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I seem to have a pretty bad track record when it comes to TV shows; as soon as I get hooked on a show, it gets cancelled. Take, for instance, the dishy Dirty Sexy Money. Or the darkly whimsical Pushing Daisies. Or the cozy, small-town drama, October Road. Fortunately, I don’t have to let go completely; there’s still DVD.
After October Road’s short first season ended in a flurry of confessions and revelations, the second season opens with relationships still in jeopardy. Owen (Brad William Henke) tries to deal with the betrayal of both his wife and his friend, Ikey (Evan Jones). Janet (Rebecca Field) wonders whether Eddie (Geoff Stults) will ever take their relationship seriously. And Pizza Girl (Lindy Booth) has tired of Phil’s (Jay Paulson) refusal to leave the house.
Meanwhile, things get even more complicated for struggling writer Nick (Bryan Greenberg) and his high school love, Hannah (Laura Prepon). Nick can’t seem to get over Hannah, despite the fact that she’s rejected him for fiancé Ray (Warren Christie). At the same time, Hannah has the same old second thoughts—which only get stronger after she starts dealing with Ray’s baggage. And as Nick struggles to figure out his feelings for Aubrey (Odette Yustman), his younger brother, Ronnie (Jonathan Murphy), knows exactly how he feels.
In its second (and, sadly, final) season, October Road did, admittedly, lose some of the easy-going, light-hearted fun that made me fall in love with the first season. Sure, the story had its share of drama, but it also had a bunch of old high school buddies, who got together each week to practice with their air band. In the second season, however, more of those friendships fall apart, making even the light-hearted moments feel a bit melancholy. The writers seemed so determined to jerk tears that they forgot about the fun and friendships that made the show so addictive. This season, everything’s in upheaval—friendships, relationships, even families—and the characters tend to spend most of the thirteen episodes floundering around in sometimes maddening indecision.
Still, while the show’s second season wasn’t quite as good as its first, I attributed that to the sophomore slump. The lovable cast of characters is still there, and many of the storylines are still quite captivating, so I kept tuning in, week after week. And, I figured, if Nick could just let go of Aubrey once and for all—and Hannah could finally figure out that Ray was a two-faced jerk—the show would get back on track. Unfortunately, though, it never got the chance—and, after the show was cancelled, fans like me were left hanging, wondering how the story would have ended.
Fortunately, the three-disc DVD release includes a series wrap-up, to help fans tie up those loose ends—so as soon as my copy arrived, I went straight for that final feature. And while it does answer some nagging, series-long questions, it does so as quickly as possible, without much explanation (or production value, for that matter)—so don’t expect too much.
Also included on the set is a short blooper reel, as well as a cast-guided tour of the main parts of the set.
For faithful fans of the series—those who, like me, still miss their weekly visits with Nick and Hannah and the rest of the characters from Knights Ridge—the second season is still worth picking up on DVD, despite its faults. In a way, it’s almost like a high school yearbook—something you can pull off the shelf from time to time, when you feel like reminiscing about your old friends.
