TV Review: The OC Premiere

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Last season of The OC ended with a bang, but this season began with barely a pin drop. The third season of this popular FOX teen drama premiered tonight. For those that might have forgotten or missed the beginning of tonight’s show, Marissa Cooper went off after Ryan when she found out he discovered that his brother Trey attempted to rape her. In a fit of rage, he goes to his brother’s apartment, and when Marissa and their friends find the two brothers they are in the middle of a brawl. In order to stop the fight, Marissa picks up a gun and shoots Trey. Other events at the end of last season include Kirsten going into rehab, and the death of Caleb Nichol.

That was last season. This season starts off slower than the way last season ended with an episode titled “The Aftermath.” We learn quickly it is two months later, and Trey is still in a coma, a result of the injuries he received from the gunshot. Marissa has pretty much been cleared of any charges, but the police are looking to pin the shooting on Ryan instead. They think somehow Marissa is covering for him because in her case she was defending someone. If Ryan had shot his brother, it would have been pre-meditated.

Trey finally wakes up, and Julie bribes him to say Ryan shot him, offering him $20,000 in order for him to do so. She goes so far as to threaten to smother him. Typical Julie! Last season, she thought of putting pills in Caleb’s wine, and who knows what that might have done to the man. However, he died of a heart attack before we could ever find out.

Sandy learns Ryan is about to be arrested. When Ryan hears this news, he decides to run off, and his three friends decide to join him. Before they are able to sail away, the police catch them, and Ryan is arrested.

This springs Coop, Summ, and Seth into action. The three pay a visit to the hospital, and Marissa confronts Trey. He slips up about her mother, and Marissa gets Trey to confess about the shooting. This sets Ryan free, and all is well. By the end of the episode, Trey is on a bus out of The OC.

While all this is happening, Kirsten is in rehab, and she is making great progress. So great, the doctors are ready to send her home. However, she isn’t ready to go back home. During this episode, she meets another woman also in rehab, and the two strike some kind of friendship. This sees the return of Jeri Ryan to FOX. The actress had been previously seen on the popular Boston Public before it was cancelled a couple of seasons back. It is unknown what Jeri’s character, Charlotte Morgan, will do at this time.

This episode seemed to be a bit slow for a premiere. Last season ended so powerfully, one would expect that power and emotion to carry onto the next season’s opener. All the loose ends that could have lasted months, a trial and other happenings, were basically forgotten and everything was set mostly perfect by the end of the episode. No, not everything is perfect. Ryan and Marissa still will have to deal with the consequences of their summer activities once school starts, as is shown in the previews for next week’s episode.

What did you think of this premiere of The OC? Do you think it was a perfect start to the third season, or did you feel it could have packed more of a punch?