By now you’ve probably heard that spoiled little rich girl Marissa (Mischa Barton) is falling for edgy bisexual Alex (Olivia Wilde) on Fox’s popular teen soap The O.C. Series creator Josh Schwartz as well as the actresses involved in the storyline have been talking up the show everywhere—from Out.com to Connecticut’s Hartford Courant—and denying that the lesbian storyline is a sweeps stunt.

So far, Schwartz is actually following through on his promise to deliver a “resonant” relationship. Marissa and Alex have been getting to know each other since the January 20th episode in which Alex came out as bisexual. They’ve traded clothes, skipped school together, gotten tattooed, and bonded over their abilities to hold their liquor. Last night's episode, “The Lonely Hearts Club,” took the Alex-Marissa relationship one step further when the two girls kissed each other on a romantic moonlit beach.

Despite the fact that all this is conveniently occurring during February sweeps (ratings for last night’s episode of The O.C. were up from last week, with the drama bringing in just under 5 million viewers aged 18-49), the Alex-Marissa relationship is the best representation of lesbianism on network television since Buffy.

What Schwartz and the producers of The O.C. have created is a coming-out storyline that has been explored in a sensitive and sweet way. Marissa’s interest in Alex developed out of their budding friendship, and when she realized that she was beginning to feel attracted to her, she reacted realistically. During the February 3rd episode (“The Second Chance”), she avoided Alex temporarily after Alex pointed out that they were becoming more than just friends; after Marissa had a chance to think about her feelings, however, she came back and showed Alex she wanted their relationship to progress by unexpectedly holding her hand.

Alex, who had already dated a woman before coming to Orange County, knew what was going on well before Marissa did, and she has been remarkably up-front and candid about her attraction to Marissa. On last night’s episode, when Alex repeatedly stressed that they would go on a “date” later, she was clearly situating their relationship as a romantic one. While Marissa looked a little uncomfortable at the term, she didn't appear uncomfortable with the concept, and was eager to spend more time with Alex.

Marissa and Alex’s relationship has developed so smoothly that it’s a little surprising—until you realize that it has gone so well primarily because no one else knows it’s happening. Their romance so far has occurred in a neat little bubble: Alex doesn’t seem to hang out with many of Marissa’s friends anymore, and neither does Marissa. However, hints about the next few episodes suggest that the bubble is about to burst, and along with it, the lesbian storyline.

Page 1 / 2 - Next