Editorial: Season Four Preview
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As I begin to write this, 143 days have passed since the season three finale. (And as I finish it, 162 days have passed.) That is a long time. Almost five months. But, despite this incredibly long wait, I’m finding that the anticipation is building as each day passes. Most may think that a 167-day wait (if I counted correctly) would kill a fan base. (And if that doesn’t, surely going up against Grey’s Anatomy and CSI will. Ha! C’mon I had to address that at some point. Why not knock it out in the beginning, right?) To put it simply, I do not.
I feel like this season will really be great. I have confidence. And about half of that confidence stems from Mr. Josh Schwartz himself. That’s right! While thousands (maybe millions?) still hold a grudge against Josh for killing off Marissa, I think it was the right decision. Now it should be known that for a long time I debated my position on Marissa’s death. At first, I was in shock. Then I went into denial. And then I just accepted it and began looking forward to season four, because The O.C. actually has a launching pad that it will use. At the end of season two, we were left with this huge cliffhanger. Trey was dead, we all thought. What will this do to Ryan and Marissa? And what about Kirsten? How will her stay in rehab affect her marriage? There were so many opportunities, so many chances, and most of them were thrown out the door. Instead of exploring Ryan and Marissa’s demons about the shooting, they decided to bring in this lame character named Johnny and have him cling to Marissa like some needy puppy. Instead of trying to rebuild the Cohen family after Kirsten’s stay in rehab, or try to explore Kirsten’s own demons concerning her alcoholism or death of her father, they decided to have Sandy run the Newport Group, bring in another lame character named Matt, and have him change personalities about five times. Anyway, after all that rambling, my point is that season three has catapulted season four into new territory where I believe The O.C. will succeed.
And the reason so much of my confidence is invested in Josh is because he will be writing most of the episodes himself. In the past two seasons, he’s written… 7 (that’s the count off the top of my head) out of 49 episodes. Only one of those, The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vakkah, was below his usual fantastic quality. In addition to those 7, he wrote countless episodes in season one, ranging from The Countdown to The Escape. So as long as Josh is conducting the show, I’m in. I mean, you can’t deny that this guy has incredible talent. Really, you can’t.
Before writing this season preview, I decided what I wanted to talk about. And one of the first things that came to mind was the characters and their respective paths this season. This year, there will be two new additions to the cast, and I feel that their success is vital to the show’s success. Everyone has already fallen in love with Seth and Summer. But have they fallen in love with Taylor and Kaitlin? Only time will tell (mysterious, I know…).
Julie
Melinda Clarke is an extremely talented actress. She can do comedy, and she can do drama. And the writers really use her talent to their advantage. She is constantly thrown these outrageous storylines, and somehow finds a way to make them remotely believable and incredibly entertaining. Melinda has made Julie Cooper-Nichol-soon-to-be-Roberts into a human being.
In season three, they grounded her a little bit. They slowed her down some, and turned her into a mother. This season, I would like to see some of the grounded Julie, but also the scandalous Julie. And, of course, I want to see how she copes with Marissa’s death. The finale picks up five or six months after the death, so she may not be severely depressed all the time. But she should definitely have her moments. Having to bury your child is a tragedy, and the writers should realize that instead of brushing it aside as they have with so many other things.
Kirsten
For much of last season, Kelly Rowan was simply ignored. Save the Charlotte half-storyline, she was virtually nonexistent for the first two-thirds of the season. This was a huge mistake.
This season, I would like to see Kirsten take on some good storylines. (Note to writers: a high-end dating service with Julie is not interesting.) I would like to see her reaction to Marissa’s death and her marriage with Sandy grow. They left off on a good note at the end of last season, and hopefully that will carry into this season. Also, it’s generally known that Kaitlin will be moving in with the Cohens. I really love that storyline. Throughout the first three seasons, we’ve seen Kirsten act as a mother to Seth and Ryan. But I think it should be very interesting to see how she acts as a mother figure to Kaitlin. I think that somewhere inside of Kirsten, she wants a daughter, or at least a girl around the house that she can talk to and have fun with. Hopefully, she will be able to provide some much-needed guidance for Kaitlin.
Sandy
This one is simple. The season-four Sandy needs to be the season-one Sandy. He’s returning to the public defender’s office, and hopefully this will in turn lead to the return to his moralistic views. The problem with taking away Sandy’s morals is that it completely contradicts everything that the character was built upon. From the very first episode, we were led to believe that Sandy had strong principles and beliefs. It’s completely unrealistic to take that all away, whether gradually or not.
