‘The O.C.’: 10 Most Memorable Moments From the Teen Drama
Twenty years later, we still remember those melodic opening notes to The O.C.’s memorable theme song. Over four seasons, the Fox series gave us a taste of the lives of a few wealthy high schoolers of Newport Beach, California. Not only did we watch the drama unfold among the teenagers, but we also learned about the complicated lives of some of their parents.
The O.C. introduced us to iconic teen drama characters like Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) and Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). We were also introduced to one of the best TV couples ever, Seth (Adam Brody) and Summer (Rachel Bilson). Meanwhile, all of this was happening to the backdrop of a spectacular soundtrack.
With the premiere’s 20th Anniversary on August 5, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most memorable moments from the show below. In preparation for this milestone anniversary make sure to re-watch the series and let us know what we missed in this list!
The O.C., Streaming Now, Hulu and Max
Marissa & Ryan Meet
In the first episode of the series, we meet Ryan Atwood, who had just moved in with the Cohen family. He goes outside to smoke a cigarette and meets the beautiful but troubled Marissa Cooper. When she asks who he is, he responds with the iconic line, “Whoever you want me to be.”
Marissa's Overdose
Throughout the series, Marissa struggles with mental illness, which causes her to act out in different ways. In the Season 1 episode “The Escape,” the group takes a trip to Tijuana. There, Marissa overdoses on a mixture of pills and alcohol. For many viewers of the show, this scene will always be remembered for its terrifying yet memorable depiction of drug overdose. Luckily, she was found and saved by Ryan.
Oliver Pulls a Gun on Marissa
Oliver (Taylor Handley) and Marissa meet in their therapy office (both suffer from depression). He quickly develops obsessive feelings for her and invites her to a weekend trip at his parents’ beach house, where he makes an advance towards her. When she rejects him, he pulls a gun out and threatens to kill himself.
Seth's Public Declaration of His Feelings for Summer
Summer and Seth keep their “relationship” a secret in the beginning because it would have made no sense for them to be together. However, he is fed up with keeping his feelings a secret, so while Summer is hosting a kissing booth, he gets up on the table and exposes their secret in front of the entire school. It’s such a sweet moment in the show and makes us fall more in love with Seth Cohen.
Ryan Tells Marissa He Loves Her
Marissa really has a dream moment when Ryan races against the clock to find her before the New Year. At the last second, he finds her at the party, and two share a kiss. After, Ryan tells Marissa that he loves her, and she answers with “thank you,” just like he did before.
Kirsten's Drinking Problem Is Exposed
During the second season, Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) begins to show signs of severe alcoholism. When Caleb dies of a sudden heart attack, she continues to drink heavily to numb her feelings. During the funeral, both Sandy (Peter Gallagher) and Julie (Melinda Clarke) are incredibly concerned for Kirsten and try to help her. However, when Sandy tries to take a bottle of vodka out of her hands, Kirsten drops it, grabbing the attention of everyone attending the funeral. After a family intervention, Kirsten leaves for rehab.
Marissa Shoots Trey
After Ryan finds out about Trey’s (Logan Marshall-Green) attempt to assault Marissa, he races to his apartment to seek revenge. Seth and Summer inform Marissa, who rushes to Trey’s home and sees the two boys fighting. She tries, but fails, to break up the fight. Trey is about to bash Ryan in the head with a telephone, but Marissa acts quickly and picks up the gun and shoots Trey to save Ryan. This makes for quite the intense ending to Season 2.
Seth & Summer's Iconic Spider-Man Kiss
When Summer realizes that she cannot be with anyone else, she races back from the airport to Seth’s home to find him hanging down from the roof with a Spider-Man mask on. She proceeds to kiss him, mimicking the iconic moment shared between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man. For a comic book fan like Seth, this must have been the best kiss ever for him. For viewers, it is still one of our favorite Seth and Summer moments in the series.
Marissa's Death
After the high school graduation at the beginning at the Season 3 finale, viewers expect the rest of the episode to go by on a less chaotic note. However, when Ryan is driving Marissa to the airport, they are tailed by a drunk Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet), who is in love with Marissa. He causes a massive car accident and fire. Ryan carries Marissa out from the wreckage, and she heartbreakingly dies in his arms. This is probably one of the saddest moments of the entire series, and it definitely changes the course of the show.
Seth & Summer's Wedding
The series ends in such a great way, with one of our favorite couples getting married. Their chemistry throughout the show makes their relationship seem more realistic and makes us fall in love with them even more.
From TV Guide Magazine
Crime, Comedy & Convenience Stores: Unwrapping Hulu's 'Deli Boys' With the Cast
Cupcakes, corndogs…and cocaine?! Two brothers find themselves in a hilarious pickle when they inherit an unseemly bodega biz in Hulu’s new comedy Deli Boys. Find out how The Sopranos and Real Housewives of Orange County influenced the cast. Read the story now on TV Insider.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services