Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1167 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-08-08
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Dutch, English
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 999 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The drama was poured on aplenty in the second season of The O.C. , as the sun-dappled denizens of Orange County found their lives massively upended and then some. At the end of the first season, the Cohen household had been reduced to two--parents Sandy and Kirsten (Peter Gallagher and Kelly Rowan)--as the boys had flown the coop, moody Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) back to Chino and goofy Seth (Adam Brody) for the wide expanse of the Pacific (somehow ending up in Portland, Oregon). Once the prodigal sons returned home, thanks to a lot of persuading, both tried to mend relationships with their former girlfriends, Marissa (Mischa Barton) and Summer (Rachel Bilson). While friendships were solidified, everyone was dating someone else: Seth was with sultry club manager Alex (Olivia Wilde), Summer with sensitive polo jock Zach (Michael Cassidy), Ryan with smart girl Lindsay (Shannon Lucio), and Marissa with her family's pool guy and a bottle of vodka.

That's just the first half of this year of The O.C. , and we haven't even gotten to the adults yet. Both Sandy and Kirsten found themselves tempted away by more-than-willing suitors, and wicked Julie (Melinda Clarke), Marissa's mom, cheated on new husband Caleb (Alan Dale) with ex-husband Jimmy (Tate Donovan). An extremely tangled web was woven, one from which the show almost didn't recover: the Lindsay storyline started out strong but went nowhere, Sandy's ex-girlfriend (Kim Delaney) was a bit of a bore, and the same-sex relationship between Marissa and Alex never really gelled. All seemed like sure-fire character additions, but it was the later peripheral characters, including Billy Campbell as a magazine editor smitten with Kirsten and the menacing yet sexy Logan Marshall-Green as Ryan's ex-con brother, who injected The O.C. with energy, and helped steer the show back on course. Brody, who became the show's de facto poster boy, got to show off his comedic talents with the wonderful Bilson (who rode the Zach-Seth-Summer romantic triangle most smoothly), and the heretofore sullen McKenzie got to lighten up quite a bit, until the show's violent yet effective season finale.

Forsaking a good amount of its comedy for drama, The O.C. got a little too seriously soapy, but its characters were so compelling you couldn't stop watching--even waiflike Marissa grew some edges. Clarke's scheming Julie was a constant pleasure to watch, and Rowan turned Kirsten's late-season downturn into a steely yet heartfelt portrayal. Despite the bumps, The O.C. remained one of the most exciting shows to look forward to week after week, a soap with smarts thanks to its fresh dialogue, gifted cast, and careening plot arcs. --Mark Englehart

Decription
There's trouble (and plenty of fun) in paradise in this 24-episode, 7-disc Season 2 collection of the smash-hit series set in Orange County's posh Newport Beach. Hook up with what's coming down as the Core Four romances of Ryan-and-Marissa and Seth-and-Summer may (or may not) go from very over to very on, Sandy and Kirsten face choices that could trainwreck their 20-year marriage, felon (and Ryan's brother) Trey gives Newport living a try, Julie's lurid past comes back to haunt her, and other new hunks and hotties become part of the coastal scene. Live. Laugh. Lie. Cheat. Grow. Share. Connive. Love. In California's beach paradise, they do everything under the sun.

Synopsis
With its debut in 2003, THE O.C. quickly became the most popular night-time soap since BEVERLY HILLS, 90210. Captivating audiences with its fresh dialogue, clever wit, steamy storylines, and the mesmerising power of Peter Gallagher's eyebrows, the series became a trend setting force in terms of popular fashion and music tastes among young viewers. When the second season (and school year) begins, each character is facing the aftermath of the events of last spring. After being abandoned by Ryan (who returned home to Chino on the belief that he'd impregnated his childhood sweetheart Theresa), and forced to move into Caleb Nichol's mansion, Marissa heats things up with the pool boy in order to spite her mother, and starts drinking in the daytime. Meanwhile, Summer starts dating new guy Zach in order to get over Seth, who sailed away for the summer on his sailboat and has yet to return. With several of last season's secondary characters gone (Anna, Haley) there is room for a whole new group of O.C. residents to cause trouble in the lives of Newport's elite. Even as Seth and Ryan eventually return to the Cohen home, things are not as they used to be. The drama of the second season is not limited to the show's teenage protagonists however, with even the show's moral core, the marriage between Sandy and Kirsten Cohen, facing its challenges with the emergence of an old flame and a new love interest. Like the Cohen's house, which is undergoing renovation, everyone in the seaside community is going through changes. Believe it or not, the second season (contained here in its entirety) contains even more drama than the show's debut season. Show creator Josh Schwartz continues in his mission to include indie music on the show, even working several live performances by bands like Modest Mouse and Death Cab For Cutie into the scripts. The O.C. Season 2 episodes are: The Distance, The Way We Were, The New Kids On The Block, The New Era, The SnO.C., The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't, The Family Ties, The Power Of Love, The Ex-Factor, The Accomplice, The Second Chance, The Lonely Hearts Club, The Test, The Rainy Day Women, The Mallpisode, The Blaze Of Glory, The Brothers Grim, The Risky Business, The Rager, The O.C. Confidential, The Return Of Nana, The Showdown, The O Sea and The Dearly Beloved.

