Book Review: Neptune Noir: Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars Edited by Rob Thomas

The world today moves faster than it ever has before.  Television shows have fanbases that rapidly rise and fall with the tide.  Incredibly vocal minorities decry the loss of characters, plotlines, and shows, all the while voraciously consuming everything written about the programs and hoping against hope that their pet show will become the next Lost (before the fall).  And, there is always someone willing to step up and explain why these fans are right, why the show they love is great and brilliant, witty and wise. 

For Veronica Mars fans that void has been filled with Neptune Noir:  Unauthorized Investigations Into Veronica Mars, edited by Rob Thomas (creator and executive producer of the show).  I am in no way saying that Veronica Mars, or any other show, is unworthy of such treatment, only that such treatment seems to be becoming more and more prevalent.  In any case, Neptune Noir includes 18 different essays, plus an introduction to the book by Rob Thomas, and a few paragraphs by Rob preceding each essay. 

The essays focus on the exact areas one would think:  girl power, class, racism, parental relationships, friendships, high school, noir, and story structure.  While individually many of them are well-written, they tend to cover the same ground over and over, using the same episodes of the series to support their opinions.  The essays all seem to come from the time between the end of the second and start of the third season (with Rob’s comments coming during the filming of the third season), so there really isn’t all that much material to work with (less than 50 episodes), and it shows.

By a large margin, the most interesting parts of the book are Rob Thomas’s introductions.  He is quite clear in them about what his intents were when creating certain scenes and story arcs and what the “happy accidents” were.  These introductions are the beginning point of a fascinating dialogue between author and producer, fan and creator.  Were it to be expanded (letters back and forth, transcripts of conversations between author and producer, etc.) it would make for an even more fascinating experience.  Even so, as it exists it is a wonderful highlight to Neptune Noir.

One of the best essays, perhaps for it being completely different than all the others, is Lawrence Walt-Evans’s “I’m in Love with My Car:  Automotive Symbolism on Veronica Mars.”  Walt-Evans takes a close look at the different type of vehicles that all the characters on the show drive (and they do all drive) and then applies those cars to the personality traits the characters exhibit.  His argument is that this show is the one show on television where every vehicle choice is thought out and defined and an extension of the character’s personality. 

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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