Excuse me if I use this absolutely, amazingly terrible line from the Fox show The O.C. as an entry title. It’s already popping up everywhere else, so I might as well join in on the fun. Well, just watched episode 3 and I’m still not put off, which is a good sign. The critics seem to like it too, enough so that I won’t bother linking to all the newspaper reviews — they’re everywhere you look. I will quote a bit from an article with the same (wonderfully original) title as this entry over at my favorite TeeVee:

Sandy Cohen [(Peter Gallagher)] is the plot device that sets The O.C. in motion: not only does he pluck teenaged hood Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) off the mean streets of Chino and transport him behind the Orange Curtain, he also represents the moral compromises OC elitists have to make to stay in their smug little community. Sandy’s an idealist who can afford his self-righteousness because his wife bankrolls it; as a result, he’s better at talking about his morals than he is at applying them. Anyone who knows about Orange County’s reputation as a Republican stronghold can appreciate the irony in limousine liberal Sandy’s characterization.

It’s an interesting characterization, and I’d like to see where the show goes with it. I think the critics (and a certain segment of the TV viewership) has been itching for a good non-reality show, and The O.C., stupid title not withstanding, might just fit the bill.

And I can continue to call it my show. At least until Aaron arrives on campus and tries to lay claim to it himself. After all, he is (and try to read this in the show’s snotty way) from Walnut (eww!).