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« The O.C.
December 21, 2006: Baby New Year
Just to clarify: Seth’s not about to become a daddy, but Frank already is one. Let’s start with the main focus of the night, Seth and Summer. Is it wrong for me to sort of wish the pregnancy test had been positive? Purely for the reason of having a good soap-opera story line play out, because Seth’s and Summer’s relationship has been a little...well, boring this season. Not that they were ready to become parents, especially with Seth’s “gimme a high five” reaction when he thought the test was Taylor’s and not Summer’s. Seth, Seth, Seth – I was so disappointed in him. Well, at least he redeemed himself at the end, after he was able to figure out his true feelings for Summer (thanks to Ryan’s help) and propose to her before looking at the test results. The alien ring, Seth’s declaration of his love, Summer’s surprise and acceptance – it was all very sweet, if for just a moment. And then, suddenly, it all felt...wrong. The chemistry between them just seemed to vanish. Now it’s like they’re getting married simply because they really don’t have anything else to do before they head back to college in the fall. The negative pregnancy test “saves us from having to have a shotgun wedding, now we can just have a normal wedding,” Seth declared. That’s all well and good, but I don’t watch The O.C. too see “normal” things. Normal’s for everyday life; The O.C. is for fun, heightened drama. Summer’s earlier panic-stricken question of “How did I go from being an Ivy League Al Gore-in-the-making to a knocked-up college dropout?” sounded like a more interesting road to pursue dramatically. However, Seth and Summer’s lack of enthusiasm after they became engaged suggested that all will not be smooth sailing ahead, so maybe there’s some fun to be had there.
Let’s move on to the most in-sync couple of the night – no, not Ryan and Taylor, though they were adorable as always and they seem to be progressing in their relationship. They had their first fight! And, they made up and got past it (“So you don’t think I’m a whore?”)...awww. But the surprise pairing of this episode was Kaitlin and her new surrogate father, Bullitt (I've been thinking it was "Bullet," but I checked the FOX Web site). I was actually feeling bad for little Kaitlin: her dad’s too busy partying out of phone range to call her; her mom leaves her at a party to go deal with business; her prince dates turned out to be less than charming; and apparently the girl has no friends. But she has Bullitt, who calls her “Peanut,” invites her to his party and gives her money to get a new dress. In return, she offers him tips for dating her mom. Then, he actually spends time with her at the party. The scene with him teaching her the two-step was too cute.
Nevertheless, Bullitt’s son seems to lack his father’s charm. He and his male prostitution ring are leading Julie down a dangerous road of Risky Business, and the last thing Julie needs in her life is a bad influence. I understand Julie’s desperate to make money, but this illegal venture cannot end well. (Though it does allow her to get in some classic Julie Cooper lines: “I may be a madam, but I’m not a whore.”) After all, it’s already leading her to meet a shady ex-con who’s using an alias: Frank Perry, a.k.a., Frank Atwood, a.k.a., Ryan’s father. We’ve met Ryan’s mother and brother in past seasons, and since they’ve always mentioned that his dad was not dead but in prison, I’ve been waiting for the day when we were going to finally get to meet him. Now, that day has arrived. This is gonna be good. But since we didn’t find out that Frank was Daddy Atwood until the closing lines of this episode, I’m going to wait before commenting anymore on this developing story line. Until next year...(remember, no new episode next week; the next new episode is on January 4).
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Dec 22, 2006 2:00 AM
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There was a lot of OMG squealing in my house with the reveal of who Frank really was. I was so glad it was not just a story of Julie being blackmailed for sex - however, it is going to get ugly. I am curious about how he got mixed up with Bullit.
Summer and Seth really bore the heck out of me (and almost always have).
Bullit has really grown on me, as is mini Cooper.
Loved Taylor and Ryan. Taylor steals the show in every scene she is in.
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Dec 22, 2006 8:45 AM
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Summer & Seth have barely touched each other in the past few episodes. They've been acting like brother and sister it seems to me. It was hard to believe that Summer might have been pregnant...
Anyway, I'm absolutely in love with the Ryan & Taylor storyline. I love how Taylor is still fairly new to relationships & watching whatever they have going on is too cute.
The two-step with Bullit & Kailtin was all too cute as well.
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Dec 22, 2006 10:03 AM
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Great episode! I was stunned when Kevin Sorbo was Ryan's father.
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Dec 22, 2006 10:44 AM
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What did Taylor mean with her comment "I know, everything but..." while she was in bed at the end?
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Dec 22, 2006 11:31 AM
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I think that Taylor saying that"everything but" referred to what her and Ryan could do in bed if you get my drift!
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Dec 22, 2006 11:59 AM
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This episode was soooo good!! The whole season has really really been good. I'm so glad to have quality OC back - even though I don't think it will be quite as good as it was when it premiered. Anyway, I screamed sooo loud when it was revealed that Hercules - er, Frank - turned out to be Ryan's dad (something I definitely was NOT expecting). I'm so glad that we only have to wait two weeks instead of a month, like some other shows...
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Dec 22, 2006 12:07 PM
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Love Ryan and Taylor!! Love them!! My favorite part...when Ryan called Taylor his "girlfriend". Considering the last couple weeks he has been hesitant to consider their relationship more than, well, fooling around. Maybe it's just me, but I thought that was really cute.
Seth and Summer...well.....it's getting weird. But since this IS probably the last season, I hope it works out in the end. It would be sad if we just spent the past 4 years rooting for these two for it all to fall apart as the show comes to an end. If only Seth would grow up a bit. But come on...the both like to play with plastic horses!
And Hercules is Ryan's dad, huh? I guess that explains the cage fighting abilities.
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Dec 22, 2006 2:39 PM
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AMAZING! I loved this episode. Ryan & Taylor:Pefect(although i expect things to get shaken up with Taylor's husband coming to town)Seth & Summer: yes, kinda boring, but I think things are going to get interesting very soon)Sandy & Kirstyn:need more air time Julie: back to her old ways Bullit & Kaitlyn: cute, escpecially the two step
as for Frank atwood: I cant wait to see next week, I want Ryan to tell him to get out and never come back, after (SPOILER) Sandy punches him.
All in all, great episode.
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Dec 22, 2006 2:41 PM
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