Sinking ship

As you may have already heard, The O.C. is coming to an end. As a result, I briefly entertained the idea of skipping out on posting this week, thinking that no one would miss it. But after a few of your emails reached my inbox yesterday and this morning, I realize that this pilot must go down with the ship (even if the painkillers I'm on may make it seem like auto-pilot.)

The O.C. may be kaputz, but cry not for creator Josh Schwartz, as he already has two pilots in the works, one for NBC called Chuck and another for CW called Gossip Girl. Both, I'm sure, to feature hot twenty-somethings dropping pop-cultural references backed by an indie-minded soundtrack.

As far as the music goes (sometimes I forget,) this week's episode introduces a new character to Newport High, up and coming R&B teen sensation Chris Brown, who's version of acting is bobbing the head and giving a shy smile. He's got a small role in the movie Stomp The Yard coming out next week, and given this appearance, it's not small enough. Elsewhere, that wasn't The Beach Boys you heard in the opening Summer/Seth montage, but instead a finely-tuned new model - South Carolina's The Explorers Club (not to be confused with the late 90's prog-rock supergroup, of course.) Meanwhile, the ending sequence featured The Long Winters' "The Commander Thinks Aloud," which reminds me that we haven't heard Barsuk Records on the show in awhile. Label acts like Death Cab For Cutie, Aqueduct and Rilo Kiley all owe at least part of their recent success to exposure from the show (as much as they hate to admit it,) and it will be interesting to see if either of Schwartz' new shows fill the void (if it truly needs to be filled.)

The O.C. - Episode 4.09
1. "Forever" - The Explorers Club (MySpace)
2. "I'ts Because... We've Got Hair" - Tunng (YouTube)
3. "Somewhere in Between" - M. Craft
4. "The Commander Thinks Aloud" - The Long Winters

Also: Lots of memorable Judaic tidbits in this episode, from the life-size Torah to the correct pronunciation of Chutzpah. But now that I'm finally indoctrinated into the incredible world that is Battlestar Galactica, hearing Summer curse "Frack!" gave me the biggest thrill. Ok, back to my geek corner.

Previously: War of the Womb (Episode 4.08)

tags: music, television, soundtrack, the oc, long winters, chris brown, barsuk records, indie rock, josh scwartz, frack, rhapsody