The O.C.

All I really have to say about this show, the season, and the way it ended is WHAT THE...(insert whatever word you want).

I knew this show was in deep trouble halfway through season 2 when they sent Alex packing. She was the best thing to happen to the show. I don't know exactly what it was that Olivia Wilde brought with her but whatever it was made the show soar to new hights. And it wasn't just the relationship between Alex and Marissa either. It was her interaction with all the characters. Everyone that came into contact with her had to raise their game and everything fell apart when she left.

Without Alex they had no new storylines which became very clear in the second of half of season 2 and even more obvious in season 3. Josh Shwartz says that they hightened the storytelling in the second half of season 3. Okay Josh if you say so. My definition of hightened storytelling does not involve repeating pretty much every single story arc some for the 3rd or 4th time.

While I wanted them to wrap up the whole Theresa story to drag it out the way they did with him taking her to prom wasn't necessary. The contant on-again-off-again relationship between Seth and Summer is wearing on me. Leave the together. I don't like hating Seth for making Summer sad. (Major props to Rachel Bilson for making those sad Summer moments so crushing.) Not to mention Seth's totally off the mark supposedly well intentioned antics are starting to get very old. The fact that they had to bring Anna back to fix things does not speak well for the shows ability to develope good stories. Liked Anna in season one but bringing her back the way they did was stupid and showed they had no real idea of what to do. If that's the only way to cause more tension between Seth and Summer then there are two choices available to them, 1) leave them together for good or 2) split them up for good.

Love Dr. Roberts and Julie getting together. Although that storyline isn't half as much fun with Marissa being dead. Bringing Kaitlin back is not a good move. No one is sitting around going oh please we don't want to move on from Harbor. This was never designed to be a show about the kids that went to that highschool. Rather that was just the high school the kids happened to go to. And could they have done a worse job with casting?

And the biggest mistake of all this season was killing Marissa. They have offered up all kinds of reasons for it and none of them fly. The Marissa and Ryan story had runs it course there was nothing else to do with them. Okay that doesn't mean you kill Marissa. And if you are going to kill her at least give her something real to work with. That was the most pathetic death scene ever and only really served to highlight how much Ben McKenzie has no idea what he is doing.

As for how they led up to Marissa's death. Seriously people pay attention to your entire season of stories and how they arc. After month's of not hearing from her dad Marissa decides to join him on a yacht when asked. Not going to happen. Clearly they forgot about the fact that Marissa was the one who told her dad to get out of town and not come back. That man has wounded her way to many times no way does she just say okay I'm off to Greece with my disaster of a father.

The stuff with Volchock was so dumb. When Marissa said the thing to Ryan about how she brought Volchock into their lives she might as well help get rid of him I wanted to scream. Clearly the writers weren't paying attention again. Johnny brought Volchock into their lives and Ryan made it worse by putting his nose in where it didn't belong. Yes, Marissa had her stupid fling with him but, she walked away from it and Ryan was the one who was to stupid to call the cops and beat Volchock up. He caused the problem and as usual wasn't man enough to fix his own mess and it cost Marissa her life.

The people behind the show are under the dilusion that killing Marissa is going to save the show. WRONG, killing her will kill the show. There fan base exists because of Misha Barton and they are going to lose viewers over this. Clearly they think they will have a reaction much like that of NCIS after killing Kate Todd and see their ratings shoot up. That's misquided for a couple reasons. First the NCIS thing happened because killing Kate was unbelievably shocking not only in that no one thought they would kill her but also because of the way they killed her. Killing Marissa was not shocking in anyway. From about three episode into the shows first season anyone would have told you that if anyone was going to find an early grave it was Marissa there by actually killing her is not shocking. And again the way she died was just pathetic.

Not to mention that because of the way they orchestrated it they robbed Rachel Bilson of some truly great material. She could really shine dealing with all that grief. There better be a moment in season four when something great happens to you and she goes to call Marissa only to realize she can't.

People are unbelievably harsh on Mischa and it is unwarranted. Those of us her are her fans know that the only reason she never shined on this show is because she was never given the material to do so and wasn't given a character that grew there by she could never change what she was doing. The only time she really shined was when Marissa was dating Alex because it was the one time she was given something to work wtih. The writers got confused and forgot that Marissa didn't have a bad boy complex, bad boys had a Marissa complex. The one goodthing that comes from this is that Mischa still has time to salvage her career.

If they wanted to change the dynamic of the show they could have done it without killing Marissa. The way they should have ended the season is like this. Marissa continues to spiral down hill after Johnny's death and gets in way to deep with Volchock. Knowing there was only one way to save Marissa, Summer makes a fateful phone call. And on graduation day Marissa would leave town only not to be with her father but with Alex.

The show may have gotten a fourth season pick up but it is only for 16 episodes. And say it's because of baseball all you want people but FOX starts shows after baseball all the time and still gives full season orders. It will take a miracle for those not to be the shows final 16 episodes. It's over in May 2007.