When “The O.C.” first began, I didn’t have
any intention of watching it at all. As a young(er) guy in the '90s, I
avoided shows like “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Melrose Place” like the
plague, and this new show about spoiled young things living in
Southport didn’t look like it was bringing anything to the table that I
hadn’t seen a hundred times before over the years.
The only thing that piqued my interest was
the fact that McG (Charlie’s Angels) and Doug Liman (The
Bourne Identity) were both attached to the show, and knowing
that Liman himself was directing the first season opener was enough to
get me to watch it.
Suffice to say, I’ve watched every episode
since, and now firmly believe that “The O.C.” is one of the slickest,
well-written and acted hour longs currently on the TV.
For those who don’t know the back story of
“The O.C.” chances are you’re not going to keep reading this, so lets
move on to the juicy details of the second season, shall we?
There’s blackmail, attempted murder, porno,
alcoholism, live music, hurt feelings, unrequited love, lesbianism, and
even a bit of “Who’s your daddy?”. In short, everything that you came
to know and love from the first season is either continued here, or
taken off in some interesting new directions.
The unfortunate thing about the second
season though, is that it does take a while to get going, particularly
considering the excellent run that the first season had. Many of the
side stories during the first half, particularly involving Sandy (Peter
Gallagher), are just there simply as padding, and don’t really serve to
move the season along so much as just keep it floating above water.
Semi-interesting characters introduced
during the first season are either dismissed straight off the bat, or
disappear altogether, but once the show hits its stride again, it takes
off like a frog in a sock, and manages to keep it burning on full heat
right until the very end.
As with the first season, Adam Brody steals
every scene he’s in as Seth, Kelly Rowan does some fantastic work this
time around as Kirsten Cohen, and the remainder of the leads, Ryan (Ben
McKenzie), Marissa (Mischa Barton), Summer (Rachel Bilson), Caleb (Alan
Dale), Julie (Melinda Clarke) along with new addition Trey (Logan
Marshall-Green) all do some great work, but with the goods being as
well written as this is, you couldn’t put too many wrong steps in.
A great new addition this year was the
inclusion of 'The Bait Shop,' which (to be completely honest) serves
purely to advertise new or up and coming bands, but given the kick-ass
music featured from groups such as 'Modest Mouse,' 'Death Cab For
Cutie,' 'The Walkmen' and even 'Beck,' it works well and tends to fit
in just right with the theme of the episode.
While it doesn’t seem like a lot for the
set, the quality of the series itself more than makes up for the lack
of extras (see below)… but why am I justifying?!? You already know
you’re a fan if you’re reading this, so get out and pick it up now!
DVD Extras
As to what’s on offer with the DVD’s
themselves, they feature all 24 episodes (around 17 hours), and a
smattering of extras, which while on par with that offered on season
one, still don’t really amount to a whole lot.
For starters, there’s an extended cut of
Episode 14 “The Rainy Day Women” which is…not much different, “Beach
Couture: How The O.C. Fashion Is Made,” which may be interesting for
some of the ladies out there, but if I ever need tips on how to buy a
wife-beater, you’ll have to smack me.
Also on offering is the “Obsess Completely”
TV special which aired prior to the season opener, and shows pretty
much the entire highlight reel for the first set, plus the principles
involved (including creator Josh Schwartz) discussing where they feel
their characters should go during the year (it’s nothing to give away
that Brody also steals the show here), along with a gag reel that
features season 1 & 2.
On top of it all are the two commentaries on
offer, the first for Episode 6 (“The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t”),
and another on “The Rainy Day Women”, both featuring Josh Schwartz, and
are very entertaining in both the stories that he tells about the cast,
through to some great little hints about what’s coming up, and what
might have been.
“Chrismukkah” is one of those 'dumb fun'
episodes that you used to see on “Buffy” once a season, and it’s great
to have the track on offer.
