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Product Description
High school is over. Time to move on. But events conspire to reunite Ryan Seth and Summer in posh seaside Newport. And there may even be a new Core Four. Because after Taylor Townsend says a quick if not passionate au revoir to her education in France she just might pursue Ryan until he catches her. Time too for the series to move on with these 16 Final Episodes. Seth marries Summer? (Maybe.) Ryan goes through life like it's a steel-cage brawl? (Sometimes.) Kaitlin tries to hook up her mom Julie with a billionaire? (Well the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.) But things happen sometimes quite unexpectedly. Time to hit the beach for all the surprising events of a cool compelling and revealing conclusion of The O.C.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 085391153801 Manufacturer No: 115380
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Customer Reviews: - Not Happy
I bought this and when recieved it could not play it in my Australian DVD player as it was reigonal code 1.
When i contacted Amazon about this i did nnot get a reply. I will not buy from Amazon again.
Please take me off the Amazon mailing list.
Regards,
David Camp...more info - OC Blues
Big OC fan from the beginning but I was very disappointed with Season 4 (as well as 3). It seemed like the tentative renewal of the series for Season 4 handicapped the creativity of the series after a certain point. Fox tentatively agreed to a fourth season as long as there would be a distinct improvement in the writing and direction of the show. This never happened as the show retained its characteristic predictability.
Once it became clear the show wasn't meeting the expectations of Fox and that the show would be cancelled, the cast and writers seemed to kinda phone their performances and scripts in to play out the string. It wased like the last day of school over the final eight or so of the sixteen epsiodes. No story line was really deeply explored; everything seemed light and the writers circumvented the typical OC drama.
The show could have easily survived without MB. Don't believe me? Let me tell you about at little thing I like to call 'sarcasm.' From the beginning it was clear that the show was stolen by "the Ironist" Seth Cohen himself. How many "Now Start a Band" t-shirts and Rooney CD's was he responsible for selling?
The show also became progressively more hippee and political throughout its run; with Summer dealving into "environmental whackoism" and all of the litigation against evil developers who were destroying wetlands. Onerously trampling on private property rights is definitely a waste of rage blackouts.
Mistake number one with the very successful O.C. was moving it to Thursday night in season two. This was just plain cocky. When viewership fell off the correct thing to do would have been to go back to the original night. As for cancelling the show when it still had respectable numbers; I have but one question for Fox: What are you going to replace it with that will garner half the numbers that the O.C. achieved? Nothing so far has materialized. This was a character driven show and it had that certain chemistry amongst it's cast that a network dreams about. The prudent thing for Fox to have done would have been to expend creative efforts into revamping the show to hold on to it's faithful viewers and generate renewed interest from it's former followers.
...more info - The O.C. - The complete Fourth Season
This being the final. seems like such a shame not to continue with more episodes. The acting is fun with a great cast. It will be missed....more info - out with the new, in with the old
when i saw the oc in 2003, i watched it because between the american idol breaks, i was annoyed with the show's trademark' "the fall's best show, premiering this summer." i watched every episode and fell in love with it because even though the show was set in affluent newport, they rarely showed their wealth besides their homes. yeah, the oc's tag for season 4 was simple "back to the basics" and that it was. season 3 was the darkest of the series making ryan more distant and a whore(he hooked up with alot of girls that season) and made marissa more or less lindsey lohan partying and doing drugs. this season focused mostly on the core of the show, moving on after marissa's death(the first 4 episodes focuses on how her death affects everyone) and brings the humor back into the fold. unfortunately like the rest of the previous seasons, we all know how this ends, episode 10 begins wrapping the series up, answering many questions which went unanswered for over 4 years with one of the best (and rushed) series finales ever. ...more info - Love it
I am totally into The O.C.! I have all the seasons on DVD! This one was great, kind of wish they could of extended it out a little bit longer. Other then that great product to buy!
