Veronica Mars Season 3 is Back TONIGHT!!

WARNING…this post contains some mild spoilers for the first two episodes of Veronica Mars. Spoiler Puritans beware!!

This is a big year for Veronica Mars. Not just the title character but the show. While Veronica finds herself at a new college, the show finds itself on a new network. And while Ms. Mars will try her best to avoid the Freshman 15, the show will be begging to gain 22…episodes that is. The critically acclaimed but viewer-starved show has only been picked up for 13 eps this season. So Veronica needs to make some new friends – fast, or else risk not being …ugh. You know what?…I’m not even going there. Veronica Mars needs some new eyes in front of their TVs, and that’s that!

One way the new network is trying to bring in and keep new viewers is to change the format just a bit. Rather than have one season-long mystery to compliment the weekly whodun-its (as was the format for the first two seasons), we will be treated to three seperate mysteries which will be rolled out over the course of the season. As a fan, I’m looking forward to this new approach as I think it will keep the stories fresh and the mometum moving in the right direction.

In an effort to acclamate new viewers, tonight’s S3 premiere is Veronica Mars-light. Don’t get me wrong, the episode is fantastic and it’s got all the elements that makes Veronica Mars so frakkin’ good. But the show was perhaps written more for the newbies than the die hard Veronica Mars fans. Something show creator Rob Thomas talked about last week during a S3 press meeting.

“I will freely admit, the first episode is Veronica Mars for beginners“, Thomas noted. “The case is pretty straight ahead and used to largely introduce us to the new characters. I’ve tried to really front load the episodes with fun breezy banter, that would play nicely with the Gilmore Girls audience, sort of inviting them into the show. It starts feeling more like our show in the final five minutes. The second episode which ranks with some of our best ever, is Veronica Mars at its best.“

But before we get to the second episode, which was soooo good, let’s take a quick look at where Veronica Mars is in tonight’s episode.

Veronica and her friends have descended on fictional Hearst College. All of our favorite Neptunites are present and accounted for (minus the dearly departed sweetie-turned rapist-turned mass murder-turned serial killer Beaver Cassidy Casablancas). We’ve got Veronica’s best friend Wallace, her boyfriend Logan, and her best gal pal Mac. And as it seems, Daddy’s money has bought a space in the class of 2010 for Dick Casablancas too. Yay, I love Dick (god that joke never gets old). By the way, don’t let the” 90210- hey isn’t this cool we all ended up at C.U.” storyline phase you. It’s just a back drop for some witty banter and some good storytelling.

As you might expect, Hearst College also has students that didn’t graduate from Neptune High. In tonight’s show we are introduced to two of the new series regulars. First up, Piz (Chris Lowell), Wallace’s adorable and innocent-looking roommate. And we’ve got Parker (Julie Gonzalo), Mac’s flirty and bubbly roomie. Both of our newbies have important roles in the first two episodes, so say Hi, make nice and let them do their thing.

So what can we expect tonight? Well, Veronica hardly has time to hang her tie-dyed tapestries before there’s a mystery to solve. Wallce’s new roommate, Piz, had his worldy possessions swiped as he was moving into the dorms. Wallace knows just the right person to help. Piz is a bit skeptical of this fiesty blonde freshman who just happens to be a PI, but an expensive guitar is at stake (as well as all his clothes), so he’s got no choice but to go with it.

Meanwhile, not to be the only Mars working a case, Veronica’s Dad, Keith, has got some issues to deal with of his own. We’ve got an ex-con, a car, a desert, money and Kendall Casablancas – all the ingredients for a good time. Not Keith’s idea of a good time, but a good time all the same.

If stolen posessions and a sleazy gold digger weren’t intriguing enough, we are introduced to the season’s first mystery in the final few minutes. It seems the Hearst rapist has struck again, and Veronica is too close for comfort. Having been roofied and raped herself in high school, Veronica is passionate about finding the culprit and stopping these brutal crimes.

Episode two, which I was lucky enough to see last night, was fantastic in the whole “Veronica Mars is back and better than ever” type of way. Ms. Mars continues on her quest to find the rapist, and finds herself in a flowered sundress just hours before faux-lesbian dancing at a party (no, I’m not kidding….seriously, she wears a flowered sundress). Wallace and Logan get a chance to bond some more and one of them reveals a little more than you expect. And some familar faces from High School make an appearance. Notice I didn’t say Neptune High. Intrigued? Yeah, I thought so. Oh and I know what was in the briefcase, and NO, I don’t think ANYONE would have guessed. But we’ll talk more about Episode 2 next week. Tonight is the important night.

Bottom line. If you like me…even just a little bit, you will honor me by tuning in to The CW tonight at 9/8c for the Season 3 premiere of Veronica Mars. Just give it a chance. If you don’t like it, so be it, but PLEASE just take a look. Come on, have I steered you in the wrong direction before?

And for all you Veronica Mars-addicts reading this. Stop what you are doing, and go into every message board, forum and online community and encourage people to watch the show tonight. This is do or die time. If the ratings aren’t there, our show is gone. It’s as simple as that. No banners, ferris wheels or skywriting will help. Please watch. And then let’s chat about it in the morning!!