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dangermousieI was thinking about Veronica while walking to work today. Specifically, about her "normal" phase. I could, under other circumstances, buy her happily going back to normal (though she is doing more and more PIing and Duncan's normalcy is a matter of dispute). I mean, you could argue that the "basic" Veronica, the core Veronica was the shy, quiet one before, the one who didn't want to rock the boat. After all, she's been like that for most of her life, and she's been kick-ass Veronica only for over a year. And people go through phases where they are basically not like them but ultimately snap back: I was desperately shy for a few years in high school, though I've never been shy before or since (or in VM terms, it's indicated that Logan was an OPJ as a reaction against Lilly's death and he seemed to be softening back remarkably by the end of Season 1 before the fun of murder accusations and beat up on the bridge pulled him back).
So I could buy that the ballsy Veronica was a temporary phase and she is happy and content returning back to her coccoon (that is clearly what Veronica herself thinks). Except there is a problem with that. Once you learn certain things you can't unlearn them, and they change you and they change your obligations, as Veronica is slowly finding out. Me being shy or brassy? Both behaviors that can be flipped. But if (e.g.) I got ostracized and despised because I was shy/brassy (or became shy/brassy because of it) and acquired a whole new set of skills, and learned about fickleness and darkness and secrets, then, even if I went back to from brassy to shy or vice versa, I could not unlearn what I knew and it would change me fundamentally as a person.
And this is where her PIing skills come it. Basically, if Veronica didn't know and couldn't do anything it's one thing. But now she is not in that position. To create a hypothetical situation: If Veronica 1.0's boyfriend stuff was stolen and she didn't help to get it back? Of course. How would she know anything about doing that? She'd be nice and sympathetic, but that's all she could do. But if now Veronica's boyfriend's stuff got stolen and she did nothing about it, that's a whol other matter, now that she has the know-how and the skills. That's wilfully being unhelpful. If Logan gets reaccused of Felix's murder, this Veronica is obligated to help him, because she knows how and he is a friend of hers. So any time anything questionable happens to her friends/family/bf, Veronica does not have the luxury of standing idle any more. Because she is actually in a position to do something about it. And that's a fundamental, huge change.
And of course, it ties with the fact that Veronica 1.0 was all about surfaces, appearances, taking everything at face value (ties with naivete). You tell her something or something is a consensus and she'd believe and not dig deeper (Duncan is BMOC, Lilly is a good friend, ditching Yolanda is fine, 09ers are cool people, whatever). But the harder-edged Veronica knows a lot of it is a front (Duncan is troubled and sick in S1, Lilly had some unsavory stuff going on, 09ers are fickle bastards, what she did to Yolanda was wrong etc) and there is something completely different underneath so she digs (though she still has a tendency to jump to conclusions). And the thing is, that knowledge can't be unlearned. Veronica can't go back to the shiny happy place of ignorance again. It's actually examplified by her choice of boyfriends during her phases: Duncan is all good surfaces (good-looking "nice" class president who makes a good proper boyfriend) but is a really problematic, messed-up guy underneath (not sharing anything meaningful (re: Meg), withholding sex, shutting down etc). Logan is the inverse opposite: all his flaws are right there on the surface for everyone to see (and he does have a good number) and you actually have to dig underneath the appearances to discover a very sweet, very loving, if troubled boy.
So Veronica can't go back. And I hope she realizes it soon. Because I want the bold-as-brass Veronica back on my screen.
x-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
veronica_mars
So I could buy that the ballsy Veronica was a temporary phase and she is happy and content returning back to her coccoon (that is clearly what Veronica herself thinks). Except there is a problem with that. Once you learn certain things you can't unlearn them, and they change you and they change your obligations, as Veronica is slowly finding out. Me being shy or brassy? Both behaviors that can be flipped. But if (e.g.) I got ostracized and despised because I was shy/brassy (or became shy/brassy because of it) and acquired a whole new set of skills, and learned about fickleness and darkness and secrets, then, even if I went back to from brassy to shy or vice versa, I could not unlearn what I knew and it would change me fundamentally as a person.
And this is where her PIing skills come it. Basically, if Veronica didn't know and couldn't do anything it's one thing. But now she is not in that position. To create a hypothetical situation: If Veronica 1.0's boyfriend stuff was stolen and she didn't help to get it back? Of course. How would she know anything about doing that? She'd be nice and sympathetic, but that's all she could do. But if now Veronica's boyfriend's stuff got stolen and she did nothing about it, that's a whol other matter, now that she has the know-how and the skills. That's wilfully being unhelpful. If Logan gets reaccused of Felix's murder, this Veronica is obligated to help him, because she knows how and he is a friend of hers. So any time anything questionable happens to her friends/family/bf, Veronica does not have the luxury of standing idle any more. Because she is actually in a position to do something about it. And that's a fundamental, huge change.
And of course, it ties with the fact that Veronica 1.0 was all about surfaces, appearances, taking everything at face value (ties with naivete). You tell her something or something is a consensus and she'd believe and not dig deeper (Duncan is BMOC, Lilly is a good friend, ditching Yolanda is fine, 09ers are cool people, whatever). But the harder-edged Veronica knows a lot of it is a front (Duncan is troubled and sick in S1, Lilly had some unsavory stuff going on, 09ers are fickle bastards, what she did to Yolanda was wrong etc) and there is something completely different underneath so she digs (though she still has a tendency to jump to conclusions). And the thing is, that knowledge can't be unlearned. Veronica can't go back to the shiny happy place of ignorance again. It's actually examplified by her choice of boyfriends during her phases: Duncan is all good surfaces (good-looking "nice" class president who makes a good proper boyfriend) but is a really problematic, messed-up guy underneath (not sharing anything meaningful (re: Meg), withholding sex, shutting down etc). Logan is the inverse opposite: all his flaws are right there on the surface for everyone to see (and he does have a good number) and you actually have to dig underneath the appearances to discover a very sweet, very loving, if troubled boy.
So Veronica can't go back. And I hope she realizes it soon. Because I want the bold-as-brass Veronica back on my screen.
x-posted to
veronica_mars
