orange county

Ah, the old "to invite the ex or not invite the ex?" quandary. It's a doozy. Ryan is turning 18 and he's got a big decision on his shoulders -- should he invite Marissa to his lame-ass birthday party or not? And not to read too much into the emotional complexity of The O.C., but I liked how they had Ryan and Marissa trying to figure out how to get over each other, while Julie and Dr. Roberts were trying to figure out how to get on with each other. It doesn't matter how old you get, relationships are still a sonuvabitch.

The O.C. is back after taking an Olympic hiatus and things are as crazy as ever in Newport Beach. Ryan embarks on a road trip with Johnny's new-to-town cousin, Sadie. He and Sadie are attempting to track down Johnny's deadbeat dad for unpaid child support. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this Sadie girl. Chili was a bizarro Seth, and it seems as if Sadie is a bizarro Theresa. She looks like Theresa and she acts like Theresa. She has that whole nice girl from the wrong side of town vibe. I'm just not buying it. How is she that overly polite, but still ready to kick some deadbeat dad ass at the drop of a hat?

The one thing that stinks about having an exciting episode where someone dies at the end is that it's typically followed up by a semi-depressing episode where everybody is in mourning. (Remember the Dawson's Creek episode after his dad died?) This episode of The O.C. just happened to fall right before Valentine's Day. As Seth so sarcastically put it, "Death and Valentine's Day -- what a combination."

If it wasn't for the last five minutes, this episode would have been a dud. I wouldn't even say the last five minutes, I'd say the last 30 seconds. So let's not waste any time, let's get right to it. (I'll save the big news for after the break.)

Every once in a while The O.C. likes to have episodes that are sort of a downer. I think of them as bummer episodes. Nothing goes right, and all the characters are really bummed out about their lives. There is usually a sad music/blank face montage at the end of the show to make us feel sad and bummed out about our own lives too. This was one of those episodes. It's Kaitlin's 15th birthday, but nobody cares. Nobody feels much like celebrating, including Kaitlin, who would rather spend her time seducing Johnny. Does she like Johnny or is she just trying to make Marissa jealous?

Tonight was the triumphant return of Kaitlan, Marissa's once invisible sister turned jailbait sister. Awww, the magic of TV speed-aging. When last we saw Kaitlan, she was wearing pink sweatsuits, and complaining about not getting to ride her hairless pony enough. All the while, her older sis was overdosing in Tijuana, and almost being raped by her boyfriend's brother. Yup, it's about time for Kaitlan's return.

Pretty soon, you'll be seeing the kids from MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real O.C. all over the place. Six of them (Alex Murrel, Jason Wahler, Lauren Conrad, Stephan Colletti, Kristin Cavallari and Tallan Torriero) are part of a new advertising campaign by BONGO clothing that launches in fashion, entertainment and lifestyle magazines this Spring. The concept behind the campaign is a party. BONGO rented out a ritzy mansion in Orange County and let the kids do their thing as the band, The Colour, played on set. Alex Murrel, who has an album coming out this spring (who doesn't?), joined the band while the boys pushed each other into the pool, proving that they are barely out of high school. The Laguna clan replaces an ad campaign last year by BONGO that featured Nicole Richie and her ex-fiance, DJ AM.

When new episodes of The O.C. return this Thursday (now at 9 pm on FOX), the gang is going to launch a campaign to get Marissa Cooper back into Harbor High in time for graduation. Let's just say that public school hasn't been all that good to her. I'm not sure exactly how she's supposed to pay for private school, but has money ever been an issue in The O.C.? Anyway, FOX wants viewers to feel like they're helping with the caper to get Marissa back in school, so it has launched an online petition: Free Marissa. I kid you not.

Yet another Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous-style reality show. This time, it's from Bravo. In March, it's looking into the world of real-life desperate housewives. The program is called The Real Housewives of Orange County, and the title alone sounds like a cross between Desperate Housewives, The O.C., and Laguna Beach. The series features five wealthy families that live in a very exclusive gated community in Orange County, California. Bravo says the show, of which there are seven, one-hour episodes, focuses on the daily drama and extravagance in the lives of the ladies of the house. Most of the women aren't stay-at-home moms, but are successful in their careers. The descriptions of the women sound intriguing: one is a big fan of plastic surgery, another is a devout Christian, another is recently divorced, and yet another is a 20-something newcomer to the neighborhood who just got engaged to an older resident. The Real Housewives of Orange County premieres on Tuesday, March 21 at 10 pm.

[Via The Futon Critic]