Hulu Originals’ Veronica Mars: What does the season four finale mean for the future?

The season four finale of Veronica Mars dropped a bombshell on fans. How will this affect the future of the show?

Those of us who’ve watched the season four finale of Veronica Mars know that a major character made a permanent departure from the show. The character in question wasn’t integral to the plot but the loss will surely be felt in any future follow-ups.

Warning! Spoilers for Veronica Mars Season 4 follow. Read on at your own discretion.

As we mentioned before, a pivotal character on the Veronica Mars team was axed during the climax of season four. Logan (Jason Dohring) wound up getting into a car after the Neptune Bomber placed an explosive in the vehicle — one intended for Veronica (Kristen Bell). Unfortunately, her longtime love took the proverbial bullet for her.

In any case, had it not been for Logan’s intervention, the show truly would’ve ended with Veronica’s death. But since that isn’t the case, the show can go on.

The finale concluded with our lead going back to her routine investigations but that doesn’t mean Veronica won’t require some time to cope with the loss. Logan made his recurring meetings with a therapist well-known and his widow may need to seek similar assistance in the future. She’s relied solely on her father for help but Veronica will more than likely need professional help to process the trauma.

The good news is that the one-year-ahead flashforward shows Veronica Mars is back to work. She’s become terribly cynical since Logan’s departure, though the titular star has always had a complex perspective on life so this development isn’t at all surprising.

What did shock us was the sudden shift to Neptune’s network of businesses. Veronica’s closing monologue goes over how the city has been gentrified for the extremely wealthy, and the allure of Spring Break has dwindled down to nothing. The constant fear of another Neptune Bomber lurking in the shadows has made the small town an even less appealing vacation destination for tourists.

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Fortunately, Veronica has her sights set on greener pastures. Her final monologue is revealed to be a conversation with a therapist, presumably taken at the behest of her dearly departed husband.

In it, Veronica explains that since the documentary on her and the Neptune Bomber case came out, she’s received tons of requests from clients around the country. Veronica goes on to say she’s headed out of town, meaning her adventures could go just about anywhere next.

The sad thing is the finale concluded with a farewell message from Logan that only deepened her sorrow. Veronica seemed at peace with his untimely demise until she listened to the audio recording which revealed his intent to start a family with her. The investigator sheds a tear upon listening to Logan’s declaration, knowing that she’ll never have the chance to do any of those things with him.

What we’re looking at is the glaring problem of post-traumatic stress now on the table. Regardless of how resilient Veronica is, she’s still susceptible to the pressures of grief — and she just lost one of the most important people in her life. That could prevent her from efficiently performing her job.

Think about it. If Veronica can’t focus because she’s thinking about Logan’s death, then she could miss a glaring clue that winds up getting someone killed. Furthermore, she’s in a precarious situation now with this grief weighing on her.

Because of that factor, it doesn’t seem like Veronica is ready to get back to work just yet. The show’s writer Rob Thomas explained his motives for killing off Logan while speaking to Entertainment Weekly, though he’s ignored the fact that Veronica is a human being.

Veronica Mars is supposed to be this hardened investigator who can withstand just about anything thrown at her, but her mind is affected by the environment like everyone else’s. She’s not a superhuman who can ignore trauma and grief, she’ll have to take the time to properly recover.

Speculative points aside, the series has yet to be renewed for a fifth season so that might not come to pass in any case. It’s not surprising when we consider how season four only just debuted, of course, the ending seems to suggest Rob Thomas plan on developing more episodes.

What did you think of the Veronica Mars’ Season Four finale? Let us know in the comments section below.

Veronica Mars Season Four is currently streaming on Hulu. For more on this Hulu Original, follow us on the Hulu Watcher Twitter Account @HuluWatcherFS or on the Hulu Watcher Facebook Page.

(Source: Entertainment Weekly)