TVSquad

(S01E9) "He's looking at me all pervy, isn't he?" --Wendy Watson about Middleman 69

Well, if anyone was going to bring the leather catsuit from the Avengers inspired intro sequence into the show proper, it would be a Middleman who'd been frozen since 1969. It was cool how the Middleman from 1969 was such a different, more hedonistic personality than the goofily straight-laced Middleman of our era. He carried himself more like James Bond ... well, more like Austin Powers, really. The casting of Kevin Sorbo in this role was just inspired as he really threw himself into the zaniness of the Middleman Universe.

It looks like the sexual innuendos are going to continue as there were again a few lines more explicit than you'd think ABC Family would be comfortable with ("I'm looking for some hooch!"). That said, the show is still relatively clean fun and there's a level of quality amidst the silliness and snappy dialogue that is sorely missed on most shows. The depth of the characters and the world they inhabit just continues to grow after each episode.

(S04E16) Does this count as the end of an era? I'm not sure. When The OC first began, it sure felt like the beginning of an era. Now that it's over, I'm not exactly sure what it's the end of. Other than something that I'm really, really going to miss.

I have to be honest. The first twenty or so minutes of this episode fell pretty flat for me. I really wasn't enjoying the six-month jump, only to find out that everything we thought we knew was no more. Julie was engaged to Bullit, Taylor was back in France, and Seth and Summer had become "comfortable." Nothing was right, and despite the fact that we all knew how this was going to end, I was a little put off by the way it started. But it picked up steam and by the episode's end, I was completely satisfied with the way it all turned out.

(S04E14) It's the end of the world as we know it. Well... not really, but it might be the end of Newport Beach. I have to say, I kind of like the idea that the finale Josh Schwartz "always planned to do" for The OC involves an earthquake. It's the ultimate closure for a show that takes place in California and depending on how bad you want to make it (it looked pretty bad), it can immediately force everyone into a situation where they're forced to start over.

Closure is key though. With only two episodes to go now, a lot of the broad ideas that have been lingering since the beginning of the season were brought back into play. Seth's indecisiveness, Ryan's emotional awkwardness, and Sandy's dislike for Newport all manifested themselves in some pretty creative ways. It was a satisfying episode.

(S04E13) One down and four to go. It's starting to feel like the end too, isn't it? Everyone seems to be finding their place. Sort of.

First off... Frank. I don't think I like him as much as I did the first time around. The whole idea of Ryan's father suddenly being in the picture feels a little forced. It was really the one unresolved thing left in his life and for that reason I suppose it makes sense that he's here now. It's just awkward and I can't quite put my finger on why. Maybe because he's been around for about 8 seconds and he's in love with Julie? Or because it's Kevin Sorbo?

I suppose it doesn't matter because the one thing you have to remember is what the show is about.

(S04E09) So far everything about this season has been good. So I suppose it was inevitable that we'd get to a storyline that I'm not a big fan of. Of course I'm talking about Chris Brown. I really think he is a talented guy (he's got one hell of a singing voice), but this isn't the right venue for him to showcase his skills. His character (Will) just doesn't feel right.

It doesn't help that the storyline he's been tossed into is completely flat. Kaitlin has felt distant nearly the entire season and now it's further highlighted because the only character she's connected to just showed up. I'm not buying him as the dorky band-geek either. It feels forced for the sole purpose of creating the "beauty and geek" aspect between him and Kaitlin.

Alright, I'm done ranting about that. Let's move on to the rest of the episode. Can we talk about how much I love that Ryan's father is Hercules?