Wedding hijinks on splashy 'The O.C.'

From a Free Press article

California dreamin' has become a kicky surreality with "The O.C."

The coolest slice of soap opera fun under the Left Coast sun since "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Melrose Place" rolls to the conclusion of its stylish opening season at 9 Wednesday on Fox. It all winds up with a traditional bit of season finale whoopty-do -- a big splashy wedding.

But hold on. I'm guessing the lavish Newport Beach nuptials of Daddy Big Bucks, Caleb Nichol (Alan Dale), and his scheming love muffin, Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke), just may feature a crazy surprise or two.

And what are the chances a fist fight will break out at some point during the tumultuous plot twist party?

Excellent!

Cooked up in the clever young brain of 27-year-old series creator Josh Schwartz, "The O.C." has put a playfully witty new twist on prime time soap opera conventions.

Especially soap operas prominently built around teenagers and their raging hormonal ride through the angsty amusement park of adolescence.

For one delightful thing, Schwartz is doing soap opera with a brain and a devilish sense ofpop culture humor.

The skinny straw who stirs that fizzy, wisecracking drink is Adam Brody as ultra-cool geek Seth Cohen, currently playing high school romance with Summer (Rachel Bilson), his sweet sarcastic dream girl and a pampered suburban princess of the Newport Beach establishment.

Brody has become "The O.C.'s" breakout rockateen clown and sexy dork dreamboat.

Fearing Summer is about to dump him, Seth recently mulled over whether he should force an emotional showdown or "continue to be whiny and passive-aggressive until she realizes what a catch I am."

It's Brody's deft handling of the self-deprecating wit and snappy sardonic repartee that helps make Seth Cohen so darn enjoyable and appealing.

"The O.C." -- a slang nickname for Orange County, the show's hyper-affluent Southern California setting -- is built around the culture clash odyssey of Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie). He's the wayward, misunderstood blue-collar youth from Chino, taken into the plush Newport Beach home of do-gooder attorney Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) and his rich, loving wife Kirsten (Kelly Rowan).

Not long after moving into the Cohens' pool house, Ryan fell hard for next-door neighbor Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). And that relationship has been on an emotional roller coaster all season.

Especially now that Marissa knows that Ryan's old Chino girlfriend Theresa (Navi Rawat) may have Ryan's bun in her oven. Big oops!

In addition to its irreverent wit and intelligent tweaking of musty soap opera cliches, "The O.C." has delivered another very pleasant surprise: interesting adult characters who play a vital part in the storytelling.

It's not all about those crazy teenagers.

In fact, some of the very best moments on "The O.C." have featured Gallagher and Rowan and their droll, affectionate marital banter.

Plus, the grown-ups have just as many hot 'n' bothered issues as the temperamental kids. Julie Cooper, Marissa's impulsive mom, once slept with her daughter's former boyfriend. And both Kirsten and Sandy have a contentious relationship with Caleb, her scheming land-developer father.

Blessedly, none of these adult characters -- or the teenagers either -- are portrayed as shrill, one-dimensional melodrama stereotypes. They're each humanized and given at least a smidgen of tart, self-aware humor.

But "The O.C." also never, ever forgets to push the guilty pleasure buttons. Like any good soap opera, it delivers sly trash with real flash.

Like last week's cosmic bachelorette party, climaxed by a swimming-pool catfight between Julie and Kirsten's sex bomb younger sister. It was a manic melodrama moment echoing the legendary "Dynasty" throwdown between Joan Collins and Linda Evans.

Better get dried off, Julie. You're supposed to be getting married tonight!

Pass some of that expensive Newport Beach bubbly. Time to toast "The O.C.," the most imaginative mindless escape in years.

Posted by Ron at May 1, 2004 08:21 PM