TV Review: The O.C. Episode 3.12

Thursday, January 19, 2006

From ABC: Kaitlin Cooper, age 14, returns to the O.C. during her winter break from an exclusive Montecito boarding school, bringing a lot of attitude and a few secrets of her own. Much more in the mold of her mother Julie Cooper than her sister Marissa, Kaitlin turns heads as she tries to get closer to her family the only way she knows how.

My Rating: 4 out of 4


An all-new episode this week for The O.C, and we definitely have some changes afoot when Mini-Cooper, little sis Kaitlin blows into town looking for her mother within the first few minutes of tonight's episode titled The Sister Act. When we last saw Mini-Cooper, she was eleven and in love with her pony. My how things change and quickly too! She is fourteen now, and my my my Mini-Cooper isn't so mini anymore as Willa Holland joins the cast.

We can immediately see she is trouble from the first minute she enters the Cohen's house. However, she changes her tune once her mother and older sister, Marissa arrives. The three begin to bond, but Marissa has school. Marissa and her younger sister have lost touch over the years. Marissa does want to try to rebuild their friendship, and the two go out shopping and to meet up with Johnny and Chili after school. Within minutes, Kaitlin has figured out that Johnny is in love with Marissa, and she makes her play for the guy. She is not your ordinary fourteen year old, and this is obvious to see. She definitely takes after her mother. She is now living in the trailer with her mother and older sister.

Soon after she arrives in town, we learn she isn't there for just a family visit during break. She is receiving threatening phone calls from a young man, and he even shows up on the Cohen's doorstep looking for her. Ryan answers, and he handles the situation, but he does approach Kaitlin. She gives him a story about the guy stalking her, and Ryan takes her word for it. He calls the guy, and when they meet up, the guy expects Kaitlin to be with Ryan. When he sees, she isn't he approaches Ryan and tells him the real story behind his being there. Justin, the young man, had been dating who he thought was a sixteen year old girl, Kaitlin. Taking her to a frat party so she can meet his brother, Kaitlin ends up stealing the money from the door cover charge and leaves for home.

Ryan once again approaches Kaitlin once he finds the bag that had contained the money Justin described, and she gives him another story. This one being that she stole the money to help pay for the abortion of her friend that was dating the brother she was taken to the frat party to meet. This story turns out to be untrue as well, and Ryan finally goes to Marissa with what has been happening. Marissa goes to her younger sister, and they catch Kaitlin before she can run off again. The two sisters share a moment, and Kaitlin tells Marissa that she stole the money so she could come home.

Somehow everyone at her school found out her mother now lived in a trailer because someone at the school's parents owned it. She knew all along where her mother lived, and she wanted to make sure her family was okay. I'm really not sure this story is true, but it could be. also young Cooper has moves that would make her mother proud. Kaitlin is definitely trying to win over Johnny's affection.
As for Johnny, Marissa finds out he lied to get her to go back to Harbor. When she approaches him, he tells her he never wants to see her again. The next day he regrets it, and he searches out his friend. Things definitely seem to be promising if Kaitlin keeps up her pursuit.

Elder Cooper, Julie is heartbroken tonight when she discovers that Neil Roberts is out on a date with Veronica Townsend, Taylor's mom. Veronica played a trump card to get Kirsten to set her up with Neil. Either set up the date, or she would make the last few months of Marissa's time at Harbor a living hell. She has the power to do it too. Neil and Veronica go out on one date, and that is all fine and good. However, we learn he is going for a second, and this is when red flags go up with almost everyone.

Summer, Seth, Kirsten and Sandy have a little powwow once Julie confides in Kirsten about her developing feelings for Neil. Summer and Seth devise a plan to get rid of Veronica the night of the launch party. Just in time too because Veronica and Neil were about to go off for private time. However, that is halted once Seth tells Taylor that Summer's father has genital warts. Taylor runs to her mother, and Veronica makes a quick exit! With Veronica out of the way, Neil approaches Julie and asks her for a date, which she quickly agrees to. Didn't I say these two would end up hooking up? It was only a matter of time.

All in all this was an enjoyable episode of The O.C. Kaitlin Cooper might just be what is needed to bring new life into this series. The story lines have been a little lacking for me this season, but tonight's episode was definitely one of the better ones. I'm excited to see what Kaitlin does next. Download a preview of next week's episode here courtesy of OCFans.org.