Veronica Mars is an American teen noir mystery drama series that ran from 2004 to 2007. The show follows the story of Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell), a high school student and private investigator in the fictional town of Neptune, California. Over the course of the show's three seasons, Veronica solves various crimes and mysteries, often breaking the law in the process. In the show's finale alone, Veronica commits 16 illegal acts, including taking justice into her own hands, tampering with credit cards, breaking and entering, and carrying a taser. While Veronica's actions are sometimes questionable, they are motivated by her desire to fight for her friends and seek justice for those failed by the corrupt authorities of Neptune.
In addition to her work as a private investigator, Veronica also attends college and law school. However, despite obtaining a law degree, Veronica never appears to use it in the show or subsequent film and spin-offs. This has been a point of contention for some fans, who believe that Veronica could have used her legal knowledge to bring positive change to Neptune.
What You'll Learn
Veronica carries a taser
Veronica Mars, the titular character of the series, is a highly intelligent young woman who moonlights as a private investigator under the guidance of her detective father. She is a former teen detective who, in each episode, solves a different stand-alone case while working to solve a more complex mystery.
Veronica's taser is her signature weapon, and she uses it in moments of danger. She often relies on this small but dangerous weapon to protect herself from the many criminals and corrupt individuals she encounters throughout the series. Her brash and stubborn nature means she is quick to jump into action and attack anyone she perceives as a threat. For example, she once used her taser on a student who punched her friend Wallace during a lunch-hour brawl. She has also used it to escape from trouble, such as when she tried to flee from River Stix. Additionally, she has stunned individuals when she wanted to warn them that she was armed and would defend herself, or simply when she was annoyed at someone.
Veronica sometimes calls her taser "Mr. Sparky" or "Mr. Taser" for amusement. The voltage of her taser doesn't seem to be very high, and it will only keep a victim on the ground for a few minutes, or even seconds. It is also a close-range weapon, which puts her at a range disadvantage. Despite this, she skillfully wields the weapon and uses it frequently throughout the series.
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Veronica bugs Gorey's dorm room
Veronica Mars is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character.
In one episode, Veronica bugs Gorey's dorm room and listens in on his conversations. While this is a key part of being a private investigator, it is almost certainly illegal to listen to private conversations without consent.
Veronica is a highly intelligent young woman who regularly assists her father, Keith Mars, in private investigation work. She often helps out her friends or is hired to help solve minor crimes and scandals. After her best friend Lilly Kane was murdered and her dad lost his job due to accusing Lilly's father, Jake Kane, Veronica became motivated to solve the mystery herself.
In the episode where Veronica bugs Gorey's dorm room, she is investigating the disappearance of Neptune High's mascot, a parrot named Polly. She goes undercover at a rival high school, Pan High, and eventually retrieves Polly and another stolen mascot, Billy, a goat.
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Veronica breaks into Jake Kane's mansion
In the third season of the show, Veronica Mars breaks into Jake Kane's mansion through the doggy door. She also steals the hard drive from his computer and hacks into it with the help of her friend, Mac.
Veronica's reasons for breaking into Jake's mansion are twofold. Firstly, she is seeking justice for her best friend, Lilly Kane, who was murdered. Secondly, she is trying to solve the mystery of her own rape, which took place at an 09er party. Jake Kane is the father of Veronica's ex-boyfriend, Duncan Kane, and Lilly. He is also the inventor of streaming video and one of the most influential men in Neptune, California, through his software company, Kane Software.
Veronica's father, Keith Mars, is a private investigator and former Balboa County Sheriff. Veronica often helps him with his cases and also conducts her own investigations on behalf of schoolmates. In the case of Jake Kane, Veronica's father chooses his daughter over his reputation and job by erasing evidence of her break-in at the mansion.
The break-in and theft of the hard drive are not the only laws that Veronica breaks in the finale. She also carries a taser, bugs Gorey's dorm room, and distributes a video of herself and Piz in a compromising situation. Despite her criminal activities, Veronica's motivation is not to hurt others but to fight for her friends and for justice.
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Veronica hacks into Jake's hard drive
In the series finale of the initial run of the show, Veronica Mars, the titular character, played by Kristen Bell, investigates the origins of a sex tape of her and Stosh "Piz" Piznarski. She discovers that the perpetrators are a secret society at Hearst College known as the Castle, headed by Jake Kane.
Veronica sneaks into the house of Jake Kane, where she steals his hard drive. She then enlists the help of Mack to hack into it. They discover documents, audios, and videos, some dating back to the 1930s, incriminating The Castle members for various ill deeds and illegal activity.
The hard drive is eventually returned to Jake Kane, on the condition that he does not tell Keith, Veronica's father, about the theft.
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Veronica passes on stolen information
Veronica Mars is a highly intelligent young woman who, in the show's finale, passes on stolen information to a secondary source. Veronica is a student who progresses from high school to college while moonlighting as a private investigator under the guidance of her detective father.
In the finale, Veronica passes on a list of names of all the people who have been members of Hearst's version of Skull and Bones, called The Castle. This list likely includes powerful, rich, and well-connected people. Veronica stole this information and passed it on to a newspaper editor, knowing it would be published. This is a cybercrime.
Veronica's actions in the finale are just one example of how she and her friends regularly break the law in the show. Veronica has a shadier moral compass than the average female TV lead, but she uses it to help save and protect people whom the corrupt authorities of Neptune have failed. She is smart, ferocious, and knows how to exploit and evade the law for the better.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Veronica Mars breaks the law. In the finale alone, she commits at least 16 crimes, including taking justice into her own hands, committing credit card fraud, carrying a taser, and bugging someone's dorm room.
Veronica Mars breaks the law for the greater good. She uses her criminal activities to fight for her friends and for justice, often against the corrupt authorities of Neptune who have failed its people.
Although Veronica Mars breaks the law frequently, she doesn't always get caught. However, there are times when she faces consequences for her actions, such as when she is attacked by Weevil's biker gang or when her mother leaves town after finding out about Veronica's illegal activities.
In the 2014 movie, Veronica Mars is offered a job at a prestigious law firm in New York City. However, she ends up returning to her hometown of Neptune and taking over her father's private investigation business instead. It is unclear if she ever practised law.