The Chrismukk-huh? (The O.C. episode)
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| “The Chrismukk-huh?” | |
|---|---|
| The O.C. episode | |
 Ryan and Taylor lying in a coma. |
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| Episode no. | Season 4 (2006) Episode 7 |
| Written by | J.J. Philbin John Stephens |
| Directed by | Ian Toynton |
| Production no. | |
| Original airdate | December 14, 2006 (FOX) |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "The Summer Bummer" | "The Earth Girls Are Easy" |
"The Chrismukk-huh?" is the 83rd episode of the FOX television series, The O.C.. The episode was written by J.J. Philbin and John Stephens and was directed by Ian Toynton. It originally aired on Thursday, December 14, 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Guest starring
- Tate Donovan as Jimmy Cooper
- Paula Trickey as Veronica Townsend
- Chris Pratt as Che
- Ashley Hartman as Holly Fischer
- Wayne Dalglish as Brad Ward
- Corey Price as Eric Ward
- Scott Krinsky as Darryl
- Patty Onagan as Mima
- Lily Rains as Nurse
[edit] Plot
Ryan Atwood and Taylor Townsend fall off a roof while they're putting up Christmas decorations and fall into a coma and stumble into a alternate universe in the form of a dream. In the alternate universe, Ryan never moved to Newport Beach and the lives of most major characters were completely changed after Marissa's death from drug overdose in Tijuana (a reference to the Season 1 episode, The Escape).
As a result, Sandy Cohen and Kirsten Cohen, along with Julie Cooper and Jimmy Cooper, divorced, and Sandy married Julie in a sham marriage to jump-start his political career, which resulted in Sandy becoming mayor of Newport Beach, while Jimmy married Kirsten. Summer remained superficial and is in a relationship with Che, known as Chester in the alternate universe, who took Ryan's place in Newport Beach and dates any women within his sight, including Julie (a reference to Luke Ward's short affair with Julie in Season 1).
At first, Ryan and Taylor believe they need to restore the relationships that existed before Marissa's death in order to wake up. However, it becomes apparent that both Ryan and Taylor need to battle their internal demons instead. For Taylor, her demon is her mother,(whom she confronts along with her alternate male self), and for Ryan, Marissa Cooper's death and his memory of her.
After waking up from their comas, both parties have no memory of what had happened, but are finally at peace with their internal demons.
[edit] Music
- "California" by Mates of State
- "Paranoid Android" performed by Sia (original by Radiohead)
- "Into Dust" by Ashtar Command
[edit] Trivia
- Mates of State replaces Phantom Planet's "California" theme for this episode. The cover is also featured in Music from the OC: Mix 6.
- Among the differences that occur from Ryan's not arriving in Newport, is Johnny Harper's becoming a pro-surfer. Whilst not explicitly mentioned, his name is seen on a PAC-West poster.
- The song "Into Dust" that plays during Ryan's farewell to Marissa, is the same that played when on the pilot when Ryan took the blacked out Marissa from her front door to his pool house. Some could say it brings their story full-circle with the same song, in one version he holds her, in other he lets her go.
- The episode bears an uncanny resembalence to an episode from TV show One Tree Hill. In the Season two episode Lifetime Piling Up which featured in the second season of the show, produced almost two years prior to the The Chrismukk-huh? episode, one of the main characters of the show, Nathan Scott, is lying in a coma after being in race car accident. He begins to dream of what life would have been like if Dan had stayed with Karen and Lucas instead of marrying Deb. In this imaginary world, Lucas would the been the rich kid and Nathan would have grown up on the wrong side of the tracks.
- As Ryan is leaving Kirsten and Jimmy's house, a worker calls Kirsten the "Dragon Lady". This was a nickname Sandy used when referring to Julie Cooper at the start of season 1.
- This episode marks the return of Holly Fischer who hasn't been seen since season 1 in The Heights. However, because her appearance was non-canonical in this episode as she only appeared in the alternative universe and not the real world, she wouldn't make her next real appearance until The French Connection.
[edit] External links
- Full Cast & Crew at the Internet Movie Database
- Recap from the official website
- Video Clip of The OC, Season 4, Episode 7
