Editorial: The Undertow
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I’m writing a delayed review for the simple reason of being hit with a flu/bug thing. Passed down from my husband, it brought me into a state of being that rendered me a prime sleeper, but left my abilities for writing somewhere in the deep burrows of my dreams. So now I sit here, the day the latest episode arrives, finally putting my thoughts down about last week. Forgive me that this is shorter than usual.
Seth wisely advised Ryan that he could look to the future rather than dwell in the past. It’s an important and crucial statement for Ryan to follow. But it’s wasn’t an easy task as we could see. The interjection of season two’’s Jess helped to establish Ryan’s ties to his past and brother Trey as well as solidify a pattern of Ryan trying to rescue woman.
I actually appreciate the analytical breakdown of Ryan. It feels we’ve been forced for too long to stare down Marissa and all her eternalized angst and pain that it’s almost refreshing that the table is turned on him. Still, I have to wonder why he would play into Jess’s hands. It was clear she was after something more than a quick save from a skuzzy ex-boyfriend. If she could of jumped into Ryan’s pants she would have. But the interesting thing is, she was clearly emotionally inept and scared. In all her flirtatious raunchiness she’’s just as much of a tortured soul as Trey, Marissa and Ryan himself. The core difference, Ryan has the valuable and indispensable use of sense to counteract the pain. This is why at the end of it all he was able to leave Jess in the dust, leave Trey in the past, and look towards the future by embracing a relationship with Sadie.
This episode included a growing tradition of flashbacks and a closing montage. Do the writers not remember that they got through two full seasons with out a single flashback and it work perfectly fine? The show always had a unique way of building and breaking apart the history by using it in current context. Whether it was introducing us to Ryan’s old friends in Chino or Seth taunting Marissa of her early history with Luke, it had offered just the right elements to expose the emotions, moods and records of every character’s past life. It now feels like an easy way out for the writers to simple cue to a flashback to convey what more in-depth and stronger writing could also do.
There was a bold and direct theme of sex that was tied together and resolved in the closing montage. While Seth and Summer’s ties to the theme were sweet, funny and allowed for prime use of Taylor, all other ties were either misused or just plain confusing.
Seeing Ryan and Sadie tenderly and vulnerably embrace each other in a kiss would of have been a perfect way to end their story without going too far or over-the-top. Unfortunately it continued with them tossing on the floor and getting naked. I can only assume sex followed. Why progress things this fast when their story is in the starting stages. He has no history with her like he did with Theresa so it makes no sense to me that they jump into sex this quickly.
Lastly we had Marissa and Volchok. Their gropefest was illogical and completely random. But they were partly a victim of bad storyboards and scene editing. If they had placed a connecting scene between Volchok’s scary front porch stalking, and him and Marissa ripping each other’s clothes off we would have had continuity and maybe a glimpse into how Marissa would allow him to even put his dirty hands on her bare skin.
Sex only sells for me when it’s given context, reasoning and logic. But neither of the situations, besides Seth and Summer, had these things. And worse yet, everyone is an elemental part of the sex montage except Sandy and Kirsten. How atypical that all the kids are having sex but two adults that were so sexy and vibrant in season one get no visible action.
*** ½ out of ***** stars.