Customer Reviews

Not a patch...
On season 1 - which was new, refreshing and hugely entertaining. Whether it was just the appeal of it being new, or, more likely, because there was always something to be entertained by. Whether it was the witty dialogue, the annoying tiffs between all the couples or just waiting for Ryan to explode again - season 1 was ultimately engrossing.

Season 2 far less so - the whole tying up of Seth and Ryan moving back to OC was done far too quickly and far from realistically. The first few episodes, other than this, are promising, but it takes far too long for things to spark - by which time to be honest - I'd almost lost interest (and I was a massive fan!). By the time things started kicking off with Ryans 'this used to be my speciality' line, it was a credit to the show it dragged me back in at all. The changes in life - i.e. finishing uni and getting a job - meant I had a lot of catching up to do - but if people are branding season 3 as the 'slow starter' and season 2 as 'excellent' then I'm worried. I've just ordered season 3 and hope its not a massive let down. If you were obsessed with season 1, be prepared that this is not as good - if you didnt like season 1 - dont buy this.

Still a solid, entertaining season, especially once that irritating, oboe-playing red-head is gone out of it
The OC returns for a second season- first off, the obvious reccomendation is don't buy this unless you have bought the first season. If you have bought and enjoyed the first season of the OC, you will know by now that it is about Ryan Atwood, the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, from a broken home in Chino to be precise and while the first season was about him being taken in by the Cohens and being from different worlds to everyone else in Newport, this season is about Ryan beginning to feel at home in this new community- though there is a slight problem, he's off in Chino helping out his pregnant ex-girlfriend who may or may not be carrying HIS baby. Meanwhile Seth has sailed away- to Portland where Luke now lives as it happens and he's living there. Sandy and Kirsten are dealing with the chaos by doing some re-decorating- and fighting with each other on a daily basis. The finale of the last season has left the premiere of this season in chaos- but by the end of the premiere, without giving too much away, Ryan and Seth will be in their rightful places
As for Summer and Marissa, they are also dealing with what happened in the season 1 finale. Marissa appears to be drinking again, in the absense of her beloved Ryan and although Ryan wants to start up things where they left off once he arrives back and sees her, things are not that simple. Summer is much less forgiving than Marissa, and is determined to ignore Seth just like she spent all of middle-school doing. She also has a new man in her life- a character which I actually liked but since the character was driving a wedge between Sethummer, I can understanding why he gets a lot of fan-hate. Then there is Lyndsay, the irritating oboe-playing girl who could be almost likable as a character because she is relatable and makes Ryan happy but the actress- a major casting mistake- unfortunately this character has a story-arc which presents on our screens for a good chunk of the season- then there is a great episode where she goes and we see a possibility of more Ryan/Marissa love and Seth and Summer get back together spectacularly- it is almost like the producers themselves were so glad that that character was gone- why else would there be a commentary on that episode?
Sandy and Kirsten have a lot of drama this season. In the first season, they were simply seen as the moral centre and were very happy-happy, until the revelation of the whole Kirsten/Jimmy kiss but happiness was restored soon after. We see that those fights in the summer that the boys were gone have driven a wedge between Sandy and Kirsten that they dont know exist until an attractive man starts to work with Kirsten and a certain ex of Sandys returns to his life....
This season is good- it is full of real drop-your-mouth-open storylines, like the whole Marissa venturing down a different sexual-orientation thing, but she bounces right back...Olivia Wilde plays the character of Alex this season, the girl who goes from dating Seth to his female alter-ego..its quite bizarre.
If that wasnt enough for you, Ryans brother, the reason he is in the OC to begin with, comes back into Ryans life...with reprocussions..
Buy this- if you have the first season and intend on building a nice little collection, you should get this..its really good.

very entertaining but not as sophisticated as season 1
I gave season one of the OC 5 stars because it had everything you could want in a tv drama/comedy series.I heard some people say Season 2 was a letdown because it wasn't as humorous as season 1.I think the dialogue was definitely as humorous (one of my favourite lines is when Julie comes into a room and Sandy turns around quickly and says : "You scared me - more than usual!").But the troubles with the Cohen marriage and the trouble between Seth,Summer and Zach grew a little tiresome at times (and was always going to be a letdown for viewers compared to the interaction between Seth,Summer and Anna in Season 1 which led to so many,amusing and touching scenarios).Also I think that in this season too many things happened too quickly which added to the humour but took away some plausibility.I also noticed that the visual appeal of Season 2 wasn't as great as in the first season (just think how bright but tasteful were the clothes that Anna wore,for example,and how even the Cohen's kitchen and even the weather seemed brighter).Season 2 also lacked the hooks that Season 1 had:in season 1 Ryan picks Marissa up from the ground at the front of her house after her friends have left her drunk and unconscious
out in the cold,and you wonder if he is going to get caught by someone and accused of robbing or attacking her when he is trying to help her.
And you are constantly wondering if Ryan is going to be accepted into Newport society with so many people trying to stop this from happening.
With Ryan no longer the underdog, much of the drama in season 2 was less subtle and less effective.