Catching up
When we last left Newport Beach, everything went wrong. Theresa was pregnant
with what might be Ryan's child, so Ryan left Newport Beach to support
her. Julie married Caleb, who bought her a palatial house and promised
to support her in grand style, which may have been a mistake - he'd been
operating his business illegally, and the DA was gunning for him. He neglected
to tell Julie this. Caleb bought the restaurant from Sandy and Jimmy,
allowing Jimmy to pay his debts and live comfortably again. Then Caleb
blackmailed Marissa into moving in with him and Julie. Seth decided that
since he'd lost his only friend, he could no longer live in the O.C.,
and he took off in his very small boat. He left note for his parents and
Summer, who were shocked and dismayed that he'd run away. Nobody was happy
- or was going to stay happy.
What's up with Sandy and Kirsten
Sandy decided to distract Kirsten by remodeling the house. Although the
house is a shambles - and is crawling with shirtless, studly construction
workers - Kirsten is not appeased. She blames Sandy for not bringing Seth
back.
What's up with Seth
Seth did not drown, nor did he make it to Tahiti. Instead, he's in Portland,
Oregon, staying with former tormenter Luke and his gay dad, teaching sailing,
and being bitter. He tells his parents that he hates the O.C., that he's
always hated the O.C., that he knows they hate the O.C. too, and that
he's damn well not coming back unless Ryan's coming back too.
What's up with Ryan and Theresa
Ryan is trying to be the dutiful provider. He's got a construction job
(which does not entail him being shirtless, dammit), and he's trying to
be there for Theresa. Theresa wants to believe Ryan is there because he
loves her and wants to be with her, but it's increasingly obvious that's
not the case.
What's up with Marissa and Summer
Summer is determined to get over Seth, and to help that along is dating
some guy named Zach. She vows that she's never getting close to a guy
again. Marissa is anesthetizing her sorrows - about losing Ryan, being
forced to live with her mom, and an angst filled life in general - with
not enough food and way too much alcohol. She's so numb she doesn't even
care that the hot, hot gardener seems to be flirting with her. When Julie
Confronts her, asks her to share what's really on her mind, Marissa freaks
- there's screaming and crying and flinging of lawn furniture. Julie is
shocked.
What's up with Julie and Caleb
Except for her crazy daughter, it looks like Julie wants to believe her
life is perfect. She's spending money like crazy - fresh flowers every
week, a new (non-bald) horse for Caitlin, and oh yeah, let's ship Caitlin
off to boarding school while we're at it. She is a little suspicious when
Caleb tells her not to use the company card for the new pony, but buries
her fear. Caleb is all about fear - he thinks the phones are tapped, his
office is bugged, and maybe he's being followed. He asks Sandy for help.
Sandy finds out that the DA has been building one hell of a case, and
that the wrath of the law is about to crash down on Caleb.
What's up with Jimmy
Jimmy may be the only happy one in Newport Beach, He's financially set,
he's dating Hailey, and life looks good. He agrees to help Julie try to
get Marissa under control.
The plot thickens
Sandy asks Ryan to help him convince Seth to come home. Ryan demurs, but
Sandy gives him a plane ticket in case he changes his mind. Sandy goes
to Portland, but Seth won't budge. Sandy finally tells Seth he won't force
him to come home, but that he loves him and that the door is always open.
When Sandy leaves, Ryan arrives. It's tense at first, but the pseudo-brothers
bond again. While Ryan is in Portland, Theresa calls. She tells Ryan she's
lost the baby, and that she doesn't want him to come back to her. She's
lying - the baby's fine, but she's realized Ryan will never be happy with
her in Chino. After a false start, Seth and Ryan decide to go home to
Newport. Kristen and Sandy welcome them with open arms.
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The Cohen house is packed full of topless construction workers. Archie, the foreman, is filling Sandy in on a few of the changes they’ve been making. Sandy simply wants to know when Archie will be done tearing his house apart. Archie tells Sandy, “It’s September now. Two weeks. Month tops. Six weeks.” The wall explodes as Archie and Sandy walk near it, a careless worker looks down at the damage. Kirsten bops down the stairs and gives a warm welcome to Archie, a less than warm hello to Sandy.
