The SLO.C.: Heating up?

Yes, I still watch The O.C. I know I am in the minority among the junkettes, most of whom decided The O.C. was boring after Teresa pretended to lose her baby and Seth returned from his trip to Portland. But I have stuck with it. And it hasn't been easy.

The show has just been so slow this season--nothing much seems to happen, and what does happen isn't that exciting. (Hence me calling it the SlO.C. Get it?) My biggest current gripe--the college storyline.

Sure, it was a lot to accept that Summer "aced" her SATs, turning from total airhead to Brown-bound brainiac in a few weeks. But fine, I'll swallow it, a little suspension of disbelief won't kill me. But the rest of the storyline, I just can't handle.

First, before realizing she was smart, Summer decides that she wants to stay with Seth through college and thus, since it is Seth's dream to attend Brown, she will apply to lowly Providence College (hey, I had an ex who went there, can totally make fun of it). But then it turns out she is brilliant, and so she applies to Brown too. Mind you, Summer's real dream is to go to college somewhere warm, with a beach. I guess she didn't heed the advice of one of my friends who once told me that you choose your real estate based on location, not your school. But that's okay, she is making a sacrifice for love (and we all remember how all of those couples who came to college together managed to stay together, right?).

But then a Special Day arrives. On this day, a day different from all others, EVERYONE IN ORANGE COUNTY finds out whether they get into college. I guess all of the schools have heard that in the O.C. there is a special party that the kids go to where they all wear the sweatshirt of the college that has accepted them, and therefore these schools have decided to simultaneously issue their acceptance (and rejection) letters so that everyone can wear said sweatshirts and have a super fun bonfire.

But the day is not so Special for poor Seth, who is rejected from Brown. Instead of telling his girlfriend (who was accepted) he chooses to lie to her that he got in, and then tell her that she should go to Brown, but he doesn't want to anymore. Ignoring the fact that the only reason Summer wanted to go to Brown was because it was Seth's dream. Yes, Seth's dream, not Summer's. But Seth has decided that Brown is just too good for Summer to pass up because of him, and therefore she should attend. It seems that Brown is the only good school in the country. Apparently, there are no good schools in warm weather climates that might make Summer happier. Nope, this is her only option, so Seth is making a sacrifice by lying to her so she will attend.

I don't know why this storyline bothers me so much, but it really, really does. Didn't Seth apply to any safety schools? Why didn't he and Summer even discuss other options? How will we have another season of the O.C. if the kids aren't going to attend California University but instead are going to real schools?!

I assumed that Seth not getting into Brown would mean that he, too, would wind up at Berkeley, and Summer would follow, going there or maybe to Stanford. But it doesn't look like it, now that Seth has managed to get an interview at the Rhode Island School of Design.

But luckily, the rest of the show is finally starting to heat up. Kirsten is really upset with Sandy and has started drinking again; Teresa is back and although she claims her baby isn't Ryan's, I think we all know the story doesn't end there; Anna made a special guest appearance (she looked like she fell asleep in her tanning bed and had extensions worse than Jessica Simpson's, but she's still pretty great); there is a chance Sandy might get into some trouble because of his shady business dealings. It's unfortunate that it has taken two seasons for things to get even remotely exciting, but I can't give up now. Although watching the whole Seth and Summer college dance, which will surely go through the end of the season, is not going to be very fun.