The OC - Complete Season 4 [DVD] [2004]

Pretentious title? Not so. The final season of the OC flows seamlessly between comedy, drama, romance with intelligent cohesive writing and fluidity. The show went 'back to the beginning' to the originality and vibrancy that once made it so enjoyable. This final return to form came after a string of asinine storylines mainly those of season 2 & 3 where more often than not the dowdy Marissa was at the centre and causation of the conflict. After said characters death in the season 3 finale the show was finally able to progress the narrative forward and deliver one of the greatest seasons of romantic comedic television in years.

The OC was at its creative height in the first season; here the final chapter closes the door in a remarkable flurry of quirky, nostalgic and romantic episodes. I have always been of the opinion that this show worked better as a romantic comedy and with much gratification this strength was put to appropriate use this year. The OC never worked as a serious drama henceforth this season sought to fix that issue and consequently delivers numerable episodes which can be easily considered some of the strongest of the entire series. Please ignore the disparaging reviews there is absolutely nothing wrong with season 4 (unless one is a Marissa fan) it is about as flawless as a narrative in this medium can be. Even though losing a favourite character is difficult one cannot deny that there is little fault in such a funny and innovative season of television such as this.

The new-ish characters, namely Taylor Townsend et al. and the new relationships formed this season really drive forward the considerably shorter run of episodes (16 in fact) in a way one has not seen since the beginning. Autumn Reeser, an incredibly nuanced actress, is quite the revelation as she steals almost every scene she appears in. Having said that without giving away any plot points Taylor and her new love interest couldn't have more electric and beautiful chemistry; the romance in season 4 was poetically handled all round with humour and wit, something that has been in deprivation previously. Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson prove they can still be one of the only couples on television that are actually more fun together than apart; Ben McKenzie absolutely shines this season and Ryan has a wonderfully realized character arc that assumes the focus of the story as it should. One can really tell the actor was enjoying himself this year.

The series finale is moving, poignant and I freely admit to blubbing my way through much of the entirety of this season, the finale being no different. But never fear there is plenty of sqeeing like fangirl to be had too :)! A thoroughly enjoyable run of episodes in a series that was sadly cut short. But thankful for small mercies the OC went out in a blaze of glory not to mention a creative high. The final episode acts as a rewarding payoff for both long and short term fans with a healthy dose of irony and melancholy the sun finally sets on the OC as we flash forward several years in the future to revisit our favourite characters. The finale could not have been more fitting; the last scenes might just stand as the most perfect 10 minutes of the entire series as the story comes full circle. So why watch this season? If you want funny situations, tongue in cheek dialogue, romance abounds and the haunting tribute to characters past watch the season that had critics everywhere praising it's creative choices and led to so many old fans returning. Watch and judge for yourself, no one can quibble at the quality of the writing.

So that's it. The end of an era. The OC it's been an interesting and (at times) irritating ride but I wouldn't take back any of it, not one single second. Redemption was had in the end, season 4. The perfect way to say goodbye to a transcendent show.

Highlight episodes include: The Ends Not Near, It's Here, The Shake Up, The Metamorphosis, The Sleeping Beauty and The Chrismukk-huh?

10/10

I've noticed a glut of bad reviews on Amazon regarding The OC Season 4, so I saw fit to write a review myself. This time, my fellow OC fans, I will bring you the truth.

The shiny truth. You see, Season 4 of The OC set everything right with the series, and left it in a semi-ironic haze of romantic comedy and glorious characters. It was bloody brilliant.

I was there for it all, my friends. I started watching The OC in March 2004, right from the start. I was in school, then, wearing a uniform and loving school like everyone else. So were the characters. Bright hopes about university, the future...all that crap.

Anyway, on April 24th 2007(the day before my birthday, no less), I sat and watched the last episode of The OC along with all the fans who undestood the show and the characters as well as I did. By this point, I was a journalist. I'd moved out, I gave up on University and found myself in a different place to when I started, and The OC Season 4 saw the characters doing exactly the same thing. We've come so far since it started, us fans, that you just wonder how life becomes such an insane blur.

Ryan starts the season in a tough place. We all know what happened with Mischa Barton in Season 3, and I could see why people were dropping away from the show. It was an extraordinarily long season at 27 episodes, which actually made the year longer than any other US show on air(including Lost and Desperate Housewives). The on-off romances were getting stale(even Josh Schwartz, creator of The OC, said that the notorious "Johnny " storyline was the one he would've taken back), the Kirsten alcoholic story was a mess and it felt without real direction.

