Must Be Tuesday: Veronica Mars Reviews

17:20-17:45 MAJOR DOLLHOUSE SPOILERS. This week Alli and Mary talk streaming services and bitch about Hulu's business model. Let us know your thoughts on the following: is Niska is supposed to play as Russian or German? What are your theories about what Book's backstory was supposed to be vs. the eventual comics? In the first episode, Wash takes a Xander-esque turn this week with a whiny snoozer of a storyline. Luckily, the rest of the ep is pretty fun. Then, Saffron returns for another heist. But more importantly: WHERE IS OUR FUTURISTIC TECH? OUR ROBOTS? OUR SOCIAL PROGRESS? Unbelievable. 

This week on Firefly, we get insight into everyone's first interaction with and impression of the good ship Serenity. Mal captains his little heart out and manages, despite all odds, to scare off a large group of killer scavengers. In Ariel we get the world's easiest heist, only put into danger by Jayne's Big Bad Betrayal of Simon and River. Don't worry, everyone's ok in the end. Subject for discussion this week: comparing Firefly's plot-heavy nature to Buffy and Veronica Mars' character-based concepts.

We get into the particulars of two A+ episodes of Joss Whedon's Firefly this week, which bring us questions such as: just how dim is Mal, exactly, when it comes to Inara's feelings for him? If the mudders are all slaves, how come they have great dental care? How deep is Shepard Book's commitment to being a Debbie Downer? Should Mary get a perm? That has less to do with Firefly, but it is a big question. 

This week we grab a martini and a beer to talk a couple of great Firefly episodes: Shindig and Safe. Inara gets the focus in the first episode, which brings up some issues with the concept of companions in the show: if they are so respected, why are customers always treating Inara like property? Then, in Safe, Simon and River are kidnapped by a town in need of a doctor which actually seems to work out ok until River outs herself as a weirdo and is nearly burned at the stake. So close!

This week Alli and Mary discuss Firefly's sad lack of robots, whether The Train Job works better as an opening episode and how much of a through line there is between the concept of browncoats and the confederacy. Both the Train Job and Bushwhacked explore Mal's character in depth: a guy who will break the law, but has a strict moral code; a captain who will do his own dirty work; a dude who knows how to get shit done. We also learn a bit more about reavers and the big bad alliance. Cheers!

Welcome to the new season of Must Be Tuesday! We're starting off Joss Whedon's Firefly with the exposition heavy pilot. We learn almost everything there is to know about the 'verse, the crew and the bad-guy alliance central government. If that wasn't enough, we're introduced to enough catchphrases and linguistic quirks to fill far more than the mere 14 episodes and one movie that make up Firefly's canon. Grab a beer and join us--cheers! 

This week we grab a Spotted Cow and discuss the long-awaited Veronica Mars movie, a project that led the way of Kickstarter and fan-backed revivals (see also: Arrested Development). The movie leaves us debating if Veronica is really better off back in Neptune and, honestly, if Neptune is better off with her in it. Overall, it's funny, engaging and well worth the wait.  Next up for Must Be Tuesday: a short break, and we will be returning with Firefly, Dollhouse and iZombie! We're pumped and we hope you stick with us. Cheers!

In the blink of an eye, we've reached the end of (the TV version of) Veronica Mars. We're back season one-fighting form this week, with a vengeful and in over her head Veronica, a wrathful Logan, a morally dubious Keith and assorted Neptune regulars joining the fray and helping out. It's a bittersweet ending that sets up for a season four that never was, but you have to ask--if it had been like most of season three would it even be worth it?

We learn yet another valuable lesson in episode one, which oddly combines CW Relationship Drama (TM) and a mystery about child soldiers. Sooo, there's that. However, episode two snaps us right back into place with a Weevil-centric mystery that helps set up for the next season that never was. Join us to start enjoying Veronica Mars again right before it's snatched away. Cheers!

This week on Must Be Tuesday, we discuss the serious, interminable downturn in the episode quality post-Dean murder mystery. Guys, Paul Rudd shows up and these episodes STILL blow. All of our beloved characters are replaced by their pod-CW counterparts, full of angst, teen drama and handholding. It's a calmer, tamer, sweeter Veronica Mars. Bleh.

A couple of real season highlights in this week's episodes! We find Veronica finally behind bars, a payoff that was worth 2.5 seasons of wait. Logan also suddenly develops a likable personality? Then in episode two, it's all dean mystery all the time! Finally we get some solid (ish) detective work from Sheriff Mars and even a bit from V herself. A brief glimpse into the Veronica Mars of yore! 

