystery , one that played out in nine episodes this time around. While they are not exactly new viewer-friendly (to put it mildly), it's these mysteries that keep loyal Mars watchers guessing and hypothesizing... not to mention looking for clues in each episode with a fervor and dedication that's more akin to a Lost fanatic. And then I read Rob Thomas' interview and was struck in the gut by his answer to the very

Wow. Personally, I'm just blown away. From that killer opening scene (no pun intended) to the heart-breaking last few minutes of last night's episode ("Spit & Eggs") of Veronica Mars , I tossed and turned all night, unable to get it out of my head. I must have watched the promo for last night's episode about 100 times while counting down the hours to the latest installment of Veronica and I never imagined that Rob Thomas, who wrote and directed last night's ep, would use that scene of Veronica fleeing an unseen assailant... as the opening scene itself before flashing back two days earlier. It certainly set the mood for the entire episode and had me on the edge of my seat. How many of you out there were right about the identity of the Hearst College rapist? I was suspicious of creepy RA Moe at first, what with his handing out of cups of tea to women in distress and the fact that he had a massive set of keys to everybody's room , but those thoughts were

Whew. So it's been a rather long time since last week's episode of Veronica Mars aired... well, at least for the rest of the country. For those of us in the Los Angeles area , we finally got to see "Lord of the Pi's" on Saturday night. And while the wait was worth it (there are very few series I can say that about), I'm at least glad that it was last week's episode that was pre-empted by KTLA and not what looks to be a real mind-blower of an episode tonight. More on that later. First up, I'm heart-broken about what appears to be a full-blown chasm developing between young lovers Veronica and Logan. I understand Veronica's need to solve the serial rapist case but I also get why Logan is freaking out. For the first time in his life, he's actually in love and he doesn't want anything to happen to Veronica. Personally, I can't believe that Veronica never told Keith that the rapist actually got close enough to her to start shaving her head

Sometimes it seems like The-Powers-That-Be are against you, especially if you're a fan of Veronica Mars . Just a few days after learning that the CW had picked up additional episodes of mystery/drama Veronica Mars (even if it had been for a back seven, rather than nine), I learned (via a tipoff from Televisionary reader Travis) that Los Angeles' CW affiliate, KTLA, would be preempting this week's episode of Veronica Mars to instead air the Clippers vs. Lakers game. No mention of the switcheroo has appeared on-air so far and Los Angeles-based fans who anxiously watched the previews for this week's episode of Veronica Mars are sadly out of luck. KTLA is shunting this week's episode to Saturday night at 9 pm. (The same goes for Gilmore Girls as well, which is being booted this week to Saturday at 8 pm.) Which means we'll have to wait to see how Veronica reacts to her attack by the Hearst College serial rapist and the rather tongue-in-cheek kidnapping of guest s

Looks like we'll be sticking around in Neptune a little longer. The CW has just given an additional seven episode order to mystery/drama/best-show-you're-not-watching Veronica Mars , bumping the third season installments from a measly 13 to a nearly full-season order of 20 episodes. Personally, I want all the Veronica I can get and so was praying (not even silently) for a full back nine pickup, but I'm happy that the season (or, hell, series) won't be ending in a few weeks' time. Still, I can't help but wonder what we're going to miss out on in those two episodes that have been stolen, like profits from a Neptune High school carnival, from us. But, perspective, people: it means that Veronica will at least still be solving crimes in 2007. And that, in and of itself, is cause for celebration.

I'm still shaking after watching the final minutes of last night's Veronica Mars . Was I the only one waiting last night for the climactic showdown between Veronica and the serial rapist? While the last few minutes of last night's episode of Veronica Mars ("Of Vice and Men") was absolutely gripping (not to mention outright terrifying), I really wish the CW had concealed that element of the storyline altogether; it would have worked even more effectively had it been a surprise, especially coming on the heels of a rather fluffy mystery this week. Seems our girl V. has developed quite a tarnished view of the male race as a result of last week's occurrences ... namely the lil' extramarital affair that seems to have knocked Papa Keith right off his pedestal in Veronica's eyes. There's no denying that there's a connection between Keith and the unhappily married (but married nonetheless) Harmony (Laura San Giacomo), but Keith isn't exactly thinki

After weeks of industry-wide speculation, NBC has finally put the matter to bed and ordered the back nine episodes of struggling freshman drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip , which had been dogged by (credible) rumors of cancellations. But you can bet your bottom dollar that NBC didn't walk away from the bargaining table without an economic upside. Sources are reporting that NBC and studio Warner Bros. TV only came to a deal for Studio 60 's full season order thanks to a lower license fee for the additional nine installments, at a price much lower than the $2.5-3 million they paid per episode of the original order. And NBC is mulling possibly moving the struggling series out of its Mondays at 10 pm timeslot as it explores other options. The Peacock, which also ordered three additional scripts for struggling frosh series 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights , is expected to release its midseason lineup in the next few days. UPDATE: NBC has since ordered the back nine episodes of F

Okay, you've got to hand it to the producers of Veronica Mars and the CW promo department. Between last night's title of "Hi, Infidelity" and some well-edited moments showing a jealous Veronica, a seemingly red-handed Logan, and a perky blonde who was not our intrepid sleuth, it definitely seemed as though this episode was going to focus on the shattering of Veronica and Logan's relationship. But it didn't turn out that way at all. (Whew.) Talk about some rather canny editing though: by playing up that 15 second scene at the hotel which was apropos of nothing, the network created the indication in my mind that it was the focal point of the episode. Not so. In fact, the infidelity in question was of a more adult nature: that between Keith and the still-married Harmony... and between Professor Landry and Dean O'Dell's wife (more on those in a sec). First up, I need to say just how much I loved last night's episode ("Hi, Infidelity") and ho

I was really looking forward to getting home last night after a very, very long day of work (not filled, sadly, with any Halloween mirth) and watch a new episode of my favorite teen sleuth drama Veronica Mars and catch up with the gang in Neptune. While last night's episode ("President Evil") was nowhere near as stellar as could be, it was nice to see to see some friendly (or in Sheriff Lamb's case, not so friendly) faces popping up on the Hearst College campus or its general environs. I'd nearly forgotten that Wallace was even still on the show as he seems now to pop up so infrequently... and when he does, he still rarely shares any screen time with Mademoiselle Mars. So it was nice to see him last night, even if his subplot -- about struggling with his mechanical engineering class and succumbing to the temptations of cheesy horror movies, loose girls, and purchased "study guides -- felt oddly disjointed and seemed extremely tacked on. (Hell, it could have

Last night's episode of Veronica Mars ("Meet Charlie Stone") seemed much more back on target again, bringing us that tasty mix of humor, angst, and mystery that the series excels at. I absolutely adored the opening scene depicting an extremely awkward dinner between Veronica, Papa Keith, and Logan as each of them awkwardly tries to talk to one another without touching on any, well, touchy subjects. Which is hard to do when your daughter's boyfriend is the son of a notorious movie star-turned-murderer... and then turns down an offer from Larry King to appear with OJ's kids. What is a dad to think? Logan, however, is in a bit of hot water with his inheritance quickly running out. At the rate he's going, he's got maybe 14 months worth of dosh left. Hmmm, think it could be because he sleeps in the penthouse suite at the Neptune Grand every night and is basically throwing his money away quicker than he can sign the checks? While I'd hate for this pretty ri