The O(kay when I said it was dead to me, I was full of crap and we all knew it) C

All it took was one night of reruns and pre-holiday boredom to send me back into the arms of The OC. I'd heard from friends that it had vastly improved after the unfortunate season premiere and that Ryan and Taylor Townsend were actually cute together. So I decided to see for myself.

Turns out, my sources were right. Perkily Type-A Taylor is perfect for mopey Ryan. Their banter was infused with the same spark that made him and Seth such a great opposites attract match as brothers. And never fear: we've still got a screwed-up tragic beauty in Marissa's little sister Kaitlin. But instead of the writers trying to give her salvation through an equally troubled love interest, they recognize that what Kaitlin really needs is a good parent. Her scenes with Julie's new boyfriend Bullet were my favorites, mostly because they're obviously fond of one another without a hint of the sexual tension that tends to creep into adult/teen relationships on this type of show.

In the A-plot, which revolved around Summer's possible pregnancy, I didn't always buy the characters' motivations (Summer stealing the SUV because Seth's insensitive? Meh.), but it was a fun story. Originally the show's greatest strength was that it was a screwball comedy masquerading as a teen soap. This episode made me remember that. Too bad it's opposite 30 Rock, but then again, maybe it's time to upgrade my tivo.