Previously: Marissa died, y’all.
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The Avengers
Tom: Hello again! This is Tom From HR, your friendly neighbourhood HR Rep, here to recap the OC season 4, episode 1! I have of course done all my homework and watched right up to this point and have totally been an avid OC fan since my last recap. Obviously.
Seriously though, I do remember watching up to this point back in university. I remember hearing Marisa would be leaving, and not being overly shocked when she died, but it still being the tiniest bit emotional.
The quick recap at the beginning of the episode tells us that, in usual TV fashion, everyone graduated at the end of Season 3. Seriously why do all TV shows seem to start with people in Grade 10? What’s the thing there? Are Grade 9s too little to be considered entertaining? Is it bad to be seeing them do romantic things?
Marines: Your TV questions are deep and valid.
Tom: Anyway, everyone graduated, yay! Sandy went back to his old office and it looked shitty. Man he must have high standards. His office looks clean and organized and pretty awesome compared to my cubicle, piled with files. But the point is he wants to go back to his old firm, apparently. He’s changed jobs so many times that I’m assuming this is the Public Defender’s office where we first met him and not one of his other many jobs. Also some creepy looking dude was ramming Ryan’s car with Marisa in it, and some very young girl I don’t recognize seemed to be chatting up Summer’s dad. I think this is Marisa’s sister, who has changed actresses (originally she was played by a very young Shailene Woodley, now of Divergent and TFiOS fame). She now plans to rule the school with the older kids gone and seems just vaguely evil enough to do it. Also Seth got in to somewhere! And Taylor’s planning on the Sorbonne (I remember her!).
Aaand Creepy Dude rams the car off the road and kills Marisa in the process. Ryan’s acting is not entirely up to snuff in that he doesn’t look entirely broken up that she’s dead. I mean. Was anyone at this point? I know I wasn’t.
Mari: Interestingly enough, I barely registered the subpar acting in that scene because I was thinking of it comparatively…? So, like Ryan is usually on a -2 on the 1-to-10 scale of emotional range. He made to 3 in that scene.
Tom: We cut to 5 months later from that scene. Ryan is standing in front of some grimy looking sink in what looks like a back room, and his face is bruised and cut. Fight Club? Oh Ryan. Tyler Durden would not approve of your pool house, I promise. There’s a phone call, of which we only hear Ryan’s side, where he says that he can’t do an ominous unnamed something right now, then acquiesces and says he’ll be right there.
Then Sandy drives up to a similar dark alley, parking his way too expensive car there. He walks into what turns out to be the seedy bar Ryan is in, knocking on a door and asking for him by name. He tells him through the door that he just wants to talk, and they miss him. Ryan looks at the door for a second before going out the back window, ducking Sandy, and getting in a car.
Somewhere else (but presumably this same night) we see Julie Cooper open a medicine cabinet stocked fill with prescription pills, taking one of something. Kaitlin (I’m sure I’m gonna use a different spelling each time) is zipping up high leather boots and appears to be perfecting her Catwoman costume. Julie asks why she isn’t in school, and her daughter points out that it’s 8pm. On Saturday. Julie ignores her, saying that’s nice, and she’s gonna get going. Kaitlin points out she’s not supposed to be driving at night and Julie compliments her boots as she walks out, clearly in her own little wonderful pharmaceutical world. Kaitlin, appearing much nicer than she did in the preview, looks concerned, and suggests she go with her. Julie doesn’t reply as she continues out.
Back to Ryan, who gets out of his beat up car, only to knock on the door of a seedy motel room. And who should open the door but Julie! What?! She greets him warmly, invites him in and like, did they suddenly get along? Did this all change in one season? ARE THEY A THING?! DOES RYAN ATWOOD’S ANIMAL MAGNETISM KNOW NO BOUNDS?!!
Intro! I do love this song and intro. Don’t ask me why exactly. I just do. (M: This song has animal magnetism too.)
We cut again to 36 hours earlier, at the familiar Cohen house. Seth is chatting on the phone to Summer, laying out how Ryan has “deferred” college, has a new place, new job, new friends. Sandy is apparently back at his old Public Defender’s job. Seth has apparently been hanging out with Sandy, Kirsten, and Summer’s Dad. Kaitlin has also apparently befriended Luke’s twin brothers, having them off for a swim while she looks back at them smokily in a bikini. She clearly has lots of her mother in her. Taylor has apparently been badly photoshopping herself into photos in Paris (or maybe that’s just modern tech coming through – are we meant to see these as badly photoshopped or genuine?). But Seth seems to think she’s actually in Paris and I would expect him to be able to tell a bad photoshop so, who knows? He’s apparently leaving a voicemail for Summer at Brown, saying soon he’ll be at RISD with her. Her answering machine cuts him off, saying he’s exceeded the allotted time, and her inbox is full. Summer looks on, seemingly considering something carefully.
