The Good
At about this point in the show, it was reaching a level of outrageousness that could have ensured that it became a TV classic.
The Bad
Did it really have to end?
The O.C.: The Complete Fourth Season brings this show to a bittersweet end. Call it getting older, nostalgia for times gone by but this show ending seems to signal the end of a lot of things for this reviewer, but we’ll get into that later.
Boasting 16 episodes we open this final season with “The Avengers” and it features the cast trying to pick up the pieces and get some vengeance for the diseased Marissa. “The Cold Turkey” episode sees Summer try and sabotage the Cohen Thanksgiving as Ryan figures out where the man who caused Summer’s death might be. By about Episode 8 “The Earth Girls Are Easy” it seems like many of the people in the cast knew this show was coming to an end, so why not party? How else to explain a New Years fling in Las Vegas and a bunch of other tomfoolery from this cast of characters? However weird, outrageous or even compelling this show may have gotten, I defy anyone who doesn’t like these characters to not get choked up in the series finale, “The End’s Not Near, Its Here.” Okay, this whole episode has a slapstick nature, but those final few minutes, as Ryan walks around the Cohen house and we see this juxtaposed with when he first came to Orange County… it seems like creator Josh Schwartz was intent on ending this show on his own terms.
Yes, it could have have had a much longer run, they probably could have even done a lot more with the characters when it was on the air, but for what it was The O.C.: The Complete Fourth Season reminds us why this show was so special in the first place.
Features
Creator Josh Schwartz sits back and examines this final episode. Listening to the tone of his voice I thought it sounded bittersweet, then he used that exact word to describe what it was like doing the commentary track. He discusses the new show he’s working on, how it was decided to use the original score from The O.C.’s pilot episode in the last one, and how on the final day of shooting the entire cast was shot that day and they all finished one at a time (there doesn’t seem like there was a dry eye on the set). I love that he likens this show’s end to high school graduation, and even more I like how deeply personal he describes this whole experience being. Definitely listen to this track as it seems like it was made for the fans.
Unaired Scenes
The Magic that is Chrismukkah
Okay, while I might think that this is inane (being Jewish and everything), I have to admit that that’s partly because nobody likes to see one of their beliefs bastardized. Also, according to Jewish Law, Seth Cohen wouldn’t be Jewish because his mother isn’t… but that is a whole other story. The good news is that Chrismukkah is supposed to bring us all together. Its meant to focus on our similarities and not our differences. As idealistic as that might be, I think its something that everybody can use a little bit of in their lives. Also, the fact that they have a real Rabbi discuss Chrismukkah in this featurette has to make you laugh.
Summer Roberts: Beauty Meets Brown
Rachel Bilson fans line up because this feaurette is all her. It has people like Josh Schwartz, other cast members and Bilson herself sitting back and examining the Summer character’s evolution. We find out that on the surface she is supposed to seem shallow, but when you get to know her you find out she’s got a lot under the surface. In fact, Bilson even described the character at first as a “typical bitch.” Also, they discuss how season after season, the goal was to layer this character which makes one wonder if she would have gotten into politics had this show lasted 10 or more years.
Video
Widescreen Version. Presented in a “letterbox” widescreen format preserving the “scope” aspect ratio of its original television exhibition. Enhanced for widescreen TVs. As this is a the final season of a show that seemed to go off the air a few months ago, I expected that these episodes would look good. And believe me, they do. This is a show that I could see coming out in the next generation formats of Blu-ray or HD-DVD. While a lot of oranges and blacks are employed, this show seems to exude a natural elegance about it. While not all the scenes can always be talked about in such an arty way, this show follows Aaron Spelling’s credo of beautiful people, in beautiful clothes, filmed in beautiful places.
Audio
Dolby Digital. English: Dolby Surround Stereo. Close Captioned. The audio on these discs was solid. There wasn’t anything that amazing about it but it sounded good. At times the music annoyed me because it seemed like this show was trying to be too hip. At the same time its understandable that the characters in question would be listening to these kinds of tunes. I just think too many shows have gotten in the competition of trying to “break” bands, and because of that the music sometimes seems more irritating than necessary.
Package
The front of this slipcase cover showcases all the main cast members that we have come to know and enjoy. There is also a silvery, orange backdrop that helps enhance all these pictures. The back cover features more of this backdrop and then laid out over it is a description of this show, a Special Features listing, more pictures from the episodes, a cast list and system specs. All 5 discs are housed in one piece of packaging that pulls out and features more images from the show. It also has a booklet that breaks down each episode, offers airdates, as well as other production information.
Final Word
I am going to keep this short as it seems like I only wrote The O.C.: The Complete Third Season review a week ago, and on top of that, it seems like I wrote my piece on the show’s ending 24 hours ago. I will simply say that I had a very strong love/hate relationship with this show. I didn’t want to like it when it first came on the air but like all great media, it simply wore me down to the point that I didn’t have a choice after awhile. To say that I love this show now would be incorrect. I think I understand it more. I don’t take it as seriously. As someone from Orange County I understand that it was never meant to represent me. It was merely meant to entertain, and the fact that it was set in my hometown probably has more to do with other towns already having been mined for creative purposes.
As I finish this review, I hear the theme song to the show playing in my ears and I take heart in the knowledge (and other fans should as well), that you now have the entire series of The O.C. to watch whenever you feel like it.
The O.C. was released .
