NFL
By: Greg Rector
The OC
When I wrote about The OC, it was simply an article because I enjoyed the show so much. As I was finishing the article, it came to me that I didn’t like how the show ended. In particular, I wasn’t thrilled with the way Ryan Atwood was alone as we saw the rest of the cast celebrating the eventual wedding of Summer Roberts and Seth Cohen.
Where was Taylor Townsend? That’s always bothered me that the one woman who got Ryan Atwood to open up and be himself with someone wasn’t with Ryan Atwood at the end of the series. Why didn’t the producers of the show give us a happy ending for Ryan and Taylor? Instead, we saw Taylor and Ryan smile at one another at the wedding.
I loved the way Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reesnor) lit up the TV screen. She was Seth Cohen in a female version. I enjoyed seeing her rise from this shy girl who took a backseat to Marissa Cooper when she started the program. Yet once we found out more about Taylor Townsend her home life was an abject failure as her mother (Veronica Townsend) was nothing like we had ever seen on TV either. A tough no-nonsense female sports agent was something TV viewers never saw on TV before.
Paula Trickey who portrayed Veronica, was one tough mother to have any use for. No wonder Taylor left for the Cooper residence when she did. Taylor’s phobias were created easily enough to understand and you felt the pain of an overbearing mother who had no love to give.
So in season three when Taylor Townsend became a main character she brought a new energy to The OC. When she took over the “Social Chair” and annoyed Summer Roberts and Seth Cohen to see her develop into the one woman that Ryan Atwood could speak with this was some great acting.
Sorry for all those fans of Mischa Barton but her time with Ryan was going to be short-lived. I didn’t see her death coming and when it happened it was devastating for all of us who enjoyed The OC. When Taylor Townsend found herself hunting Ryan Atwood and then getting to be with him it truly was a great romance.
The one other factor that weighed on me was the way Taylor and Ryan looked together which was always so much better than he ever looked with Marissa Cooper. When Taylor was wild and crazy and she would talk about her sex life you cracked up especially after “The Prom” episode when the kids were graduating from Harbor High School. When she describes herself as having a “South Korean Barbeque” it is hilarious to see the reaction of Marissa and Summer to Taylor talking about a threesome again that was not a topic seen very much on TV unless you were watching the Jerry Springer show.
Then we see Taylor Townsend go off to France and get married to a very strange dude. When Ryan Atwood falls for Taylor Townsend it is such a special moment. When Ryan realizes Taylor Townsend is the love of his life you want to see these two to be together for life. This is where the end of the series lost me. We all knew Summer Roberts would marry Seth Cohen and It was too predictable and what we fans wanted was to see the show’s protagonist Ryan Atwood marry Taylor Townsend.
Please Josh Schultz (The Creator of the series) bring back Ryan Atwood and Taylor Townsend soon to our TV screens. For those of us who loved The OC, bring back the couple we all fell in love with. Certainly, Ryan Atwood deserved to be with Taylor Townsend.
Certainly, the series finale was well done with this being the one exception. I miss The OC and I hope many of you out there miss what was a great TV show.
