‘Veronica Mars’ EP Rob Thomas on the Truth About That Shocking Finale Twist
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Veronica Mars Season 4. Proceed at your own risk.]
Fans of Veronica Mars are still in shock over the fate of Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) that was revealed in the finale of Season 4, available now on Hulu. As those who have seen the eight episodes already know, poor Logan is blown to smithereens in a car bomb explosion.
TV Insider caught up with the show’s creator/executive producer/writer Rob Thomas at the TCA 2019 summer press tour to ask him if Logan is “TV dead” or “most sincerely dead,” if there are plans for a Season 5, and what series star Kristen Bell is really like. Read on to get the scoop!
What could you do on the Hulu version of Veronica Mars that you couldn’t on broadcast television in terms of language and situations?
Rob Thomas: There was a much longer list of words we could use and we made use of all of them. They asked us to say away from the “F” word, which we made a bit of a meal of in the show. I think if we had all the freedom in the world, I wouldn’t change the show’s level of blood or violence. It’s right where I want it to be. Given how much comedy we have, I don’t think we’d do well showing body parts splattering around. We’d occasionally get notes [from executives] asking us not to make something too gory, but we weren’t planning on that anyway.
All eight episodes dropped on the same day. Does that affect storytelling?
It didn’t… I don’t know how I feel about them all dropping on the same day. As a fan of TV, I like it when shows come all out at once. As a writer of a mysteries, it means that some viewers will watch your big reveals all in one day and they will be out there on the Internet quickly. I have mixed feelings. I was excited about them all dropping [on the same day]. There’s a novelty to it, but as a creator of a show I’d worry that the mystery and big turns will get out there.
At first, I thought, “Oh, I won’t ask Rob past Episode 3…” for this interview, but, no, it’s all out there.
It’s all out there.
Are you thinking about doing a Season 5?
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Veronica wrongly believed Logan had bailed on their wedding. Also, he told his therapist, Jane (Mary McDonnell), that he believed she was the “toughest human being he’d ever met” and that, no matter what, Veronica “always picks herself back up.”
Right.
Logan Echolis (Jason Dohring) (Michael Desmond/Hulu)
It helps beg the question as to whether or not Logan might still be alive. After all, Veronica looked away just before the explosion occurred.He is dead. He is. You’re not the first person to point [all this] out to me. I thought it was clear [but] TV has conditioned us to think that if you haven’t seen the body [then the character isn’t dead].
Was Logan correct about Veronica being able to move on?
Yes. You can count on that. If we do get to do a Season 5, I’m sure Logan’s death will still be resonating with her, but ours isn’t a show that would do well if we were bathed in grief. That’s one reason I wanted the ending to [take place] a year after Logan’s death. If we pick it up for a next time, then there’s been time to [grieve]. Our bread and butter has always been snappy dialogue. You can’t do that if everyone is sad.
Logan Echolis (Jason Dohring) and Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) (Michael Desmond/Hulu)
Kristen has a reputation for being so darn nice. What’s it like working with her?
It’s great on a bunch of levels. On a pure talent level, it’s fantastic. When you get to work with terrific actors, they can make good dialogue great. It’s a pleasure to write for her. She’s lovely on set. Having someone who’s No. 1 on the call sheet and who is ready to work sets the tone of the [whole] show.
Any ideas for a story for Season 5?
I keep toying with the idea of an Agatha Christie-ish [story] or a Murder at the Manor: Country House Mysteries, that story of thing. I’m not locked into it, but it’s going to be very mystery-oriented.
Veronica Mars, Season 4, Streaming, Hulu