Seth
In addition to Melinda Clarke, Adam Brody is an exceptional actor when it comes to both comedy and drama. He can do both, and he can do them extremely well. So, instead of rehashing the worn-out storyline of him always lying to Summer, he needs to do something fresh. I’ll look for Seth to provide support for Ryan as he copes with Marissa’s death, and as he leaves Newport for RISD (I almost typed Brown!), I’d like to see his reaction. It’s always been clear that he hates Newport and can’t wait to get the heck out of there, but when the time comes to actually go, it should be interesting to see what he does. This was dealt with previously in season three with his dabble in pot, but that was months before he was planning to leave. Speaking of pot, I don’t believe that its return is completely out of the question. It is a possibility, and I would not mind if the writers brought that back. Adam is very entertaining when he’s high. I’d also like to see how Seth helps Summer cope with Marissa’s death as she is one of the people who is most affected by her death.
Taylor
Bringing in Autumn Reeser as a main cast member was one of the best decisions Josh has ever made. But in order for this to work, Taylor has got to get some lines. Actually, no, she has to get some storylines. She played third wheel to Seth and Summer for most of last year, and it was pretty unfair because Autumn Reeser has made us (well, most of us) fall in love with Taylor Townsend. She has made her engaging, and smart, and funny. Basically, she deserves it.
As for what storylines to give her, I see two possible directions. Most storylines on this show either deal with love or family. That said, you can hook her up with somebody (another Korean?...) or look at her family. We’ve already met her mother, and realized how terribly she treats Taylor. It would be interesting to explore that more.
Kaitlin
There are countless fans who absolutely hate the addition of Willa Holland to the cast. Again, I am not one of them. I actually like Kaitlin, and I like Willa Holland. I think that she’s very believable as a high school student, and she has provided the show with the bad girl image that it really lacked. Speaking of high school and Harbor, this whole “rule Harbor” thing I think should be interesting. I’m not saying that I want to see her actually “rule Harbor” literally, but it could definitely be interesting to see what high school life is like. After all, this show was based on the lives of high school teenagers, and I cannot recall one high school-related storyline.
Still, there are just some things that will not work with her character. The most important is the idea that she will replace Marissa. Though I think it’s unlikely this will happen, I’m still going to say it loud and clear: NO! That’s just kicking those diehard Marissa fans (if they’re still watching) when they’re down. She may be Marissa’s sister, but she never will be Marissa.
Summer
Summer’s path in season four should be extremely interesting. Now, I don’t read spoilers, and don’t ever intend to, but from what I can gather it seems that she has changed a lot since we last saw her fooling around with Seth in a box. I’d have to say that after a tragedy as great as her best friend’s extremely untimely death, she never will be the same. But that doesn’t mean that I expect to see a whole new person come November 2nd. Summer should still be the Summer that we have all come to know and love. However, when she is at Brown, I would like to see her embrace the new environment and explore life away from Newport.
Ryan
Ryan, I believe, will be the most engaging character throughout the whole season. I do believe that Josh and Co. will try to get the focus back on Ryan and his adjustment to a new life, because let’s face it, Ryan’s life has changed greatly in a few short months. From the looks of the previews, Ryan is not going to Berkeley. Oh no, he’s decided to go down a different path… cage fighting. First of all, if it were not for the actual name, I would have no idea what cage fighting even is. It looks like boxing but way more dangerous and violent. I mean, c’mon, putting two guys in a cage and making them fight? That can never be good.
The death of Marissa has certainly affected him in a way that nothing else probably ever has, and it should be his goal (and the goal of his friends and family) to get his life back on track. Season one was mainly about Ryan being thrust into this new, strange environment, and how he learned to adjust to it. In season four, that should be, in a sense, the main focus for Ryan’s character.
Marissa
I know what you’re probably thinking: Um, Marissa was killed off. She’s not a main character. And this isn’t some denial thing. While Marissa may physically be absent this season, I hope she isn’t mentally. Without a doubt, Marissa was one of the single most important characters on the show. And it’s not because she caused “all the drama.” It was because it one way or another she was directly connected to every other character on this show. Therefore, her death will affect everyone.
And while I don’t want Marissa and her death to be the subject of every single scene, I don’t want her to be forgotten like some afterthought. The writers need to find a happy medium.
All You Need Is Love?...
