The OC Season 2 Episode 16: Full Meta Jacket

Previously: Season 2 Episode 15

Seth:"You know, I gotta say - this year, not as good as last."
Ryan: "You think?"
Seth: "I do. I mean, look, we all tried some new things and that was fun: the yard guys, illegitmate daughters, less fighting, more live music."
Ryan: "Well, may be you remember last year as better because it was all new."
Seth: "So you think I've sentimentalized the past all out of proportion?"
Ryan: "Yeah, come on, we can't keep living in last year."
Seth: "Sure we can. And check this out man - things are already going back to the way they were. I'm back together with summer, you're single again."
Ryan: "I can tell where this is going."

So can we, Ryan, so can we. You're on the Josh Schwartz Expressway headed for Backtogetherwithmarissaville... [click here to continue]

So basically... Seth tries to bring Ryan and Marissa together despite protestations from both Summer and Ryan himself. So naturally, Seth goes ahead and does it. It's water polo season at Harbor Academy and Marissa's in charge of the bonfire/pep rally but needs help, so Seth not so subtly suggests she should recruit Ryan, who has worked construction and is an experienced arsonist.

Meanwhile, our favorite lesbian Alex is getting all jealous because Marissa's going to school for change, doing school stuff and otherwise not having hot off-screen lesbian sex. She also hasn't gotten too many hot bands-of-the-moment since the Modest Mouse/The Killers/Walkmen triumvirate earlier this season, so she probably has some job related stress too.

In her jealous rage, she goes over to Seth's and finds out that, not only are Ryan and Marissa working on planning the pep rally, Ryan and Marissa also shared a tent (tent!) during The Mallpisode. Now she's pissed. She comes back as Ryan is exiting the Lesbian Love Lair. She throws a beer can at Ryan, shoves him a bit and screams "Stay away from my girlfriend!" You know, the kind of stuff Marissa would do.

Ryan decides it's probably best to stay away from Marissa, and not just because her vodka breath could set off a four-alarm fire at the pep rally. No such luck. Julie Cooper, star of the cult classic, The Porn Identity, and a mother to two daughters needs his help because he's the only one Marissa listens to. She needs Ryan to go to the pep rally and do... I forget what exactly.

It turns out Marissa needs Ryan's help because she doesn't know jackshit about building a bonfire or barking out orders without sounding all shrill, so he came just in the nick of time. But alas, Marissa and Ryan are met by Alex and a couple of heavy metal rejects she brought to shove Ryan around a bit.

Which provides an opportunity for Marissa and Alex to talk things over. So they decide they like each other a lot but they're just too different blah blah blah. I think they're broken up. I'm not certain. In any case, Alex calls off her thugs and goes home. Marissa and Ryan are left to do whatever former couple-turned-friends do before they're back to being a couple again. And it will only be a matter of time before some girl to come back from Ryan's past and Ryan to knock her up.

Then there's stuff about Kirsten's new editor being a mopey alcoholic (though to his credit, he blasts "Debaser" and wears a Husker Du t-shirt) and Sandy negotiating for the distribution rights for Julie's XXX video, but both those storylines are building up for next week.

• Enjoyable episode. The above metacatharsis at the top of the hour was a nice dig at internet chatterers such as yours truly. And Seth was on point through the whole episode, especially with his "Hey, you just punched someone! That's very last year" dig at Ryan.


• I said this last week too, but cutting out most of the new characters really makes it a tighter show. The storylines are much better developed and they're not happening in separate vacuums.


• Gotta agree with Central Village that Julie's porn movie is the best storyline of the year. It seems natural for her character -reckless past, wants to do right for her daughter(s) but also obsessed about her image - which can't be said for any of the other storylines this season.


• And yeah, it helps to have teenagers doing teenager things, like going to school and bitching about school events.


• But how does Marissa manage to be a one-person event coordinator despite never really attending school? Don't they have adult supervision? Don't they have to get the fire marshall involved for a huge ass bonfire? And where did all that lumber come from on such short notice?


• Sleazy porn producers/extortionists listen to the Scorpions. Jaded middle aged used-to-be iconoclasts listens to Pixies.


• Next week: Caleb sends his own thugs to Julie's porn daddy; something happens between Julie and the Billy Campbell editor guy; Ryan and Marissa look into each others' eyes and act all awakward. Saty tuned.