Hess and Taylor are perfect for each other. They should have little pastel babies together.

I like the fact that you don't know exactly what Charlotte is up to, but you know it's no good. Is she after Kirsten or Sandy? Loved the evil little smile as she took a swig from the flask. Mwhaahaahaahaha

I liked the idea of this episode, introducing a highschool antagonist and what not, but it has still been so long since this show produced a soli interesting plot or a truly great scene that I wonder if anyone writing the show is even capable of that.

Also, the fact that Julie doesn't get any money is as obvious as the fact Charlotte is crazy. Maybe the Coopers will move the Chino.

TV-Eyes,
Nothing personal. Mwhaahaahaahaha is actually spelled muahuahuahuahuah. Courtesy of the Word Patrol.

I liked this episode much better than last weeks. I totally thought about Oliver and stuff in that scene with Charlotte and Kirsten. And Hess and Taylor seem so similar that it makes me wonder if maybe they are father and daughter on the show, or somehow related, and we won't find that out until later.

I'm hatin' on this episode. the Hess guy is a freak of nature and it's like he's taken over the school and I expected a shot of him in his office plotting- MUWAHAHAHAHAHA.....

At least get a reason to hate on Marissa and Ryan. Seems like he was just the dorky kid in high school and now he's just taking it out on every popular kid he sees.

I really agree, surprisingly, this episode WAS much better than last week. The OC just seems to function better when it's more light in tone. They just don't pull of drama very well.

I really enjoyed all the Taylor/Summer scenes. They were actually funny. What happened to Rachel Bilson? When did she become one of the best parts of the show? I'm liking it. Gotta mention that I love that dean as well. What a bastard, I dig it.

This whole Charlotte thing, I don't know about it. I feel like it's going in the Single White Female direction. "Oh my god, I'm Charlotte, my life sucks, ooo, look at Kirsten, she has everything, I'll take her life".

Still, I feel like this episode was better than 3/4's of the episodes last season.

The whole Charolette-Kirsten plot line is eerily similar to the 90210 episodes when Kelly returns from rehab for her coke addiction and the strange Tara tries to become Kelly????

i thought this episode sucked. all of the school plotlines are awful...dean of discipline? it's so john hughes-esque, and not in a good way.

heh, i'm actually 4 credits away from a master's in education. a master's alone would not be enough to make you a dean of ANYTHING.

Dean Hess should have been played by Billy "Put him in a body bag, Johnny" Zabka.

Dr. Kim is Korean you freaking idiot.

Dearest Nora,

http://www.tvgasm.com/archives/the_oc/001205.php#comment-17678

The "crazy Chinese restaurant" Dr. Kim runs was in reference to Rosalind Chao playing Pei-Pei in Freaky Friday Linday Lohan edition. Besides, who says Koreans can't run chinese restaurants?

"Sum" has to be the worst nickname ever.

Plot development could get interesting - Lindsey returns from Chicago to claim Nichols' millions - Coopers to Chino where they run into Theresa with her mini-Ryan - Charlotte is Oliver's never-present mom - anything could happen, but... what's with the totally insipid incidental music this season?

Why does Dean Hess look younger than Ryan?

Also, does anyone think Dean Hess will last the whole year or will he exposed as a de-ranged villian and run off the show?

i have a feeling dean hess will probably get in trouble for something and get fired and marissa and ryan will be able to come back.
my guess is he will start sleeping with taylor.

I hope lindsay doesn't get any of kalebs money...just because lindsay pisses me off (almost as much as this new taylor girl...)the o.c casting directors do NOT get actors that look like they actually belong in newport anymore...jess had the right look and so did holly (who disappeared of the face of the earth) and luke was good too... also, i think the person who posted the thing about 90210 is right...it will probably end up charlotte tries to take over kirsten's life.

Hmmm. I think this show was evolving at the beginning of last season, with the characters changing (Ryan becoming more calm and studious, Seth becoming more rebellious, etc...) Even with Lindsey and Zach, things on the show were getting different. Now, it seems, it's just sort of repeating stuff from the past. Jeri Ryan's character seems like Oliver revisited, Jimmy Cooper has backslid into a hapless guy looking for an easy buck, and Ryan is punching people out... It's still okay, but this stuff is on the verge of getting old. I know people like seeing what they liked before, but ever since the second half of last season, the eps seem to be echoes of older, better shows from the first season.

Ok, I have to admit that after the premiere, I was scared: scared that the writers had decided to take a new (and shitty) direction...but they fixed it...sort of. Jimmy Cooper is a poor bastard- and I care why? Screw Jimmy Cooper, go back to Hawaii (he's not lasting long anyways- his name is only mentioned in the "guest star" credits).

Ok, and this Charlotte...I knew she was going to be some psycho freak lady. But I kept expecting her to pounce on Kirsten and "attempt" to rape her, thus repeating two unsuccessful plot lines from last season (rape/lesbian love). Who knows, it could still happen.

And where did Zach go? I suppose he just disappeared off to some Italian villa or something- will the writers even bother explaining his absence? Psh, I doubt it...and I liked him too. Damn.

The Cohen's had domestic help in S1 and S2. Remember Rosa? Where's Rosa now...she's needed!

I would love to see more of the ass-kicking, nose-punching ryan, instead of the self-righteous ryan in the previous season.

Probably Julie Cooper won't get much money from Caleb's death and poor jimmy will have to deal with two loansharks.