Today in TV History: ‘Laguna Beach” Let Kristin Cavallari Tell Her Story

Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone. 

IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: July 25, 2005

PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: Laguna Beach, “Since You Been Gone” (Season 2, Episode 1) [Watch on MTV.com]

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: The importance of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County on the television landscape cannot be overstated. While it’s narrative-television counterpart, The O.C., captivated young audiences in its first season, it never offered a teen triangle as captivating as the Lauren-Stephen-Kristin affair of season 1. That first season was a sensation and a delight and a formidable challenge to top, particularly considering the first season so carefully built to the high-school graduation of most of its principal characters.

This all makes it that much more impressive, frankly, that Laguna delivered a second season that was arguably more compelling than the first. Any doubts as to the viability of season 2 were dispelled immediately after Kristin Cavillari’s blisteringly bitchy two-minute intro to the season.

So many great things about that intro, and not just that she assumed we’ll all remember Talan. The aggressively bitchy tone was familiar to anyone who had been to high school for even one day, but more importantly it was familiar to anyone who had seen Kristin play the bitchy girlfriend to Lauren’s unrequited love Stephen in season 1. Lauren was the narrator of the first season; it was her story. The genius of season 2 isn’t just that this time it’s Kristin’s story, it’s that Kristin knows you’ve already watched a whole season of Lauren’s story, and you’re probably on Lauren’s side, and she doesn’t give one single fuck about it. Lauren (or “LC” as her “friends” call her) is a college dropout loser who couldn’t land Stephen if she had a net; Alex M is a drama-queen; and Taylor is probably faking her sweet-girl exterior because nobody’s that nice — these are the truths as Kristin sees them, and if you’re going to stick around for season 2 (and be honest: you are), you’d better get used to them right now.

Laguna Beach Season 2 isn’t just a story from the villain’s perspective told to an audience looking to redeem her; it’s the villain welcoming the audience into her clique so she can make them villains, too.

The season premiere, ten years old today, has so much going for it. The clash between the Laguna seniors and the returning-for-winter-break college freshmen is genuinely fascinating and surprisingly relatable (which wasn’t always Laguna‘s strong suit, with its wealthy protagonists living on the beach). This is also the first we get to hear Kristin talk about her new boyfriend “Matt, this guy at USC,” who of course was star quarterback Matt Leinart, who wouldn’t appear on the show.

[You can watch Laguna Beach season 2 on MTV.com.]

Joe Reid (@joereid) is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn. You can find him leaving flowers for Mrs. Landingham at the corner of 18th and Potomac.

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