I’m Not Done Talking About The O.C.

Dear Fan,

Thank you for being here.

After writing what I think is a relatively coherent piece about The O.C., my mind has been plagued with all the things about the show I wanted to yap about but that were not at all relevant to my first post, so now I am writing them all down in a haphazard list (I am a millennial and the listicle is my home, deal with it) for your reading pleasure and, ultimately, for my own mental respite.

Without further ado, here’s a bunch of stuff I like and dislike about The O.C. Please note that this is chock-full of spoilers, so if you’ve somehow managed to make it this long without finding out what happens in the show, especially that one big thing, go binge watch the entire series before reading further. It’s on Prime.

***spoilers ahead***

The Communication Between Kirsten and Sandy

These two motherfuckers need to have one direct conversation once in their goddamn marriage. The amount of stupid bullshit that could have been avoided if they just talked to each other has me constantly screaming at the TV. ESPECIALLY considering these two are both very good at talking to the kids and really seem to value open dialogue in every other aspect of their lives, which makes their inability to talk to one another feel unrealistic (yes, I know this is not a show steeped in realism, but let me be a hater!). Like, just tell your husband when your ex-boyfriend-turned-close-friend kisses you because he’s sad about his divorce, it’s not that big a deal! Tell your wife when the woman you used to be in love with who you thought was dead turns out to actually be alive! We could avoid so many fights, you guys.

The Class Politics

Oh boy. This show. I love it, but it has some real hypocritical views when it comes to money and privilege. This is a series that makes fun of the vapid nature of rich people living in Newport Beach while praising the other rich people living in Newport Beach because their wealth is somehow acceptable. The Cohen family is completely pure because while, yes, they are rich and have a pool and a maid and are basically materially the same as Julie Cooper and all the other newpsies, they are labelled as Good and Deserving because they look down on the wealthy community they live in, plus they take in a poor kid and My Fair Lady him into being one of them. The entire series ostensibly criticizes wealth, but anytime a structural problem comes up (Ryan’s poverty, Johnny’s inability to get the surgery he needs), the way it’s fixed is by throwing money at it. The series ends with the Cohens leaving Newport Beach, which on the surface feels like a rejection of the world of money grubbing, but then they move back to Berkeley and basically force the family living in their old house to leave so they can have it again. The show would have us believe that the Cohens have a right to absolutely anything they want because of their wealth, as long as they’re charming about it, but those other Newport Beach billionaires, they’re the bad guys.

The Homophobia

This series makes it pretty clear that it is (or wants to be) queer-friendly, and most of the time it really is. At the beginning when Luke is a jerk, he is constantly using homophobic slurs to insult the kids he doesn’t like, and once he finds out his dad, who he loves more than anyone, is gay, he becomes instantly more tolerant and gets way more screen time to boot. Marissa has a pretty thoughtfully portrayed romantic relationship with another girl at one point. But when Seth spouts homophobic bullshit constantly, it’s just treated as a funny little facet of his neuroses. He refuses to hug anyone who doesn’t have boobs, he calls Ryan minty (an absolutely wild slang term for “effeminate”) for being in musicals as a kid, and he can’t even tell his dad he loves him because saying that to a man makes him uncomfortable. Seth can get away with it in the show’s universe because he is not a typically masculine guy and that gives him some kind of imaginary free pass, but oh my god I’m so sick of it!

The Violence

Even if you haven’t watched The O.C., you probably know that Marissa dies (you do now!). But, she dies in the most off-the-rails way imaginable and it’s hard to take it seriously. The other deaths in the show are equally out of control, not to mention the persistent assault scenes, and the amount of times a character goes into a coma (or a “mini coma”) is just really too much. It was hard to decide if this one should go in the “Like” or “Don’t Like” list because in some ways I appreciate the soap-opera level dramatics The O.C. has to offer and the violence is part of that, but ultimately the number of people who die or are severely assaulted on what is otherwise a lighthearted teen dramady is just too much. Plus, it’s the reason why I can’t whole-heartedly recommend this show to my mom.

