Spotlight on Fandoms: The OC
The OC was created by Josh Schwartz, who was only twenty-six when the show began. This makes him the youngest person ever to be an executive producer of a television show. Anyway, The OC is about the loves and lives of the residents of Newport Beach, Orange County, California. It's awesomely cheesy in a soapy way, but it's also poignant and, at times, hilarious.
So what's this show about?
It's basically the story of Ryan Atwood, a troubled teen who is taken in by his lawyer to live in Newport Beach, a wealthy seaside community very different from Chino, where he grew up. At first, he doesn't quite fit in at all, but, after awhile, he becomes a member of the family who took him in. He also learns to make Orange County his new home.
The line I used in the cut tag was said by Luke to Ryan in the pilot. It's possibly the most famous line ever said on this show.
Main Characters
Warning: Spoilers are mentioned in this section, especially when I discuss Marissa.
Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) - Sandy was very much like Ryan in his youth. It's one of the reasons he decided to take Ryan's case (also because he was a public defender) and to bring him home. He's pretty much the moral conscience of the show. Sandy is very liberal and awesome. And also a great dad.
Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan) - Kirsten is Sandy's wife. She works for her father's real estate company and is the main bread winner of the family. She's the reason the Cohen family lives in a nice mansion and why they drive nice cars. Despite this, Kirsten is extremely caring. She's also one of the nicest people on this show. Kirsten is also an alcoholic, which she dealt with a lot in season two.
Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) - Ryan is the fish out of water. The troubled kid from Chino who learns to fit in and deal with all the crap life dealt him. The Cohens took him in because he had nowhere else to go. His dad was in prison and his mother was an alcoholic. He finally knew what a real family was like when the Cohens adopted him. Ryan had some issues with anger, however. He was often the cause of many fights.
Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) - Marissa had so many issues. She was very much a tragic character and extremely angsty. Too angsty, really. She often made everything about herself and everyone else's problems were nothing compared to hers. She was also Ryan's main love interest. And, like any tragic character, she had to die that way. I admit, there was a lot of cheering from me when this occurred. TV shows never kill off characters I hate. I was going to try to keep my feelings for this character out of this, but it's apparent I have failed.
Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) - Seth is the social misfit of the four main teen characters, and Sandy and Kirsten's son. He never fit in during the entire time he lived in Newport. It wasn't until Ryan showed up that he learned to be more outgoing. He was also in love with Summer since the fifth grade. He even named his sail boat after her. He's a self proclaimed emo geek who listens to emo music and reads comic books.
Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke) - Julie is the typical soap bitch. She's also Marissa's mother, and, not a very good one. Still, this character is made of win. She's also one of the characters who has changed most over the four years this show has aired. She's originally from Riverside and tried very hard to keep that a secret. She got pregnant with Marissa when she was about seventeen and married her father for his money. Then they divorced and she had many flings since. She also loves Bob Seger and 80s hair bands.
Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) - Summer started out as the stereotypical snobby princess. She was not a very nice person at all. She was all about the partying and being popular. Then, around episode seven, she was given more layers. She's very loyal to her friends and she also has some rage issues. She's also quite snarky at times. Also, she ended up falling in love with Seth, even risking her reputation to date him. In my opinion, Summer has changed the most in the four years this show aired.
Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser) - Taylor didn't show up until season three, which, admittedly, I did not watch a lot of. I did start watching again when season four started and Taylor had become a series regular. She's very quirky and talks really fast. Also, she has a problem with falling in love with anyone who is nice to her. Thus, she fell for Ryan. She also has mommy issues. Her mother was a huge bitch who often said Taylor was fat. Really not a nice person. Taylor rocks, though.
Kaitlin Cooper (Willa Holland) - Kaitlin is Marissa's sister. In season one, she was played by a different actress. Also, she was sent away to boarding school and was never seen again. Until the middle of season three. She was very rebellious like her mother and often got in trouble. She was also kind of annoying. In season four, when Kaitlin became a regular character, she was one of the best characters on the show. She wasn't annoyingly emo like her sister and was more of a regular teenager.
Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) - Marissa and Kaitlin's dad. The man had so much trouble saying no to his family. So much that he ended up in debt. So he embezzled money from his clients. The writers tried to make him sympathetic, but I honestly never liked him. Stealing from people does not endear characters to me, for some reason. He left the show in season two and showed up in season three off and on. Jimmy had a thing for Kirsten, which she never acted on because she had Sandy. Smart woman.
