Known for its high drama and shocking twists, makes it hard to feel sorry for some of the most despicable characters on the show, and there were many of them. However, the core group, Seth (Adam Brody), Ryan (Ben McKenzie), Marissa (Mischa Barton), and Summer (Rachel Bilson), are just as fun to watch as ever.
As one of the best teen romance TV shows ever made, The O.C. will be ed for years to come for both its attributes and its faults. One of the reasons we keep returning to The O.C. is that so much of the melodrama is over-the-top, and the story is easy to escape into. However, when things got too serious and tragic on The O.C., this disrupted the lighter tone, as the series wasn't meant to take itself too seriously. The O.C. could've gone on for many more seasons if it had stuck to its original conceit.
The O.C. Season 3 Is Heavily Criticized For Killing Off Marissa Cooper
Marissa's Death Was A Turning Point For The Show
Marissa's death was a moment in The O.C. that defined the show. After being one of the protagonists for the first three seasons, Marissa died at the last moment in The O.C. season 3. When it seemed as if her character was finally getting back on track and taking a positive turn toward her future, Marissa tragically dies in Ryan's arms after their car is run off the road by Marissa's truly evil ex, Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet). It came out of nowhere and marked the end of a tumultuous season.
Marissa's death was the final straw for many audience , especially since Marissa had come so far in The O.C. since her self-destructive tendencies in season 1. For viewers holding out hope that she and Ryan would find a way to make things work and that Marissa would get the happy ending she deserved, this was incredibly disappointing. Marissa was far from perfect, but this is what made her character fun to watch and easy to care about.
The Writing Was On The Wall For The O.C.'s Third Season Long Before Its Finale
Marissa's Death Was One Of Many Missteps In The O.C. Season 3
Long before Marissa died in the final minutes of season 3, things were going off the rails for the series. Like any high school-set show, The O.C. struggled to keep things interesting within the adolescent dramas without taking things too far and straying from what originally made the series so popular. In season 3, The O.C. introduced many new characters like Kevin, Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin (Willa Holland), and Taylor (Autumn Reeser), and not all of these people fit into the fabric of the story.
The O.C. Went Badly Downhill After This Shocking Cliffhanger, And The Show Never Recovered
Even though The O.C. is a staple of 2000s teen drama TV, the show made a fatal mistake that completely derailed the rest of the series.
While Taylor would grow on audiences in the wake of Marissa's death, both Kevin and Kaitlin were largely despised, and The O.C. spent way too much time with them. It's true that the core group had already grown a lot by this point. The series needed to be infused with new narrative angles. However, The O.C. got even more serious than it had been before, putting the characters through some of the worst plot points we had seen up to that point, like Kaitlin's disruption of Marissa's life and additional character deaths.
The O.C. Season 3 Proved A Turning Point For The Teen Drama
Season 3 Is A Big Part Of Why The O.C. Ultimately Ended
The O.C. season 3 is proof that change isn't always a good thing for a TV show. The weight of the many character deaths from beginning to end was tough to grapple with and struck the wrong tone for a series that was supposed to appeal to younger generations. By season 3, many of the initial conflicts, like Ryan's attempts to fit into Newport Beach life, had been largely resolved, and this likely made the writers concerned that the story would grow stale.
However, incorporating too many conflicting storylines can be just as disruptive. Though The O.C. season 3 doesn't ruin the show's legacy, the season is full of many episodes that are easy to skip over, especially for viewers who like seeing the characters happy. The O.C. was always meant to be a fun, diverting series that gave audiences a window into a world they had never experienced, but somewhere along the way, season 3 lost this sense of direction. Marissa's death was a misstep, but it was also a symptom of the larger problems with the show.
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
The O.C. (2003–2007) |
68% |
73% |
Season 4 Fixed Some Of The Show's Biggest Issues, But It Was Too Little, Too Late
By This Point, Fans Had Already Lost Interest In The O.C.
Marissa's death hung over The O.C. season 4, altering how audiences engaged with the show. However, the fourth installment started to get back on track. Marissa's ing ended up bringing together many characters who were at odds, like Ryan and Julie (Melinda Clarke), and it was nice to see the characters coming into their own after graduation. Seth and Summer are a highlight of season 4, as the fan-favorite couple got to have their moment in the sun and achieved the happiness viewers had hoped to see for Ryan and Marissa.
The O.C. season 4 allows its characters to learn and grow without taking itself too seriously.
Despite complaints about how quickly Ryan moved on after Marissa's death, The O.C. season 4 allows its characters to learn and grow without taking itself too seriously. Unfortunately, The O.C. didn't get the chance to fully learn from its mistakes and evolve, as the failure of season 3 led to the series' cancellation after season 4. Despite this, The O.C. finale doesn't come out of nowhere and successfully wraps up the most important arcs of the series, giving audiences some satisfaction after the show's many ups and downs.
The O.C.
- Release Date
- 2003 - 2007-00-00
- Network
- FOX
- Showrunner
- Josh Schwartz
Cast
Mischa Barton
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Josh Schwartz
- Writers
- Josh Schwartz
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