Then, suddenly, everything was perfect. Season 3 still has a lot of good qualities; the gorgeous-yet-illegal Willa Holland was a spicy version of Kaitlin, Marissa's sister, and the brilliant Taylor Townsend(Autumn Reeser( suddenly gave the whole thing new energy. As well as that, 2006's season left us with the characters we still loved. They were funny, well-acted and you felt as if you knew them. For me, a viewer of TONS of diverse television shows, I believe that Seth, Ryan, Sandy, Kirsten, Summer et al are literally the best characters to ever grace television. They feel like a wider family, in a way, and knowing the show was cancelled was killer.

And what did I see on here? Idiots. Idiots saying that the departure of Mischa Barton ruined everything. As someone who actually knows The OC, and realised that Mischa was the only one of the magic four who couldn't act, I came up with two magical words for negative reviews of this season: "Get out".

So there it is. Get out. All the stuff that made season 3 shine is included here, with Taylor and Kaitlin joining the cast. Thank God. Literally the most beautiful set of women ever, most of them end up living in Dr Roberts' house, who sees his role in this season reduced to a minor, if brilliant attack on Grey's Anatomy.

All the characters react to Marissa's death differently. At first, this seems to be the thrust of the series in a dark way, but as soon as Summer finds Taylor in her Brown College dorm, you know the tone is going to be a little less melodramatic.

It's still there, though. One favourite moment of mine is in the first episode, which finds Ryan cage-fighting every night at a distance from the Cohen's. A brilliant cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill"(by Placebo) is played over the top of his final fight there. I won't say what happens, but there's one perfectly dramatic shot in that episode that they couldn't show on TV. It's brutal, it's iconic, and I love it.

Rather than telling you about what happens in the series(I reckon you already know, and you want to read something by someone who loves The OC to bits. Here I am), I'd rather just tell you how good it is, and how it fits into the scheme of things.

Obviously, this is the last year. If you've already got the first three sets, get this one without question. It's only 16 episodes long, but thanks to some cracking stories and perfect dialogue, it's easily The OC's best since season 1. When Marissa dies, so did all of the show's baggage and hang-ups.

Just to dispel a myth, though: The OC's viewing figures had already sunk to their final levels before Mischa Barton left. They were already at 4 million, and they never changed. She meant little!

Anyway, Taylor does enough to put Marissa to shame. Funny, beautiful and feisty, some of the episodes on offer here will just blow your mind. It's so energetic, especially when you factor in some of the crazy that they have going down.

I'm not spoiling it, though. "The Summer Bummer", "The Avengers", "The Chrismukkah-huh?" and "The End's Not Near, It's Here" are the best episodes.

Speaking of which, how is that last episode?

Best hour of television, ever. The last five minutes sum up everything.

When Ryan walks through the house...all the memories come flooding back. Good times.

And now it's gone; but remembered forever. Screw the critics who wrote it off as a mere soap opera; this season is tighter than God. Fantastic.

A complete boxset is on its way this year, though, so bear that in mind when you think of buying the season. It's a reasonable price, however. A very reasonable price...

Anyway, I said my part. This truly is TV at its best, and I'm glad it ended on such a high. Great in every way, and now it's time to move on...

The OC, season 4 - I think I have to agree with some of the sentiments on here that season 4 was the best since the first season, and I do think that's largely due to the departure of Marissa, but not necessarily Mischa Barton. I think Barton is a great actress and have liked her for years, however the character of Marissa seemed to be stuck in a rut and going nowhere, so getting rid of her helped the show a lot. It's such a huge shame the show was cancelled after season 4 because I thought it had found itself again with the introduction of Kaitlyn and Taylor - they should have a least given them a full season to explore the new characters and relationships properly, because I think it might have saved the show in the end and it could have carried on. Summer is still without a doubt my favourite character, and had been since season one, and I still found Seth to be as annoying as ever.... All in all though, this is a DVD set worth buying if you're an OC fan. :)

Oh, and while I think about it - one pet peeve I always had about the OC was that they didn't explore Summer's "anger blackouts" in more detail, I think that would have made a good story arc for her character.