Ok folks, I'll be the first to admit the O.C. surprised the hell out of me tonight. Did anyone honestly think (that hadn't read spoliers) that Luke would go back and save Ryan? I mean I was freakin' speachless. When the show first began I had Luke pegged as the bad boyfriend asshole without a shread of moral redemption, which turns out to be very false. I figured he'd be the nemesis of the piece and provide Ryan with some much needed competition to keep Marissa just out of reach. I remember wondering what the hell she saw in this guy because at that point he hadn't demonstrated anything that lead me to believe he was perfect boyfriend material. From the start for me Luke was one of the "bad guys." It's tradition for these type of shows that you seperate the core cast into three groups of individuals. There's the "heroes & heroines", the "bitches and bastards" and the "middle men & women" who never really take a side. I had him pegged as a "bastard" for picking on Seth and taking on Ryan whom he barely knew. Actually he's still a bastard for those things, but after tonight he's definitely gained "middle man" status. It takes a degree of character to risk your own life to save someone and takes even more to save someone you despise.Plus he even drove around looking for Ryan to see if he was alright. Then he even came clean about being involved in the fire. WHAT THE HELL? It's like the guy did a complete 180 the last half hour. The coolest part of the episode was watching them both get led away in handcuffs and thrown in together in the same cop car. It's like they're personalities clash like crazy but this thing they're currently entangled in is bigger than both of them. As the episode ended, I found myself wondering if those two would inevitably become friends and if that's something I, as a viwer wanted to happen. Sure it would be different seeing the bully and the hero paling around together than being at each others throats 24/7, but that also means we won't see too many more "know what I like about rich kids? *BAM* "Nothing" "That was so cooool!" moments.I loved the hell out of that scene. Seth was great there. Also if Ryan & Luke become friends it's gonna make this love triangle thing between Ryan, Luke and Marrissa even tougher to maintain. I guess no matter what happens, it was a hell of a 2nd episode that kept up as well if not better to the pace of the pilot.Keep em coming!

I agree that Luke and Ryan are better enemies than friends. I think if they ever got buddy buddy it would mean Seth would get left out of everything because it's clear Luke has no love for Seth and vice versa. Those two are at completely different ends of the spectrum. It's possible that last night may have just been a one time thing where Luke's morals overshadowed his rich arragont characteristics. I'm sure after this thing with the police is resolved he'll go right back to hating Ryan for making dog eyes at his girlfriend. I wonder if he'll grow to hate Marissa too for giving Ryan the "eyes" back?

I'm kinda glad they gave Luke a little decency because when they make a character like his black or white without any grey undertones it's gets dull and easy. Cause then you pretty much know exactly what the guys about and can accurately predict his every move.B--O--R--I--N--G. It's the exact thing they did with Lana Lang's boyfriend, Whitney on Smallville. He was a straight up asshole for the most part with his moody attitude and bullying tactics. So needless to say he was killed off in the beginning of the 2nd season. I don't think the same can be said of Luke. He seems like a survivor. He also seems like he gets everything he wants, which will put him at odds with Ryan all the time because it's clear Ryan wants Marissa.I also thought Marissa and Ryan's scene at the end was thoughtful and well done.I think Ryan knew that more than sleep was going to happen if she stayed. I was pleased to see how much of an upstanding guy he is. He realizes she has a boyfriend and that till that changes, they can't be anything more than friends at best. I totally agree with you Vic, Benjamin Mckenzie was the perfect choice for Ryan. He really brings a sense of pent up rage expressed through a lot of raw emotions (mostly due to Marissa's advances). I love the direction in which the show is going. One thing I hope doesn't happen is that Ryan gets seduced by Summer. It's clear from the previews that she's gonna do everything in her power to have that boy. And should she succeed it's gonna piss off Marissa and Seth. The only good that might come out of that is if Seth forgets about her and lables her the drunken slut we all figure her to be. One thing worth mentioning is that Marissa and Ryan look pretty damn close in that pool together.Can't wait for Tuesday.

Oooh, I missed the previews...sounds like Tuesday's episode is gonna be good!

I guess we're all in agreement that we don't want Luke and Ryan to be friends!