The Joyful Little Moments

Something the show does really beautifully in those microscopic moments when the core four are not in the midst of any drama is portray the sweetness of good friends just hanging out. This often happens at the end of an episode, where Marissa, Ryan, Seth, and Summer will be spending time together in one of their rooms, at the beach, in the pool, or over plates of pancakes. They’re always talking over each other, laughing, and the closeness between all four of them is palpable. These scenes are very short, often the camera pans away and you can’t hear what they’re saying, you just see the joy on their faces and the comfortable body language as they all squish together on Marissa’s bed or playfully wrestle in the pool. I love these bits, they are so well done that they momentarily make me miss being a teenager, which is something I never miss.

The Dad

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Sandy Cohen is a DILF. He’s handsome, has incredible hair, the best eyebrows you’ve ever seen, and he’s extremely likable. He is genuinely a very good father and always gives the teen characters good advice (which those little freaks really need). His morals are definitely a little questionable, especially when it comes to his business dealings, but Peter Gallagher’s performance brings unending charisma and affability to this character and just makes him so fun to watch.

The Metacommentary

The O.C. really makes a point of poking fun at itself throughout the series, which is a smart way to acknowledge the things about the show that are maybe not so good. From the later part of season one onward, the characters regularly watch and talk about a show called The Valley, which is very clearly a parody version of The O.C. itself. They use this to mention real criticisms of the series and to poke fun at themselves, such as when Summer meets Valley star Grady Bridges (played by Colin Hanks), who is clearly a stand-in for Adam Brody. At one point Grady plays his band’s new CD for Summer and Seth comes in, saying “I heard some really awful music and I knew it could only be from self-indulgent actors with instruments,” which is particularly enjoyable when you know that Brody was in the band Big Japan along with fellow actor Brett Harrison at the time. There are tons of these little in-jokes and they bring a lot of whimsy to the show.

The Realistic Behaviour Patterns

As much as it pains me to see Marissa falling for needy toxic guy after needy toxic guy, I really like that The O.C. gives its characters shitty behaviour patterns and shows us how these things typically play out. It wouldn’t actually make sense for Marissa to just get wrapped up in Oliver’s obsessive manipulative behaviour, learn her lesson, and never be drawn to a guy like that again. Instead, we see her make the same mistake time and time again with Oliver, Johnny, and Volchok. We also see these patterns with Kirsten’s drinking (it doesn’t just come out of nowhere, she is quietly an alcoholic for ages before admitting it’s a problem), Ryan’s need to save people, (especially people who have a lot in common with his mom) and Seth’s avoidance of any kind of emotional vulnerability (men will literally run away on a sailboat instead of going to therapy).

The Relationship Between Seth and Ryan

Aw, I love these boys. As much as Seth is communicationally stunted in the rest of his relationships, when it comes to Ryan, he is very open and direct, and vice versa. They really do become brothers quickly, and their mutual affection and respect is always evident. Not only that, but they both always call each other out on their shit, and there’s nothing I like better than a gentle and friendly reality check when someone is being an asshole. When Ryan is losing his mind over Oliver being an absolute nightmare person, Seth is the one to tell him that, even if he is right about Oliver, Ryan’s approach to dealing with it is not helping anyone. When Seth is obsessing over the idea that Summer might have had sex with Zach and decides he should ask her about it, Ryan tells him that would be creepy and bad. It’s really nice seeing these two have at least one relationship where they both feel safe saying exactly what they think and knowing they can criticize one another without losing the friendship.

The Final Season

Season four is really fun and interesting. While I do miss Marissa (and her dresses!), and I could definitely do without the presence of Chris Brown and Kevin Sorbo, overall the final season takes some big swings that really work. The episode with the earthquake is actually pretty touching and I always like it when the characters are put in unusual situations they have to deal with, and the episode where Ryan and Taylor have a shared coma dream à la It’s a Wonderful Life (well, It’s a Wonderful Life wasn’t a shared coma dream so it’s not completely à la, but you get what I mean) is absolutely ridiculous but it’s also a very effective way of showing Ryan’s acceptance of Marissa’s death and giving him a tangible way to move on. This whole season is funny, weird, experimental and doesn’t play it safe. Oh, and it’s the most Taylor-heavy season, which is a bonus.

Okay, now that that’s all out of my brain I can move on to other things. Thank you for accompanying me on this O.C. journey.

Mintily,

Rose

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