Once a week, the members of The OC Round Table will deliver their uncensored, unabashed, unwavering views on various issues affecting the show and its characters. Not so much knights as raucous fans of this FOX phenom, these pundits will comment on every aspect that hits the airways, from Ryan‘s bird-like facial expressions to Luke‘s transition from hotheaded jock to complete and utter loser. Agree with their views? Disagree? Send in your thoughts, comments, questions or harassing diatribes to any or all of the supposed sages. They‘ll publish viewer feedback in each subsequent edition of the Round Table. Now, it‘s time to pull up a chair, meet our panelists and dissect their takes on the shocking twists and turns that comprise The OC.

The panel:

Name: Matty Rich Favorite character: Sandy The OC words to live by: Kirsten: So what do you want to be, now? Ryan: Seventeen. Contact: Private Message

Name: Darkly Noon Favorite character: Ryan The OC words to live by: Juile: We're celebrating my new position. Sandy: I'm not gonna touch that one. Contact: Private Message

Name: Rutherford B. Chillin' Favorite character: Sandy The OC words to live by: I'm just saying that you're daughter has an extraordinary amount of vim.

Do you sympathize with Taylor Townsend?

Matty Rich: Sympathize? More like jealousize! Her name is so cool it's causing me to make up words. Not since Parker Posey has a moniker come along that lent itself to such alliterative addictions as the taut, touching trademark, Taylor Townsend. Although tainted by her mother, she's tang-able and in the process of taming Seth's trepidation concerning her tightly wound personality. I bet she likes tea.

Rutherford B. Chillin': Not only do I sympathize with Taylor Townsend, but I also synthesize with her, too. That's right, we formed a band. We were going to name it Hootie andÊThe Blowfish, but couldn't find any blowfish, so instead we called it The Taylor Townsend Trio, though there are only two of us. We have two rules, too. The first is that her malicious mother is not allowed at our concerts and the second is that I don't have to wear pants when we practice.

Darkly Noon: Yes and no. Domineering parents are never easy to deal with, and it's obviously affected poor Taylor's psyche. At the same time, she has a lot of nerve trying to break up Seth and Summer, and it's hard to feel sorry for someone so conniving.

Discuss Taylor Townsend on the message board.

Will the Newport Group still be in existence a year from now?

Darkly Noon: Yes and no. It is unlikely that any real estate company with such vast holdings could disband completely in just 12 months. However, I bet that the Cohens will sell their interest in it and it will no longer be a focal point of the show by then.

Matty Rich: Of course. Whether he's running a real estate company, establishing his own law practice, joining a major firm or purchasing a restaurant, there are two qualities that Sandy brings to all professional endeavors: consistency and focus.

Rutherford B. Chillin': It will exist and thrive. But not as a real estate holdings corporation. No, with Sandy running the show, with his penchant for adopting wrong-side-of-the-tracks miscreants, I see the Newport Group being stocked with an army of white t-shirt wearing Ryan clones that Sandy has trained to boost car stereos and steal bikes. It will be just like the army of thieves Shredder and The Foot Clan ran in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ... um, not that I own that movie or anything.

Discuss the new The Newport Group on the message board.

Random thoughts/questions (Part I)

• When they were handing out brains, Marissa must've been throwing up that morning's breakfast in the bathroom.
• We missed The Bait Shop.
• If Summer were really "Jen," wouldn't she have more Friends?
• Taylor likes Asian cinema? Really?

Do you like the new, moral Julie Cooper?

Rutherford B. Chillin': The only way I'll enjoy this nice girl Julie Cooper is if it's all building up to her making another adult film. Not that I've ever watched one (the only movie I've ever seen is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze), but I'm told that it'd be pretty hot to see a "good girl" get boned.

Darkly Noon: Yes and no. It's nice to see a trace of morality and compassion from Julie. She's been through a lot in the past few months, and as a result, she has really grown as a person. Still, her former self clearly offered more potential for drama. Thus, I am torn.

Matty Rich: Is she really new and moral? One on hand, she refused to screw over Kirsten. On the other hand, she ignores one daughter and obviously hasn't fed the other one in over six years. Seems like a toss up to me.

Discuss The New Julie on the message board.

Is this the last we've seen of Volchak?

Darkly Noon: Yes and no. Since Volchak knows everywhere the gang hangs out, and spends most of his time on the beaches of Newport, I am sure Ryan, Marissa & Co. will run into him at some point. But at the same time I doubt he will appear on any more episodes.

Matty Rich: Maybe in Newport. He obviously has to toughen up. Therefore, I've got a feeling he'll be honing his Killer Instinct with former porn star and tough guy, Lance, in the near future. There aren't any broken glass bottles on the streets of San Francisco.

Rutherford B. Chillin': I'm sure that sometime this season Fox will show repeats, and there's bound to be the season DVD for sale next summer, so I'm going to say that we'll see Volchak again. But not yet. Not yet. .

Discuss Volchak on the message board.

Random thoughts/questions (Part II)

• Does anyone else not entirely trust Charlotte?
• Ryan was really lucky that bottle was lying on the beach.
• For the record, our favorite MILFs in ascending order: Julie Cooper-Nichol, Veronica Townsend, Kirsten Cohen.
• Luke's dad finished a distant fourth.

Discuss Random thoughts on the message board.