I did have a problem with the first, 4th season they sent me! The 3rd disk was scracthed and I hadn't even watched it yet, but amazon was great about promptly sending me a new one!...more info - The O.C. 3rd and 4th Seasons
I purchased both of these for my son's birthday. I'm so glad my search lead me to Amazon. I paid about half price for each season. Unbelievable pricing. The service was excellent as well. Shop Amazon!...more info - Back on track
It's unfortunate that the OC got cancelled during this season because it really seemed to be getting back to what made the show great in the first place. If you love the 1st season, you'll love the 4th. ...more info - Decent but could have been so much better
Season 4 starts out with a grand slam out of the park home run beginning with the 1st disc and goes into bizzaro land by the 2nd (at times I got the impression they figured they were not getting renewed so they simply had a little fun).By the 3rd disc it gets much better, but ends on the 4th disc as simply OK. I do not like extended time lines in series who are trying to wrap things up quick. I felt an open ending would have been more powerful. Thankfully they're were a couple of shows that showed the old spirit. Over all I'm glad to have watched the last season but it could have been so much better....more info - The 4th Season to the O.C.
I'm very happy with this purchase! I've been looking everywhere for the 4th season and when I found it on Amazon I was completley happy. Not only about finding it but the price is wonderful as well!...more info - Great Season
The fourth season of The O.C. is fun, entertaining and enjoyable. It switches from a teen drama to a romantic comedy. Ryan and Taylor's romance is a fun and unexpected relationship as Ryan begins to date Taylor. It was a lot of fun watching this unexpected couple come together. It's a more relaxing, lighthearted season than the previous ones....more info - New Season, New Beginning
****SPOILERS****
The O.C. is a great show, but this season loses that O.C. feeling. It's a good season, it just feels like a different show. With the death of their best friend Marissa, Ryan, Seth and Summer must cope with the tragedy. Julie is affected greatly also. Let me say that the third season finale with Marissa's death TOTALLY shocked me. I couldn't even believe that it was happening...literally. I don't understand why they had to kill her. I mean, why her? She was awesome! But if you loved her also, you will be affected by the emotion of this season.
Everyone's trying to deal with her death and it really upsets you as a viewer. The dialogue is sometimes heartbreaking, and even being a guy it is really sad. Taylor becomes a main character this season and having her and Ryan have a serious relationship is kind of upsetting. I guess he has to move on and everything...but I mean come on, Marissa is his girl and will always be his girl. They were soul mates. I mean really, on TV dramas like this, you usually know who's gonna end up with who. Before Marissa died, you totally thought that by the series finale they would be together. But in this case no. Some of the relationships are kind of disappointing (Julie-Frank, Taylor-Ryan). I like Julie and Frank and all...but it just doesn't seem like The O.C. It feels like they were pushing it a little.
That being said, this season is really good and has really good episodes, all good storylines. The best episode this season is The Cold Turkey. It's really sad and really affects you if Marissa was your favorite character.
P.S. I still can't believe The O.C. is over. It was described as such a "phenomenon." But phenomenons don't last only 4 seasons. I still think it was because Mischa Barton leaving....more info - If you liked this season, you are ignorant...
First of all, I can't even begin to comprehend how anyone enjoyed this season. Many people have written that the season is surprisingly good despite the criticism. I want to inform potential season 4 victims that this season is absolutely horrible. If you understand what makes a good network show, then you will agree that the season is worthless. Without Mischa Barton the series lacks life, which becomes even more evident when the producers desperately try to replace her with Autumn Reeser. While Autumn is an unbelievably hot girl, this effort cannot salvage the remainder of the series, and it turns out to be a disappointment. Summer becomes a hippie? Why? Seth defers a year to go to RISD...If they are really the wealthy family the show makes them out to be, why can't he go to college. Not only that, RISD is not a good school. Furthermore, Summer would have never got into Brown. If someone as hot as Summer got into Brown, she would be the hottest girl in Brown's historic existence (this is true, I go to an Ivy League school, the girls are grim). Anyway, I guess I am trying to emphasize the fact that the plot begins to make absolutely no sense. Obviously, the first seasons aren't completely realistic either, but they have at least a shred of truth in them. I mean who is Volchek, that is such B.S. The guy would never pull Mischa Barton: he doesn't have a four year degree, he's ugly, and he's poor. Please, let's be realistic. If you want my opinion they should have had me producing. All the characters should have all been in the same area for college, they should have ditched Sandy and Kirstin back in the beloved O.C. and gone to college to get drunk, blackout, and have sex with everyone in sight. Not only is that what people want to see, it is life!...more info - horrible season
first of all i just have to say that the dude who gave this season 1 star because it wouldn't play in his dvd player ... that just cracks me up.
