Veronica's a high school junior and he's a Cop. Even though she uses him, it still feels a bit off.

Yes, this. Squicked me a bit, too.

I get a little bit of House's vibe ("Everybody lies") off the show -- no one has a strong moral compass. Not quite the same as the gender issue, I know, but while the male characters may have gotten more play this season, none of them (aside from maybe Wallace, and Keith, to a degree) are less gray. Which I think was already said, but I'm trying to feel my way through this. Without a lot of luck, so far.

Wallace is the nearest thing the show has to a moral compass, although he doesn't come out pristine, as he's a willing accomplice to a lot of Veronica's more shady activities, esp. the student files.

I think a large part of why I'm not bothered more by the ethical misdeeds on the show is that, unlike on Buffy, where there was Right and Wrong in capital letters (not to say there wasn't moral graying on Buffy by any means), the sensibilities of Veronica Mars lie squarely in the noir territory, in which corruption is practically a default.

Good point. All the authorities we've seen are genuinely corrupt -- the Vice Principal, the new Sheriff, and most of all the head of Evil Incorporated.

Whoo, VM thread!

I had responses to some of the earlier posts, but people have already said what I would have, so, um, yeah...yay new thread!

Isn't Leo supposed to be a mere 22? 17-22 isn't a big squicky stretch for me.

Per Weapons of Class Destruction (which I just watched last night) the age difference was... twenty-six months? Something like that.

Per Weapons of Class Destruction (which I just watched last night) the age difference was... twenty-six months? Something like that.

Which involves a whole 'nother level of hand-waviness. Veronica is a junior, which makes her around 17 y.o. It's highly improbable that a 19 y.o. can be a deputy sheriff.

Well, I just did a quick google search and a lot of places want a minimum age of 21, but there are some counties in CA that will take 18 and up.

That said, most law enforcement outfits aren't going to hire someone fresh out of highschool unless they're really impressive and mature.

It's highly improbable that a 19 y.o. can be a deputy sheriff.

Especially since he's dropped a couple of comments about college, I think.

Also? Wanting to study her bedroom ceiling is SUCH an icky pickup line. Although she did call him on that.

Veronica needing to be saved in the finale by her father didn't bother me too much because it flows naturally from prior events. One of Veronica's flaws is that she underestimates smart adults. She underestimates her dad and gets a face full of ink (one of my favorite moments on the show), underestimates Clarence Wiedman and loses ground on the case (and is lucky it's not worse. I'm not convinced he's a bad guy). She underestimates Aaron Echolls and nearly gets killed. I think that my main gender issue is that she never tangles and loses to a smart female adult. As long as the 'Veronica Mars, damsel in distress' remains a rare occurence, especially if she actually learns something from it, I'm ok with it.

I also don't mind Veronica's less-than-ethical behavior. There's no way she could see her actions as being more than slightly shady, and no way she could be convinced that the ends don't justify the means. Her best available role model is her father, and he invades people's privacy for a living. Given the way she nearly hero-worships him, it would be fairly unrealistic for her to have what we would consider a healthy ethical code.