In the hall Chris Pratt aka Starlord seems to have taken on some kind of hippy clothing and has also apparently NOT AGED. He bursts into Summer’s room to tell her to come to the Quad quick. Summer has to ask what they’re protesting, and apparently it’s chickens. Before she leaves, she erases the message.
Seth is working the desk at a comic shop and being a dick to a little girl asking if there is a comic book based on the X-Men movie. Kirsten walks in and Seth informs her he’s worried about the future of America based on that little girl. Ignoring this, she hands him a pack of groceries for Ryan. They chat about Ryan’s mental state, mentioning how he didn’t go to Marisa’s funeral, with Kirsten suggesting they invite him over for dinner. Seth is skeptical about this idea, but seems oddly defeated too.
At the Roberts-Cooper household, Julie is using some kind of small chainsaw to trim hedges. She thinks the landscapers have gotten sloppy and, when confronted about what the fuck she’s doing out there by Summer’s Dad Whose First Name I Totally Know But Am Just Choosing Not to Use, (M: I’m not even going to helpfully provide it because that’s less fun) suggests hiring new landscapers, ignoring what he’s saying and running off to do that. He suggests that her keeping busy is a coping mechanism, but says she needs to let him in, and let him help. She pauses, seeming like she’s about to have a moment, but then tasks Summer’s Dad with hiring the landscapers. Kaitlin looks on from the shadows, concerned. Summer’s Dad sees her hanging out and offers her a ride to school (seriously how are these people all like awake and not disheveled or in a rush in the morning?). She suggests to SD that Julie is ignoring her too, and that to her it’s a plus, playing in to the bad rich girl stereotype just perfectly.
Seth knocks on Ryan’s door bedroom door (which seems to be in the seedy bar?) (M: Naturally.) with the care package. He opens it after some protests about sleeping, and they have their usual banter back and forth before Seth invites him for dinner, to which he surprisingly accepts after only minimal cajoling.
At Brown, Star Lord is at a table handing out flyers and pushing his pro-chicken agenda on unsuspecting college goers. There’s a cameo as a student by a guy who I remember from the short lived show Outsourced, saying he loves chicken nuggets. Summer points out this is not the point of the protest to him, that chickens need to fly free, to which he says that chickens can’t fly. Star Lord challenges him that maybe chickens can fly, and who is he to say that, and oh my God he’s not Star Lord he’s totally Andy again isn’t he? We learn his real name is Che but that’s entirely unimportant to this recap. And of course his name is Che.
Taylor calls Summer, saying how wonderful France is and actually doing a decent job with her French. They chat a bit before Summer has to go help Andy photocopy more flyers. We cut back to Taylor and discover she appears to be hiding in a very unFrench diner (if you’re in France you are always eating at a boardwalk cafe, we know this from other shows) wearing a giant hat and sunglasses and speaking English to the waitress. Because this perfectly hides you.
Mari: I definitely wouldn’t pay attention to the lady wearing a giant hat and glasses indoors. Nope.
Tom: In the Cohen kitchen, the whole family minus Ryan say that they expect him to be broody, and snark that this will be pretty much the same as normal with a grin. Man, Seth would so write a good Snark Squad recap. I’m just saying.
At his seedy bar, Ryan enters what seems to be an actual Fight Club (except with a cage) and Chuck Palahniuk of the future (since he is not actually dead) rolls over in his grave. Ryan’s informed by some creepy dude he needs to fight someone about his size tonight, but Ryan insists on fighting a much larger guy. So while Kaitlin will be playing the role of Bad Rich Girl Stereotype, Ryan will be firmly inhabiting Angry Self Destructive Grieving Boyfriend Stereotype. Back at the Cohen house (with crickets in the background to conveniently let us know it is Late At Night) Sandy is calling Ryan’s phone, and dinner is clearly done. Kirsten suggests mounting a search party, but Seth assures her that’s not necessary. They debate a bit, with Seth in the end offering to go talk to Ryan.
Mari: Besides making a little girl cry in a comic book store, Seth has apparently chilled out a lot over the summer. He’s being all even and reasonable. It’s crazy.
