15 Episodes That Made Us Fall in Love with ‘The O.C.’

August 5th marked the 16th anniversary of the premiere of The O.C. Created by Josh Schwartz (Gossip Girl, Nancy Drew), the series follows bad boy Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) as he finds himself entangled in the lives and loves of the McMansion inhabiting, upwardly mobile, nouveau riche in Newport Beach, California (O.C. stands for Orange County). 

The teen drama aired on FOX for just four years (2003-2007), and it piqued young adults’ curiosity about life in La La land. The show became a cultural phenomenon, paving the way for MTV’s Laguna Beach and Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County. It also turned its four young leads: Mischa Barton, Ben McKenzie, Adam Brody, and Rachel Bilson into household names. 

The O.C. had its ups and downs creatively, but there’s no doubt it will always be remembered as one of TV’s best teen dramas.

With classics like Gossip Girl and Beverly Hills, 90210 getting a lot of love lately, we thought The O.C. deserved some much-needed affection. There’s been no chatter about bringing the series back, but it’s hard to imagine any reboot or revival living up to the original.

So, throw on your Juicy sweats, sit back, and get ready to binge. We’ve compiled a list of episodes that made us fall in love with The O.C. Here they are in chronological order: 

1. Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1)

The O.C. Season 1 Episode 1 doesn’t waste any time drawing viewers in. Poor but gorgeous Ryan Atwood is busted for helping his older brother steal a car and is rescued by his public defender, Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher). 

Viewers see what happens inside the bubble of gated communities through Ryan’s eyes who is definitely from the wrong side of the metaphorical tracks. As an outsider, Ryan quickly bonds with the Cohen’s son, Seth (Adam Brody) who is a social outcast himself (yet still incredibly physically appealing, of course).

The pilot introduces most of the major players, including Ryan’s introduction to the girl-next-door which has a very film noir vibe. If you are a fan you probably sometimes still get the catchy and apropos theme song “California” by Phantom Planet stuck in your head.

One of the most enduring moments from the premiere occurs when Luke (Chris Carmack) tells Ryan, “Welcome to the O.C., bitch.” Only on The O.C. would the antagonist be a water polo player instead of a quarterback.

Drawing viewers in is half the battle, but making them come back for more is the rest. The O.C. is instantly addictive.

2. The Debut (Season 1 Episode 4)

On The O.C. Season 1 Episode 4, “The Debut,” Ryan takes up permanent residence in Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) and Sandy Cohen’s pool house, and he’s immediately thrust into Newport’s bustling social scene. 

The residents of Newport Beach appear to lead picture-perfect lives, but Ryan quickly learns everybody has their secrets. Unlike the parents on other teen shows, the adults on The O.C. are as attractive as their offspring, and they’re at the center of their own melodramatic storylines.

Not one, not two, but three love triangles are established: Luke, Marissa (Mischa Barton), and Ryan; Summer (Rachel Bilson), Anna (Samaire Armstrong), and Seth; Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donavan), Sandy, and Kirsten. 

Marissa begins her long journey as the show’s foremost walking wounded, and Ryan as her “white knight.” Who doesn’t have a soft spot for a nice guy disguised as a bad one, including wife beater and wrist cuff?

3. The Escape (Season 1 Episode 7)

While Ryan and Marissa continue their will they or won’t they ritual on The O.C. Season 1 Episode 7, “The Escape,” fans get to see a bit more complexly-layered Summer. Initially easy to write off as a stereotypical not-so-bright mean girl, Summer makes high maintenance funny during the gang’s first road trip.

Whether it’s her off-the-cuff pharmaceutical quips in reference to her often-mentioned but never-seen stepmother or her rage blackouts, Summer continues to surprise us. 

Seth learns his dream girl can be a bit of a nightmare, but his devotion doesn’t wane. Their banter harkens back to romantic comedies of the ’40s like His Girl Friday. Despite their ongoing bickering, there is one scene where they are very much in sync, hinting at a match actually made in heaven.

The Marissa meltdowns continue but with a homophobic, cheating boyfriend with a penchant for puka shell necklaces, a white-collar criminal for a dad, and an overbearing mom, an OD in Tijuana doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

4. The Secret (Season 1 Episode 12)

When Luke and Ryan are paired together for a class project on The O.C. Season 1 Episode 12, “The Secret,” fans expect there to be trouble. The real shocker is the outing of Luke’s dad.

This may not seem like such a big deal nowadays when LGBTQ characters are better represented on the small screen, but this wasn’t the case 16 years ago.

The show’s creators choose to introduce a gay character who also happens to be the father of an alpha male who views homosexuality as a failing. This provides Luke with the opportunity for some personal growth. Not that Luke falls in line immediately. It’s only after he becomes the victim of a hate crime that he has his a-ha moment. 

The episode gives Chris Carmack a chance to make Luke a more sympathetic character after watching him behave like a Supreme Court justice nominee. 

