TV Review: The OC - Episode 3.02

Thursday, September 15, 2005

In “The shape of things to come,” senior year starts for the students of Harbor high, and the people of The OC intend to make it the best year ever. Sandy and Summer both start off the year on a positive note, but that note certainly turns sour quickly. There is a new man in town, and he has his mind set on causing trouble for Harbor’s favorite couple, Ryan and Marissa.

The summer’s events have caused quite a stir, and the parents of the high school have begun a petition to have Ryan and Marissa expelled as their senior year is just about to begin. The new dean of discipline, played by OC newcomer Eric Mabuis formerly of The L Word, is set on seeing the pair gone from his school. Early on in the episode, we learn that Marissa is the one to be expelled, leaving Ryan alone at school without his girlfriend.

In rehab, Kirsten gets ready to return home, but fellow rehab resident, Charlotte Morgan, talks Kirsten into going to a cabin up at Lake Arrowhead, a sort of a halfway house to test if Kirsten is ready to come home. Sandy takes this news as well as can be expected, but he wants his wife home with him and their sons.

At the cabin, we get to see more of who Charlotte really is. At first she seems nice, but as the episode continues on, we get to see that Charlotte isn’t all she appears to be. In fact, by the very end, we see she has already relapsed, and there is a devious look in her eye as she watches Kirsten go off to bed.

Marissa is stuck at home, but her friends do their best to keep her spirits up. Summer steps up to help her friend by trying to take over Marissa’s position as social chair for Harbor, but someone else already has their eye on the prized role. Summer makes it a point to go after this role, even if she doesn’t have any experience in the area.

Ryan is intent on seeing Marissa return to Harbor, and he makes it so that he and Marissa meet with the new dean. A visit that does not go well. Apparently the new dean has heard quite a lot about Ms. Social Chair since he moved to the area, and he has already labeled her a troubled teen. Marissa doesn’t have a stellar past, so one can certainly make that assumption. However, as Marissa tells the dean, the shooting was different.

By the end of the meeting, all chances of Marissa returning to school are blown by Marissa standing up to the dean. I actually cheered after this little encounter. Not a smart move for her character, but the scene was fun to watch, and it was one of the best scenes of the show for me.

While all this is happening, Summer is planning the kick off carnival, which she does so successfully, stealing it right out from under her nemesis Taylor Townsend’s nose. Ryan finally talks Marissa into going to the carnival, after one failed attempt, and we are able to see our four friends together on the ferris wheel.

However, once again things sour quickly. Taylor has gone off to find the new dean, and he orders Marissa gone. When she doesn’t leave fast enough for him, he grabs her to remove her by force. This angers Ryan, and in a fit of rage, he punches the dean. The dean then orders them both gone, and Ryan is now looking to be expelled. This definitely made for a tense and sad ending for this week’s episode.

A subplot throughout this episode followed Marissa’s father Jimmy. It appears he has fallen into debt, and he only falls more into debt as the episode continues on. Julie and him are waiting for the reading of Caleb’s will, which appears to happen on next week’s episode. Jimmy also pops the question, and Julie happily agrees to marry him again.

This episode definitely picked up the pace a bit after a slow beginning during last week’s premiere. I’m definitely curious to learn more about Charlotte. Something just didn’t feel right during last week’s episode, and this week that gut feeling proved to be true. She is up to something, and it doesn’t bode well for Kirsten it appears. However, I really have no idea what will happens. I’ve heard a few theories. Charlotte developing an obsession with Kirsten being one of them. This would be similar to a plot line this show has used in the past with Marissa. Time will only tell what this woman is up to.

The new dean also interests me. I’m not sure if his stay in the OC will be long, but just this episode showed me a few possibilities. Could this be the replacement for the conniving Caleb? With his death, we lost an evil male presence on the show. This dean definitely fits the bill if he sticks around. I rather enjoyed this episode of The OC. Not one of the show’s best, but definitely enough to keep me interested in what is to come.