After having been left in something of a quandary after watching the abbreviated first season of “October Road,” it seemed only fair to give the show another chance with its second – and now final – season. The good news is that if you enjoyed the first batch, then you’ll likely find just as much to appreciate here. The bad news is that it’s still the same syrupy bittersweet material that has the power to deliver an instant jolt of maudlin nostalgia to the nervous system. If you hated the show before, nothing here will change your mind. “October Road” is obsessed with – even dependent upon – the past. It’s like the “Family Guy” bit that starts with “Remember the time when…” only instead of a punchline to follow it up, there are just straightforward memories and flashbacks. It seems like Knights Ridge is where the characters from “Dawson’s Creek” might end up in their late twenties, replete with all the same overwritten, trite dialogue that reached its apex ten years ago.
To be fair, over the course of these 13 episodes, the show manages to breathe a bit more than in its 6-episode freshman season. It morphs from being “the show around which a bunch of satellites orbit Bryan Greenberg” into far more of an ensemble drama, with many storylines overlapping so that each character gets his or her day in the crisp New England sun. It’s a soap opera for that guy or girl you know who still swears the best time of their life was high school. Ah, but there I go, once again picking on the poor, defenseless (and now canceled) “October Road.” It’s not a fair fight, so I might as well just admit it: it’s ridiculously addictive entertainment, and one evening I effortlessly sped through five episodes in a row. And, yet, I’m glad it’s canceled, because I don’t need to be addicted to shows I don’t even like.
The DVD contains an extra ten-minute coda that was filmed after the cancellation that aims to tie up loose ends, which it does surprisingly well in a very short amount of time. It looks a bit cheap compared to the series, but since it was a simple little labor of love for the cast and crew, it can’t be faulted, especially in this day and age of canceled series that get no resolution.
