Another fine episode tonight, well except for Marissa's slo-mo walk away in the school and Marissa's conversations with Seth. They seem much less natural than the Ryan/Summer talk in 2x02. So really, everything but Marissa was good - and even then Marissa wasn't completely horrible.

I liked seeing Ryan talk more, even though it's kind of a drastic change from his early season 1 days. I liked him with Lindsay, much more so than with Marissa, and maybe even more so than Theresa. That sucks for Marissa and for me - because I can only tolerate her when she's with Ryan.

Seth and Summer are interesting and I do want to see them back together, if only because I don't like Zach, he grated this episode with his whole 4 newspaper reading routine.

I hope Julie crashes and burns as CEO of Newport group. Even if she is used as just a figurehead, she's a bad one. She's not warm, she's not knowledgable, she's scary.

Oh, Lindsay looks like a mini Bree VanDeKamp...or is that just me.
Heh, "Oh you were using the Canadian spelling eh", who knew Ryan could bring the funny.

I love the dynamic b/w Ryan and Lindsay and hoenstly the less marissa the better. Zach is perfect in a creppy way.

Kirsten should have just quit, get a job wth another company!

This show is my crack.

side note: we need a sticky for The Apprentice.

It's Obviously Crack. At least Kirsten can now call herself the Chief Financial Officer of a group that is mired in legalese and whose future in quite uncertain. That's some title she got there.

I just hope that their continued showing of Marissa and Seth isn't leading up to some Dawson's Creek like friend/love triangle or even a rhombus.

Somehow, I think Summer will eventually tire of Zach's "perfection" and crave Cohen-eurotic behavior.

Agreed, Zach cannot belong for this world, he's way to mature and perfect.

Their is just something totally irrestible about the Cohen-eurotic behavior.

well by the preview of the next episode zach punches Seth.
Lets see how summer handles it

Summer: oh are you ok?
Seth: no
Zach: Im sorry i just couldn't take it
Seth: Summer i can't "just" be your friend"
Summer: set aside all of the horrible things you have done to me i still love you Seth.
Seth: i knew it

thats probably how it will work out
Adam Brody is really buggin me this season
he is trying to use his old tricks to win him back

i want him to goive u[p

Seth does seem a bit more...needy this season, but the whole show is rather different, no one is the same person as last season - so I'm going to let that slide, for now. Seriously, four episodes in and Ryan has barely registered a 4 on the angst meter - not that it's a bad thing, but just something I'm slowly getting used to.

This episode was rather lighthearted, I don't think I've seen Ryan smile that much ever. Maybe he should steal another car to get his angst back or something. I do like the idea of Ryan and Linsday together, much more so than Ryan and Robo-Marissa. I also am starting to warm to the idea of a Alex Seth pairing, while not Summer and Seth - it's better than what Summer has. Zach is really starting to bug, he should have jumped off that pier. Who knew watching "The Valley" was the cure for relationship woes.

Caleb's little secret meetings are intriguing, I do hope more of that gets explained in future episodes and quick, because I find the pace of the show has slowed somewhat. I knew things weren't going to go smoothly for CEO and CFO Julie and Kirsten, that meeting was a bit expected but fun to watch. I love to hate Julie in scenes like those. It's when she's with Jimmy now, when I find her the most tolerable, those two should get back together. Julie and Kirsten working together at the impromptu dinner party was great, savy and skill working together to get drunken clients to sign multi-million dollar contracts...it's a good thing.

Now onto the portion of the post where I rant against the vapid excuse of an actress/character that is Mischa Barton and Marissa. I couldn't stand pretty much any of the scenes she was in. First someone has to tell her than what she was wearing in the beginning wasn't attractive, and made her look more unattractive, and what was up with the bow on her hat? All she needs is a large flower on her shirt ala Maria from The Apprentice 2 and she's set. Do the producers realize her lack of acting ability, character empathy and all around added appeal to the show? Apparently not, because not only is she given a prominent role, she's given another love interest. Who SOMEHOW, is even LESS interesting and even MORE wooden than she is. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but the casting people over at The O.C. proved me wrong. There is someone worse than Marissa on the show, and they are together in some sort of relationship of suck. I'm frightened if they spawn.

How is Julie becoming my favourite adult on the show? That's scary. I'm going to attribute it to the fact that she has a relatively interesting storyline going for her and her likability is a sharp contrast to my feelings of utter hatred towards her in the first season.

I'm really enjoying Lindsay and Ryan's relationship, it seems very easy and natural, plus it's not Marissa which always a bonus. Then with the mother revelation at the end, it wouldn't be an OC relationship without some sort of incest. Even though technically Ryan isn't a blood Cohen, but it still feels weird.

I hope this isn't the end of the Caleb angle, that's an interesting one and I do hope we see some sort of meeting of all the parties involved. When Kirsten finds out that she has a sister, who's 16(17? 24?), and who's in a relationship with her foster son it's gonna be awesome.

