love and disappointment." Gallo discussed the pilot's reliance on flashbacks and voiceover, and felt that neither got in the way of the storytelling or felt too obvious. He praised Thomas' writing of the "fine script" and Piznarski's directing. Robert Bianco of USA Today felt that Veronica Mars was more akin to Buffy Summers than Nancy Drew, with "sharp wits, steely nerves and a wicked sense of humor". Bianco praised Bell's portrayal of the character, saying "whether you buy the idea of teen crime-solvers or not, there's no questioning Bell's credentials as a TV star." Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said that the pilot was "showing signs of being network television's next Buffy", emanating from a tough, emotionally battered heroine. McFarland found the acting to be fantastic, and said that Bell and Colantoni "create a wonderful father-daughter dynamic". Samantha Bonar of the Los Angeles Times thought that the writing was clever, and praised Bell ability to channel charisma, smarts and frustration. IGN rated the pilot episode 10th on its list of the top ten Veronica Mars episodes, writing that "The smooth introduction to all things Veronica makes you care for her instantly. Anyone wrestling with creating a female character who is multifaceted and real needs only to study Veronica. We see many different sides, and there isn't any stereotyping. They sell her tough exterior so well that even though Veronica has been through a pile of crap, you don't pity her – which is good, because she doesn't want it anyway." References External links 2004 American television episodes Veronica Mars Veronica Mars (season 1) episodes fr:Mars investigation