If there is any concept that the writers of this show have just beaten over and over, trying to turn it into something else, or worse, disguise it, it is the love triangle. Josh Schwartz and his crew of writers must be huge fans of geometry, because it seems like there is always some love triangle or love rhombus or pentagon in the midst. It’s pretty ridiculous. And while there actually weren’t that many love triangles in season three compared to seasons one and two, Johnny was enough to kill us all. Multiple times.
Part of the problem with a lot of the love triangles throughout this show’s history has been that they were not feasible. Why would Marissa become so attached to a psychotic, obsessive drug addict who also has other visible problems when she has Ryan? Why would Marissa become so attached (yet again) to this completely needy, whiny, lame surfer guy when she has Ryan? Why would Sandy jeopardize his marriage and his family life for some former flame (who just happens to be a criminal)? It just doesn’t make sense.
Now, I know about this Che thing with Seth and Summer, and although I definitely sense a love triangle coming, I find this particular one reasonable. Summer is great with Seth; I have very few complaints regarding their relationship. But with Seth not heading to Rhode Island until the winter, Summer will obviously get lonely at Brown all by herself. And in the aftermath of this tragedy, she will probably want to rid herself of her past, and from what I can gather, Che seems like the anti-Newport.
As for Ryan, I cannot say that a love triangle would be reasonable. I strongly do not want the writers to pair up him up with anybody. It will only get fans upset, because, truthfully, no girl that Ryan has ever been with has been liked by a majority of the fans (yes, even Marissa). I mean, Theresa? Not really. Lindsay? Definitely not. Sadie? Are you kidding me? Josh should have known to stay away from the Harper family after the Johnny disaster (more like catastrophe upon catastrophe upon catastrophe). If you think about it, it’s a waste of valuable story time. Why waste a six-episode arc on something that will displease a majority of the fans?
Now comes Julies and Neil. I have to admit that before reading over my notes for this season preview, I completely forgot about Neil. But when I really think about, it’s not like there’s much to remember. Other than general knowledge about Neil’s wealth, occupation, and love life, we hardly know a thing about the guy. This partly contributes to my prediction that Neil and Julie will not get married in the beginning of the season. I just cannot see it happening. And whether clearly visible or not, Julie’s life came to a halt with the death of Marissa. Not only does she need to recover and cope with this tragedy, but Neil needs to be exposed and developed more. Only after those things are accomplished can I see the two getting married.
My Season Four Wish List:
1. With the exception of Luke, Anna, Theresa, and Jimmy, please don’t bring back old characters.
2. Resolve this whole Theresa baby thing. While I did let out a sigh of relief at the end of The College Try, deep down I know that that baby has to be Ryan’s. Josh would not resolve one of the biggest storylines of this show with one sentence.
3. Ryan and his (biological) family need to have some type of closure. This means that I would like to see Trey and Dawn again. But this does not mean that I want some sappy Atwood family reunion.
4. Resolve this Volchok storyline early. I actually liked Volchok, but I don’t want to see him around for the whole season.
5. I would absolutely love to see a scene where Ryan is at Marissa’s grave. I don’t know if that’s too realistic, but I don’t really care. That has potential to be an amazing scene.
6. Don’t sideline characters. This show has an ensemble cast, and I know that it can be, at times, hard to give everyone screen time. However, with a group of talented actors and actresses that this show has, there is no reason to give 75% of the episode to one character. One of the worst mistakes of season three was the writer’s decision to push Kelly Rowan aside and hand all the stories, and all the lines to the less-deserving (Johnny in particular).
7. Make the adult storylines remotely interesting.
8. Find a way to weave the adult storylines into the teen storylines so that they somehow relate. There was hardly any of that in season three, but I definitely have confidence that it’s possible.
9. A good old-fashioned Chrismukkah. Last year’s Chrismukkah did not live up to its lofty expectations. This year, it must.
10. If supporting characters are going to be brought in (and I know they will—c’mon, it’s The O.C.), then I don’t want their only purpose to be to break up a couple.
11. Some kind of trip or vacation. It doesn’t matter if it’s for Spring Break of Fall Break or just because, but a change in scenery is good every once in a while.
12. Good music selections. It’s as easy as that. These past three seasons have been nothing short of spectacular when it comes to music, and I hope that trend continues this season.
13. Oh, and I want Fox to pick up eight more episodes to round out the fourth season.
14. Finally, I hope that this show goes out with a bang, and I hope that it is remembered by its fans and for a good run, with a stellar opening and closing.
It’s a whole new day in Newport Beach. California, here we come.