Sandy tells Kirsten he’s sure Archie will be done with the remodel… sometime. Sandy’s chatting continues without interruption from Kirsten, not because she’s not listening, but because she’s mad at him. Sandy begins spouting random words to show that Kirsten isn’t listening to him. Kirsten calls him on it, she’s listening. The conversation turns to Seth. “He’ll come back,” Sandy reassures her. But she’s tired of how Sandy is handling it. She wants to be more aggressive about bringing her boy home. When Sandy tells Kirsten that all Seth needed was a little space, Kirsten snaps back, “The Pacific Ocean? That’s not enough space?” Kirsten doesn’t care what Seth wants, “Bring him home Sandy. Bring him home.” The tension in the room is thick enough to spread on Sandy’s bagel.
The blue of the California sky matches the blue of the pool at the Nichols mansion. Summer relaxes on a deck chair while Marissa brings the iced teas. DJ, the lawn guy, is watering bushes across the yard, occasionally looking up to check out the girls. Summer glances over and comments to Marissa, “Damn girl! Break me off a piece o’ dat!” Marissa glares over to DJ, seemingly not pleased with him looking in their direction. Summer takes a sip of tea, “Ugh! Oh God! You definitely drink!” Marissa tells her that it’s a “Newport Iced Tea.” Summer rolls her eyes. As the girls layout their week, Summer declines to go shopping because she has plans with her new boyfriend, Zach. This opens the flood doors of anti-Seth discussion. Summer lays it out that she’s furious with Seth and has moved on. Summer tells Marissa that she refuses to get close to Zach and will never be close to a boy again.
Heavy machinery tears off another construction site. A yellow convertible pulls up and Ryan exits. Ryan looks older now, longer hair, a slightly visible beard across his jaw. Theresa sits in the driver’s seat and hands him his lunch, “I, uh, peeled your orange for you.” Ryan smiles and politely thanks her, even though in his mind he’s starting to wonder if this is what it has come to. Their good-bye is awkward, more like friends than what should be future parents. Theresa drives off and Ryan opens the bag to look at the orange. With a sigh, he’s off to work.
Julie enters the kitchen, speaking sarcastically to Caleb about Marissa and how horrible she’s been all summer. Caleb doesn’t hear a word, he’s too preoccupied with the flower truck that pulls into the driveway every week. Then he asks Julie if she’s heard a clicking on the phone. Caleb is scared about the D.A., but still can’t tell Julie about what is going on. Caleb asks her not to charge Catlin’s new pony to the company card. The question makes Julie suspicious.
Kirsten enters her kitchen with bags of groceries. When she swings the refrigerator closed, she glances at a picture taken during Chrismukkah. Suddenly her eyes are drawn to a post-it with the name “Carson” and a phone number written on it.
A phone rings to reveal Luke at the receiving end of Kirsten’s call. Luke is warm and friendly but knows Kirsten isn’t calling for him. Luke puts Seth on the phone. Seth plays coy, like he’s forgotten who she is. Kirsten begs Seth to come home, but he refuses. He’s never moving back to Orange County. Seth coldly hangs up.
Sandy enters the kitchen and sees that Kirsten broke and called Seth. Kirsten doesn’t understand who Seth has become. Sandy admits that he called him this afternoon. Kirsten doesn’t understand why Seth doesn’t see that Ryan’s leaving was not their decision and affected all of them. “This house just seems so empty,” Kirsten states as a topless construction worker marches by. The doorbell rings.
Sandy opens the door to a smiling, well tanned, slightly-bearded, Jimmy Cooper. Sandy and Kirsten were to meet Jimmy and Hailey on Jimmy’s boat for dinner. Sandy declines and Jimmy knows the reason is Seth. Jimmy and Sandy talk strategy. “Maybe there’s somebody else he’ll talk to,” Jimmy suggests.
