Reviews and More

I have finally finished watching the complete first season of The O.C. on DVD. I just got done with episodes 1×24-1×27, which were called “The Proposal,” “The Shower,” “The Strip,” and “The Ties That Bind,” respectively. Here are my highlights from these four eps, plus some overall thoughts on the season as a whole.

- I can’t believe that Seth decided to run away just because Ryan moved back to Chino. What is he, nine?? Give me a break. Plus, just how far does he really think he’ll get in that “sailboat” of his? That thing hardly looks like it would last 4 hours on the ocean, let alone the 42 days that it would supposedly take to get to Tahiti. Hell, the castaways on Lost fashioned a more seaworthy-looking craft without even having any proper tools at their disposal.

- Ryan and Theresa as a couple make me gag. At the time these eps aired, were viewers really expected to believe that Ryan was leaving Newport for good? Um, he’s one of the main characters there!!

- Julie and Caleb are another couple that make me gag, but at least their union was a way to force the Julie and Luke pairing to end.

- I didn’t like the whole Las Vegas episode at all. I had a hard time believing that Ryan and Seth would just go ahead and pay off the $5,000 that the hookers said they owed — especially since the whole thing was a big fraud anyway. Wouldn’t they have just called hotel security or something and tried to get out of it some other way? Obviously I have no experience with these types of situations, but it seems to me that I’d be pretty pissed off about some jackass trying to make me pay $5,000 like that. But no, Ryan and Seth just go play poker and win the money?? Yeah, right.

- Trouble in paradise for Seth and Summer already? Awww… I still think they’re great together!

Season One Thoughts: Well, The O.C. is a soap opera style drama along the lines of Beverly Hills, 90210, so I pretty much expected to see a bunch of cheesy plots during the season. That certainly was the case, but I also thought there were some good ones, and the best thing I can say about the show is that I don’t hate it. It’s fun, it’s usually entertaining, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously and try to be some sort of Public Service Announcement for teen life.

I think Ryan and Marissa were supposed to be the couple that the producers wanted to make teen fans swoon over, but they were completely overshadowed by Seth and Summer. The Ryan and Marissa storyline would be much more interesting if they had been allowed to be together for more than, what, a few weeks? before everything went to hell for them. As it was, the characters didn’t have much invested in each other, so neither did the viewers.

Overall, I do think this is a show that I’ll keep watching into Season Two (again on DVD). It’s not a great show (and often isn’t even a good one), but it’s usually fun and that’s pretty much all I want out of it!

As a parent, I can tell you right now that I’m not at all looking forward to my son’s teen years. Although we’ve still got a long way to go before hitting that stage, I’ve heard enough horror stories from other parents to fill me with dread about all the possible problems we could end up dealing with. I’m not just talking about teens who become withdrawn and sullen here; that’s pretty much to be expected. I’m talking about truly troubled teens who abuse drugs and alcohol, run with the wrong crowd, drop out of school, or who are going through pregnancy.

These are all serious situations that are often far too complex and difficult for parents to handle alone. I know for certain that I’m not equipped to take care of problems of that magnitude, and that I would try to secure professional help for my son as soon as possible.

One way to find the right kind of help is to get a referral from a website such as HelpforTroubledTeens.net. This is a service that provides customized recommendations about specialty boarding schools, boot camps, and residential treatment programs that can get teens back on the right track. Both short- and long-term programs are available that deal with a variety of teen issues, so you’ll be able to find a solution that works for your son or daughter.

I know that teens can go astray despite the best efforts of their parents to prevent these types of problems, which is why I think it’s important to spread the word about services like HelpforTroubledTeens.net.