If We Can't Be Lovers Then We Can't Be Friends? - 
by J-Unit
This week's episode of The OC promised to provide us with a lot of answers. For years, the writers sort of neglected the fact that Theresa lied about her miscarriage. Most of us never really believed that Ryan was the father because Theresa wasn't exactly the most chaste woman at the time, but the Ryan baby story line became a glaring example of problems that have been plaguing this writing staff ever since those magical first six episodes when we all believed that this show was going to be the best thing on television for a long time. Now that the show is not the pop culture darling it used to be and FOX has several hour long dramas that fans and critics like a lot more, I think the writing staff have realized some of the old practices aren't going to work. But I don't write these recaps to lecture the producers, and the writers do seem to be getting better this year, so I'll just jump into the recaps. Scroll to the end if all you care about is who fathered Theresa's baby.
I understand that the college application process is different on the west coast. If you grew up in the east coast, every town with a gas station seems to have a small liberal arts college as well. Therefore, there was probably a good chance that you actually visited a college before you applied there. That being said, my first year college roommate was from California (Orange County to be exact), and so I consider myself to possess at least average knowledge of how things go.
Unfortunately, The OC got a lot of things wrong; chief among them is that we are supposed to believe that all of these kids are geniuses. Just because Sandy and Kirsten went to Berkeley doesn't mean that Ryan has to go especially when we Marissa has to go to the same school to make things awkward. Just because she "got all A's" two years ago as she would later tell somebody at Berkeley doesn't mean that she will automatically be accepted at the best college in the University of California system. It would have been much easier and just as awkward to accept UCLA, and just imagine all of the possibilities of Kaitlin Cooper mischief if they had went to Santa Barbara! But again, I am not looking to lecture, so really, I'll get on with it now.
Anyway, just like every college sent acceptance letters so everybody in Newport Beach would know where they got into college at the same time, the institutes of higher education all across the land conveniently conspired to have their prospective freshman weekend all on the same date. I mean, seriously, did Taylor fly to France for the Sorbonne pre-frosh weekend? I can imagine it now. "Zis weekend you will sit at zee cafe and complain about zee Americans and bash zee Euro" Oh, and I should call it pre-frosh, although more technically, it should be called profro. These are prospective students, meaning that they haven't yet enrolled, and hence they are profros. When they officially enroll, some schools will have a pre-frosh weekend for those students. Oh shit, there I go with the lecture again, but you get the point.
Seth sort of wondered why Ryan was packing so many things, or technically, how he could pack so many things, since we've only seen Ryan wear a wife beater and like two hoodies. Seth is clearly confusing Ryan's "run away from Newport" packing with Ryan's "vacation from Newport" packing. Besides, being somebody who tends to over-pack whether the stay is one day or one week, I can completely understand. You don't want to be miles away from home without a wardrobe for every occasion, plus six or seven extra sets of boxers and socks should something happen to you. Some people have emergency rations, but I have emergency underwear. If the apocalypse ever comes, I may die of starvation, but I will have clean boxer briefs.
As much as Seth is making fun of Ryan, he is just avoiding the obvious. Seth has to get into Brown, and although we left them last week trying to come up with another crazy scheme, all they have is this:
1. Seth flies to Providence
2. ????????
3. Seth gets into Brown!
In other words, they have had much better plans. That being said, Brown is the land of "pasty Jewish kids", so Seth feels he'll have no trouble fitting in and when Seth has confidence, there is no telling what could happen.
Kirsten takes the boys to the airport (Sandy couldn't make it because of work), and I'll definitely give a shoutout to Kelly Rowan for looking hot in that designer denim. She says goodbye to Seth, and then gives Ryan a few words of encouragement. One thing I have always thought that they do a bad job of portraying is Ryan's insecurity. I am not sure if it is the writers or Ben McKenzie, but I just don't see how this guy will chase down somebody's uncle for child support payments one week, chase down his long lost mother a few weeks later, and then all of a sudden be scared of heading to Berkeley.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 Next Page... ( Comments ) | Discuss In Our Forums