It’s one of the most famous stories of ups and downs in contemporary television. (Or maybe after 21 years, it’s not contemporary anymore, sigh). okay Season 1? One of the most impressive shows on television ever, a tour de force of the zeitgeist-dominant Newport Beach waves that gave us Seth Cohen, Yogalattes, Chrismoka, Ronnie…the list goes on, and, most importantly, it still holds up. Another equally agreed upon fact? The show fell off a creative cliff soon after — so much so that by season three, creator Josh Schwartz and his writers room were resorting to tried-and-true network TV clichés like In reality A main character falls off a cliff to his death. But this flaw never diminished the series’ enduring legacy; The series comes out of the gate with 27 tightly crafted hours of quintessential White Plight melodrama and escapism, with a distinctive tone, instantly compelling characters, and paradigm-shifting execution (starting with an indie soundtrack that helped raise the bar for many… Exciting sequence to Immortal mode) He earns himself a lot of sponsorship and goodwill. 27 hours was a luxury episode arrangement at the time; It would be a story worth about three seasons today. It burned brightly, but it certainly burned quickly.
Of course, there were many factors behind the scenes that led to this okayThe rapid decline of, from current tensions to multiple identity crises caused by interference in network suits. It’s all set out in exciting detail in the official oral history of the series, organized by Alan Sepinwall and published in 2023 to mark the 20th anniversary of the pilot. I finally opened the book earlier this year and launched a simultaneous rewatch that I finally finished last week. This exercise confirmed an opinion I had had since the original showing of the program. He does okay fall? Slowly, but surely, yes, most of Season 3 was as terrible as I remember. But having said that, Season 4 doesn’t get enough credit for creating one of the best TV comebacks ever.
I am one day okay a fan; I still remember the August series premiere around my 13th birthday, mostly because of how difficult it was to see such a truly interesting show for the first time at that time of year. In 2003, summer was still a trashy place; Most networks won’t spread real heat for another four to six weeks. but okaywith its coming-of-age tale that followed sensitive Chino Hills serial killer turned Orange County adoptee Ryan Atwood, took the early opening space by storm. The show came out of the gate on fire in every story: Ryan’s courtship of Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), who is coping with her perfect life being unraveled in all the worst ways; his brotherhood with Seth Cohen (Adam Brody, who gave a performance that still resonates and redefined the nerd in the hipster world); and both boys’ relationship with Hall of Fame TV Dad Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), the warm and wise public defender who takes a chance on Ryan in the first place. The romance, the star-crossed romances, the beach fights, the killer soundtrack — hell, even the kids’ parenting subplots were genuinely compelling, a rare teen drama (and probably a big reason the show has endured beyond nostalgia; these days I’m more interested in whether Sandy And his wife, Kirsten, will make more than Ryan and Marissa.) By the time other new series were shown, okay She was already wrapping up her seven-episode debut arc that ended with Ryan officially carrying Marissa out of a dark Tijuana alley where she collapsed from an accidental overdose in the wake of her family’s sudden collapse. I was locked down with the rest of the country.
After three whirlwind seasons, Ryan carries a helpless Marissa once again, in the final moments of the finale, this time from a car wreck caused by a spiteful ex. Only this time, she couldn’t make it, as the series’ most popular actor died right there on the way. It was sad, and even though Mischa Barton had somewhat spitefully spoiled the surprise at that point, it was shocking, and easily the darkest and most important thing the series had done up to that point.
So it’s surprising that the fourth and final season is a breath of fresh air and, in some ways, the silliest and most comedic iteration of the series. It’s not as great as the first season, but it may be the second best of the series, devoid of the self-conscious sophomore jinx that plagued a strong second season. okay It has two main tools: nurturing melodrama and endearing family drama; Season 3 is depressing in every way, boring and painfully unfunny, so naturally Season 4 will correct the opposite course. As it turns out, if okay He could no longer serve both masters, the latter being his stronger muscle. And the only thing that had to happen to bring that clarity was to kill Marissa.