FULL EP UP AND FIXED!! Sorry for the mix up   Logan and Veronica break up again, for real, we swear, this time. Logan deals with that by hanging out with a heart-eyed kid, and Veronica deals with it by getting involved in a basketball murder mystery. Keith continues on in more interesting plots as he investigates the dean's murder. Also, Dick has an amusing runner of getting married and Veronica ends up in the clink. Last chance to hit us up with your thoughts on our next show! We'd love to hear from you: mustbetuesdaypodcast@gmail.com or @mbtpodcast on twitter. Fringe? Gilmore Girls? iZombie? Firefly?

The Veronica/Logan merry-go-round continues its cycle this week, as they manage to get back together and screw it up in a single Must Be Tuesday podcast ep! A new record. For a long semi-philosophical discussion of the L/V relationship, see the last 30 min of the podcast ep.  In other, more fun news, Mac/Parker/V team up to find an escaped research monkey, Mac finds herself a new boytoy, and Keith finally gets a plotline in the dean murder case. Hurrah! Grab a drink and cheers to that. Again, hit us up with any opinions on our next show! Fringe? Gilmore Girls? iZombie? 

We wrap up the first season one extended mystery: it was the guy who was creepy all along! And his friend, Mr. Need-For-The-Plot! Anyway, we load a sufficient amount of guilt onto Logan this week as he (rightly) breaks up with Veronica right before she's assaulted by his buddy. Logan and Veronica continue their quest to be the world's most relatable college couple, Team Friends does an amazing job helping V out at a party and... Patty Hearst shows up? Truly the strangest cameo appearance of all time, especially given her plot.  Also, we begin to discuss what we'll be watching next for the podcast, so please hit us up if you have any suggestions/thoughts!

Alli and Mary grab a Negroni and a beer respectively to chat this week's Veronica Mars episodes. Disappointment is the name of the game: we have a fake rape victim, Logan running off from a burning building, and Keith and Veronica's fave prof having affairs with a married woman. Of course, Veronica learns a Very Valuable Lesson about trusting the people who mean the most to you and also to forgive, but if I was a betting woman I'd say that's gonna stick as well as dried sticky tack. Cheers!

Veronica Mars experiences some CW-style growing pains for these two episodes, but we suppose not every ep can be a big winner. We chat one of the major season bummers: Veronica and Keith are not so great at their detective work anymore. Keith spends his time getting led around by the nose while Veronica's lot in life seems to be being inexplicably hated by everyone. Meanwhile, Logan is a hothead and Weevil is arrested AGAIN. Oh and Wallace sucks at school now, but don't expect us to care too much as the show sure doesn't. 

Trigger warning: this episode and those for the foreseeable future has frank discussion of rape.  We have a couple of light-touch mysteries this week on Veronica Mars, which seems to be a bit of foreshadowing for how season three will play out. Veronica is back to her old tricks of making enemies, Weevil struggles to find work as an ex-con, Logan & Veronica negotiate an adult relationship, and there's a truly unfortunate plot regarding rape and feminism. Oh yeah, and Keith is there. Remember when he was important to the plot?   

We say goodbye to UPN and hello to the newborn CW network for Veronica Mars season 3! Alli and Mary grab a beer and talk our brand new characters (Buffy's Riley-equivalent Piz & poor peppy Parker), our old characters' new attitudes (puppy dog Logan and bratty Veronica), and dropped plotlines galore (bye Kendall!). Pour one out for Veronica's poor LeBaron, she is no more. Cheers!

It's Veronica Mars season two finale time here at Must Be Tuesday! We celebrate Mary's correct guess at the season big bad: Beaver "My Name is Cassidy" Casablancas. Lots of bad dudes get their comeuppance, with Duncan taking out Aaron Echolls, Keith arresting Woody, and Cassidy, well, taking out himself. It's non-stop movement as Veronica figures out the mystery about a third of the way in and it just ramps up from there. Weevil gets screwed, Wallace and Jackie exist, and Logan gets to play the hero. Cheers!

We have special guest Sarah on this week to help us talk about the penultimate episode of season two: Happy Go Lucky. We chat what a bummer it was that Veronica Mars and Buffy were underrated, Alli rants about Star Trek (sorry!) and what makes a person a Logan fan. Then we get into the show proper, where we discuss Aaron Echolls going free, Woody Goodman being a huge creepazoid and a fun Weevil/Mac/Beav school side-plot.