Veronica Mars has its third season premiere tonight, and shadowy figures of immense charm and persuasive grace have reminded me to tell all you to watch. I got hooked on VM last season, after my friend Chris Hayes wrote an article explicating the show's explorations of class conflict. As he put it:
Progressives have an annoying habit when it comes to pop culture. Anytime they fall for a particular TV show, movie or Top 40 hit, they proceed to spend inordinate amounts of time and mental energy convincing themselves that while most of what the corporate media produces is reactionary crap, this particular product is actually subversive, laced with a cutting critique of capitalism, patriarchy or the Bush administration.
I mention this only because I'm about to do the exact same thing. But of course, in this case, it's really, really true: My current television obsession, UPN's “Veronica Mars”, is the single most compelling exploration of class anxiety and class friction on the little or big screen today.
And believe him: Save for the Wire, it really, really is true. If Karl Marx had written Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars would be the result. Also, it's fantastically entertaining. The premier is tonight at 9/8c on the CW, and the show, which the CW only ordered half a season of, is in danger of being axed. So tune in. Do it for Marx.