Luke Ward (Chris Carmack) - Luke was Marissa's boyfriend at the start of the show. He was also a jackass who liked to fight with Ryan. He also cheated on Marissa with any girl that moved. Seriously. She found out and broke up with him. He realized what a dumbass he was and even started to be nicer. He even became friends with Ryan. He later had a fling with Julie. Some people thought this was squicky, but I thought it was kind of hilarious. He left the show in season one, sadly.
Caleb Nichol (Alan Dale) - Caleb was Kirsten's father. He basically built the fictional Newport Beach (not to be confused with the real one). He very much loved Kirsten's mother, and, after she died, never loved anyone like her. He fell for Julie and later married her. It was obvious she only married him for his money. Caleb often got into fights with Sandy. He never really liked Sandy and wasn't even at his own daughter's wedding because of it. Even though he was a ruthless jerk, Caleb still had his nice moments. It was clear that he loved his family. He was written out of the show in season two.
The OC and Pop Culture
This show is known for its many pop culture references. In fact, I'm sure Seth has heard of every fandom represented in this game. Many comic book references have been made on this show, my favorite being the time Seth got angry with someone for getting the X-Men movies and comics mixed up. Comic Con has been mentioned as well as Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and many other sci-fi shows. George Lucas even had a cameo (though it was kinda ridiculous). Joss Whedon has also been mentioned, but not for his tv shows. For Astonishing X-Men. Like I said, Seth is a comic book fan. There was even a Spider Man upside down kiss (which I will get to in a moment). One of my favorite pop culture references was Summer saying "Frak that!" So yeah, this show was down with the pop culture.
There are even some things I like to refer to as Sethisms that have become part of pop culture. Words like adorkable and redunkulous have become part of my own vocabulary. Then there is Seth's favorite holiday, Chrismukkah. In his own words, this holiday has "eight days of presents followed by one day of many presents." This holiday gained pop culture notoriety thanks to The OC.
The Music
This show is also known for it's music. It has an awesome and catchy theme song, for one thing. It also features some fantastic music in the episodes. I even have a rather extensive OC soundtrack (as well as other shows) because I love the music so much. I now have heard of many artists I would not have if I didn't watch this show. Songs by The Beastie Boys and U2 have been heard on this show before they were heard anywhere else. The Killers have actually played live on the show as well as various other bands. Death Cab for Cutie is Seth's favorite band.
The music featured is sort of like another character. It's always used well, too. It always fits the mood of a scene. One of the things I miss most about this show is the music. The OC has spawned six soundtracks which can all be heard here. Warning, you may want to lower the sound a bit as the player at that site is a bit loud.
Why Watch?
The biggest reason? It's funny. And it totally makes fun of itself. The show is very meta. For example, Summer's favorite show is The Valley. Except she wasn't a fan of season three (just like most fans don't like season three of The OC). She was also sad when two of the main stars who dated for awhile broke up in real life (just like Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody did). The Valley is pretty much the in-joke of the show. The dialogue is quite witty at times. Honestly, some of the funniest things I have ever seen have been on this show.
Another reason to watch? Some of the storylines are well done. Many have to do with social issues. I love that I can be laughing one moment and crying the next.
Also, this show has some nice eye candy. There are a lot of pretty people on this show. That's the shallow reason to watch. Or maybe it's just me who is shallow.
The Links
Here are some clips. Many of these are cute and amusing. Also, some are spoilerish.
Carnival - This is a cute Ryan/Marissa scene. There aren't many of these, imo, as I am not a fan of this pairing. Mostly because of my hatred for Marissa.
Morning in the Cohen kitchen - This is an amusing scene with Ryan and the Cohens. Some of you might recognize the song playing in the beginning of this clip.
New Years - This clip features another Ryan/Marissa scene that I can tolerate.
Best Scene Ever - This is actually my favorite OC moment. Seth demands that Summer acknowledge him publicly.
Spiderman Kiss - Summer sees signs that she should be with Seth. Yes, there is a very cheesy upside down kissing scene like in Spiderman. But it is awesomely cheesy.
Summer's Stages of Grief - This is a funny, yet poignant scene in which Summer deals with Marissa's death.
Ryan and Taylor - Taylor is the only love interest of Ryan's I ever liked. And this is a pretty cute scene.
The OC goes AU - An amusing Ryan/Taylor scene from the AU episode.
Weetiny Summer - The moment Seth knew Summer was the one. One is from his point of view, the other from Summer's. I had to include these clips especially this weekend.
Series Finale - The last three minutes of the series finale, so this is extremely spoilerish and reveals how it all ends for the characters.
How you can become addicted
Seasons one through three are all available wherever DVDs are sold. Season four will be available May 22. Repeats are shown in the states on SoapNet which I don't have. Woe. Here is a list of where it can be seen elsewhere in the world.
