The OC Recap

So the series finale of the "The OC" has come and gone, with an hour of television that was at once wonderful and terrible. For the first 20 minutes or so, I found myself wanting to tap the actors on the shoulders and remind them that this was, in fact, the final episode ever and could they please stop wasting time on silly trivialities, such as exposition and Taylor's blog?

Fortunately, about halfway through the episode, they seemed to get the message, delivering plenty of juicy details and referencing everything from The Graduate and "Six Feet Under" to "Deal or No Deal" and "The OC's" own demise. To find out what happened, read more

Maybe it's because last week's episode of "The OC" ended in what looked to be the worst earthquake since the great San Francisco shake-up in 1906, but I was expecting something a little more earth-shattering on last night's show, "The Night Moves." (And for those of you wondering, yes, the title is a reference to the Bob Seger song of the same name. Oddly.)

Fittingly, almost all of this episode takes place over the course of one night in the hours following the earthquake. Given that next week is the series finale, "The OC" really didn't pull out all the stops like I expected. To find out how everyone fared in the disaster, read more

In this week's episode of "The OC", Ryan worries that his relationship with Taylor is suddenly moving into "mach 5," and thankfully, that's precisely what the writers seem to be doing with the show. We begin as Taylor is discussing plans for her first-ever birthday party with Summer, and she confesses that the ideal present would be Ryan asking her to go to Berkeley with him. Oh, and an "I love you" wouldn't hurt either. Next we're treated to some very heavy-handed foreshadowing, so if you don't mind some spoilers, read more

I rushed home from the Sugar Publishing happy hour to catch last night's episode of "The OC." By the time the show ended at 10 p.m., I was feeling a little nauseated — and it wasn't from the cocktails. So just how sappy and ridiculous and flashback-filled was "The Case the Franks"? Let me just say: Had I spent the week eating only conversation hearts and clothing myself in rose petals, I don't think I could have written a more sickeningly sweet Valentine's Day episode than this one.

Taylor and Ryan are trying to decide how not to mess up the big day, when Taylor finds a mysterious address in Ryan's stuff. Turns out, it's the address of Frank Atwood, who Taylor agrees to help reconnect with Ryan. Meanwhile, Summer is troubled when a psychic says her soul mate is named George, so she goes to talk to Kirsten. Then, the episode basically becomes one giant big-hair flashback, so read more

You know a show is desperate for ideas when it's building plot lines around Groundhog Day, and that's precisely what happened on last night's episode of "The OC." Che is still in Newport and struggling with the revelation that his soul mate is a sea otter and, therefore, probably Seth. His other major concern: liberating the groundhog that is Newport's version of Punxsutawney Phil. He enlists Seth's help in freeing the critter, and thank goodness, because otherwise, we'd miss out on a number of old-fashioned Seth one-liners, which keep the episode from being a total waste.

Meanwhile, Kirsten is fretting about her health as her 40th birthday nears, and Kaitlin has been emailing Bullitt for about a month, pretending she is Julie. (Her latest message ends, "I miss your butt. Love, Julie." Classy.) To find out what happens, read more

I'm really hoping the "The OC" will pull out all the stops now that the show is going off the air, and last night's over-the-top episode, "The Dream Lover," was a promising start. We've got two interlopers in Newport, including Che, who is getting weird Seth vibes, and Henri-Michel, who wants to rent a house in California and invites Taylor to move in.

Henri, after all, is willing to do anything to win his Peaches back. Taylor doesn't seem crazy about this idea but gives him credit for "really taking an emotional risk, unlike some people.” Meanwhile, Summer reassures Seth that "I still really love you. I hope we marry some day.” Soon, Seth sets off on a spiritual journey/camping trip with Che, while the rest of Newport's denizens embark on their own strange trips, so read more

Thursday night's episode of "The OC" focused mostly on Taylor and her French ex-husband, Henri-Michel, who makes Ryan feel threatened despite being a pretentious weenie. The episode starts as Taylor realizes that the hottest new erotic novel on the market, A Season for Peaches, is a thinly veiled account of their affair written by Herni. (Apparently, page 47 is where it gets really hot.) She begs Ryan not to read it, and he agrees — until he runs into the ex-hubby signing copies at a bookstore and breaks down.

Speaking of breakdowns, over at NewMatch, Julie is having a hard time hiding the male prostitution ring from Kirsten, who is getting suspicious. It certainly doesn't help when Kirsten overhears Julie promising a client that "this one will have his back waxed," which prompts Kirsten to steal Julie's cell phone to snoop.

Meanwhile, Seth is jetting up to Seattle to ask Dr. Roberts for Summer's hand in marriage, while Kaitlin Cooper has a romance of her own brewing, so read more

On last night's episode of the soon-to-be-cancelled "The O.C.," we saw Ryan's two dads come to blows while Seth and Summer engaged in a sort of engagement detente. Meanwhile, a gratuitous guest appearance by Chris Brown proved that the teen should stick to hip-hop.

"The My Two Dads" had some truly excellent Seth material. Since neither he nor Summer is willing to admit that they got engaged because of the pregnancy scare, Ryan advises Seth to force Summer to make the first move. So Seth showers her with gifts — including the Torah and cooking classes so she can learn her way around the kitchen. Summer, in turn, pushes diamond brochures on Seth and puts him in charge of Pancakes. In one priceless scene, Seth has Pancakes in a baby sling, and when Ryan gives him a hard time, he deadpans: "Don't talk to your nephew that way." But the Seth-Summer antics were merely comic relief for the real drama, so read more

Season four of Fox's "The O.C." got off to a rocky start. Given, a few hitches are expected when your main characters move into a new phase of their lives (e.g., graduating from high school), but the early part of the season was sorely lacking the campy melodrama we know and love. However, if you stopped watching after the first few episodes of Season 4, you should tune back in in January, because it's getting good again. (You can even sign a petition to save "The O.C.") Here's a recap of the season so far.

• Just in case you missed it—maybe you live in Encino or something—Marissa Cooper died at the end of Season 3.
• While Summer escapes to Brown University, Ryan defers college to take a job at a bar, Seth is working at the comic book store, and Taylor travels to France.

To see the rest, read more