Date of airing: November 26, 2003 (FOX)
Nielsen ratings information: 7.02 million viewers, 4.3/7 in Households, 2.7/8 rating with Adults 18-49
In which the inevitable primetime teen soap opera coming-out-of-the-closet story was used, although the one who had to come out of the closet was a parent who appeared for the first and probably last time in the show during this very episode. It was a solid enough story, and I could see that Newport Beach liked the rumor of a gay father who is now in the middle of a divorce from his wife, so much that it turned into a wildfire, destroying almost everything in its path because it’s the only thing the rich and beautiful in Newport agree about: destroying lives. The story also turned nicely into a mirror of how rumors come to life, how they are being telephoned from one person to the next, how certain facts of the story may change (like how Luke’s father cried during THE LION KING, and really, who doesn’t?), and how they can ruin a person, or in this case, a marriage. I still found the mighty force with which the rumor went around Newport Beach a little absurd though, even though boring and jobless housewives can’t do anything else in this rich’n’white town, as their husbands make all the millions and their kids are in school about to try out drugs and other forms of poisons for the first time while faking being the nicest of kids.
I liked that the story was given to Luke and that he will most likely change as a character in the process. The connection with Ryan over school work was already great during the beginning of the hour, because it sent Ryan to Luke’s place, which gave the chance for Luke’s family to be introduced and for Luke to get a bit of character depth after having become a little useless in recent episodes. Plus, we entered Luke’s bedroom for the first time, and we could see what kind of stuff Luke is into and how he presents himself in his private quarters when he doesn’t hang out with his idiot friends all of the time. That the opening of the closet would lead to Luke becoming more of a character... fine for the show, and most likely fine for Chris Carmack, too, who was finally able to do something with the character he had been given almost half a year earlier. And with that in mind, Luke could easily turn into something else than the stereotype of a high school jock with a shaved chest, and the writers could move on from the now tired story of Ryan and Luke confronting each other left and right over a girl or because of *insert shrug emoji.* Okay, that shrug emoji is really all just about Marissa, but still...
 |
| Newport has a new scandal to grool all over. |
Of course, the reveal of Luke’s gay dad came over a little dumb. Luke blasted the stereo of the car, and his father and his lover were right outside, the door to the car dealership open (because they just stepped through it, not locking or unlocking anything). Luke’s father had to hear something coming from inside the dealership, let alone wonder why the door to the store was unlocked and open, but I guess the shock value needed to be in this episode, so screw logic and just let this discovery ruin a marriage. I did like that the story wasn’t treated much like a man coming out as gay and destroying an entire conservative town (there is no way that Newport Beach is liberal as Seth stated during the dinner scene, because all those people are white and racist and filthy rich and they usually vote for Republicans that like to cut rich-people taxes for them), and instead as an element that ruins yet another marriage, giving the coming out premise a more personal presence with a deeper level for the persons involved.
Luke’s father lied to and cheated on his mother, and now the house of cards has fallen together, creating this huge friction, which Newport Beach should watch closely, because chances are that Luke’s father isn’t the only one harboring these kinds of huge secrets that could end a marriage with a snap like Thanos has done with life so gracefully. Yes, Luke’s mother could have been a little more open about what her husband was going through (gay men seem to be crucified in public more after they come out than gay women, but I could be wrong), but at the end of the day, this was also a story about a marriage ending. Compared to Sandy and Kirsten, who were close to having real trouble with each other, and compared to Jimmy and Julie, who already went through it.
Meanwhile, Seth’s story was both amusing and annoying. Amusing because of the way Summer and Anna decided to become friends, just to become enemies seconds after Seth’s apology tour; annoying because it was so damn obvious that Seth’s girls would come up to him and ask him for a date individually, giving him a picture of how easy it can be to just continue dating two girls who for some reason won’t have a problem with it. That story is pure male wish-fulfillment, making it a problem in general, but on THE O.C. it’s kind of used as a comedic foil for the cast members, which I can accept. All this spells trouble ahead, and I can’t quite get into the story beyond its humorous aspects, because in a way it will either repeat the Thanksgiving disaster from the previous episode, or it will morph into a threeway relationship, in which a decision has to be made, giving Seth more than trouble, because he won’t be able to make a decision. And that is not a story I want to see.
 |
| Welcome to the real O.C., Luke. You have been missed. |
And finally, Julie’s savior in the form of Caleb and all his money... I don’t mind, although it didn’t make her character more sympathetic in the long run. In a way, she didn’t give a damn about Jimmy and totally wanted him to go to prison, because she just wanted to keep the house – she is an egotistical bitch after all. Now she can keep the house and she can screw the richest man in Newport Beach, which she will probably see as a job, similar to how Gabrielle saw her relationship with Caleb, who was after all “hired” to be Caleb’s sexy woman at his arm (who was rather interested in smooching around with a minor). That makes Julie a gold digger, and I still don’t know what the writers saw in her to make her a main figure in the show after the next episode. I mean, was she supposed to be a potential villain and turn into Kimberly Shaw later in the series?
