The SnoC
I'm trying to be brief in the interest of ketchup, but this is one of my favorite episodes ever.
Why favorite? I totally agree with mel- it had been waaay too long since we'd seen that kissing technique. Way too long since the poor boy got any kind of action....
Ryan explaining to Zach how Seth 'wants to be' over Summer is great. *grin*
I loved the all interactions with Marissa this episode and that she's apparently genuinely trying to be a friend now, especially at the dance. "If it's not too weird....it looks like we're in fifth grade" *hee*
But better yet was the conversation following "she said you were handsome", Ryan's comment he's surprised she didn't bring DJ because she usually enjoyed ruining her mom's night- then her response, "but why put DJ through that?" It was subtle, but the look on Ryan's face said it all: she never seemed to mind putting Ryan through it!
On characters behaving uncharacteristically: both here and in the Chrismukkah ep, M seems so calm- perhaps DJ is her 'anti-drama'?
There was a lot I found charming: Jimmy telling Julie they both knew she was never nice; Zach and Summer together; and Alex doing just about anything. I wish we'd seen a lot more of this mouthy, in-your-face Alex. 'SnoC winter wank-off', indeed! That whole conversation w/ Zach, in fact. *smile*
The conversation in the white dress shirt? First, he's so very !hot! in that shirt. *dreamy sigh*
I believe the Freudian slippers *giggle* have been addressed. Intelligent, slightly dorky, totally Lindsay.
Then: he seemed so stunned and perplexed by all her back and forth reactions ['does this girl like me or not?'] that I saw the "I think you'd like me, too" as less of a confident move than a spontaneous last-ditch, 'what do I have to lose?' effort to get through to her. She's been giving off 'interested' vibes [Ryan is master of the UNspoken] so no matter what her head and lips are telling him, he's trying one more time to appeal to her heart and/or libido. I must agree that there's no more than a hint of angst: There's slight anxiety in his expression after he finishes that speech, as he's turning toward the car. Doubtless he felt dorky and uncomfortable at putting himself out there like that....who wouldn't? Her conflicted head-tossing after he left only confirms that he'd been reading her right- she's just reluctant to take a chance, perhaps intimidated by his undeserved 'bad boy' rep in Newport and the persistent concern that his remaining ties to Marissa may not be simple friendship. There's that self-esteem gap again: why would he be interested in her when he could have 'the most intimidatingly beautiful girl in the history of high school'?
Ryan's response to that was so- male: "But now I'm here with you." He sees another beautiful girl; it never occurs to him she might not see herself that way.
One last thought on that 'I like you' speech: I'll watch anything that has Ryan impassioned enough for his chest to heave, even a little. And was that a hint of a nostril flare? *rewind*
But did the writing have huge wholes in it overall about not addressing the baby and Ryan's feelings about that and returning to Newport? Not arguing that. But with nuanced performances the actors manage to sell this story in spite of it, as in the example above. We don't know exactly what all he and Lindsay have talked about, but something about her was safe and comfortable for him. Recovery from any kind of crisis often involves 'going through the motions' of everyday routines again, even if one's heart isn't entirely in it. At the very least Lindsay's listening style had to be a nice change for him from Seth's practically nonexistent one. And he still is, after all, a teenage boy....he's gonna notice cute girls.
Then, the poolhouse and the eleven red dots? One of my favorite scenes in the entire series, from !reading! Ryan, to sleeve-tugging, to his bemused expression as she babbles, to her irrepressible joy at having finally come to a decision about him, to that serious focus on her lips before he strikes. The kisses? *mmmmmm*
And naughty PTB, teasing us with him suggesting an 'activity they could do without much talking' in that utterly delicious, pornographic tone....
Culminating with those playful, joyful smiles, and as mel said so well: the hand switch of the PS2 controller to aid better kissing technique *sigh* We got a few blissful minutes of angst-free Ryan romance, then Sandy's shocked and troubled face said it all: if Lindsay's the love child, this is going to get complicated.
I'm just happy Lindsay decided to study some anatomy as well as calc and physics.