Tom: At some gorgeous California Outdoor Mall, Kaitlin is planning to smoke up and has Luke’s brothers doing her homework. Again, sticking firmly to the stereotype. Also I don’t remember Luke being a particularly good student, so this surprises me a bit. But if Marisa’s sister turned into a Femme Fatale I suppose Luke’s brothers could be nerds. Out on the boardwalk, Kaitlin spots Summer’s Dad with his arm around Summer’s Old Stepmom, just familiar enough to look like he’s cheating on Julie without it being abundantly clear, setting up the usual conflict over this kind of mistaken impression.
Seth asks after Ryan at the bar but no one’s talking, so he calls Summer. She’s at some kind of dorm party, playing a tambourine while Andy is either playing a digeridoo or using a giant bong. I’m not really clear. In this play, Summer appears to be playing to Good Girl Who Goes Hippie at College. God I so knew one girl like that. She went from not showering and dating a Communist to suburban housewife now. Had her second kid recently. (M: I hope she’s bathing her kids.) Seth is leaving something on her VM and mentions how she had asked for space. He seems to have a different definition of that then most people. He ends the conversation in time to overhear a couple guys talking about that kid from the bar fighting, and goes off to find the Fight Club. As he wanders in, Ryan, shirtless and bloody, conveniently gets thrown against the cage to perfectly face Seth, before going down to the floor.
In her room, Summer listens to Seth’s message while grabbing red solo cups. Andy pops in to check on her, and when she mentions how rough things are at home, he assures her it will be worse, because in 10 years the polar ice caps will melt and Newport Beach will be under water.
WELL IT’S NOT ANDY, CHECKMATE ECO-NUTS!
Summer says that her friends may need her, to which Andy dishes out some fake Buddhist mumbo jumbo and touches her head for an awkward minute.
Mari: I just want my Summer back who would give a hearty, “ew.”
Tom: Back at the Roberts Cooper House, Julie is trapped under a shelving unit. SD runs over and lifts it off her, asking if there was an earthquake, but apparently she was trying to move a built in TV unit. Kaitlin runs in and asks where SD was, who says he had a procedure. She snarkily thanks God he was there to save the life. We find out his name is Neil when he suggests Julie has a pill to help her feel better, and she tells him to back off. As they walk off Neil and Kaitlin share a knowing glance.
At The Seedy Bar, Ryan turns down his winnings. Seth makes the obvious Fight Club joke we’ve all been waiting for as Ryan half-heartedly apologizes for missing dinner. He tells Seth not to tell his parents about Fight Club OC Edition, and that it’s better if the Cohens forget about him. Seth refuses to back off, insisting Ryan come with him, but Ryan shoves him and walks off.
The Cohens attempt to ply Seth to talk about Ryan with extra crispy bacon and extra fluffy pancakes. They are of course correct, because who could actually resist that? God now I want breakfast food. At 6:30pm. (M: I think I always want breakfast food.) Seth gives a vague account of his night, leaving out Fight Club, and suggest it’s best to give Ryan a bit more time.
Summer shows up at Seth’s comic book store with a huge backpack presumably stuffed full of laundry for her dad’s housekeeper to do. They kiss somewhat awkwardly, and Summer says she’s here to help, and she came home for him, and Ryan.
In his home gym, Kaitlin taunts Neil about his sex life, laying what she knows on the line. Neil is just vague enough to keep the plot going, assuring her that she didn’t see what she think she saw. Kaitlin bribes him for leather boots to keep quiet, to which he offers silence, to which I think we are to assume agreement to her terms. Julie comes to the Roberts-Cooper house, paying a visit to Julie, walking by a snarky Kaitlin.
Seth and Summer walk through the mall, where a pair of leather boots are taken out of a window (presumably for Kaitlin), with Summer remarking how much charity that money could buy, leaving me to wonder if this isn’t some sort of Body Snatchers episode and wtf someone has done with Summer Roberts. She and Seth banter about recycling, with her informing him she doesn’t do sarcasm anymore, that she’s “post-ironic” and wtf does that mean seriously? Summer ends up informing him she has a plan to help Ryan, and to rally his geek army.
Kirsten knocks on Julie’s door, waking her up. Julie tells her it’s not a good day before she quietly answers a mysterious phone call, telling the caller she thought they’d “forgotten about” her, and asking if she can call this person back. Kirsten is persistent, Julie opens the door, but deftly turns her away, saying she’s fine.
Summer, while going out for dinner with her dad, spots Taylor at the restaurant, picking up a take out order and urging the barman to hurry up. She has neglected her cunning disguise today, which will of course be the downfall of her clever ruse. Was delivery not a thing in 2006 or whenever this was? (M: Maybe she’s been spending too much time indoors, badly photoshopping pictures. She needed to get out.) The barman offers to put it on her family’s tab, to which she says she has no money other than Euros, so yes. Were credit cards also not a thing? Summer confronts her, asking if she’s visiting her mom, to which Taylor says that her Mom’s in Cabo, before spotting her mother, swearing Summer to secrecy, and running off.
