Episode Report Card Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT "'Veronica Mars' Just Rolls Off The Tongue"
By Couch Baron | Season 1 | Episode 15 | Aired on 03.08.2005
CB: Recently, the show has experimented with a couple scenes in which the editing was kind of...jumpy, for example, the karaoke scene in "Clash Of The Tritons." What did you think of the finished product there? RT: I read all the complaints on the boards about the karaoke scene, and I understand them -- it did seem to break style, and probably if we did it all over again, I wouldn't do it that way. I think it somehow pissed off the audience. Part of it was cutting a three-minute performance into fifty seconds, and having nine different angles and wanting to use them. But I guess it was the quick cutting that really bothered people. I don't think it was a stylistic choice as much as it kind of felt fun and energetic in that moment, but given the reaction, I would hesitate to do it again. CB: Speaking of the karaoke scene, I know it's been done, but...musical episode? Is that anything you'd consider, or is that strictly shark and motorcycle territory? RT: Here's the thing: Kristen is the only singer we have. So that will prevent us from doing a musical episode. But when we do jump the shark, our plan is the Clue episode. Now you know. CB: A bit about Veronica's character. As personable as she is, she definitely dances on an ethical slippery slope quite often. Do you worry at all about making her unsympathetic? Is that a place you'd be willing to go? RT: I worry a great deal more about making her soft. I mean, I'm so on the other side of the fence on that -- I worry more about her becoming cute and lovable, bordering-on-popular Veronica Mars, and everybody loves her -- that will make me nervous. The funny thing about what private eyes do -- there's a lot of talk on the boards about how wrong it was that Veronica broke in and stole Duncan's medical files. But that's what private eyes do -- they invade privacy. People are asking if she'll get her comeuppance, and maybe, but there's no great plan for that. I want to keep her edgy, and something that I like about the network is that they haven't made her a good girl. I remember pitching story ideas on Dawson's Creek, and it was always, "Oh, no, then people won't like Katie Holmes." CB: Wow, and I couldn't have hated her more as it was. [Rob laughs.] And speaking of whom, what's with everyone using Veronica's first and last names? RT: Ah! I'm so glad you asked that question!