this season did suck tho. it was horrible. they shoulda never killed off marissa....more info - The end's not near, it's here
With the death of Marissa Cooper bringing to an end the third season of The O.C., things certainly had to swing upward with the start of the fourth season. While the first few episodes of what turned out to be the final season of this addictive primetime soap opera were a little sluggish, the rest of the season was a return to the glory of season one, albeit a little too late to salvage the show.
Coming into season four, it was likely that this would be the last season for the show, one of my favorites and midway through the season it was announced that the show would conclude after 16 episodes. The announcement did give creator Josh Schwartz enough time to pen a great ending, one that wrapped the series up in a nice bow and presented it to the fans who had been with the show since day one.
But starting the season was tough, as it was six months after Marissa was killed in a traffic accident caused by bad boy Volchok. Ryan (Ben McKenzie) is still traumatized over the death of the girl who had changed his life, and as we open the season, he is working in a seedy bar and cage fighting. But, he has connections with Marissa's mom, Julie Cooper (Melinda Clarke), who reaches out to him when her private investigator finds out where Volchok is located.
Ryan's distance is hard on Sandy (Peter Gallagher) and Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan), as they struggle with watching their adopted "son" fall on hard times. In the first few episodes, Ryan is finally convinced to come home to Newport Beach and begin mending his life and his heart.
The early part of the season takes viewers on a trip to Mexico as Ryan and Seth (Adam Brody) look for Volchok south of the border. Sandy and Kirsten follow and eventually, Volchok turns himself in, with Sandy's help, keeping Ryan from going off the deep end and killing him as he truly wanted to do. Sandy's act not only helps Volchok, but helps Ryan stay out of trouble and on the right side of the law.
From there, the season picks up and returns to the soapy drama and humor that made it such a hit in the first season. This season truly found the groove again, thanks in part to a great casting move, one that anybody watching season three would've found hard to believe.
The show runners brought in Taylor Townsend (the gorgeous Autumn Reeser) in season three, seemingly as a foil for the main characters. While she was only a guest star during that season, the new season finds her among the regular stars in the opening credits and her addition to the full time cast was a blessing. She truly brought a lot of the humor that the show needed. Taylor has been away in France in college for the six months since graduation and returns to California with a wedding ring and a need to escape her French husband, Henri-Michel. She finds her reason in Ryan, though their relationship takes some great twists and turns along the way. Ryan trying to express his feelings for Taylor is pretty funny and when Henri-Michel comes to Newport to woo Taylor back to France, it becomes obvious that he has feelings for her even if he can't completely express them.
The relationship with Taylor is Ryan's main story throughout the season, as he is still having a hard time letting go of the memory of Marissa and can't commit to Taylor the way she wants. Watching him struggle to figure out what he is feeling provides a good dose of humor.
Summer (the beautiful Rachel Bilson) has spent her first semester at Brown University where she has undergone major changes. Instead of the Newport girl that left Seth, she is now an environmental activist, wreaking havoc on the Rhode Island campus with her new friend Che (guest star Chris Pratt, who is hilarious in this role). When she gets kicked out of school for setting rabbits free from their cages, she returns to Newport and has to face the fact that her best friend is gone, something she had been putting on a back page during her activist stage.
Seth is working in a comic book store, leaving long messages on Summer's answering machine, longing for the days when he had Ryan and Summer to keep him company in Newport. He soon gets both of them back and things seem to return to "normal" for Seth despite the fact that Summer has obviously changed.
