The Chronic Consumer

I didn’t start watching The O.C. until the show was well into its fourth — and final — season. I had watched maybe one or two episodes from Season 1 on DVD, but wasn’t particularly impressed with the characters or any of the storylines. Sure, I liked Seth and Summer almost immediately, and Kirsten and Sandy were interesting too. However, back then the spotlight was squarely on Ryan (Ben McKenzie) and Marisa (Mischa Barton), and I didn’t think either of those two were terribly great actors.

But I kept watching every now and then, and when I finally got to around the halfway point of Season 1, I was completely hooked. I borrowed the DVDs from my friends, sat through marathons where I would watch four or five eps in a single day, and finished out the series in record time. Once it was over, I realized that I truly liked the show and would miss the characters a lot — so much so that I immediately purchased all four seasons on DVD for my own collection!

The Complete Second Season box set contains all 24 episodes that aired on FOX from November 4, 2004 to May 19, 2005, including some of my favorites like “The Rainy Day Women” (where Seth and Summer finally get back together), “The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t” (where Summer saves the day by decorating Lindsay and Renee’s house), and “The Dearly Beloved” (where Ryan finally finds out about Trey and Marisa).

As with the Season One box set, the episodes are contained on six discs, while all the bonus features (except for commentary) appear on a seventh disc. The bonuses in The Complete Second Season include:

• Extended creator’s cut of “The Rainy Day Women”
• Commentary on “The Rainy Day Women” and “The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t”
• A piece on how O.C. fashion is made
• A retrospective TV special called The O.C. — Obsess Completely
• A gag reel from Seasons 1 & 2

I particularly liked the commentary about two of my favorite episodes, and the gag reel as well. I just wish the gag reel had been a little longer because it’s a lot of fun seeing actors let their guard down like that.

Overall, I love my copy of The O.C. — The Complete Second Season DVD box set. I nabbed it from Amazon.com when it was on sale for just $16.99, which is about as low as the price would ever go for a brand-new set. If you were a fan of The O.C., then you simply must add this box set to your collection!