Running Diary of The O.C. Season Four

Now that summer has arrived, I will have the chance to start authoring new, legit blog entries. First though, I have some house cleaning to do. What follows is a running diary of the fourth and final season of The OC. I never posted the diary because I planned to write about more than just five episodes. However, at this point it’s clear that won’t happen and the entry is rapidly becoming outdated. Enjoy.

I recently remarked that The OC is in some ways, the most exhilarating show on television. Fans who appreciate the remarkable first season realize that the show has the ability to rival any other program in the history of television. The fact that the second two seasons were frequently frustrating and at times laughably awful have meant that on a given Thursday, fans of the show might glimpse the show’s previous glory, a plotline/theme which has already appeared in multiple episodes, or perhaps one of the most horrific moments in the history of television. Since the Season Three finale was sufficiently atrocious to inspire the first entry in this blog, I felt obligated to keep a running journal of the fourth and sadly final season.

Episode One - F

- Probably the worst episode of a television show I have ever seen. Virtually all the characters have turned into caricatures of their former selves. Shockingly, Ryan is angry, moody, and best of all, cage fighting dudes three times his size. Che, a Brown student who may or may not be Summer’s new boyfriend/fling, is a stereotype of a stereotype of a tree hugging ivy league student. I can say with relative certainty that no person remotely like him exists on this planet. The episode features some decent comedy and a couple of poignant moments that are rendered worthless by the insane plot. I contemplated quitting the show once and for all after this episode but met the girlfriend of one of my classmates for the first time the night the episode aired, and she remarked that it seemed like a waste to watch the show for three full seasons and then quit only a handful of episodes before it will likely be cancelled.

Episode Two – B+

- I can’t remember the last episode of The OC that was this good. There were probably one or two last season and a few more in season two but I can’t recall which exact episodes those would be. Caitlin is really starting to come into her own. Willa Holland’s acting has improved tenfold since last season and for the first time in the show’s history, the writers seem to have discovered the nuance required for a character to consistently behave badly yet remain likable and not necessarily immoral. A killer cover by Band of Horses, a touching conversation between Ryan and Kirsten, and a riveting Sandy-Julie showdown cap off the stunning return to form.

Episode Three – B

- This episode brings back the sort of ridiculous, random plot points (e.g. random homeless people coming to the Cohen’s for Thanksgiving Dinner) that are extremely jarring to the viewer. The episode is otherwise a success with a few moving moments, comedy, and the continued emergence of Caitlin as a surprisingly sympathetic, nuanced character. Half way through the episode I became quite frustrated by the fact that Ryan is an out of control dumbass who would land himself in jail every single week if fate or one of the Cohens didn’t intervene. Thankfully, the writers seemingly took a step back and recognized this pitfall. I kept thinking to myself “I can’t watch this plotline another time, if only they’d let Ryan kill Volcheck and go to prison for eight years...” Instead, the writers did the next best thing by forcing Ryan to determine his own fate.

Episode Five – B+

- Holy shit the OC is fun again! It’s amazing what an incredible difference credibility makes for a television show. During the past couple seasons, over the top characters such as the Dean of Discipline and depressingly melodramatic plot lines shattered my suspension of disbelief while watching the show. Now that the plot lines have been reigned back in to the sort of day to day issues that ordinary people can relate to, not only is the show able to add the nuance necessary to make the interactions between characters more believable, my newfound trust in the show leaves me less likely to second guess something like a Ryan-Taylor relationship, which seemed ridiculous as recently as two episodes ago.

The Christmakkuh Episode – C-

- One of the most intriguing parts of the episode was guessing which character would be Summer’s tool fiancé in the bizarro alternate universe. Let’s just say that I was thoroughly nauseated by the decision to place Che/Chester’s in the role and the contrived explanation (“Well…huh…what if…Ryan took the last spot at Harbor…and Che’s family was going to move from Conneticut but couldn’t…and this would’ve maid him a huge tool…yeah!). Sometimes, writers seem to have a little bit too much fun and this appears to be one of those times. “Hey, what’s the wackiest, zaniest shit we can come up with? Sandy married to Julie? Hah! That’s classic!! Julie having an affair with a rich douche version of Che?! Genius!!” An always welcome reappearance from one of the show’s best characters (at this point Tate can blow everyone but Gallagher and Brody off the screen without even trying) and a good angle (“What if Marrisa is still alive?”) were completely wasted. Overall, this is the first big misstep since the horrific season debut. Nevertheless, the Kaitlin character gets better and better and feels more and more like an old friend with every episode. In some ways she’s almost modeled after Seth with her quick wit and snarky comments. Any time a character is playing the role of a viewer sitting on their couch and making smart alecky comments, the show avoids becoming overly serious.