About:
The O.C. S4.E06 “The Summer Bummer”
Drinks Taken: 11
Hi hi hi! Welcome back to The O.C. Rewatch Project! I’m Miles and I’m glad to finally be here. Oh, and lemme tell you a secret (SHH) this is actually the first time I’ve seen Season Four, so this is pretty much The O.C. Watch Project for me, and I have no idea what’s going to happen.
Okay that’s not exactly true. I know there’s some marriages at the end and I’m pretty sure nobody else dies.
Pretty sure.
Anyway, let’s begin!
Last week, Britt asked me two questions. Numbah one: She asked who my fave character is and, now that <3Anna<3 is gone probably for good, then it would have to be the wonderfully terrible crazyperson/dirtbag/best-character-ever Julie Cooper. I really wanted to say it’s Sandy, because he is the perfect pothead dad and husband and best dude ever invented, but I would just be lying to myself and to all of you wonderful people. THE TRAILER PARK STORYLINE. Team Julie 4eva.
One more question I was asked is what I think about the possibility of a Taylor/Ryan hookup:
UGH I sort of hate it because I just binge watched Season Three and the Taylor/Seth business (TAY, LET SUMMER IN THE LOCK-IN GDIT!) is still fresh in my mind grapes. I can see the writers slowly making Taylor more endearing (plus let’s be honest, she’s a total babe who likes to do it) and so I’m p sure it’s inevitable. I mean she just wants to be liked and she falls for the first person who shows her any attention AND I TOTALLY GET THAT but for now, ew.
I am a grown-up and I subscribe to a wine-of-the-month club and I have that ready. If these episodes are really good and I run out of wine, I have hidden some crispy Stellas in the back of my fridge. Oh that golden action is so crunchy.
The O.C. Drinking Game
Drink once every time:
The ladies have a convo while primping in front of a mirror
Seth makes a nerdy reference
Ryan wears a white tank top
Anyone plays a video game
Summer says “ew”
Anyone eats a bagel
Anyone references The Valley
Drink twice every time:
Someone says “Newpsie”
Fisticuffs occur (three times for pool fights!)
Someone grabs a cup of coffee
Ryan and Seth read comic books
Kaitlin is a stone-cold badass
4.5 “The Sleeping Beauty”
Newfound political activist princess Summer is up to some political activist hijinx with Che, going on late-night raids to free bunnies from the school lab. But OOPS, the bunnies were just there for socialization patterns and were actually living the suite life and now the Dean has a bone to pick with them. When the dean(s) push comes to shove, Che uses Summer as a scapegoat, blaming her for all the political shenanigans, even though she couldn’t (and wouldn’t) rat him out. Che implies that she’s probably gonna be kicked out, and that would be a bigger deal if she and Seth weren’t as in love as ever (they are), and they are the goddamn CUTEST and I LOVE THEM. Also Summer keeps a bunny and names it Pancakes!
Meanwhile, Julie has her own night moves to attend to as she is finding her niche as Newport’s newest cougar-in-training. It looks like her only competition is her own daughter, Kaitlin, who is cozying up to her new tennis instructor Biff Muscletown (name made-up). Julie, mad with raw feminine power ends up stealing all the attention away from Kaitlin and she and Biff make out on the tennis court just as Kaitlin walks up.
Wait a second– did Kaitlin just say that she has real feelings for him? DOES SHE HAVE HUMAN EMOTION? Also holy crap she is starting to look a LOT (and talk a lot) like Marissa.
Kiki might be in trouble with the new biz as her potential client list is now up in the air, being sold to a higher bidder. Her savior? Looks like it might be sleazebag Gordon Bullit, an oil tycoon who just recently did some time for tax evasion.
Sounds legit.
Tax evasion has never caused any problems on this show, right?
Sandy throws a big fundraiser shindig for the PD’s office and (at the behest of Sandy and Kirsten), Julie accompanies Gordon and feigns her interest in a way that’s impressive even for Julie.
But Kait is pretty pissed at mom because dammit mom, why do you keep stealing my boyfriends, so Kaitlin ends up bringing Biff to Sandy’s PD shindig, convincing him that Julie asked her to. And wouldn’t you know it but Biff Muscletown is actually Spencer Bullit, the son of Julie’s current date. Gordon is pissed and it seems like all is lost but Kaitlin (!) smooths things over with the Bullit and looks like the funding for Kiki and Julie’s newport.match.com is secured.
But let’s get to the meaty part of this episode.
Our girl Taylor seems as if she’s head over morning high-heels in love (or lust at least) with her new beau Ryan. She makes sure he knows that she will do anything to repay him (TayTowns, you minx). Seth has been through this before and so he immediately picks up on Tay’s intentions and is understandably wary, knowing that it might be just a bit too soon for Ryan to jump back into the pool. This is probably most evident because the dude has completely stopped sleeping, the stress of everything in his life finally weighing on him like a ton of tequila shots. OH, but Taytime of course has the solution: sleep therapy!
Taylor’s sleep therapy isn’t working and Ryan finally pushes her away and oh god dammit am I starting to feel bad for Taylor ugggghhh I knew this would happen. Taylor gets some badvice from Kaitlin and ends up at the big party of the episode, ready to woo Ryan into finally falling in love with her. Let’s get this girl a fedora.
