Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
Neptune is in trouble once again and private investigator Veronica Mars is back on the case.
It’s been 15 years since UPN introduced us to the quippy, murder-solving teenager. And while the titular character is no longer a teen, and the show has moved to Hulu, Veronica Mars continues to chronicle the life of a young woman out to crack down on crime, woo men and keep her father’s life straight…sometimes all in one day.
Much like her high-school self, Veronica has a certain penchant for solving cases. Using her quick wit and handy Taser, she brings down the bad guys (sometimes literally) every time. Sadly, Veronica’s actions—sabotage, lying, revenge—can be as corrupt as the social evils she’s out to thwart.
Her relationship with her dad, Keith Mars, is still refreshingly close-knit. But unfortunately, pops still tries to protect his daughter by keeping secrets from her. (She’s a PI for crying out loud! She’s going to figure it out eventually, Keith.)
Logan Echolls returns as Veronica’s longtime beau. He’s now a decorated Naval intelligence officer, as the 2014 Veronica Mars movie revealed, and has probably gone through the greatest personal growth of any character on the show. Gone is the angry, philandering party boy of the past. Logan has taken responsibility for his behaviors, sought therapy (which Veronica scoffs at), and wants to settle down and start a family with Veronica¬–if she can stop sleuthing long enough to realize how much she loves him.
Back in the day, Veronica Mars garnered a TV-14 rating, but how it justifies that rating for the reboot is beyond me. Neptune has never been short of drugs, sex, or violence, but Season Four takes a much more graphic take on the content, covering it up with clever camera angles and a pro-feminist agenda.
Unlike the 2014 movie, the show does manage to steer clear of the f-bomb due to a bet between Veronica and Keith to see who can go the longest without dropping it; however, it’s substituted with the word “cuss” and used in the exact same context—a clever ruse on the part of the creators.
In earlier seasons, the show’s dialogue was often insensitive to the realities of sexual assault. Veronica would even make light of these tragedies, despite being a victim of rape herself. In the latest season, these jokes are reserved for antagonistic people, showing that sexual assault is no joke.
Given the harsh content throughout all four seasons, it’s no mystery why some viewers avoid following Veronica’s trail of clues. Though this heroine enjoys predictable success in her quest to clean up the town, families would be better served if writers would clean up the show. Case closed.
According to Veronica, kids only flock to Neptune during spring break to “get loose, get lit, and get laid.” That is, until a local party joint gets bombed and four people die. Luckily, Mars Investigations is on the case.
When Logan returns from active duty, Veronica meets him on the beach, where she catches two young women admiring him. (He is only wearing a pair of very short swimming trunks). She then teases the girls by pretending to negotiate with Logan to move her fridge in exchange for sex—with the conversation including some very graphic references. As they return to her beach house, she tells him that she’s going to “cuss his brains out.” [A bet between Veronica and Keith keeps them from using the f-word.] Once home, they engage in intercourse: They remove all their clothes (critical anatomical parts are covered up by camera positioning), and we see sexual movements and suggestive facial expressions. Moaning is also heard.
A woman uses a webcam to spy on and (by setting off an alarm remotely) interrupt her ex-husband’s attempts to have sex with his new wife (the couple is seen fully clothed but in a compromising position). Spring breakers are seen in bathing suits (men are shirtless, women are in bikinis), and there is a prolonged shot of a woman’s rear end in a pool (only partially covered by her swimsuit). A young man puts an unconscious woman’s hand and head in his lap for a photograph. A woman is given a crude, suggestive nickname after performing yoga in her bathing suit.
Sex and male genitalia are described in a variety of ways. We hear references to castration and sexual positions. A used condom is seen as an example of how gross the public beaches are becoming. A character’s nickname is used as a euphemism for male anatomy. A nightclub sports a sexually suggestive slogan. Men and women are both objectified and we hear references to “gentlemen callers,” a “child bride,” and a “meat-lover.” Veronica also mentions how she has exposed many “enthusiastic acts of adultery.”
The f-word is substituted with the word “cuss” at least a dozen times, and the acronym “AF” is used once. The s-word is used 14 times (three of which are English subtitles). “Bulls—” and “d–mit” are each used once. “A–hole” is said three times, once as an English subtitle, and “a–” is said twice. “B–ch” is said three times and “hell” another three (once as a subtitle). God’s name is misused four times, including one pairing with “d–mit.” Jesus’s name is also misused once and there is a reference to a “Bible for douchebags.” Veronica also says that God must hate her when she is caught by a guard dog.
Two men are seen covered in blood as they drive through the streets of Mexico. A third man is trapped in the trunk of their car. Police allow them to pass through a blockade after they mention that they work for “El Despiadado,” a drug lord. Once they reach their destination, they pull the man out of the trunk (one of the men is holding a machete). After he tries to escape, they shoot him in the head. Later on, the head of the younger of these two men is thrown at his counterpart.
A girl witnesses her dad’s hotel lobby being blown up with her dad inside. He and three other people are killed in the explosion. A club owner dons a pair of “sap” gloves (essentially brass knuckles) before punching a patron in the eye and breaking his phone for attempting to assault a young woman. Logan has a particularly bad bruise on his shoulder and is evasive about how he got it, describing a scene from a Mission Impossible movie instead of divulging the truth. A woman talks about her wish to garrote her ex-husband and stab him in the face.
Alcohol is consumed in great quantities by multiple people, including possibly underage students on spring break. Keith is on several medications (something he doesn’t seem too pleased about) and is prescribed another medication (Razadyne) when he tells his doctor that his memory has been slipping. A man mentions that the hospital gave him Vicodin for pain.
Veronica and Keith realize that the Neptune bomber isn’t just one person, but two—and it’s the second, copycat bomber that they’re worried about since he plans to strike again. The clock is ticking as they risk their lives and livelihoods to solve the case before anyone else gets hurt.
A man is beheaded with a Samurai sword and one of his killers is seen holding his head, which is dripping with blood. Don, the man they think is the copycat bomber, is discovered by Veronica and Penn, a murder-solving enthusiast, in an abandoned building with an apparent suicide note and gunshot wound to the head. Keith forces Penn to disarm the bomb while Veronica evacuates the area. Right as the timer hits zero, Veronica shuts her eyes and the screen goes black. When it comes back up, she opens her eyes and sees that Penn succeeded and her father is alive. Another bomb goes off, killing at least one person (off screen) and knocking others back. Someone dies in a flaming tent. We hear that a character was nearly drowned by Spring Breakers a few years before.
Veronica jumps into Logan’s arms and he tosses her on the bed before kissing her. Women’s undergarments are mentioned. A teenage girl wears a belly-baring shirt. Penn makes a reference to “smoking da ganja” and then mentions how easy it used to be to attain weed with a dispensary on every corner. A character mentions putting the “fear of God” into some detainees. It is revealed that Matty, Veronica’s protégé, stole a diamond engagement ring from one of the bombing victims.
The s-word is said 10 times. Veronica loses the bet with her dad and says the f-word, but it is cut out by a well-timed drum sting. “A–” is used four times, “p-ss” is used twice, “d–mit,” “a–hole,” “h—,” and “bulls—” are each used once. The Lord’s name is misused seven times, five those paired with “d–mit,” and Jesus’ name is misused twice.
Veronica and Keith celebrate when his doctors tell him that his memory is not failing after all but caused by an improper dosage in the medications he is taking.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