Julie and Kirsten continue as business partners in New Match, a high-end dating service that Julie turns into a male prostitution ring, temporarily ruining her friendship with Kirsten. It is through this business that Julie meets Gordon Bullitt (guest star Gary Grubbs) and Ryan's father, Frank Atwood (guest star Kevin Sorbo). Unable to decide, Julie dates both men, unable to make a choice in her life, despite the best efforts of her daughter Kaitlin (Willa Holland) to get her to choose the wealthy Bullitt.
The return of Ryan's father also brings trouble, much like the return of his mother and brother in previous seasons. Frank has been in jail and initially, Ryan wants nothing to do with him, but Frank lies to get Ryan to see him and the two slowly begin to mend the fences that came down quickly in the past. Ryan even helps Frank on the Julie front, teaming with Taylor to form "Team Frank."
Sandy and Kirsten get a major surprise on Kirsten's 40th birthday, as she reveals she is pregnant and instead of having an empty nest, the couple will be welcoming a new baby, though both parents cringe at the thought of raising another kid in Newport.
Perhaps the highlight of the season was the Chrismukkah episode, where Ryan and Taylor fall off a ladder and end up in an alternate Newport, where Sandy is mayor and married to Julie, Kirsten is still working at the Newport Group and married to Jimmy Cooper (guest star Tate Donovan), Seth is still a geek and Summer is marrying Che (or Chester as he's known in the alternate world). This episode allowed the stars to play different characters for a while and was pretty funny to watch.
The final few episodes wrap the series up very nicely. An earthquake rattles Orange County, putting everyone in danger and it is revealed that the Cohen house has been destroyed. This leads Ryan and Seth on a mission to Berkeley to try and purchase Sandy and Kirsten's first house even as a pregnant (with Frank's kid) Julie prepares to marry Bullitt (and yes, he knows). Sandy and Kirsten fly to Berkeley and end up having the baby in their old house, prompting Julie and Bullitt to move the wedding there as well, eventually convincing the new owners to sell the house to Sandy and Kirsten.
The final few minutes glimpses into the future of the characters, looking at what Ryan, Summer, Seth, Sandy, Kirsten, Julie, Kaitlin and the whole group is up to. It is a great way to end, with everyone seemingly in a good place, just where you might hope they'd be.
This set also has some good extras, which add to the release. Schwartz provides commentary on the series finale and it is well done and informative. There is a couple of good featurettes, one on the creation of Seth's holiday blend, Chrismukkah and another on the evolution of the Summer character, focusing on her transformation from Newport Barbie to well-rounded young woman. Her character did go through possibly the most changes throughout the four-year history of the show.
All told, the season wrapped up well, surely leaving viewers pleased and as a big fan of the show, I think this DVD set did a great job presenting the final 16 episodes....more info - the oc
i love how the season ended...its just too bad that they only had four seasons. i would love to see one or all of the stars in a new drama ...more info - The writers finally get it right the last year around.
The O.C. started as a pop culture phenomenon and unfortunately, continued to go downhill with each new season. It lost the magic that made the first year work so well, and that was no more evident in season three, easily the worst of the series. And by killing off Marissa Cooper, a core original character, it was a wonder how the show would even begin to get back on it's feet for the final round.
One thing that the writers absolutely failed at throughout the course of the show was pushing a vision that they believed they had accomplished, when in reality, the fans saw something else entirely. Here, in season four, they finally acknowledge what their show actually had going for them.
Case in point, the writers believed that the Ryan and Marissa relationship was the signature couple of the series when in reality, the Seth and Summer relationship was what the fans tagged for that honor. In season four, the writers finally give this couple the due credit it deserved by actually having Seth and Summer put honest work and effort into making their relationship work rather than break them apart numerous times over silly, trivial issues as many times as they did in season three.
As for Ryan, the initial idea of Ryan and Taylor may have sounded odd, but it works in a way that Ryan and Marissa never did. Because hard as it probably was for the writers to acknowledge, Marissa may have been a core character but she was never a hugely popular one in comparison to the rest of the cast. Everytime they tried to give her a new problem to garner sympathy for her, the fans only came to resent her. She constantly needed saving from Ryan because of someone else or worse, herself. Taylor on the otherhand was just as insecure as Marissa in some ways, but was a lighter, feistier, more livlier personality. The entire series was based on giving Ryan, a kid from the other side of the tracks, a chance at a better life and to be happy. No one wanted to see him stuck with the perpetual downer that was Marissa Cooper. There is a difference between good drama and tiring cycles, and Ryan and Marissa were definitely the latter.