Julie runs the water in her bathroom while making the call to Ryan which we picked up at the beginning of the episode, thereby catching us up. At the seedy motel, Julie informs Ryan she found where Volchek is (who I now remember is the real name of the Creepy Dude who ran Ryan’s car off the road and killed Marisa) and tosses a folder of information on the bed. She wants to pass the info to Ryan, and not the cops, telling him that jail is too good for Volchek, suggesting he can do with it what he wants.
Ryan, breaking stereotype, informs her he doesn’t want the info. Julie challenges him that he must still care, and he walks out. Ryan goes back to his room in the bar and broods, sorting through his old Harbour memorabilia. He looks at pictures of Marisa, before tossing them all in the dumpster out back.
Back at the comic book store, Seth is working on a new comic of some kind, along with Summer and the other guys from the comic book store. She offers to go pick up Ryan and Seth asks about her not visiting home. She quotes Andy’s stat about Newport Beach being swallowed under water in 10 years, saying it doesn’t matter anyway.
At the crappy bar, Summer tells Ryan she likes what he’s done with his face, and a glimmer of the old, sarcastic, snarky Summer returns. After some back and forth she tells Ryan to let her do what she does best, which is give orders. Oh Summer. I missed you.
At the house, Julie works on some kind of craft for a minute, before shoving it all off the table angrily. Neil tries to talk to her, but when she remains silent, he deduces Kaitlin talked to her. He claims he had initially just been talking to his ex-wife, and seems to be about to admit something bigger, before realizing Julie has just gone catatonic and isn’t even really listening.
Summer drags Ryan to the Comic Book Store, where Seth and the Cohens unveil “Atomic County,” the origin story of Ryan. “You may not have saved the planet, but you did save us,” Seth says, in a moment that touched me a bit. Seth walks through panels of the Invisible Boy (him), the Ice Queen (Kirsten) and the Litigator (Sandy), each with their own issues. He cycles through a series of panels showing comic book versions of their adventures, and at this point I think my wife started chopping onions or something. I don’t know.
Mari: I was going to say that I’d read the crap out of Atomic County, but something told me that might actually have been a thing…? I’m not sure if we’ve discussed it before, but Atomic County even has little mini-episodes. Enjoy!
Tom: Sandy drives Ryan back to the bar, thanking him for coming and saying that it meant a lot to Seth and Kirsten, but not so much to him, cause he’s clearly no softy. Ryan asks about maybe, someday, dropping by the pool house, but is worried it’s filled with boxes now. Sandy assures him it’s exactly the way Ryan left it, but a little too empty. Ryan is non-committal, but seems ready to come back, saying it wouldn’t take him too long to pack.
Sandy gets fatherly for a moment, and tells Ryan that he’ll never get over it, being with Marisa when it happened, but he’ll get used to it.
Seth drops Summer off at her house and there’s an awkward moment. It seems like their relationship is still a bit on the rocks (I’ll admit I’m not clear where they left it when she went to Brown) and that tension comes through. But Seth invites her out for breakfast tomorrow, and she accepts with a genuine smile. Summer settles into her room, but thinks she see’s Marisa across the hall. She closes the door quickly.
Ryan packs up his things at the bar, pulling out the Harbor sweater and holding it up. The Fight Club organizer pops in to say the guy from last night is looking for another round, if he’s interested. Summer calls Seth from a cab, saying she had to go back for an anti-seal poaching protest. Sure Sum. That’s totally it. But she tells Seth she loves him, and she’ll be back at Thanksgiving.
Ryan visits Marisa’s gravestone, Julie meeting him there, telling him she’s there every day. She hands over the folder of information on Volchek. We flash back to Ryan, fighting the guy from last night and thoroughly kicking his ass. Julie asks what changed his mind, and Ryan says, simply, he has to do this.
Overall a good episode. A lot going on, lots of threads to pick up and run with. We still don’t know what’s going on with Taylor, though we have some solid hints on the rest of the gang. This actually made me want to pick up the OC again, as this is where I left off when I watched it live.
Damn you, fun, easy TV.
Next time on The OC: Seth and Ryan take a road trip to Mexico again in S04 E02 – The Gringos.
Brewmaster monk. Yogi. Writer. Hearthstoner. Aspiring superhero. Canadian. Husband. Sworn to House Stark. Certified Human Resources Professional. Cereal Chef Extraordinaire.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