Ryan is walking off the site after a day of work. He looks over to see Sandy. Both are glad to see each other and both have kept in touch. The conversation turns to Seth. “Seth wants to stay in Portland?” Sandy tells Ryan that he’s going to Portland and that the one-two punch of Ryan and Sandy might be enough to bring Seth home. Ryan is hesitant and doesn’t have a good feeling. Sandy hands Ryan a plane ticket, “Just in case.” Theresa pulls up, Sandy offers a wave.
Ryan wakes up starring at the ceiling. Theresa is also awake. Things are changing, and not for the better. Seth and Newport weigh heavy on Ryan’s mind, he doesn’t belong in Chino. The Cohens need him. Theresa sees the plane ticket and asks Ryan about it. Theresa knows they’re slipping apart, but thinks Ryan should go to Portland if he thinks he should. Ryan tells Theresa he’s not part of the Cohen’s family anymore, he’s part of hers. Ryan heads off to work.
Sandy pulls into a parking garage and then parks next to Caleb, waiting in his own car. Caleb tells Sandy that he thinks his office, his home, and pretty much everywhere else are bugged. No where is safe. Sandy tells Caleb that he hasn’t heard anything from the D.A.’s office and there’s probably nothing to worry about. Then Sandy sternly says, “Either they’ve realized that they’ve got nothing, or they’re building one hell of a case.” Sandy drives off, he has a plane to catch.
Seth and Luke return from working at the boat place. Luke’s dad tells the boys they have a guest joining them for dinner, “Hi Sandy Cohen.” Sandy looks at the boys.
Back in Newport, Marissa and Jimmy pull up to the Cohens for dinner. Marissa asks Kirsten if she’s talked to Seth or Ryan lately. Marissa tells her that she doesn’t talk to Ryan much anymore. Marissa walks away and slowly heads toward the pool house. She looks through the glass and thinks about going in, but just can’t.
At dinner, the tension between Seth and Sandy increases quickly. Seth’s hatred of Newport hangs on every sarcastic comment he lobs at his father. Sandy has had enough and turns the stern father mode on, “You are killing your mother and she is killing me.” Seth battles back, “You can’t spend my entire life telling me every thing that’s wrong with Newport and just expect that I’m going to go back.” Luke and his father sit quietly and uncomfortably. Seth leaves the table.
Marissa sits on a lifeguard station in the dark. She reaches into her purse and dials Ryan’s number. Ryan, not sleeping, rolls over, “Hello?” There’s no answer, Marissa can’t speak. But Ryan knows it’s her. The pain is in both of their eyes. Marissa hangs up. Theresa, also awake, knows Ryan is leaving.
The next morning, Sandy apologizes to Luke’s dad for the dinnertime battle. Seth walks in and Luke’s father walks out. Seth prepares for round two, but Sandy backs down. There won’t be another fight. “If this is really where you want to be, I can’t force you to come back.” Seth thanks his father for understanding and Sandy is happy to see his son. He tells Seth that the door will always be open for him. The two hug, and Seth heads off to work.
Ryan is packed to leave. Theresa mentions her doctor’s appointment and Ryan admits he forgot. He’s also not sure about how to tell her he’s going to Portland. But Theresa confronts Ryan about the plane tickets and the phone calls. Theresa is afraid he isn’t coming back and Ryan reassures her that he is.
Julie Cooper storms the poolside area. Marissa is sitting in the sun, her MP3 player by her side, drowning out her mother’s calls. The two were supposed to go to an afternoon of “CardioBar,” and now they’re late. Julie’s attempts to bond with Marissa are getting worse. She’s furious about Marissa ignoring her. “All summer long you’ve ignored me, acting like I don’t even exist,” Julie stomps. “I wish,” Marissa whispers. Julie is dazed by the verbal punch. “Tell me what’s bothering you,” Julie asks quietly. Marissa replies, “Do you really want to know what’s on my mind?” Marissa explodes into a primal scream before flipping her deck chair into the pool. She storms into the house leaving Julie awed.
