Last semester, after I had previewed the first two episodes of The OC, I wrote that it appeared as though the excessive number of pulp culture references and overwhelming soapiness of the show had not disappeared in the second season.
I don't think I've ever been more correct in my life.
After 17 episodes of dating, drama and more dating, The OC is now headed into the final stretch of what has been a tumultuous season to say the absolute least. The first of the final seven episodes of the season aired last night.
While this is not the mid-way point of the season by any means, I felt as though it would be a good time to critique what we've seen so far and predict just what may happen to the Newport Beach crowd in the final segment of season two.
As I look back on what I've seen so far with this season, I must say that I've been slightly disappointed.
What looked so promising early on in the year -- new characters, new conflicts and more adult/parent (read Sandy and Kirsten Cohen) involvement -- has now dissipated into what I feel is the same show week after week. Hardcore fans of the show may find that statement to be completely off-base, but I consider myself an experienced viewer of this show and therefore believe I know what I'm talking about. Lately, I can feel my interest in the show slipping, and I can't help but think that if the bland story lines and lack of character development continue, by this time next year I may have a new thing to do Thursdays at 8 p.m.
In the interest of preserving the show's appeal to viewers around the country, I'm going to offer up suggestions to both the cast and creator Josh Schwartz.
First off, if you're going to introduce prominent characters into the series' fold, don't let them disappear after 10-15 episodes. We saw this early on with the introduction of Seth Cohen's (Adam Brody) new love Alex (Olivia Wilde) -- who recently departed after a brief fling with Marissa (Mischa Barton) -- and Ryan's (Benjamin McKenzie) girlfriend that wasn't, Lindsay (Shannon Lucio), who, upon learning about her family history, recently exited for Chicago.
It is a crime for Schwartz to set us up with all of these interesting personalities and then leave us with just the fab foursome (Brody, McKenzie, Barton and Rachel Bilson (Summer)) to follow. As of now, those are the only characters left and it appears as if they're all heading toward reunion; that would put us in the same territory as last year and make for a pretty lame ending to a season filled with all kinds of drama.
Secondly, keep giving Sandy (Peter Gallagher) and Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) those plum adult story lines, but try to make them somewhat believable in the process.
This goes for both the writers and the actors involved.
While the two have both flirted with separation issues this entire season, neither has had any kind of plausible reason for doing so.
Sandy's dumb story arc involving an ex-college lover (Kim Delaney) was neither as important or as sophisticated as viewers were led to believe, and I was happy to see her recent exit. Kirsten's new diversion in the office (Billy Campbell) looks like a promising development -- let's hope that it is.
If I could leave one final suggestion for the creators of this once spectacular show, it would be not to repeat themselves on a weekly basis. For a TV show that claims to be as hip and up-to-date as nearly anything on the market, it is doubly important to come up with original ideas for each new episode. Otherwise, what we're all going to be left with is just another sorry excuse for a teen drama.
