Dear Jenny,
Last night's O.C. was the best in years. I loved the whole thing.
Yeah, the Summer-in-therapy scene at the beginning was a little too gimicky. Also, I think they botched the "2. Anger (again)" joke. All they had to do was show the "2. Anger" card and we would have gotten it. Using the "rage issues" line again is pandering and it's lazy and most importantly, it's self-congratulatory. Otherwise, the scene was funny, because Rachel Bilson committed to it fully. Also, as a plot device, it's not horrible. I like that the writers are having it both ways: Summer's campus activism is smothered grief and it's legitimate.
Speaking of smothered, I enjoyed Sandy's courtship of Spitzy. I'm optimistic that we're finally going to get a good storyline for Peter Gallagher.
It was a good week for Taylor. I have no idea why she's living with Julie and Kaitlin (or, for that matter, why Neil let them keep the house), but I thought the breakfast interactions among the three of them were brilliant. The Ryan subplot was funny and well-executed. The torte scene was heartbreaking. This is what we like about Autumn Reeser: yeah, she's funny, but she can also play Taylor's vulnerability. There was a second where you saw how relieved Taylor was that Ryan wanted the torte that really got to me.
Not a bad week for Julie and Kaitlin, either. Like so many things, the urban cougar subplot only worked because of Melinda Clarke's commitment. Without that, this would not have added up to much and actually would have been fairly depressing, in part because Taryn is such a depressing character. Good non-verbal work from Willa Holland, too, particularly in the one Taylor-Kaitlin-Julie scene. I don't understand how Holland can be so good? No one seems to be talking about it, either: are we the only ones seeing this?
What's going to happen to Kirsten? I feel like she hasn't left the house since the first season.
What did you think? Did you even watch or were you distracted by the "super-size" episode of The Office? ("Take a picture, it'll last longer.")
Love,
-- Pete
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