California, Here I Come: Liveblogging Tonight's 'OC'

When I first watched the pilot episode of "The OC" back in August of 2003, I enjoyed it. But for one reason or another, I haven't found a chance to watch an episode since.

Tonight, though, I've resolved myself to get back into the show. I only hope I haven't missed too much, and that whatever information I can glean from tonight's episode is enough to get me right back on the "OC" train for many years to come!

Here goes!


9:00 PM: Ryan and Peter Gallagher, I remember them! I don't know who that girl is. I think that lady is the mom. I don't know that other girl, but I think she's getting married.

9:02 PM: These two kids! I remember them! The boy is "Seth"; the girl is Rachel Bilson.

9:03 PM: "Structural damage"? What happened?

9:03 PM: Hey, I remember this song! I referenced it in the title of this post! Where's Mischa Barton? I must have missed her while I was typing.


9:06 PM: Nice pool. Too bad they're moving. Hey, Ryan's going to Berkeley! Good for him.

9:07 PM: Seth and Rachel Bilson are moving to Providence? Won't that change the title of the show?

9:09 PM: I don't know this girl at the airport. She talks fast; I assume she's some sort of comic foil.

9:10 PM: "Summer"! That's Rachel Bilson's name! Hmmm...Seth used to know the airport girl. And he's still in love with her? But she's in love with Ryan. Conflict!

9:11 PM: This well-known character actor with the slight overbite was in the opening scene. What is his name, and who is he playing?

9:12 PM: Hey, gay guys!



9:16 PM: Hey, gay joke! Ah...this is the house Seth grew up in. What city is this? Are they still in the OC?

9:17 PM: Peter Gallagher and his wife are having a baby? Okay, character actor is a jet owner. (And it's Berkeley where Seth and Ryan were/are.)

9:18 PM: "Deal or No Deal" reference followed immediately by an "OC" reference! Rachel's right--teen dramas do last forever! (Luckily for me!)

9:20 PM: Bunnies!

9:20 PM: Oh, Seth had said that Ryan was in love with airport girl, whose name is apparently Taylor Townsend, not him. Seth and Rachel are boyfriend-girlfriend, and there's no conflict whatsoever!

9:21 PM: I spoke too soon. Now Ryan and Taylor are going to be kept apart! Conflict!

9:22 PM: This mother-daughter combo is absolutely foreign to me. Where's Mischa Barton? And who the hell is "The Bullet"?

9:24 PM: "Kirsten"! That's Peter Gallagher's wife's name. And she's in labor! Oo, the gay guys don't like this. Wait, one of them's a midwife! (That is so random.)


(9:26 PM commercial: Hey, Adam Brody's in a movie! I hope his burgeoning film career won't interfere with his "OC" schedule. Maybe that's why Mischa Barton hasn't been in this episode much yet.)


9:29 PM: Peter Gallagher and Kirsten had a baby! "Sophie Rose"! That's one character I'll stay caught up with. Ooooh...character actor is "The Bullet"!

9:30 PM: Holy crap! Hercules!

9:32 PM: Can Seth be speaking the truth to Peter Gallagher? Is there subtle conflict between him and Summer, in that they might be bad influences on each other?

9:33 PM: Oh no. Speaking to getting-married lady, Summer mirrors Seth's doubts. (And getting-married-lady is pregnant. And her name is "Julie". And she's telling Summer not to pick Seth?!)

9:34 PM: Hey, Mischa Barton! In a locket! Wait--why can't she be there today? Is she in Berkeley? Providence? Overseas? What's the deal? I smell a surprise ending to the episode!

9:35 PM: Hey, the other gay guy is a wedding planner. How about that.

9:36 PM: Sex scene! This is the "OC" I know and love--ach, interrupted by one of the gay guys.

9:37 PM: Oh, no. Is Summer going to leave Seth to go to George?

9:38 PM: Who's that running? Is it Hercules? It's totally Hercules! And he's in the wrong place! Phone call desperate plea to the woman about to get married--nice twist on the Graduate paradigm.

9:39 PM: More time with two ladies I don't know. I wonder what Mischa Barton will be wearing when she shows up at the end of the episode.

9:40 PM: Aaaand the gay guys are giving up the house. They certainly proved useful in this episode. The Cohens are moving to Berkeley!

9:41 PM: Has Julie made up her mind? Tune in in three minutes!


9:45 PM: Man, this moving is emotional. It almost feels...conclusive.

9:46 PM: Holy crap, Rachel's really leaving! Maybe Mischa Barton's imminent arrival will change her mind.

9:47 PM: Although she is telling Seth it isn't goodbye... (And her last name is "Roberts", apparently.)

9:48 PM: Seth's sad, Rachel's sad, the music's sad...I'm sad.

9:49 PM: Yes, Taylor, we know Ryan's going to Berkeley. She "saved" Ryan? I wonder what that was about. Uh-oh, Ryan's going to get stuck on the train--he did! I swear to God, that exact same thing happened to me a few months ago! I was seeing my girlfriend off and got stuck and had to go to Fullerton! I'm just like Ryan Atwood!

9:51 PM: Da Vinci Code knock--nice. I hate that book. What's with all the hugging and leaving in this episode? And where the hell is Mischa Barton?

9:52 PM: Flashbacks? To the pilot? But that's the one episode I actually don't need information from...

9:54 PM: Mischa Barton! I knew we'd see her.

9:55 PM: So, now we're catching up to everyone's new lives...in different locations...how are they going to get everyone back together in the OC?

9:56 PM: Hey, Seth and Summer get married! But that's a weird thing to put in the middle of a season. Seems more appropriate for a finale.

9:57 PM: Dammit, Ryan...the Cohens reached out to you and turned your life around...now help that boy. Yay, he did it!


Well, that's it. Good episode. There are obviously some holes in my "OC" knowledge--that was bound to happen after missing four seasons--and I wish Mischa Barton had been in the episode more...but I think I caught a lucky break in that the series seems to have wrapped up a lot of storylines and is now focused on new beginnings. I won't make the same mistake I did last time and fall behind on the show.

Never again will I miss an episode of "The OC"!