As much as I love Veronica Mars, and have wished and hoped for a 4th season, I'm not sure I'd quite enjoy what they've proposed for the show. stare

For those of you who don't already know, if you purchased the 3rd season box set, the final disk contains a 12 minute presentation of the 4th season pilot. (Accompanied by a 20 minute explaination which is just the same featurette spliced by the director's commentary)

Rather than a continuation of the current story line, they've chosen to pitch a new season that jumps into Veronica's mid 20's as she starts her first day at the FBI.
On the upside, Veronica is still her witty, charming self.
On the downside, the entire supporting cast does not appear to be involved. (No more Logan?!? D: )


As the featurette opens, Veronica is sitting in a man's office as he goes over her criminal file. He brings up her daughter.
Cut to Veronica as she walks into headquarters for her first day as an official FBI agent, she attends a briefing on current events, in which she basically narrates her relationship with the new cast members, the over achieving "rival" Cali, the ex-boyfriend Seth, the way her co-workers treat her...ect. Two cases are presented in which they need someone to go undercover, one being a strip club, the other a reform school. Veronica ends up with the high school job, explaining her current situation.
Back in the office, the man unzips his pants and offers Veronica time off her sentence should she chose to perform sexual acts upon him. Her partner in the car tells her she has him and to get out of the situation, however when she tries to leave the man slams her back down into her seat. She blows her cover announcing that she's FBI and tries to place him under arrest. The man runs and Veronica gives chase.
Back at headquarters, Veronica tires to make peace with Seth, establishing that they were in a rather complicated serious relationship last summer, and that she had hurt him in some way. He shrugs it off saying she wasn't as important to him as she might have thought.
Later that night Veronica is on a stake out for a bomber. She mentions to her partner how aware she is of his disappointment at getting stuck with "Barbie". Her sarcasm goes right over his head, and he explains to her how he's thinks the bomber's profile is wrong, and the man they're stalking is was killed by the actual bomber.
The next day, her boss asks her why she didn't show up for drinks the night before, he says he told one of the other newbies to inform her. She assumes it was Cali.
Later she's checking out a lead on the bomber with Cali. She asks why she wasn't invited to drinks and Cali says it was Seth who was supposed to invite her. Then Veronica sees several ships in bottles on the shelf. She remembers how her partner profiled the bomber and suspects the lead they are checking is actually the bomber himself. She investigates a closet behind her, then calls to Cali, who screams. She pulls her gun and leaves the closet, and finds the bomber holding Cali with a knife to her throat, demanding Veronica drop the gun.

The commentary mentions that the presentation took 12 days from conception to finish. Rob Thomas says that they had planned for Veronica to be part of the FBI should the show have come to a 7th or 8th season. However, they jumped ahead into the future in order to pitch something fresh and new to the network, saying that if America doesn't want Veronica the teen detective, maybe they'd be more interested in Veronica the FBI agent. They also go on to talk about how they've changed the color schemes of the show to more "cool" tones and went for a total 360 in order to show that they can change everything and make VM something new.


Don't get me wrong. I would probably watch it if it ever came to light, however the whole thing just seemed pretty...sell out-ish to me.

They said in the commentary something about the fan's reaction to the show being what brought about the total change. I don't remember any fans saying they didn't like the show? Except maybe when the CW made them change the show's format to fit their new viewers. So in that sense it's kind of disappointing.
Also, why start an entirely new story arch at the end of season 3, leave it at a cliff hanger and then leap 5 years into the future?