The show was canceled after four seasons. I should be grateful that FOX at least gave it a chance. However, the network meddled with season three and many viewers stopped watching (me included). When it was good again, FOX never really bothered to promote it. But I'm not bitter! *sighs*
So what's this show about?
It's basically the story of Ryan Atwood, a troubled teen who is taken in by his lawyer to live in Newport Beach, a wealthy seaside community very different from Chino, where he grew up. At first, he doesn't quite fit in at all, but, after awhile, he becomes a member of the family who took him in. He also learns to make Orange County his new home.
The line I used in the cut tag was said by Luke to Ryan in the pilot. It's possibly the most famous line ever said on this show.
Main Characters
Warning: Spoilers are mentioned in this section, especially when I discuss Marissa.
Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) - Sandy was very much like Ryan in his youth. It's one of the reasons he decided to take Ryan's case (also because he was a public defender) and to bring him home. He's pretty much the moral conscience of the show. Sandy is very liberal and awesome. And also a great dad.
Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan) - Kirsten is Sandy's wife. She works for her father's real estate company and is the main bread winner of the family. She's the reason the Cohen family lives in a nice mansion and why they drive nice cars. Despite this, Kirsten is extremely caring. She's also one of the nicest people on this show. Kirsten is also an alcoholic, which she dealt with a lot in season two.
Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) - Ryan is the fish out of water. The troubled kid from Chino who learns to fit in and deal with all the crap life dealt him. The Cohens took him in because he had nowhere else to go. His dad was in prison and his mother was an alcoholic. He finally knew what a real family was like when the Cohens adopted him. Ryan had some issues with anger, however. He was often the cause of many fights.
Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) - Marissa had so many issues. She was very much a tragic character and extremely angsty. Too angsty, really. She often made everything about herself and everyone else's problems were nothing compared to hers. She was also Ryan's main love interest. And, like any tragic character, she had to die that way. I admit, there was a lot of cheering from me when this occurred. TV shows never kill off characters I hate. I was going to try to keep my feelings for this character out of this, but it's apparent I have failed.
Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) - Seth is the social misfit of the four main teen characters, and Sandy and Kirsten's son. He never fit in during the entire time he lived in Newport. It wasn't until Ryan showed up that he learned to be more outgoing. He was also in love with Summer since the fifth grade. He even named his sail boat after her. He's a self proclaimed emo geek who listens to emo music and reads comic books.
Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke) - Julie is the typical soap bitch. She's also Marissa's mother, and, not a very good one. Still, this character is made of win. She's also one of the characters who has changed most over the four years this show has aired. She's originally from Riverside and tried very hard to keep that a secret. She got pregnant with Marissa when she was about seventeen and married her father for his money. Then they divorced and she had many flings since. She also loves Bob Seger and 80s hair bands.
Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) - Summer started out as the stereotypical snobby princess. She was not a very nice person at all. She was all about the partying and being popular. Then, around episode seven, she was given more layers. She's very loyal to her friends and she also has some rage issues. She's also quite snarky at times. Also, she ended up falling in love with Seth, even risking her reputation to date him. In my opinion, Summer has changed the most in the four years this show aired.
Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser) - Taylor didn't show up until season three, which, admittedly, I did not watch a lot of. I did start watching again when season four started and Taylor had become a series regular. She's very quirky and talks really fast. Also, she has a problem with falling in love with anyone who is nice to her. Thus, she fell for Ryan. She also has mommy issues. Her mother was a huge bitch who often said Taylor was fat. Really not a nice person. Taylor rocks, though.
Kaitlin Cooper (Willa Holland) - Kaitlin is Marissa's sister. In season one, she was played by a different actress. Also, she was sent away to boarding school and was never seen again. Until the middle of season three. She was very rebellious like her mother and often got in trouble. She was also kind of annoying. In season four, when Kaitlin became a regular character, she was one of the best characters on the show. She wasn't annoyingly emo like her sister and was more of a regular teenager.
Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) - Marissa and Kaitlin's dad. The man had so much trouble saying no to his family. So much that he ended up in debt. So he embezzled money from his clients. The writers tried to make him sympathetic, but I honestly never liked him. Stealing from people does not endear characters to me, for some reason. He left the show in season two and showed up in season three off and on. Jimmy had a thing for Kirsten, which she never acted on because she had Sandy. Smart woman.
Luke Ward (Chris Carmack) - Luke was Marissa's boyfriend at the start of the show. He was also a jackass who liked to fight with Ryan. He also cheated on Marissa with any girl that moved. Seriously. She found out and broke up with him. He realized what a dumbass he was and even started to be nicer. He even became friends with Ryan. He later had a fling with Julie. Some people thought this was squicky, but I thought it was kind of hilarious. He left the show in season one, sadly.
