The O.Z.

Here's a really great e-mail exchange between ESPN.com's Bill Simmons and The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz. Too many bloggable bits, so read the whole thing.
Ok, one:

Simmons: Just so this doesn't come off as one of those interviews where somebody is just kissing your butt to promote your show, I need to bring up three of the biggest mistakes (in my opinion) from the first two seasons: A) the Oliver saga (you've taken enough heat for this); B) Sandy Cohen's near adultery (we already covered this); and C) Seth's Mom developing a drinking problem in about three seconds and shattering the record (held jointly) of Alison Parker and Bailey Salinger for "Fastest drinking problem by a TV character on Fox" (just once I want to see a TV character have a drinking problem with no repercussions whatsoever, but that's a personal thing).

Ok, can I interject here? A) I never really had a problem with the Oliver subplot. The dude was creepy as hell, and I thought the dynamic between Ryan and Marissa and Oliver was really great throughout the whole thing. There needs to be more spoiled rich kids on this show, instead of rich kids with hearts of gold (and this includes Summer's seemingly irreversable and intractable [and similarly unbelievable] transformation into a Decent Person). B) Ok, that was lame. And C) Ok, look. If you go back and watch the first two seasons again with an eye out towards time when Kirsten turns to the booze in times of trouble, you'll notice a definite pattern, and it seems not nearly so random as Simmons says. Schwartz, to his credit, says much the same thing in his reply:

Schwartz: Thanks for your forgiveness -- your tough questions will keep your street cred legit. As for Kirsten's drinking problem, it developed verrrry slooowlly over two seasons. Go back and check it out for the clues.

They're there. Finally, not to ruin the rest of the article, which you should totally read in full, but here's reason number 2 why Season 3 will kick ass, according to J-Schwizz:

2. Sandy and Kirsten back and better than ever. Fully in love. Parenting the %#$@! out of their kids.

Awesome.

Later, hippies. I gotta go to Chicago.