There are few things in the world that legitimately excite me. Most recently, I found a link to all of the Disney Channel Original Movies. “Cadet Kelly” and “Smart House” in one night? Yes, please.
But my love for hilariously enjoyable DCOMs starring Ryan Merriman was soon overshadowed by the news that “The O.C.” was being readapted onscreen by a Turkish television channel.
Cue my nostalgic weekend marathon. I quickly found myself absorbed in all of the glory of the beloved soap opera, from Seth Cohen’s dry sarcasm to Ryan Atwood’s infamous fist fights.
The Turkish version, “Medcezir,” (which, according to Google Translate, means something along the lines of “Tidal”) aired last month, and after many unsuccessful searches, I finally found the first episode with English subtitles.
The pilot wasn’t necessarily a carbon copy of the American version, but the main components were still intact. A street kid gets busted for stealing a car with his older brother, gets taken in by a wealthy public defender and soon gets swept up in the drama of a small, high-class town.
I’m excited an entire audience across the world is about to embark on an emotionally charged journey with high school kids played by 25-year-old actors.
What made “The O.C.” so great when it aired way back in 2003 (that’s _10_ years ago in case you couldn’t do the math) was the delicious drama that packed in both sweet humor and tear-jerking tragedy. I mean, I still cry every time I hear Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.”
In fact, I even paused in between writing these paragraphs to watch that penultimate first season scene on YouTube and, yep, I’m sniffling.
Anyway, my pathetic emotions aside, the show will always have a special place in my heart since I devoured every episode in my tween days.
When you’re 13, everything bad that happens seems to be the end of the world. Well, that’s how I felt when I first watched “The O.C.” I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers, but everything traumatic that happened on the show would put me in a coma-like state for days.
Yes, I was _that_ attached to this show when I was only 13. I even remember an instance when my babysitter found me on the floor of my room, crying over a certain character’s death. It wasn’t my finest moment.
But the benefits of watching “The O.C.” certainly outweighed the pain from it. The show was also widely known for its soundtrack, and I discovered some amazing bands that were showcased during its four-season run, like Death Cab for Cutie, Rooney and Modest Mouse.
Viewers could easily see that the writers and producers put a great deal of thought into deciding which songs would play during an episode. In a 2005 interview, the show’s music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, told IGN that “The O.C.” creator Josh Schwartz once said that music was always intended to be a “character on the show.”
Ryan (Ben McKenzie) racing to meet Marissa (Mischa Barton) before everyone rang in the new year wouldn’t have been nearly as satisfying without “Dice” by Finley Quaye echoing in the wake of his journey across town.
And how can any “O.C.” fan forget the prom episode in season two, soundtracked to “Fix You” by Coldplay? That sweet moment between Ryan and Marissa was skillfully crosscut with another character’s fatal heart attack. Chills!
Even the song “California” by Phantom Planet (the show’s theme song), will forever be accompanied by flashes of the Pacific coast and our favorite fictional characters from Newport Beach.
So it’s safe to say that “The O.C.” has left its sun-soaked mark on pop culture. We’ll always remember the times the show made fun of itself (Summer, played by Rachel Bilson, would often marathon her favorite faux drama “The Valley”). And we’ll always thank “The O.C.” (and Seth Cohen) for turning geeky into sexy.
I recommend anyone with a penchant for coming-of-age stories to marathon all four seasons during some down time. Sadly, it’s not on Netflix, but there’s always a way to find free TV. California, here we come!