5. The Best Chrismukkah Ever (Season 1 Episode 13)

The real star of The O.C. Season 1 Episode 13, “The Best Chrismakkuh Ever,” is Seth Cohen’s Christmas-Hanukah hybrid. Seth co-opts each of his parents’ religious beliefs and uses the end result for his own advantage. Chrismakkuh may not rank as high as Seinfeld’s Festivus when it comes to name recognition, but it’s got to come close for Gen-Y.

Going with the theme of excess, Summer and Anna continue to fight over Seth which leads to a very awkward threesome. Geek chic is all the rage as Seth goes from complete social misfit to Newport’s most wanted. Summer dressing up as Wonder Woman is a seminal moment in the Seth-Summer love story.

A sub-plot involving Caleb Nichol (Alan Dale) and his shady business dealings is a snore, but the real downer is Marissa’s continuing shame spiral. But this is a necessary evil to introduce a multi-episode arc that infuses Marissa and Ryan’s rocky romance with even more drama.

Most shows have traditional holiday episodes, but Chrismakkuh isn’t your ordinary holiday. It’s a state of mind. 

6. The Countdown (Season 1 Episode 14)

Let’s start with the wink to the comparisons between leading man McKenzie and another star, Russell Crowe (pre-bloated days). Now add Marissa telling Ryan she loves him and getting a “thank you” in return. Throw in one moderately-annoying psychopath and a major holiday, and you’ve got The O.C. Season 1 Episode 14, “The Countdown.”

Fans meet Kirsten’s free-spirited younger sister, Hailey (Amanda Rhigetti), who turns out to be such a lackluster addition, she only appears in 12 out of 92 episodes. 

The crux of the episode is a big romantic gesture from the usually subdued Ryan. It’s the perfect storm: a great soundtrack, and a tough yet sensitive guy declaring his love for his dream girl at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. Ryan doesn’t only know how to pack an actual punch but an emotional one too.

The final scene is straight out of a rom-com and is one of those on-screen couple moments that makes you just want to say “Awwwwww.”

7. The L.A. (Season 1 Episode 22)

There’s so much to savor from this postmodern cornucopia otherwise known as The O.C. Season 1 Episode 22, “The L.A.”

Seth, Ryan, Marissa, and Summer hang out with a fictitious star of The O.C.’s show within a show, The Valley. There are several references to the off-screen coupling of stars which obviously address the real-life romance between Bilson and Brody. 

Formerly a semi-relevant pop culture figure, socialite Paris Hilton, shows up to poke fun at her own reality-TV persona, telling Seth she’s working on what is presumably her Master’s thesis. 

“The L.A.” takes an ironic look at fame and gives fans the heads up not to take it all too seriously. One of the best things about The O.C. is how it embraces irony, particularly during Season 1.

8. The Ties That Bind (Season 1 Episode 27)

After overcoming more hurdles than an Olympic runner, it finally looks like smooth sailing for our favorite foursome on The O.C. Season 1 Episode 27, “The Ties That Bind.” But Ryan’s pathological need to rescue damsels-in-distress creates a whole new set of problems.

Twenty six episodes after the show’s premiere, viewers are reminded just how much has changed since the kid from Chino arrived. The stage is set for a bleak Season 2 with Seth dumping Summer and sailing off into the sunset, Marissa forced to live with her mother who has no idea her gold-digging ways are about to backfire.

The real heartbreaker is the end (at least temporarily) of Ryan and Seth’s bromance. Their relationship remains a constant amidst all the shifting weight of romantic attachments during the show’s first season.

The series tackles the subject of abortion delicately, leaning towards a more pro-life stance. Season finales always end on a cliffhanger, but viewers really have no idea what the future holds for all of The O.C.’s main characters. 

The audience can empathize with the desperation everyone, including Ryan, feels about his departure. This shows how invested viewers are in the characters’ lives.

9. The Distance (Season 2 Episode 1)

There’s no shortage of misery on The O.C. Season 2 Episode 1, “The Distance.” As fans might expect, Newport’s elite aren’t faring so well since Ryan left the building.

The O.C. Season 2 Episode 1 shares one key plot point with the series premiere: Ryan and Seth are both isolated, feeling they don’t quite belong. These two are a package deal, and you don’t get one without the other. 

Unlike the happily-cohesive Cohen family from The O.C. Season 1, seeds of discontent are planted that promise to fully bloom later. The show is moving away from the fish out of water trope and diving more into how these characters are evolving. 

Ryan’s and Seth’s returns are handled expeditiously and a little too conveniently, but we’re happy to get both Ryan and Seth back ASAP. After all, nobody wants to watch a show where the central characters are separated. 

10. The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t (Season 2 Episode 6)

The series definitely undergoes a sophomore slump, but what’s more Christmas-y than an illegitimate child? On The O.C. Season 2 Episode 6, “The Chrismakkuh That Almost Wasn’t,” Ryan’s bland new love interest becomes more interesting when we learn she’s really a Nichol. As if this family tree doesn’t have enough twisted branches.

The O.C. is a soap opera, and this episode pulls out all the formulaic stops but in the best possible way. It’s hard to put a holiday spin on adultery, familial discontent, and weirdly-incestuous relationships. But just throw some festive lights on the mess, and it’s a Chrismukkah miracle. 

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