Sandy leaves to get his cab. The door of the cab opens and Ryan exits. Sandy thanks Ryan for coming through.
Summer rings the doorbell at the Cohens, Kirsten answers. She’s toting a crate full of things Seth left behind at her house. Summer’s therapist says that ridding her world of all-things-Seth is the best way to be able to “vibrate at higher frequencies” again. Kirsten is baffled by the frequencies and Summer explains it all, to no avail. Kirsten tells Summer to go up to his room and then adds, “Summer, for the record, if he wasn’t my son, I’d do the same thing.”
Summer opens the door and slowly walks in. She takes a moment to absorb it all and say one last good-bye to Captain Oats. Summer empties the crate on Seth’s bed and leaves.
Luke and Seth return from work again, talking about what video game to play. And Luke’s dad says they have another guest. “What’s going on, Chino?” Luke smiles, and Seth is glad to see him too.
While Seth’s cooking dinner, he and Ryan catch up. Ryan apologizes for making Seth leave Newport, but Seth says it wasn’t his fault. Sooner or later, Seth was going to leave. Ryan flat out asks if there’s a chance Ryan will return to Newport, “Are you?” Seth replies. Ryan’s face shows that he doesn’t know. Seth won’t go back.
Jimmy is looking over the Nichol estate. Julie called him to talk about Marissa’s behavior. She’s scared about Marissa and needs help turning her around. But Jimmy doesn’t know what to do. Julie slyly inquires into Jimmy’s relationship with Hailey. Jimmy replies, “Fantastic. Sweet. Limber.” When Jimmy asks the same of Julie and Cal, she replies, “Not so limber,” with the first honest smile they’ve shared in a long time. Jimmy says he’ll help as much as he can with Marissa.
Caleb visits the Cohen house. Sandy tells Caleb he’d better get ready. “The clouds have gathered Cal. It’s about to rain down on you. On all of us. So put your storm windows in if you know what I mean.” Cal’s face is flooded with concern.
Luke, Seth and Ryan are playing video games when the phone rings. It’s Theresa for Ryan. She’s crying, and tells him about going to the doctors. “They couldn’t find a heartbeat. I lost the baby, Ryan.” Ryan’s jaw drops, he tells her he’s coming back. Theresa tells him no, that he should move on because he’s not happy in Chino. The only reason he stayed was because of the baby. Ryan tells Seth and Luke about the baby.
Theresa’s mom walks in, “Did you tell him?” she asks. “Did he believe you?” Theresa lied about losing the baby in order to let Ryan go. Theresa’s mom tells her that it’s what’s best for her and the baby.
Seth asks Ryan what he’s going to do now. Ryan says he’s going to get his stuff from Theresa’s, but he’s homeless again. “Have I sold you on the wonders of Portland?” Seth asks. “We can take our show on the road.” Ryan appreciates the offer, but he’s still going back to California. Seth says he’s going to stay in Portland as Luke tells Chino his cab is here. Ryan and Seth have an awkward good-bye.
As Ryan walks to the cab, Seth’s mind is racing. Maybe...he should go. His foot shakes with excitement. Things might just be the same again back home. He bolts off the porch and chases after Ryan. “You know, they don’t even have a water polo team here? That’s just going to be a problem for me.” Ryan and Seth smile.
As the sun sets in Newport, Sandy and Kirsten poke quietly through dinner. A familiar voice cuts the silence, “Mmm, so we leave for like three months and you tear the whole place apart?” Seth asks. Kirsten leaps from the table to hug her boys. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged.
Ryan walks out to a dark pool house and throws his bag on the chair. He closes the door behind him as Seth comes crashing through it. “So, good to be back?” Seth asks Ryan.
Yeah…it is.
Ryan asks Seth how he made it to Portland on his boat. “First, I sailed to Catalina. Then I sailed to Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara, I ran out of snacks. Freaked out a little bit. Pawned my boat for cash. Took a bus to Portland.”
“You took a bus?”
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