The OC Friday Morning Hangover: The non rumble by the Pier'pisode

Forgive me if this week is less than my best work. If you were trying to watch your favorite program while your mother had a dozen former sorority sisters over upstairs, you'd be a little foggy and just relieved to be out of the house as well. Translation: Nasty hangover this morning. But probably not as bad as last Sunday, wink, wink, STAIRWELL! While I fail to see how this was the craziest episode of The OC ever as last weeks previews billed it, I must say, it was a welcome change from the previous two episodes. My heart was thumping at a terrific pace when Ryan was playing unstable crazy nutball who just might bash in a guys face with a broken gin bottle on the beach. And you know what? Man, do I wish he would have pulled the trigger on destroying that Volcheck guy. Think about it folks, after he uncorks on him he says, "My girlfriend my shoot people, but I kill people." Then Schwartz could cue that happy go lucky early 90's song with the refrain, "I'm walking on, walking on, broken glass." Yeah, ibuprofen? Outstanding.

The big news, someone finally took steps to rid the program of Charlotte. To be honest, I was expecting Julie to go along with her on this one. This is the character that has done basically everything, so I thought she's long overdue for another stunt. I loved her classic Ju-Ju line of "this town is only big enough for one manipulative bitch." I also liked how she threatened her to call the cops, go ahead, do it, c'mon. Just like Ryan threatening that guy on the beach. I wanted to stand and pump my fists in the air or hit something. I wasn't sure if the scene with Ryan taking out his aggression on the boxing bag was really cool or really lame. I could probably be persuaded on it.

As I seemed to nail down at one point in a previous Hangover, Taylor will take a couple to the brink, but not end them. There's still plenty of time for that one to reverse, but if Taylor freaking Townsend turns out to be the end all of Seth and Summer, I'll pack my OC watching bags and move straight to Riverside. You have to admit, that Taylor is something else. Now that they have actually given her character some depth with the slight addition of the Newpsie mother that is five cards short of a full deck, she adds something to the show. But I have a hard time believing she'd be all into Japanese films and more so that after her little 'Brad and Jen' speech to Ryan about S/S, that Atwood wouldn't say to his pal, "uh, that crazy girl is blatantly trying to break up you and Summer." So now that Seth is still Summer's boyfriend and also has another attractive girl who wants him, will he still be the dorky geek? Where I come from, he who has two hot girls after him; usually not the geek. But it appears with the lying to Summer that Seth might be taking a step away from his more mellowed out state, back to the crazy, babbling Cohen. Time will tell.

Sandy fired four people. Or did his assistant fire four peole? Sanford laying people off on The OC, next thing you know he's going to be stumping for George W. Bush and pumping his boys full of Republican propaganda.

It's now official. Marissa Cooper could leave the public school for the school of the cognitively disabled. I'm not a Marissa or Mischa hater like most, but are you kidding me? "Ok, I'll get in your van with you while you transport me to an ATM. I see absolutely no possible way this could not turn out as planned, none at all." Yeah Marissa, and Alabama beat LSU last weekend and is a favorite to win the National Title.

It was kind of nice to not get a new character thrown into the fray this week. It might be the first time this season that that happened. Next week the fab 4 will apparently all choose their respected colleges and the show will conclude for the season. Or we'll find out if our beloved program has a future post HS. The OC CY? CY=College Years. Think about Seth at his first college basement party......done? Oh it has a future when they're in college. And I'll leave you with the initial character/college choices, don't think this is set in stone.

Summer-USC (private school)
Marissa-UCLA (public school...her family is broke remember?)
Seth-Cal (He needs to get out of Orange County at some point, they've been hinting at it since S1, E1.)
Ryan-Nope, tech school at best.

QUESTIONS FROM THE COUCH:
1. Does Ryan suddenly have some outrage problem that he needs to unleash on a punching bag? Remember season two when he didn't get in any fights?

2. Was I the only one who thought Trey was going to reappear on the beach under the pier in the same spot he assulted Marissa, this time fighting for her and her brother?

3. Did the producers forget they had the Bait Shop set sitting around somewhere until this week?

4. Marissa, seriously, you got in the van?

5. How good does Filzen look in LSU purple and gold?

6. How many episodes until Taylor does a complete heel turn again?

7. How gullable are they making Summer? She doesn't think the same girl that lied to her and got her detention could filch a small horse?

DRIVIN' DOWN THE 101:
Contrary to Natekon Filzo's voice message last evening, yesterday was not the first time we've seen a black person on The OC. That occured earlier this season at the public school dance.

So in season two we saw underagers getting Brothers 2004 drunk, people selling cocaine and shooting at each other, but they didn't get kicked out of the Bait Shop. In season three a guy grabs a girl, then a different guy puts him up against a wall and the guy that grabbed said girl gets the boot. That's interesting.

IF YOU BELIEVE THEY PUT A MAN ON THE MOON...
...Seth is UW-Madison bound. He's always wanted to go east. No way he's going coast to coast. He'll settle down in the liberal hotbed of the Midwest.

...Casey will reappear on the show.

...Sandy will fail horribly with the Newport Group.

...These are stuggling lately, I know. But for my first time ever.....

NOBLE AND COLD
See I'm writing this bad boy from a Barnes and Noble and I figured I'd throw in a small quick hit about this rather annoying 11 year old here with her mom. The 11 year old is talking on her own cell phone, complaining how her coffee is too carmely. Boy do I hope she's a Hangover reader, will she feel like quite the fool.