Chicago Tribune | The Watcher 2006/05 On tap Tuesday
On to the head-spinning stuff: The “Veronica Mars” (8 p.m., UPN-Ch. 50) season finale is a real twister. And there are twists within the twists, as the show finally resolves the season-long mystery that has occupied the young sleuth of the title and her father.
The episode came with a list as long as your arm of things that reviewers should not mention. So, here’s one thing that can be said: Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring, as the star-crossed friends and sometime lovers at the heart of the show, are the two finest young actors working in television, or any other performing medium, for that matter. yes yes
Dohring in particular has masterfully navigated a tricky part all year; his character, Logan Echolls, could easily be a bitter, one-note quipmeister. But in this episode, and especially in the recent episode “Look Who’s Stalking,” he showed an enormous range of emotions, from romantic yearning to confused regret, often without saying much of anything at all. yes yes
Let’s hear it for another season of “Veronica Mars,” with the same skilled crew in front of and behind the cameras.
CMMTS
-The crazy thing about Dohring is that he misses sometimes. He's nowhere near as consistently good as Bell, and he overshoots sometimes in his acting. But that's why I love him so much--he takes risks. And then he gets better. I'll never forget watching him in the third episode and all of a sudden realizing I couldn't take my eyes off him whenever he was on screen.

Chicago Tribune | The Watcher 2006/04 Page vs. screen: A Logan-Veronica case study : I understand fans' desire to read the scripts of their favorite shows before the episodes air. I have no desire to do that, since I'm personally of the opinion that scripts can't begin to convey what the final product -- the actual footage of a TV show -- can.
Case in point: Tuesday's episode of 'Veronica Mars,' titled 'Look Who's Stalking.'
The party scene between Logan and Veronica and the morning-after scene at Logan's door were probably, on the page, fairly straightforward.
But thanks to the acting skills of Jason Dohring and Kristen Bell, those scenes were, to quote Logan, 'epic.' The emotion and meaning conveyed in their glances, pauses and silences spoke volumes. The words were important, but they were just one part of what made those scenes intense and moving.
Kudos to Rob Thomas and his writing staff for making the vulnerability and sarcasm and smarts of these two so palpable. Logan and Veronica really are a TV couple for the ages. It may not ever work out between them -- since when do tortured couples like this settle down long-term? Oh, let's not talk about that. I just know I'm glued to the screen every time they're together.
There really aren't enough words in my humble vocabulary to do justice to the performances of these actors. So I'll just say that I watched all their "Stalking" scenes three times. And I might just watch them again tonight.
CMMTS
-If those two don't get nominated for an Emmy for those scenes then they might as well cancel the whole awards show. Those scenes were seriously heart breaking.
-I can't really add much to what you've said here, except to say I *agree* -- as Dick would say, "wholeheartedly, and without reservation."
The magic that leaps off the screen whenever Veronica and Logan are in a scene together is something that is very rare and special indeed.
That final scene in this latest VM episode was absolutely heartbreaking V comes to his door the next morning and you are absolutely correct that 95% of the reason is the astounding talents of Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring. Rarely do you find one young actor of this caliber on television, but it's extremely rare to have two young actors of such talent on one show. They were simply magnificent.

Chicago Tribune | The Watcher 2005/10 A chat with Jason Dohring: Did you know, last season, that Logan and Veronica were going to get together?
I’m actually glad, Rob told us about episode six or seven that we would get together. We were like, ‘No way!’ But there was something going on there. We could feel it as actors. It was damn cool -- these characters had some kind of connection. So we had to start to soften it up a little bit and break the ice somewhat. I’m glad he gave us that heads up.