Plot: What’s it about?
The world of The O.C. is on the verge of an evolution of sorts, as the magical time known as graduation has arrived. That means the lovable teens will attend their final prom and walk the halls for the last time, but out with the old just means in with the new, right? So the seniors will scout out colleges and make visits, all while getting themselves ready to take the next step. The friends they’ve had throughout high school might be far away after the school year ends, so friendships and even romances are sure to be strained. But before they start to deal with all these new problems, plenty of old problems remain unsolved. Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan) has a lot of old issues to deal with, but she also needs to get herself pulled back together, so she can have a fresh start. Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) finds her lifestyle thrown into a state of chaos when her little sister Kaitlin (Willa Holland) comes back and causes a fuss or two. While he isn’t even a student, Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) finds himself with woes of his own, as he takes control of the Newport Group, which includes the positives and sadly for Sandy, the negatives. These are just a few of countless stories that unfold and intertwine in this third season, as lives change forever in the process.
I want to admit from the start, I probably wasn’t the best person to handle this review, as I have never seen an episode of The O.C., nor have I ever wanted to. So to start off with the third season, I am probably out of the loop on every storyline and unable to appreciate the finer points of the show. Even so, I dove in and gave The O.C. a chance. I was never really into shows like Beverly Hills, 90210 or Melrose Place, so since The O.C. is marketed as the same type of show, I’ve never checked it out. As expected and advertised, The O.C. is a teen soap opera in all respects, but then again, it never tries to be anything else. So the show never takes itself too seriously and in fact, has a good self referential sense of humor. In other words, already better than most shows of this kind, but even so, I wasn’t that taken with The O.C. And again, I have missed two seasons, so perhaps that is part of the reason, but I just couldn’t get into the show. The cast is impressive and performs at a high level across the board, but the soap opera plotlines didn’t work for me. I loved the eye candy however, with numerous hotties on showcase, but looks just weren’t enough in this case. But I can see the appeal here and while I am not the target audience, the show is well made as far as teen soaps are concerned. So if you’re a fan of shows of this style, then by all means, bask in the glow of this third season of The O.C.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a newer show and as expected, Warner has delivered a top notch visual presentation. The episodes look crystal clear and quite stunning at times, so this is some impressive work. I’ve caught some reruns after I started this set and without question, the episodes in this collection put the televised versions to shame. The prints have no debris or grain to mention, which allows for a very crisp, razor sharp visual presence, so fans will be quite pleased. The show’s bright colors stand out and look terrific here, with no evidence of smears or other problems. The contrast balance is smooth and well executed also, which means black levels look excellent and no detail loss is to be seen. Not much else I can say in this section, as these episodes just look terrific.
Audio: How does it sound?
This show has two main audio elements, the dialogue and the musical soundtrack. As such, the soundtrack doesn’t showcase a lot of depth or presence, but it does have moments to shine. The music is one of The O.C.’s most beloved ingredients and while I don’t like most of the selections, the teens of the world do, so it is crucial for the tunes to be well handled. The music sounds awesome here, a lot of deep bass and immersive presence, as if you’re in the studio or at a concert. The other sound effects and general atmosphere don’t live up to that level, but as for the music, it sounds excellent. As far as dialogue, I found vocals to be flawless, no volume or harshness issues in the least. This release also includes subtitles in Spanish and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
You’ll find scene specific audio comments throughout some of the episodes, but as you readers should know, I’m not much for scene specific. I’d rather hear a session cover an entire episode and drift off track at times, rather than truncated offerings. This release also includes some outtakes, a look at how The Subways music video was made, and a brief behind the scenes featurette.
