Since the fourth season began streaming on Hulu fans have been in an uproar over the final ten minutes, myself included (why else would I take the time to write out this inner monologue?).

It’s true that Thomas created the series, but in the more than decade since its cancellation the fans were the ones who kept it alive. Veronica Mars became a wonderful example for the power of fandom — particularly the “shipping” fandom which had elevated the #LoVe relationship to “epic” proportions. For Thomas to turn around and decidedly cut those people out of his fanbase in favor of throwing aside the “romance” is tantamount to him saying: “Hey #LoVe fans thanks for keeping my creation alive and relevant, but now that a streaming service has picked it up, I no longer need your “chick-flick” support, I’m going to try to appeal to the mystery purist crowd now.”

Which brings me to the title of this article “We used to be Friends” the theme song makes so much sense now. A shipping fandom that spent over a decade thanking Thomas for creating a strong female lead, and pairing her with a man who loved her for her mind, has just discovered that it’s creator has been harboring a disdain for them, and wants to sever all associations. “Well, ain’t that a kick in the head.”

I have serious doubts that Veronica Mars will find the tremendous success that Thomas envisions after removing all possibility of a #LoVe endgame, and if Veronica Mars does live to see another day it won’t be with the majority of the fans who kept it alive for the past decade. It will have to find new viewership by rebranding the series, at which point, why bring it back at all? That would be like Friends returning as a This Is Us melodrama…what’s the point? If Thomas wanted to branch out artistically he was free to do so, but not with Veronica Mars, the fans gained title to it by adverse possession and the statutory period had run. It belonged to us all, and he just lit it on fire.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the Season 4 controversy however, is that in an attempt to break all the molds Thomas played into one of the most problematic media tropes: the idea that a female character cannot be entertaining while also being in a relationship. And to add insult to injury this is a misconception that its lead actress actively works to dismantle off screen.

There’s this idea perpetrated by Hollywood that marriage is a “happily ever after” boring endeavor. Romantic Comedies typically end with a wedding or a big romantic kiss, or the “I got off the plane” moment ending the 10-year Ross/Rachel will they won’t they tango. After that we’re all supposed to assume a nice uneventful happily ever after, cue the credits. So imagine our shock when the pieces of our real lives don’t magically fall into place the moment we find “the one.” Yet show runners continue to perpetuate this myth. The idea that commitment is boring and no one wants to see characters deal with life’s ups and downs together especially if the lead character is a female; because of course women aren’t interesting when they’re in love.

For a show that was so ahead of its time, more than anything it’s sad for fans to see the series feed into this distorted stereotype: “women can’t be strong and in love” and “being in a healthy relationship isn’t interesting.” Says who? Certainly not its lead actress! Kristen Bell has been very open about the on-going work that has gone into her relationship with Dax Shepard, and has worked to encourage honest discussions about what it really means to share your life with someone. SPOILER ALERT It’s anything but boring.

Now before I fall too far down the rabbit hole, let me make it clear. I’m not saying that Veronica NEEDS Logan to be strong or interesting, but the idea that she CAN’T be strong and interesting WITH him is skewed. Thomas was right when he said that we fell in love with Veronica as an underdog, but to say that we will only root for her when it’s her against the world simply isn’t true.

And lest you think I’m being histrionic in my observations, I am not alone in this sentiment. UPROXX’s Jessica Toomer noted that Thomas’ “artistic choice” “sends [the]dangerous message that, for women like Veronica Mars, there’s only a one-or-the-other option in life. You can be a kick-a** detective or have a hunky boyfriend, but not both” and The BEAT’s Samantha Puc wrote a particularly fascinating article where she walked through the toxic narrative “that the only way women can be strong is for them to experience trauma, over and over and over again…” A narrative that Thomas has already displayed a taste for with his series iZombie. A series where the lead character repeatedly falls in love only to watch her boyfriends die in the most horrific of ways, once even making Liv be the one to pull the trigger. And if Twitter is any indication, it’s not just television journalists who have noticed this problematic messaging.

So clearly it’s not an overstatement to say that Veronica Mars has been razed and whatever Thomas envisions for the future of the show it won’t be the Veronica Mars we all came to know and love. So farewell Neptune, farewell Veronica, this marshmallow is roasted.