I’ve been seeing a lot of comments from fans of The O.C. who claim they’re about to stop (or already have stopped) watching because the show has devolved into a soapy, Spelling-esque joke in the last few months. Yes, devolved. Because apparently it was gritty, realistic and moving when it burst onto the scene last summer. I mean, I know I’ve lost count of all the news stories I’ve heard about insanely wealthy families taking in random kids off the street and giving them clothes and a pool house and pulling strings to get them into exclusive prep schools. And how said taken-in kids get into fistfights every. Freaking. Week. At parties where attendees run around in nothing but bikinis, pausing occasionally to snort a line of coke off the coffee table. That was honest, man. That’s what we’re all going through.

But now it’s all gay parents and weekend trips and going to concerts? What is that? Yeah, this show has really flown off course from where it started.

Anyway.

The show, of course, does have some problems, the biggest being the Oliver storyline. I’ll state up front that I seem to be one of the few viewers that doesn’t really mind him. He’s crazy and that’s just fun! The only way I could enjoy him more is if he destroyed the gang’s homecoming float.

It’s not his existence or his arc that bugs me. It’s how fast the whole thing is happening. From what I understand, this was always the plan, too. It’s not fan-reaction dictated. They honestly decided to introduce him, have him stir up a ridiculous amount of shit and bring it all to a head within about five episodes. That’s just insane and it makes a lot of the other characters’ behaviors seem really sketchy. I’ll be the first to admit having a major hate-on for Marissa, but I’m pretty sure that we’re supposed to believe she’s of average intelligence and yet she hasn’t figured out that Natalie isn’t real? Seth doesn’t even want to consider for one freaking second that maybe Ryan has a point? The only one who remotely believes him is Luke? Luke, the guy he kinda stole Marissa from. Has his back and is offering to tell the guy off for him? Sorry, not buying it. At all.

And then there’s the whole Seth issue. Memo to TPTB: When we all surprised you by swooning over him instead of Ryan, we didn’t mean to suggest that he should suddenly become Hugh Fucking Hefner. Or Casa-fucking-nova. Or James Bond or Shaft or…you see where I’m going with this. We liked him sweet and awkward and sarcastic, not confident and mean and unappreciative of the affection/attention he’s getting from various women. We also liked him half-naked in the pool with Ryan. Or really anywhere, wearing anything, talking about whatever, with Ryan. Was it the slash-speculations? If we promise to stop will you let them interact alone again? (Note: We will not actually keep said promise.)

And then there’s Hailey. No. Just no. She’s annoying and pointless and the actress who plays her is not one of those gifted ones who can turn whatever crap she’s handed into Shakespeare. There are plenty of other sources of friction for the adults on this show that they could use. Like Julie! Everyone loves evil, evil Julie, and considering that the actress is already at “regular” status, they may as well get their money’s worth out of her.

*waits and hopes*