Lastly in terms of the supporting characters, everyone's story seemed to wrap up nicely and logically for the series. Julie Cooper spent the whole series marrying one rich man to the next, so having her fall for a poor one was truly a great way to bring this character full circle. I would have rather had Jimmy Cooper be brought back for that honor, but suffice to say, the way it is actually executed still works. Her daughter Kaitlin also tones down a bit from the insufferable brat that she was in season three to a more delightful and enjoyable personality. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen, the heart of the show, are also given a great surprise near the end of the series... it actually made me want to see another season of the show if only to see a glimpse of life with the newcomer and their boys.
Season four isn't as smart and memorable as the first, but no season of the show has been. But it is, at the very least, the best runner-up to the first season's original glory and, given the tangled mess it made of itself for the most part in season three, rebounds to a nice finish that for once, the fans will truly appreciate....more info - GREAT SHOW
I THOUGHT THE DRAMA WAS GOOD THIS SEASON. IT WAS HARD TO STOP WATCHING. I RECOMEND BUYING THE COMPLETE SEASON. I AM VERY DISAPOINTED THAT THIS IS THE LAST SEASON....more info - I must admit this season brought me much relief
I must say, this was probably the best season yet. Of course, it was pretty much an entirely different show, seeing as how the characters were no longer in high school, and it just went in an entirely different direction than the previous seasons (it reminded me of 90210 after they had all graduated high school, and the cast was almost an entirely different group of people) but it was, in all honestly, the first season where all the characters were actually likeable. The only downside being that some of the episodes were extremely corny (come on, the christmas episode was completely ridiculous)
And Ok, I know a lot of people will probably hate me for saying this, but I was kind of happy that Marissa was gone, and I was interested to see what the show would be like without her. I've always had an extreme love/hate relationship with her character. Ill admit, that in some ways, the show really wasn't as good without her on it, and at times I missed her, but at the same time it was a big relief, and a much needed change with the depature of her character.
I'm sorry, but it was always the same old story with Marissa. Every season, she whined and cried about how hard her life was, and always, ALWAYS there was some guy that would fall in love with her, come between her and ryan (think oliver and johnny!), and Marissa, the ditz that she was, would always deny it, even though everyone told her different and it was extremely annoying. I really don't know why ryan kept going back to her to be honest!
But don't get me wrong, she wasnt the only character that I disliked.
Summer (although I love her now)was extremely annoying in both the first and second season. In the first season she was annoyingly ditzy, and completely different than the summer you see in later seasons. the entire love-triangle between summer, seth, and anna during season one was extremely irritating.
Need I even mention Oliver, who was, and probably always will be, the most annoying character I've ever seen on a TV show.
Then in season two you have the extremely dull Zach, who bought nothing of interest to any of the storylines, and of course there was Jess, the character you wanted to just reach through the screen and bitch slap.
Ryan was irritating, just for the mere fact that all during the first three seasons, he did nothing but get in fights with people. I actually lost count of how many fights he got into during season one alone!
Julie Cooper was also a highly despicable character, especially during season one. She came to grow on me as her character changed little by little, until she finally became a great character in season 3, and especially during the 4th season. You can't help but be touched as you watch her grieve over the loss of her daughter, yet you also can't help but feel bad for kaitlin, the daughter she ignores.
Seth is the only character I've actually liked during all four seasons. The show definitely wouldn't have lasted as long as it did without the humor you get from his character.
Another good thing was Taylors transformation, from being one of the most annoying characters ever on the show (I despised her during season 3), to becoming an actual likeable character. During this season I found her to be quite funny, and found myself actually coming to appreciate her presence.
I think my favorite character of them all is Kaitlin Cooper, who is as different from Marissa as day and night. The only thing I didn't understand was why they didn't show her, along with the rest of the characters, grieving over the loss of her sister. You get no emotion from her whatsoever on that particular issue, which is extremely odd.