Caleb Nichol (Alan Dale) - Caleb was Kirsten's father. He basically built the fictional Newport Beach (not to be confused with the real one). He very much loved Kirsten's mother, and, after she died, never loved anyone like her. He fell for Julie and later married her. It was obvious she only married him for his money. Caleb often got into fights with Sandy. He never really liked Sandy and wasn't even at his own daughter's wedding because of it. Even though he was a ruthless jerk, Caleb still had his nice moments. It was clear that he loved his family. He was written out of the show in season two.
The OC and Pop Culture
This show is known for its many pop culture references. In fact, I'm sure Seth has heard of every fandom represented in this game. Many comic book references have been made on this show, my favorite being the time Seth got angry with someone for getting the X-Men movies and comics mixed up. Comic Con has been mentioned as well as Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and many other sci-fi shows. George Lucas even had a cameo (though it was kinda ridiculous). Joss Whedon has also been mentioned, but not for his tv shows. For Astonishing X-Men. Like I said, Seth is a comic book fan. There was even a Spider Man upside down kiss (which I will get to in a moment). One of my favorite pop culture references was Summer saying "Frak that!" So yeah, this show was down with the pop culture.
There are even some things I like to refer to as Sethisms that have become part of pop culture. Words like adorkable and redunkulous have become part of my own vocabulary. Then there is Seth's favorite holiday, Chrismukkah. In his own words, this holiday has "eight days of presents followed by one day of many presents." This holiday gained pop culture notoriety thanks to The OC.
The Music
This show is also known for it's music. It has an awesome and catchy theme song, for one thing. It also features some fantastic music in the episodes. I even have a rather extensive OC soundtrack (as well as other shows) because I love the music so much. I now have heard of many artists I would not have if I didn't watch this show. Songs by The Beastie Boys and U2 have been heard on this show before they were heard anywhere else. The Killers have actually played live on the show as well as various other bands. Death Cab for Cutie is Seth's favorite band.
The music featured is sort of like another character. It's always used well, too. It always fits the mood of a scene. One of the things I miss most about this show is the music. The OC has spawned six soundtracks which can all be heard here. Warning, you may want to lower the sound a bit as the player at that site is a bit loud.
Why Watch?
The biggest reason? It's funny. And it totally makes fun of itself. The show is very meta. For example, Summer's favorite show is The Valley. Except she wasn't a fan of season three (just like most fans don't like season three of The OC). She was also sad when two of the main stars who dated for awhile broke up in real life (just like Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody did). The Valley is pretty much the in-joke of the show. The dialogue is quite witty at times. Honestly, some of the funniest things I have ever seen have been on this show.
Another reason to watch? Some of the storylines are well done. Many have to do with social issues. I love that I can be laughing one moment and crying the next.
Also, this show has some nice eye candy. There are a lot of pretty people on this show. That's the shallow reason to watch. Or maybe it's just me who is shallow.
The Links
Here are some clips. Many of these are cute and amusing. Also, some are spoilerish.
Carnival - This is a cute Ryan/Marissa scene. There aren't many of these, imo, as I am not a fan of this pairing. Mostly because of my hatred for Marissa.
Morning in the Cohen kitchen - This is an amusing scene with Ryan and the Cohens. Some of you might recognize the song playing in the beginning of this clip.
New Years - This clip features another Ryan/Marissa scene that I can tolerate.
Best Scene Ever - This is actually my favorite OC moment. Seth demands that Summer acknowledge him publicly.
Spiderman Kiss - Summer sees signs that she should be with Seth. Yes, there is a very cheesy upside down kissing scene like in Spiderman. But it is awesomely cheesy.
Summer's Stages of Grief - This is a funny, yet poignant scene in which Summer deals with Marissa's death.
Ryan and Taylor - Taylor is the only love interest of Ryan's I ever liked. And this is a pretty cute scene.
The OC goes AU - An amusing Ryan/Taylor scene from the AU episode.
Weetiny Summer - The moment Seth knew Summer was the one. One is from his point of view, the other from Summer's. I had to include these clips especially this weekend.
Series Finale - The last three minutes of the series finale, so this is extremely spoilerish and reveals how it all ends for the characters.
How you can become addicted
Seasons one through three are all available wherever DVDs are sold. Season four will be available May 22. Repeats are shown in the states on SoapNet which I don't have. Woe. Here is a list of where it can be seen elsewhere in the world.
The show was canceled after four seasons. I should be grateful that FOX at least gave it a chance. However, the network meddled with season three and many viewers stopped watching (me included). When it was good again, FOX never really bothered to promote it. But I'm not bitter! *sighs*