So far, no gorgeous amnesiac who just blew back into town has turned out to be someone's long-lost spouse/child/evil twin, but there's little else that could make this hit Fox series any sudsier. Mere months after its debut season wrapped, The O.C. arrives on DVD, with its hedonistic, voyeuristic orgy of conspicuous consumption, vicious gossip, and musical sexual partners in ritzy Newport Beach, CA. Everyone's bored and rich except for unlikely newcomer Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie), the soulful, puppy-dog-cute juvenile offender from the wrong side of the Orange County tracks, who is just non-threatening and underage enough to be worthy of a "second chance"--courtesy of his court-appointed lawyer, Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher), who has taken the lad in over his wife Kirsten's (Kelly Rowan) objections--but aggressively masculine and grownup enough to fully participate in all the adult shenanigans his sudden presence stirs up. The unoriginal idea here is that Newport Beach society is just as much a jungle as the working-poor life Ryan knew before, where his low-class mom let her live-in boyfriend beat up on him, making this yet another one of those aren't-you-glad-you-aren't-rich anti-wish-fulfillment dramas that invites its audience to sneak an illicit peek at the life of the impossibly wealthy while also suggesting that there's no way they'd want to live it. In addition to all 27 first season episodes, this seven-disc boxed set includes deleted scenes, commentary on the pilot episode by creator Josh Schwartz, a trio of "making-of" featurettes, an onscreen music guide for select episodes, and a sneak peek at the second season. Optional. (M. Johanson)
The O.C.: The Complete First Season
Warner, 7 discs, 1,186 min., not rated, DVD: $69.98 February 21, 2005
The O.C.: The Complete First Season
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