All in all, the fourth season is one I would definitely recommend. The first episode is briliant. Even my mom, who has never liked the show, was impressed with the way they did the first episode. Everything from the characters grieving, to the music they play, is nothing short of amazing.
I believe that the show could have gone on even longer than it did, atleast for a season or two more, but nevertheless, I was satisified with the series finale, as well as the rest of season 4....more info - Return to Form
Having loved the first season of The OC, but being slightly disappointed with seasons two and three, I found four to be a refreshing return to the show I loved. The replacement of Marissa's character with, in my opinion, a much more entertaining and likeable one helped turned this show around, and Ryan's new-found chattiness and humour also made the entire series fun to watch. Another extremely enjoyable part was the evolution of Julie Cooper-Nichol-Roberts as a character. I especially liked the finale, which ended perfectly: all storylines tied up well; sad and yet happy. I loved this final season of The OC, and would recommend it to any fan....more info - No Marissa Cooper = The End of OC
Not that Mischa Barton is a great actress or anything, but watching this final season of The OC makes you realize she did bring at least 25% of everything that was great about the show, to the table. I mean, The OC without Marissa, is like "Invasion" without Mariel. It just doesn't work.
Add to that the fact that many of the characters are at least ten years older than the characters they are playing. I don't know if any of you noticed it, but Adam Brody started looking really old here (hes in his late 20s) and the role just did not work. The actor seemed really tired.
Benjamin McKenzie is exactly ten years older than the character he plays here, and the fourth season is when I totally lost any love I may have had for this character. The actor just got very weak - and the performances are, dare I say it, strange.
Pity, because despite being a show that perhaps had one of the greatest seasons in TV History (Season 1), Season 4 seems like an afterthought. Season finales are done well if in the right hands, like "Six Feet Under" but here, it just flits by so quickly. No, no, no. The OC deserved better than this.
If I were you, I'd rent these. Keep those Season 3 DVDs that have Mischa Barton in them - all the good directing and acting ended with Season 3. ...more info - Why did it get such a bad rep?
I didn't watch Season Four on TV, planning to buy it on DVD later, but I remember vividly that many people said that it was not as good as the first two seasons, and that the show had gone "down hill." I purchased the Fourth Season anyway -- and it is GREAT! I haven't laughed this much at a television drama in a while. I thoroughly enjoy Taylor Townsend -- more than I did Marissa. If you are an OC fan, Season Four will not disappoint....more info - The Series Lost Its Way
Many people loved the 4th season. I was disappointed. I guess because of the crash in the ratings - partly because of Grey's Anatomy - the writers thought they had to take the series in a new, direction, and so they turned the series into a farce.
Let me back up a bit. I loved the start of the 4th season, the conflict of Ryan trying to find Volchok, but once Volchok turned himself in there was no central, compelling conflict to propel the action. Instead there was an endless parade of comedy, most of which I didn't think worked.
Again we were introduced to more unbelievable characters: Che and Bullit that made me groan.
Yes, it was nice to see Kaitlin and Taylor grow, but I still found Taylor somewhat annoying and unrealistic.
Sandy Cohen became more of a spectator than someone taking part in the action. I don't know why he wasn't given a stronger, dramatic storyline. For exammple, now that he was back in the Public Defender's office, why couldn't he have a new, compelling client, perhaps a young woman who shares a bond with Ryan?
I liked the way Summer and Julie evolved for the better.
Finally, I loved the way the series ended. (Yes, I had tears in my eyes.) Afterward, I listened to Josh Schwart'z commentary, and heard him say he was definately going for comedy in season 4. I suspect he forgot that one of the things that made the O.C. so addicting was the way it went back and forth from comedy to drama. Also, I rewatched the pilot. It was a compelling, dramatic episode that got the series off to a bang - viewers loved it and became addicted to the show - and yet the pilot wasn't that funny.
IMHO, what sunk the OC was a bad, first half of the 3rd season, where we were introduced to several unlikeable characters and unbelievable storylines.
