The O.C. Report

I KNEW Lindsay was the love child!

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you are advised to skip the rest of this entry.)

But first, credit where credit's due - namely, to my friend Amanda for accurately predicting that the illegit kiddie would be one of the new characters. I had jokingly tossed out the idea that it would be Luke (just to spice up the already borderline-incestuous family web with which all "O.C." watchers are by now familiar). I didn't think it would actually be one of the existing characters until Amanda reasonably sketched out the probabilities. But then, tonight, as soon as I got a good look at the mysterious Renee Wheeler and saw the red hair, it suddenly clicked. It had to be Lindsay. And so it was. Is. Can't wait for Kirsten's crack-up next week when she finds out...And Jimmy and Julie!! Next week's ep hasn't even happened yet and there's already a contender for line of the week: "Does this count as adultery?"

Otherwise, kind of a silly episode - just more of the same from last week. Old relationships giving way to new, with a few bumps along the way. However, I've decided I definitely like Summer and Seth better when they're bickering than when they're spooning. And I think Zach is adorable. Even - no, make that *especially* after punching Seth. Alex, though, looks about ten years older than Seth, though I imagine both actors are carrying on the grand "90210" tradition of mid-twenty-somethings playing high school kids...

So how many people raised their eyebrows when Ryan said, "I know something we can do that doesn't require any talking?" Come on, folks, get your minds out of the gutter...What really raised *my* eyebrows was Ryan telling Lindsay "I like you." I know his character's supposed to have changed, but that is so not Ryan. I guess Cohen must have rubbed off on him...

Loved Lindsay's "Freudian slippers." Wonder if they're actually available for purchase somewhere.

Line of the week: "...Or as I like to call them, the twin ambassadors of pain!"
-Seth, on his fists

So "The Apprentice" is now down to the final two. And it appears that Jennifer went to Princeton. I knew there had to be a reason why I didn't like her. By default, I'm going to have to root for Kelly. I like the people on his team better anyway, and I like that he picked Elizabeth first.

(Qualifier: I've met several people from Princeton who are totally cool and whom I've liked very much. But for every one of those, there's at least two Princetonians I find completely intolerable. It's an extraordinary peculiarity of that school.)

I also watched "E.R." for old time's sake - something I do every now and again. It's like dropping in on an old friend, though all the characters that used to keep me watching religiously have gone, except Carter. (Unless you count Susan and Jing-Mei, who left and came back.) I'm happy to report it's still a quality show. And once again I have to hand it to the writers for introducing a controversial issue and treating it both sensitively and intelligently. Last time it was a lesbian mother (Keri Weaver) fighting for custody of her child - against the large, protective Hispanic family of her deceased partner. This time it was euthanasia: Jing-Mei and her terminally ill father. I like that the writers don't stack the deck or impose judgment one way or the other - they just let the stories speak for themselves.

And once again, Carter's paired up with a love interest I do not like. Some things never change. No, I am not prejudiced (though I admit I used to be in love with Carter, and I will say Noah Wyle, whom I saw at a Human Rights Watch dinner recently, is a knockout in person). It's just a pattern I've observed throughout the history of the show. The only one I ever liked was Abby, and they weren't really well matched.

Wow, I just realized I watched three straight hours of television tonight. My only excuse is that I was at work until past 10 pm last night, and needed serious veg time tonight to make up for it.