Vive le Taylor and Ryan!

I have to say that when I first heard of a possible Taylor and Ryan coupling on “The O.C.,” I was concerned that this was the moment that would derail the show’s comeback.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Often on these shows, these kind of couplings come off forced. But this one honestly makes sense.

And that is the beauty of “The O.C.” this season. For the first time in two years, it makes sense.

In case you missed it, Taylor impulsively married an attractive Frenchman named Henri Michel while in Paris after he told her he loved her. The only problem was that Taylor didn’t love him. But when she received a letter from him, saying he was coming to visit, Taylor was worried she wouldn’t be able to tell him no and would have to go back to France.

With Seth in Providence with Summer, the only person Taylor could turn to was Ryan—who she barely knows. She asked Ryan to accompany her to meet her husband, but only his lawyer showed up. When the lawyer told Taylor that the only way she could get a divorce was if she’d been unfaithful, she told him that Ryan was her lover. But since they were speaking in French, Ryan didn’t know.

Later, when Taylor asked him to sign a paper she claimed was to attest to her character, Ryan discovered that Taylor was claiming they had slept together over 30 times. Ryan told her he just couldn’t handle something like this and left Taylor to handle the lawyer on her own.

As Ryan was leaving his new job (at a Mexican restaurant), he ran into Sandy, who gave him another “getting over Marissa” pep talk and told him how much he admired his desire to help people who needed it (After all, that’s how he and Marissa kept ending up together.). Ryan realized that he needed to help Taylor and rushed to meet her and Henri’s lawyer. When he got there, Taylor was crying that she didn’t love Henri and just couldn’t bear to go back. So, Ryan did the only thing he could, which was tell Taylor he was sorry he was late and give her a big kiss. The lawyer told Taylor he didn’t need Ryan’s signature. He knew love when he saw it.

Ryan just walked away before Taylor could speak, but of course, Taylor was completely smitten. And trust me. If a good-looking guy like Ryan gave you a kiss like that, you’d be weak in the knees too. As a thank you, Taylor showed up on Ryan’s doorstep with a peach torte (He told her that was his favorite fruit.). The episode ended with a happy Taylor leaving the poolhouse, her mind reeling.

It was “O.C.” magic like we haven’t seen since before the horrid end to season one. Ryan got to show off his sense of humor and his chemistry with Taylor was completely natural—not the forced kind he sometimes had with Marissa. I don’t know how the writers came up with this pairing, but I am so glad they did.

If you are not watching “The O.C.” you must make amends for that immediately. Yes, I know that it’s on the same time as “Grey’s Anatomy,” but that’s what VCRs are for. And besides, “Grey’s” will be in reruns very soon while “The O.C” will still be showing new episodes—which is FOX’s logic for keeping “The O.C.” in that timeslot (although I’m not sure you can use FOX and logic in the same sentence these days).

I still believe that no matter how good it gets (and despite my pleas), FOX will pull the plug on the show very soon; and you will kick yourself if you weren’t there for what’s sure to be a great ending.

Until then, vive le Taylor and Ryan!