I only hated Marissa when she was with DJ so that's a step up for her, when she was with Ryan with the penguin and at the dance she was *gasp* tolerable, and she wasn't dressing like she was blind. Quite the improvement Marissa. Kudos. Zach though, what an ass. It's doesn't take a lot of courage to punch someone who isn't expecting it, and isn't exactly a fighter to begin with. He's mad at Seth for talking to Summer? And to top it off Summer goes back to him so to speak, I really don't understand their relationship. The quicker Summer Seth happens the better - mostly for Summer. My favourite episode of the season and the only one that may be able to stand beside some second tier season 1 episodes (that's a good thing).

The bartender girl, whatever the Hell her name is, is becoming a favorite of mine. She has the tough/nice girl image down pat.

I have to disagree with you, Agentx. Marrisa's dress, while better, was still ugly. The Mexican help, while being a poor wrong side of the track guy, drives a pretty nice truck and I despise him more then Marrisa.

Overall this was my favorite episode of this season. Zach's "may the force be with you" speech towards Summer/Seth was great. Hopefully the long lost daughter angle becomes a strong plot point in the next couple of episodes.

Alex. Yeah, my main beef with her is that she's 17 running a bar that serves alcohol, it just doesn't make much sense.


Oh, her dress was still rather unattractive but at least it looked like she had her eyesight back when picking it. Because it was a marked improvement over her bow adorned hat she sported last episode. I thought I saw some sort of decal on DJ's truck this episode so perhaps the truck isn't it. Which would explain how he has it. Or maybe they just pay Yard guy's in the O.C. a lot of money.


Yeah, hopefully it does interfer with Chrismukkah and the power of Moses and Jesus combine to save it for the Cohens+1, or now Cohens+2. Also I want to see something come of that lingering shot with Kirsten and the wine glass. The issue was slightly brought up in Season 1, let's see some follow up, although judging from this season I'm not hopeful. It is a new era afterall.

Libs hearts tonight's episode.

How sweet.

Tonight's was a fantastic episode. It was truly a Chrismukkah to remember. The last chrismukkah episode was one of my favourites from Season one, but I think this topped it.

Loved the tension in that kitchen during the announcement, Seth was right, good thing it is roomy, there was 10 people in there. Caleb got slapped...twice! And got a vase thrown at his head, that can't be a good feeling, good thing he's still a nimble old man and dodged it. It's hard to be specific about things I liked this episode, because I pretty much liked everything. See it's a much better show when Zach and DJ aren't around - they should stay in Cobo and Sacramento.

That was one of the best episodes yet, if not the best.

For anyone who missed "The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't", Fox will be re-airing it on December 30th at 9pm. It's a must watch if you missed it the first time, or if you just want to relive the magic that was Seth's Chrismukkah hymn.

In the preview for the next episodes (the 12 weeks one) it shows Marissa holding hands with the blonde girl from the club (forgot her name). Is Marissa a lesbian now?

I'll put this in white because some people may want to be 'surprised'

Yeah, apparently in the second half of the season the producers are going the route of Marissa becomes a lesbian, in particular with Alex - the bar manager that Seth sort of likes. Why? Well because it isn't enough to have Marissa still on the show. She has to have this prominent storyline that just reeks of a way of getting the show some much need buzz since it's suffered a severe drop in quality this year.

Hope that scared you. Because it scared me when I first read it.

How long does Marissa have signed to be on the show for? Woulnd't it make her a bi ? not a full out lesbian

i would assume so

DJ's cute.. boring, stupid, but cute. But I'll never be able to look at him the same after seeing Nicholas Gonzalez's naked pictures.

I coudlnt belive what i just saw. MARISSA CAN ACT!!! ...wow last season she just kept givin wierd faces but now she is actually acting and Ryan is talking alot more and Seth is hilarious. God i love this show.,

I was shocked too, well more with the latter half of Marissa than the first half. When she appeared drunk at the party, well she's drunk so frequently I should probably just specify when she isn't drunk, and told off Jimmy and Julie I enjoyed her. Sure she was completely out of line barging in on the pleasant Going Away Party, but it made for some interesting Marissa talk. I don't know who to feel more sorry for in that family, the "thief" and the "slut" or the drunk with apparently no friends and class. Decisions, decisions.

The rest of the episode was quite good, all that discussion regarding incest made for some surprisingly hilarious dialogue. Who knew faux-incest could be so funny. Seth's turn to bad boy also caused some lighter moments, none better than when Summer saw him drunk and exclaimed: "Ew, you smell like Marissa". If BadSeth can give us situations that lead to lines like that I would like to see him in the future. I also enjoy Ryan and Lindsay, but I wonder how long the whole secrecy thing can go on without getting boring - because by the end of tonight's episode, it was getting dangerously close to it.

So Jimmy's off on his Maui adventures in an endeavour to learn how to be a better Father, I was with Marissa on that one (scares me too) I didn't get that kind of logic. So his departure was sudden and done pretty hastily, I know he hasn't been that integral a character since he and Julie divorced but I still would have liked to have seen more of that rekindled romance.

Probably my second favourite episode of the second season.

Last night's episode was great!

Which season is currently running in the US? Over here the series starts in two weeks. I already saw the pilot and liked it a lot...

We're about eight or nine episodes into the second season.

Oh, that's good. So we're only a season back...