ShareThisBy ROB OWEN
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The TV business is anything but predictable. Who would have thought that NBC's "ER," now in its 13th season, would have a sudden resurgence in popularity? Or that Fox's "The O.C." would begin to bottom out in year three (some would argue it began a free fall in year two)?
It's true that teen dramas, in particular, seem to have a shorter life cycle than other primetime shows, but the life expectancy of "The O.C." (9 p.m., ET/PT, Thursday, Nov. 2), once a hit, has been dramatically curtailed. Already, Fox has cut the show's episode order this season from the usual 22 to just 16 episodes.
It's tough times in this fictional Orange County, what with a time slot that puts "The O.C." opposite two of TV's biggest hits: "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC and the original "CSI" on CBS. The Fox show's days in the sun may be numbered, but May's season finale that dispatched core character Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) to that big beach resort in the sky may help boost interest in the season premiere.
The show picks up five months after Marissa died in the arms of Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), the once-wayward teen taken in by the Newport Beach Cohen family _ Sandy (Peter Gallagher), Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) and son Seth (Adam Brody).
To the show's credit, Marissa's death is not swept under the rug with other past plots; rather, "The O.C." takes a pretty realistic (for "The O.C.") approach, allowing all the characters' grief, anger and shock to reverberate through the first four episodes made available for review.
Ryan has the most difficulty dealing with the loss. He's deferred his admission to the University of California, Berkeley, and is living in the back room of the bar he works at, refuses to accept Kirsten's care packages and has joined a fight club (of course!), getting the snot beaten out of him on a regular basis.
How do we know Ryan is tougher than ever? He has a five o'clock shadow at all hours. And he threatens to go down a dangerous path when he sets out to take Chino-style revenge on Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet), the lowlife who caused Marissa's death.
Ryan isn't the only one devastated. Marissa's mom, Julie Cooper Nichol Roberts (Melinda Clarke), is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, ignoring her surviving daughter, Kaitlin (Willa Holland), a budding troublemaker who's now hanging out with first season character Luke's newly invented twin brothers.
Marissa's death also takes its toll on Summer (Rachel Bilson), causing her to grow distant from boyfriend Seth while at college on the East Coast. ("I don't do sarcasm anymore," Summer declares. "I'm post-ironic.") She's abandoned her shallow ways for a newfound liberal conscience, befriending lefty activist Che (amusingly played by Chris Pratt of "Everwood").
Marissa's death also sparks some unexpected alliances that help propel these early fourth season episodes.
Despite the dark turn of the Ryan story, "The O.C." doesn't turn into a complete brood-a-thon. Thankfully, Taylor (Autumn Reeser) is the new Summer, adding a deft comic touch with her own predicament after a summer in France.
Seth, always a source of good humor, is working in a comic book store that's part of a new, gigantic mall set.
"I'm sorry, maybe I didn't understand," an incensed Seth says to a little girl before making her cry, "did you just ask if there's a comic book based on the 'X-Men' movies?"
In the third episode of the season, "The O.C." even offers a shout-out to a rival, dispatching one character to the Pacific Northwest to work at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital of "Grey's Anatomy" fame.
Though "The O.C." is unlikely to ever return to its top spot among buzzworthy shows, this latest reinvention hews true to the show's initial tone and should satisfy long-time fans.
(Contact Rob Owen at rowen(at)post-gazette.com)
