There's
trouble (and plenty of fun) in paradise in this 24-episode, 7-disc
Season 2 collection of the smash-hit series set in Orange County's posh
Newport Beach. Hook up with what's coming down as the Core Four romances
of Ryan-and-Marissa and Seth-and-Summer may (or may not) go from very
over to very on, Sandy and Kirsten face choices that could trainwreck
their 20-year marriage, felon (and Ryan's brother) Trey gives Newport
living a try, Julie's lurid past comes back to haunt her, and other new
hunks and hotties become part of the coastal scene. Live. Laugh. Lie.
Cheat. Grow. Share. Connive. Love. In California's beach paradise, they
do everything under the sun
The drama was poured on aplenty in the
second season of The O.C. , as the sun-dappled denizens of Orange County
found their lives massively upended and then some. At the end of the
first season, the Cohen household had been reduced to two--parents Sandy
and Kirsten (Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan)--as the boys had flown
the coop, moody Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) back to Chino and goofy Seth
(Adam Brody) for the wide expanse of the Pacific (somehow ending up in
Portland, Oregon). Once the prodigal sons returned home, thanks to a lot
of persuading, both tried to mend relationships with their former
girlfriends, Marissa (Mischa Barton) and Summer (Rachel Bilson). While
friendships were solidified, everyone was dating someone else: Seth was
with sultry club manager Alex (Olivia Wilde), Summer with sensitive polo
jock Zach (Michael Cassidy), Ryan with smart girl Lindsay (Shannon
Lucio), and Marissa with her family's pool guy and a bottle of vodka.
That's just the first half of this year of The O.C. , and we haven't
even gotten to the adults yet. Both Sandy and Kirsten found themselves
tempted away by more-than-willing suitors, and wicked Julie (Melinda
Clarke), Marissa's mom, cheated on new husband Caleb (Alan Dale) with
ex-husband Jimmy (Tate Donovan). An extremely tangled web was woven, one
from which the show almost didn't recover: the Lindsay storyline
started out strong but went nowhere, Sandy's ex-girlfriend (Kim Delaney)
was a bit of a bore, and the same-sex relationship between Marissa and
Alex never really gelled. All seemed like sure-fire character additions,
but it was the later peripheral characters, including Billy Campbell as
a magazine editor smitten with Kirsten and the menacing yet sexy Logan
Marshall-Green as Ryan's ex-con brother, who injected The O.C.with
energy, and helped steer the show back on course. Brody, who became the
show's de facto poster boy, got to show off his comedic talents with the
wonderful Bilson (who rode the Zach-Seth-Summer romantic triangle most
smoothly), and the heretofore sullen McKenzie got to lighten up quite a
bit, until the show's violent yet effective season finale.
Forsaking a good amount of its comedy for drama, The O.C.got a little
too seriously soapy, but its characters were so compelling you couldn't
stop watching--even waiflike Marissa grew some edges. Clarke's scheming
Julie was a constant pleasure to watch, and Rowan turned Kirsten's
late-season downturn into a steely yet heartfelt portrayal. Despite the
bumps, The O.C.remained one of the most exciting shows to look forward
to week after week, a soap with smarts thanks to its fresh dialogue,
gifted cast, and careening plot arcs. --Mark Englehart