I suspect is the writers of The OC never figured out where they lost their way.
Anyway, that's my two cents. It's certainly a lot easier criticizing a series than writing one.
Thanks Josh and everyone else who worked on the show for some great tv!...more info - The O.C.: Beginning to End
The O.C. Season 4 may not be the best season of the show, but it is by far the most adult. As one can see in Season 4, all of the characters are beginning to change: Summer, into an environmetally conscious young adult; Seth, into a young man who is trying to support his best friend in a time of loss while keeping him out of trouble, while dealing with his girlfriend's problems and dealing with those of his family's; Taylor, still the bubbly, loving girl who believes that the world is out to get her, yet trying to find her own way to deal: with her mother, her new boyfriend (found in Ryan), and her, uh-hum, husband, from France. Then there's Ryan, the protagonist of this underrated show: he's not the most developed or charming protagonist of all ages, and to some extent he's a cliche, and there's very little room for him to grow under the circumstances Schwartz has set for him, but he's trying to find a way to deal with his three-year-girlfriend's death, her murderer, and a billion other scenarios like his son (that story sort of meanders off into nowhere) with baby's-momma and once fiance, Theresa. There's also Kirstin and Sandy--the happiest couple in Newport, Seth's parents. Although it would have been a bit more satisfying if they would have FINALLY gotten a divorce over bickering that had no end and numerous almost-affairs that turned cliche. It certainly would have provided a better plotline. Lastly, there was Kaitlyn and Julie, those left behind after the death of Marissa. The first episode of the fourth season was probably my favorite ever. It truly shows a different side of Julie: depressed, dealing with her daughter in the only way she knows how: getting drugged/drunk and wondering around, not knowing what time of day it was. We don't see a clear change in Kaitlyn until the end of the show: she is clearly materialistic, only caring about her things, as is seen when she tries to hook her mom up with a billionaire, when she truly wants to be with Ryan's father, Frank.
Now I will go through the seasons, giving brief summaries and my thoughts on each.
SEASON 1-- "Welcome to the O.C., Bitch." In this season, which many consider its best, Ryan comes to Newport from Chino, a "ghetto" town near Newport, and is soon adopted by his defense lawyer, a wealthy man named Sandy who is married to "Newport's Princess," Kirstin Cohen. Seth, their son, is a social outcast. Their next door neighbors are the Coopers: Jimmy, Julie, Kaitlyn, and the infamous Marissa. Marissa and Ryan instantly have chemistry, causing tension between Luke [Marissa's boyfriend] and Ryan. Marissa, an alcoholic, known for O.D.ing and stealing, breaks up with Luke after he cheats on her in Tiajuana, Mexico. After nearly dying, because of an O.D. do to overwhelming pressure from: her parent's divorce, her father losing all of his money and being forced to move out of his house and her boyfriend cheating on her. Ryan and Marissa eventually hook up and become serious, as do Seth and Summer, Summer being Marissa's best friend. Towards the end of the season, tension rises between Marissa and Ryan because of Marissa's bipolar friend, Oliver, who is somewhat psychotic and threatens to cause her home. During a two week break up, Ryan sleeps with an old friend from Chino, Theresa, who is impregnated. In the season finale, Julie marries Caleb Nichol, Seth's grandfather, and Ryan has to leave Newport with Theresa to help raise his child of undetermined sex, and Seth leaves on his yacht, seemingly never to be heard from again.
Rating: Five stars.