After what seems like a pretty solid dance, Ryan blows it big time with Taylor and she storms outside; a move she’s probably perfected by now. Outside, Tay drops the pretense and actually speaks from her heart, but still gets the stoneface from Ryan. Okay maybe I like Taylor now DAMMIT I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID IN THE INTRO. Even Seth is taken with Summer’s actual, um, realness, and convinces her to give it one more honest shot.
So she does. She convinces Ryan to have one more kiss. One real kiss. And oh man it works.
Holy shit I am in love with Taylor Townsend. And it looks like Ryan, ending the episode peacefully soporific, just might be in love with her too.
How many times did I have to drink?
Only five. But I finished my wine-of-the-month anyway.
Best morning greeting
Kaitlin: “Are you my new daddy?”
Best fashion statement
A cute little Hot Topic skull on Kaitlin’s tennis outfit.
4.6 “The Summer Bummer”
OH NO RYAN KEEPS HAVING HEAVY METAL DREAMS ABOUT TAYLOR. So here’s a thing: my very first concert when I was eight years old was Ratt and Poison (the RATT POISON Tour) and I am pretty sure that this exact scene was played out on that stage. So there’s that.
N-E-WAYZ Ryan has a really cute convo with Kirsten regarding the kiss and she’s basically like hey you know how things generally suck? Well this thing was kind of cool. God, Taylor is so blunt and obtuse with the SORRY THAT I KISSED YOU and I was pretty pumped when Ryan asked her on a for real 100% smiley-faced-emoticon date that involves a flat screen with anime GOD that sounds like a good date and OH SNAP when Ryan gets there, the CLOSED sign is all lit up. But just as the date seems like it is going weird but awesome, Ryan gets totally Ryaney and BLOWS IT. Ryan, I am invested in this now so cut that shit out.
Seth gets his RISD dorm assignment and wants to kill two birds by giving his new home a quick inspection while also surprising Summer. He leaves town, leaving Ryan in the odd position of needing girl advice from Seth, while Seth is the confident one. Oh Season Four and your Shyamalanesque twists!
Speaking of Summer: she is meeting with the Dean and, because Che went all Judas on her, she gets suspended and has gotta leave the school. Only problem is she doesn’t exactly know where she can go. After all, Dad’s in Seattle and Taylor Townsend is sleeping in her bed. Of course, she’ll head to Cohen’s! Oh, wait a second. Seth left for Rhode Island a few hours before and is on his way to Summer’s dorm room. Adorable.
Seth and Summer reveal their secret plans to each other, becoming the Magi of The OC and they are SO in LOVE and it is GREAT. Seth hightails it back home.
Oh man oh man, what a homecoming for everyone. Everybody (seriously everybody) congregates at the tenement house that I believe once belonged to Neil Roberts (I don’t even know anymore) and Che, who has handcuffed himself to Summer until she forgives him, gets pushed into the pool by the new, confident Seth (DRINK!).
Julie and Kiki have some new blood for their matchmaking service in the form of Spencer and his best bros, all bills paid by The Bullit, who believes this show of charity entitles him to a weekend with Jules. Gross. As much as Julie protests, she ends up going on a double date with the Bullit along with Kiki and Sandy, even though Julie makes up a lie that she is going away for the weekend with the Cohens for a “recommitment ceremony.” He is as much of a boor as you’d expect and completely ruins the date–at least until the Cohens get back home and the Bullit has sent over a JP to preside over the renewing of their vows. Turns out he’s actually a big softie and only wants to impress Julie.
While Julie sits reflecting on her accidental date, she gets a call from Ben Affleck Spencer talking about how great his first day on the job went and that he’ll get Julie’s cut to her ASAP. Turns out that the new dudes in the dating service are just a bunch of literal gigolos.
So let’s see where we end up: Ryan and Taylor play Seven (or ten) minutes in heaven, Seth is thinking of delaying his entry into RISD to stay with Summer, Julie is a gigolo Madam, Kaitlin has a heart, and Kirsten and Sandy are still the cutest.
How many times did I have to drink?
Six, helped by the fisticuffs into the pool.
I can’t believe we finally actually see water polo
They’ve been talking about water polo since Episode One and I think this is the first time we’ve ever seen it in action. And of COURSE Eric Ward is the star player.
This season is getting a little David Lynchey
I love how weird everything is starting to get. I accidentally watched the beginning of the next episode and this shit is going nuts.
Substitute Seths
I love that the parents play substitute Seth when Ryan needs someone to talk to. Sandy’s impression of Seth kills me.
Kirsten: “If we’re going to talk about girls, I am a far more knowledgeable resource than my son.”
Sandy: “Listen, if there’s anything else I can do for you I’m gonna be in my room reading comics and listening to indie rock.”
Kaitlin can’t get anyone to smoke weed with her 🙁
Maybe Season 3 Seth?
Probably the most peaceful/comfortable shot in the history of the series
So-Cal is so nice.
So that’s it for this week! I may have been a little long-winded but there’s just so much to talk about. So far this season is surprising the hell out of me. It’s sooo good. Britt, what are your thoughts on this Julie/Bullit thing? Even though I absolutely hate every aspect of this man, I’m somehow really starting to like The Bullit.
Britt will be back next week to talk about “The Chrismukk-huh?” and “The Earth Girls Are Easy”!
About the Contributor:
Miles McMahon is a guy from Houston, TX, who owns far too many pairs of sunglasses. He is editor-in-chief of a secret livejournal page that he sometimes writes in when he has too many whiskeys.
