Date of airing: April 14, 2004 (FOX)
Nielsen ratings information: 10.49 million viewers, 6.6/10 in Households, 4.6/12 with Adults 18-49
written by: Liz Friedman, Josh Schwartz
directed by: Helen Shaver
Apparently, Chris Carmack was not good for more than the standard 22-episode contract and his was not renewed or extended when the series got a couple of extra episodes. I do not mind his exit, as Luke always felt like just a recurring character that was only connected to the characters through Marissa only. He never had any dealings with Seth, except bullying him every once in a while; he never did anything with Summer, since she did not want him (it is pretty clear she likes geeks and not captains of the water polo team who shave their chests); he never hung around the Cohen house much, except when he needed to talk to Ryan or when it was convenient for the story; he never really had a character arc of his own. Unlike in this episode though, which happened to be the only one with a bit of a character arc, even if it was mostly just a plot device to chase Luke directly into the hospital and out of Newport Beach. After all, when a character appears in the show for the last time, there must be a story behind the exit.
Turns out that the scene in the park (I do not think it was a park, but maybe “park” is short for “parking spot” these days?) was the best scene Luke ever had throughout this season, but at the end of the day, it was only a plot device. I am wondering if Carmack was not interesting enough for the writers to write for, or if the character was never intriguing beyond the “boyfriend” tag from the initial episodes who has grown out of being the bully of the school and therefore lost his value, or if it was a contractual thing, or maybe the character was always supposed to exit in a soap opera fashion after the first season. The fact is that I will not miss Luke and the writers can stop focusing on this roadblock and get to storytelling that does not have to include a character that was not the writers’ greatest work in the first place.
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| Business partners are excited to be business partners. |
The episode was okay. It had nothing special or absolutely shocking, with the exception of Caleb’s attempt to blackmail Marissa (which makes him the villain, and herself, as she so eloquently put it, a prisoner in her own life), but there have been a few good moments of friendship during this hour. I really loved the closing scene, and I kind of want to see more of exactly that. Four friends hanging out and having fun just being close to one another. Sort of a moment to swoon for, like you swoon when your two favorite characters go in for a hug and a smile on their face without the moment being too romantic. I also liked that Summer started to realize what kind of person Seth was before their relationship started, and tried to figure out who she was in that time era, coming to a reflection of not only how time has changed in Newport, but also how she changed as a person during the previous year. Reflecting on the previous year long forgotten by most of the side characters in this series universe was not such a bad idea, and I kind of wept for Seth in my mind, as Summer was looking at the pictures in the yearbook, of Seth being the president and lone member of the clubs he created. I am surprised there have not been any comics or film nerds interested in joining some of Seth’s groups, which begs the question if Seth is the only geek at Harbor. If that is accurate, then the world is truly in trouble and we do not deserve to be saved by Greta Thunberg and her generation.
Seeing Seth and Summer fix up Marissa’s room was golden though – the writers dish out a magically produced talent Seth has never established previously (he painted the entire wall like he was a Michelangelo in the making), and Summer looked pretty cute with the tools in her hands, in addition to the realization that the writers loved to gender-twist things around. It was Seth who was the helpless worker, and it was Summer who pretty much built Marissa’s room and bossed Seth around, creating a moment to put a definition on feminism in the workplace, even though THE O.C. is not a show that has proven to not be sexist (Here I say: “Amanda Righetti without pants”). Plus, Summer turns out to be the smart one in the room by building it and fixing the electrical wiring, after she was portrayed rather aloof and “typically blonde” during the first couple of episodes, even if she has dark hair. What a shame that Marissa will not be living there for much longer, making it even sadder that Seth’s artwork and Summer’s hard work will not be making Marissa happy for an extended time. But seriously, if Seth can dish out an entire wall like it is a piece of art he could sell for a few hundred bucks, why is he not doing this professionally, to make a bit more money on the side, in case his girlfriend needs expensive gifts for her birthday and Valentine’s Day and Christmas and all the other holidays?
Meanwhile, the adult storylines were boring once more. I simply cannot get into the premise of Sandy hating Caleb’s guts, yet helping him out and asking for his help over and over. The two guys should be feuding constantly, but every time the two hang out, they do not bitch at each other, they do not verbally abuse each other, and they do not show their disgust for one another. The only way they talk to each other is in form of satire, and that is a joke that sailed to Mexico more than half a season ago. Plus, this is the second time this season the writers have killed a Caleb-centric storyline with a quick way out, after the Balboa Heights lawsuit ended with Caleb paying $1 to Sandy to keep the Heights as they are. And this was after the writers spent multiple episodes developing a story that had the potential for a big blowout between the two men. But here we are, chickened out of yet another story that could have shown the great conflict of two rich white men in Newport Beach.
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| She has the tools to boss Seth around with. |
Also, I am sort of disappointed that the Lighthouse will not be opening up. First of all, the restaurant could have been a nice setting for future events. Second of all, now that Caleb owns the place, it seems ridiculous that he would not want to run an actual restaurant (with Sandy and Jimmy being the executive managers) and help the guys out in that regard, but I guess Caleb used the opportunity to blackmail a teenager into living with her crazy mother. I would have run away immediately after that and screamed “Prison!” But who knows, maybe Marissa has a card to play now when she can – she still can blow up Julie’s secret, and she still can make something happen when she tells Jimmy about the blackmail (or maybe Julie, but why would she care?). Her life is not over yet, although it is utterly, completely, and totally screwed. I would not be surprised if she starts drinking, stealing, and popping pills again.