SEASON 2: "Welcome Back to the O.C., Bitch." In this season, Seth and Ryan both return after Theresa's baby "dies." Ryan and Seth both realize that they can no longer revive their relationship with past lovers. Seth turns to Alex, Alex then turns to Marissa, providing a new lesbian experience for the show. Marissa first turned to her bland yard worker, then to Alex, then back to Ryan. Ryan to Lindsay, then to Marissa. Oh, and Seth and Summer finally get back together in "The Rainy Day Women," in hich they share a Spiderman-esque kiss. Towards the end of the season, Ryan and Seth visit Nana Cohen in Miami (fate unknown), and Trey comes to stay in Newport (he is Ryan's estranged brother). Marissa tries to befriend Trey (sort of cheesy, cliche) which leads to him believing she has feelings for him. He tries to have sex with her, but when she explains she doesn't feel that way for him, he resorts to rape. She manages to escape by hitting him with drift wood (it's not that believable, really. Marissa/Mischa's somewhat, er, anorexic). In the season finale, Ryan discovers the whole rape scenario due to Seth's need to tell him everything, and races off to beat up/probably even kill Trey. When Marissa races off to stop Ryan after hearing about the acts that are about to conspire, she finds Trey and Ryan in Trey's motel bedroom, Trey about to bash Ryan's head in with a large hotel phone (this is believable). Marissa finds Trey's gun, which, in the fight, has been thrown across the room, and shoots him in the back.
Rating: Four stars.
SEASON 3-- "Can We Just Escape the O.C. Now, Bitch?" OK, so this is not only the most awful season of The O.C., but probably the most awful season of any show I've ever seen. Not only does Trey not die (he wakes up from his three month long coma), but neither does Jimmy, entangled with a mob-like scene (that's a laugh), and in the end, Schwartz is so desperate to save the show, and Mischa Barton so willing to get out, he resorts to killing her off! All of the stuff in between is just meaningless mumbling, like an old great-grandmother who just won't shut up, makes no sense whatsoever, and, in the future, it won't matter to you at all.
And I swear to God, I almost killed Schwartz when he reintroduced Jess. She's the most dreadful character ever introduced to the O.C. I have no idea what he meant for her to do.
And Johnny? What was that? Half a season taken up for him to die and Marissa to fall in love with him??
Rating: 1.5 stars.
Season 4-- "The O.C. Has Gone Back to Basics, Bitch." Second best season of the O.C. I've already described it in detail. The series finale was great, not like Six Feet Under's, but somewhat Six Feet Under-esque, with a music video type scenario where we jump forward in he future to see everyone's fate.
The O.C. was truly a great show, that was not really just a teen drama, but something more. It rivals the great shows of today, and, unlike some have said, is NOT an hour-long music video, but a truly great story.
Season 4 shows the O.C. at its best....more info - Not awful but it still hurt
The season started out awful and there were only a few glances of the show from past.
Ryan is a cage fighter!!! Come on, yes you heard me right a CAGE FIGHTER. Isn't this the same person who gets beat up almost everytime he got into a fight with someone? I also think that no matter how good of a speech Sandy Cohen can give you, if you go months trying to locate someone to kill them you aren't going to find them and only punch them.
Summer decides as a way to avoid dealing with Marissa dying she will go to Brown and become a hippie activist, and apparently stop grooming.
Julie must have some secret power which she uses on men. How do you throw a man out of his own house and him apparently just accept it. Also you go from a state of cationic to being alright about your daughter's death in a span on 2 episodes.
Taylor just seems to be filler. She shares too much with people that she barely knows. She just moves into Summer's room and no one seems to notice or care that she is there.
Kaitlin comes home so she can rule the school since Marrisa was going to be graduating, but and scenes they show of school most people don't really like her unless she is throwing a party, except for the twins.
Seth is just Seth
I usually I have to fight to go to bed cause with the show I want to see the next episode and with this season I fought to get through it just so I can be done with it
...more info - Ends On A High Note
After an amazing first season, decent second season, and kinda bad third season, one would expect that the fourth and final season for The OC would be the worst. Well, that wasn't the case. The show bounced back and even with substantially less episodes than the previou seasons, the show actually had its seconed best season ever, behind season one of course.
The best thing about season four was that the show actually found its sense of humor, which was absent for most of season two and all of season three. Taylor made for an excellent source of comedy and season four, and was a great addition to the cast for the final season. Kaitlin was also a great addition to the cast, and helped make probably the funniest OC episode ever (and my personal favorite of the season) 'The Summer Bummer' so amazing. The Series Finale was okay, not amazing, but there was definitely closure and that's really all you can ask for. Overall, season four was a great way to end the show. At the end of the day, you have to thank FOX for giving us these 16 episodes. ...more info
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