May 30, 2007: "Startin' Over's a Bitch, Ain't It?"
Nobody likes a stalker.
OK, where are my fellow teen-drama fans?
The O.C.'s gone,
One Tree Hill's fourth season is coming to a close, and
The Hills - although technically not a drama, but has enough in it to fall into the category - is on hiatus. Hello, I need my mindless, love-torn, unrealistic TV! The CW wasn't about to leave us hanging, though.
I've got to admit, the opening of this show surprised me and yet it didn't at the same time. "Life shouldn't be so expected." Well, I
didn't expect Johnny's (
Taylor Handley) father to shoot himself just then, but again, how can I be that shocked, right? "C'mon, Dad, I love drunk time, but I really need to finish this." Just with that line alone, Johnny's former structured self became just a cover for someone whose parent was so out of control, the only thing that made sense was numbers. Definite answers.
One year later, camera in hand, hair as messy as a wannabe rock star's (or
Jesse McCartney's possible twin brother?), Johnny's in a whole new world. Welcome to Palm Springs, where everything looks like a postcard but
Mischa Barton is nowhere to be found.
This isn't Newport, but it smells a bit like it with a side of
Desperate Housewives. Is it me or are all the moms completely disturbed? Especially Johnny's mom, Karen (
Gail O'Grady), denying their old life, sleeping around and then marrying not long after her husband's suicide just because she was "scared and alone." And the troubled, alcoholic teen is in a lonely bubble of uncertainty - but aren't we all stuck in an ambiguous atmosphere at some point? Cut to the ending where
all the troubled teens are suffocating in their bubbles of uncertainty.
But we're just getting started. There are clearly stories to be told, especially Eddie's. I'm thinking a love triangle gone wrong. Cliff (
Michael Cassidy) and Greta (
Amber Heard) have a mysterious past and I can't wait to find out what really happened between them, what their "deal" includes, the love/hate relationship that's twisting their insides and stinging the wound we don't quite understand yet.
Speaking of Greta, there had to be a girl to chase, right? Add in some golf-course sprinklers, good music and flirty extended stares and we've got ourselves a whole new world of lust, love and loss. I loved Johnny's analyzing session with Greta, reading her like an open book, but there are definitely things he doesn't know.
Last but not least, the sweet, quiet Liza (
Ellary Porterfield) was clearly lost as she peered out her window, staring at everyone around her and secretly wanting to trade her goggles for lip gloss and be noticed. I definitely see an emotional ride for her and Johnny down the road.
I also see a lot of opportunity for indulgence in the glossy pool reflections - welcoming secrets and turmoil. Fancy outdoor parties with open bars and distracted parents (nose jobs and all), Taylor Handley leading the newest crew of traumatized students. I think Jesse Jo (Leslie Jordan) said it best tonight: "All I ever wanted was to belong."
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