On Missing The OC
I just finished a whole bunch of work and I became inspired to explain why I will miss The OC.
The show lasted four years. Unfortunately, it is arguable that the quality of the show decreased each passing year. For various reasons, however, the magic was maintained. The first year I sat side by side with the Pachey. We cheered while Ryan and Marissa fell in love, and we cursed (intensely) when Oliver and Theresa screwed it up. Yes, this may sound silly, but it was important to us. The characters were witty thanks to the writers. The simultaneous adult vs. teenager plots were well executed, and they added a mature complexity to the show. I will never forget those nights of jumping up and down on the couch in 708 East Buffalo when Oliver was finally destroyed (and subsequently cut from the show). Consequences for bad decisions were never forgotten. Every time kids drank alcohol or got high, people suffered.
The second season had some thoroughly silly plot twists. I believe we experienced the first of several deaths in the show. Although the show began its downfall, I was still fortunate to be able to watch the show with the Pachey on Linden. Sometimes we were interrupted and mocked by Shannon, but her taste in entertainment doesn't mesh well mine. The main mom's drinking problem was also pretty depressing. Watching one character contemplate murdering her husband was ridiculous. That was just too unrealistic for these characters in that environment. However, the guy she wanted to murder died anyways... that night.
The third season's silliness was overcome by watching the episodes with Shannon (the gf). Our ritual was to sneak into Cascadilla and watch on a floor where nobody was using the TV. This was only necessary when Fox's reception wasn't clear enough in the apartment. I definitely miss those days. When Shannon graduated and moved away we would call each other during the commercial breaks to most likely complain about Ryan's self deprecating behavior. This season had our second and third deaths along with the usual surprising dating pairs amongst the small group of friends and family. When Marissa died in the season finale, I thought the show was making a crashing nosedive into cancelation. It was a hilarious death considering her best acting occurred while she was dying. Although it was just a TV show, it was still heartbreaking to watch her die. The college applications/interviews were also really annoying. I kept thinking: how will the show continue if one character goes to Brown, one stays in Orange County, and a few go to Berkeley? Somehow they pulled it off (basically by only sending one character away).
The fourth season was awful. I had to watch the episodes alone. I had no Pachey to laugh with, and no Shannon to discuss Ryan's obnoxiously selfish, immature behavior. Without Marissa, it became clear who was the anchor of the group. There were some huge, huge, huge plot inconsistencies that lasted the whole season (another example of the fourth season's blatantly incomplete planning). A few new characters emerged. They were all annoying. Every week the story got worse and worse. And then? An earthquake! Come on. This isn't Days of Our Lives. What happened?! Well, the show ended with decent closure anyways. Children were born, characters were married, and, best of all, Ryan took advantage of an opportunity to help out a confused, lost, young soul. It was his turn to rescue.
So why will I miss this show? There was something absolutely magical about the cohesiveness of both the adult and kid groups. The actors all had an uncanny ability to say more with silence. The characters could be easily loved. They grew on me, and I cared for them. I wanted them to be happy. Unfortunately, so many awful things happened to these characters. Collective happiness was somewhat rare. When it came, it was wonderful.
I hope I conveyed my feelings for this show. I will continue to be a big fan.
The show lasted four years. Unfortunately, it is arguable that the quality of the show decreased each passing year. For various reasons, however, the magic was maintained. The first year I sat side by side with the Pachey. We cheered while Ryan and Marissa fell in love, and we cursed (intensely) when Oliver and Theresa screwed it up. Yes, this may sound silly, but it was important to us. The characters were witty thanks to the writers. The simultaneous adult vs. teenager plots were well executed, and they added a mature complexity to the show. I will never forget those nights of jumping up and down on the couch in 708 East Buffalo when Oliver was finally destroyed (and subsequently cut from the show). Consequences for bad decisions were never forgotten. Every time kids drank alcohol or got high, people suffered.
The second season had some thoroughly silly plot twists. I believe we experienced the first of several deaths in the show. Although the show began its downfall, I was still fortunate to be able to watch the show with the Pachey on Linden. Sometimes we were interrupted and mocked by Shannon, but her taste in entertainment doesn't mesh well mine. The main mom's drinking problem was also pretty depressing. Watching one character contemplate murdering her husband was ridiculous. That was just too unrealistic for these characters in that environment. However, the guy she wanted to murder died anyways... that night.
The third season's silliness was overcome by watching the episodes with Shannon (the gf). Our ritual was to sneak into Cascadilla and watch on a floor where nobody was using the TV. This was only necessary when Fox's reception wasn't clear enough in the apartment. I definitely miss those days. When Shannon graduated and moved away we would call each other during the commercial breaks to most likely complain about Ryan's self deprecating behavior. This season had our second and third deaths along with the usual surprising dating pairs amongst the small group of friends and family. When Marissa died in the season finale, I thought the show was making a crashing nosedive into cancelation. It was a hilarious death considering her best acting occurred while she was dying. Although it was just a TV show, it was still heartbreaking to watch her die. The college applications/interviews were also really annoying. I kept thinking: how will the show continue if one character goes to Brown, one stays in Orange County, and a few go to Berkeley? Somehow they pulled it off (basically by only sending one character away).
The fourth season was awful. I had to watch the episodes alone. I had no Pachey to laugh with, and no Shannon to discuss Ryan's obnoxiously selfish, immature behavior. Without Marissa, it became clear who was the anchor of the group. There were some huge, huge, huge plot inconsistencies that lasted the whole season (another example of the fourth season's blatantly incomplete planning). A few new characters emerged. They were all annoying. Every week the story got worse and worse. And then? An earthquake! Come on. This isn't Days of Our Lives. What happened?! Well, the show ended with decent closure anyways. Children were born, characters were married, and, best of all, Ryan took advantage of an opportunity to help out a confused, lost, young soul. It was his turn to rescue.
So why will I miss this show? There was something absolutely magical about the cohesiveness of both the adult and kid groups. The actors all had an uncanny ability to say more with silence. The characters could be easily loved. They grew on me, and I cared for them. I wanted them to be happy. Unfortunately, so many awful things happened to these characters. Collective happiness was somewhat rare. When it came, it was wonderful.
I hope I conveyed my feelings for this show. I will continue to be a big fan.