The O.C.: The Complete First Season
"The O.C." (2003)
The O.C. (Orange County) - Complete Season 1 (7 Discs) - £30.99 @ Play.com
The OC: The Complete First Season [2004] - £27.97 @ Amazon.co.uk

Episode List:

1. Pilot
2. The Model Home
3. The Gamble
4. The Debut
5. The Outsider
6. The Girlfriend
7. The Escape
8. The Rescue
9. The Heights
10. The Perfect Couple
11. The Homecoming
12. The Secret
13. The Best Chrismukkah Ever
14. The Countdown
15. The Third Wheel
16. The Links
17. The Rivals
18. The Truth
19. The Heartbreak
20. The Telenovela
21. The Goodbye Girl
22. The L.A.
23. The Nana
24. The Proposal
25. The Shower
26. The Strip
27. The Ties That Bind

Special Features:

• Casting the O.C.
• The Real O.C. featurette
• The Music of the O.C. with Music Supervisor Alexandra Patsavas
• Season 2 Sneak Peek with Josh Schwartz
• Deleted Scenes
• Hidden Feature
• Commentary on Pilot Episode with Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage
• Music Guide for "The Model Home"
• Music Guide for "The Outsider"
• Music Guide for "The Secret"
• Music Guide for "The Countdown"
• Music Guide for "The Telenovela"

"When Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), a tough, guarded, fiercely intelligent 16-year-old, plunges headlong into the wealthy, privileged community of Newport Beach, California, he soon discovers that the ruling families of Orange County are every bit as territorial as the tough crowd with which he ran on the streets of Chino. For Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), the idealistic public defender who takes Ryan in; his wife, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan), the linchpin of O.C. society; their awkward adolescent son, Seth (Adam Brody); and the beautiful, troubled girl next door, Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton)--Ryan's presence will forever change their lives. Twenty-seven must-see Season One episodes and cool DVD extras await. California here we come!"


For my money, the first season of the O.C. will always be the benchmark for which all subsequent seasons will be measured. Following an intensive rewatch thanks to the DVD's first true depreciation, due in most part to the release of the second season on DVD, I feel reasonably qualified to post this review. The first season definitely stands up to repeat watches mainly due to the flexibility of the 27 episodes and the multiple plot arc's that gives the season such depth.

From the "Pilot" the characters grow and evolve, in part due to public opinion, to become something excellent that allows for a very strong ending (some might say 'cliffhanger') to the season. Characters which were not originally billed highly during the first few episodes become much more - case and point, Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson). This character provides possibly my favourite storyline - affectionately dubbed "Sethummer" - but in the beginning was little more than a way to express how much of a loser Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) was intended to be. One of the brilliant things about this season and owning it on DVD is that it is possible to witness the evolution of both the character and this particular storyline.

Essentially the O.C. began with a reasonable premise; the love story between Ryan and Marissa. Personally, although I enjoy the banter between Ryan and Seth, I have never really connected with the thought of Ryan and Marissa being together - the countless obstacles in their way seem somewhat trite and clichéd... but that's just me. As I have previously mentioned the true love story is found with Seth and Summer, the on-screen chemistry being something special to behold. The introduction of Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong early in the season places a certain amount of tension on the budding relationship as Anna and Seth are seemingly so perfect for each other. The character of Anna has been criticised to an extent, not least of all by Zoe in 'The O.C. thread', mainly because of how popular 'Sethummer' had become - in my mind however, Anna was a great plot device to show how Seth and Summer were so perfect for each other. I will not go into the hows, whys and wherefores in this review but needless to say Anna was pretty perfect but Seth's love for Summer endured even that.


As far as the episodes themselves I cannot fault them without an analysis of each one but it is fair to say that the DVD release provides some moments that were not shown on terrestrial - these are sparing but bear in mind that the certificate for the season is 15. The extras on the other hand are very reasonable but lacked maybe a blooper reel or a cast commentary etc.

Episodes: 9.5/10
Special Features: 8/10
Repeated Viewings: 8/10
Overall: 9/10

Hey, I've come to love her (in a way)!

Great stuff mate.

Thanks, although I did leave alone the entire subject of the self-parodying in the first season primarily - mainly because I feel that you explain it so much better than I do. Fancy giving it a go in this thread?