During its network run, “Veronica Mars” was two shows at once: an ultra hip, modern-day Nancy Drew, full of self-contained mysteries cracked by the prodigious daughter of a private eye, and a sun-scorched procedural in the tradition of “Chinatown” and “The Long Goodbye,” revealing the sordid underbelly of a seaside town. With the movie and the new Hulu season, however, Thomas no longer had to worry about appealing to a more general audience. Season 4 jettisons case-of-the-week episodes to tell one complete story about a series of bombings that turns the city of Neptune into a less-than-ideal spring break destination.
The good news is, it’s possible to dive right into the fourth season cold. But the series does make reference to events dating back to the beginning, so it’s better to know the basics. Here’s where all the relevant players stood heading into the new season:
Veronica (Kristen Bell)
Through her last two years of high school and most of her first in college, sleuthing was a sideline in Veronica’s life, an unofficial extension of her father’s business as a private investigator. Nine years later, in the movie, she shelved an offer from a prestigious New York law firm and returned to Neptune to defend Logan, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, from a murder charge. She ultimately opted to stay home and take over the family business, Mars Investigations, fighting the corruption that roils her town. The two defining cases in her life both happened in the first season: The murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane, which was pinned to her boyfriend’s philandering movie star dad, and her own drugging and rape at a party, which takes longer than a season to solve.
Logan (Jason Dohring)
Neptune’s resident troublemaker is James Dean, Humphrey Bogart and Marlon Brando rolled into one snarky, tempestuous rich-kid package. He’s bruised, volatile and problematic: never above suspicion yet never guilty and always a presence in Veronica’s life, even when they’re on the outs. They’re an item now, and Logan has settled down over time, having enlisted in the Navy and sculpted an upper body that would make Michael Phelps blush.
Keith (Enrico Colantoni)
A World’s Greatest Dad contender several seasons running, Keith lost his job as Neptune’s police chief after botching the Lilly Kane case, but he stuck around as a private investigator. His daughter’s prodigious talent was a source of pride and concern during her student years, but he has happily served as Veronica’s partner (and subordinate) ever since she left the nest. He is also recovering from a nasty car crash.
Wallace (Percy Daggs III) and Mac (Tina Majorino)
Veronica’s best friend at Neptune High, Wallace has been her partner-in-fighting-crime from the beginning. But he has been pushed ever-so-gradually to the margins over time, as Cindy Mackenzie, known as Mac, a computer hacker and premium wiseacre, has filled the same role. Mac isn’t in the new season, which would seem to give Wallace an opening. But he has settled into a coaching job at the high school and didn’t figure much into the movie.
Weevil (Francis Capra)
Although he is the leader of the PCHers, a biker gang that terrorizes the locals, Weevil has always had a soft spot for Veronica, who is similarly marginalized in a moneyed community. In the movie, Weevil’s heroic attempt to shield a rich driver from bikers resulted in a bullet to the chest and a false accusation of assault. He returned to the criminal life after Mars Investigations cleared his name, though, despite having a wife and child at home.
Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen)
The popular kids at Neptune High were called the 09ers, and Dick Casablancas has always been the ultimate 09er: A rich, bullying, obnoxious surfer dude, redeemable only in relation to his criminal father; his gold-digging stepmother; and his troubled brother, Beaver, who committed two of the show’s most terrible atrocities before killing himself. His frat-boy antics followed Veronica to college and beyond, but he has lately become more of an affable doofus in the vein of Hansen’s “Party Down” character.
Richard Casablancas (David Starzyk)
Dick and Beaver’s unctuous father, known as Big Dick, who made his millions in the real estate business, appeared only a few times on the show’s second and third seasons, just long enough to flee SEC agents on fraud charges. He eventually turned himself in and returns in Season 4 with suspicious plans for Neptune’s revitalization.
The Fitzpatricks (Various)
Not even a SoCal beach town is immune from the Irish mob, apparently. The Mars family has foiled these hapless gangsters more than once — Keith put five of them behind bars — but they’re back for more.
Police Department Idiots (Various)
Since Neptune ran Keith out of office over the Lilly Kane investigation, the position of sheriff has generally fallen to contemptible dummies, most notably the now deceased Don Lamb (Michael Muhney), who scoffed at Veronica’s morning-after attempt to report her rape, and his brother, Dan Lamb (Jerry O’Connell), who replaced him in the movie. There’s a new sheriff on the Neptune bomber case, and the bar is low.
Leo D’Amato (Max Greenfield)
The one police department non-idiot is Leo D’Amato. His flirtatious relationship with Veronica led to heartbreak and betrayal in the first season when she got him suspended from his job and broke off their brief romance in order to be with Logan. He remained good-humored and forgiving about it, periodically helping her in later seasons and popping up as a San Diego police detective in the movie.
Vinnie Van Lowe (Ken Marino)
Another Neptune private eye, the morally elastic Vinnie constantly homes in on Mars Investigations business: When Keith and Veronica drop a case, he’s there to pick it up. When Keith runs for sheriff, he finds his way onto the ballot. He has redeemed his sleazy behavior in key moments, however, teaming up with the Marses to catch Steve Guttenberg’s second season villain and saving Veronica from a Fitzpatrick trap.
Others to Remember:
— Cliff McCormack (Daran Norris): Neptune’s affable public defender is one of Veronica and Keith’s rare allies in town, and he has sent a lot of business their way.
— Jake Kane (Kyle Secor): He was exonerated from killing his own daughter, as Keith originally suspected, but this tech mogul has not been exonerated from being a narcissistic creep.
— Tim Foyle (James Jordan) and Mercer Hayes (Ryan Devlin): These Hearst College villains are responsible for heinous crimes — Foyle for murder, Hayes for serial rape — and Veronica’s sleuthing has drawn their ire.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.