The Nana

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“The Nana”

The O.C. episode

The cranky, opinionated, California-loathing Nana Cohen arrives in Newport and she's strangely... nice

Episode no.

Season 1
(2003-2004)
Episode 23

Written by

Allan Heinberg

Directed by

Michael Lange

Production no.

176522

Original airdate

March 31, 2004 (FOX)

Episode chronology
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"The L.A."	"The Proposal"

"The Nana" is the 23rd episode of the FOX television series, The O.C.. The episode was written by Allan Heinberg and was directed by Michael Lange. It originally aired on Wednesday March 31, 2004.

1 Guest starring
2 Plot
3 Trivia
4 Music
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Guest starring

Actor / actress	Character
Linda Lavin	Sophie Cohen
Amanda Righetti	Hailey Nichol
Navi Rawat	Theresa Diaz
Eric Balfour	Eddie

[edit] Plot

The morning after Marissa found out about her mother and Luke sleeping together, she has disappeared. Luke and Ryan drove around all night looking for her, while Seth stayed home in the pool house by the phone. He slept through her call though, and she left a message saying that she was alright, and not to follow her. Just then, Julie walks in wondering what is going on. Ryan tells her that Marissa has run away. When Julie assumes it was the result of something he must have done, Luke says that it was because she found out about them sleeping together. Julie is mortified, but is insistent that she will find her daughter. Ryan plans to find her first.

In the house, Seth and Ryan are surprised to see a lavish breakfast table, thanks to Hailey. She is eager to begin anew, and is already looking for work. Sandy comes in announcing that some changes have to happen before the arrival of Nana Cohen, his mother. Nana follows Jewish tradition a bit more than the new breed of Cohens, so Sandy wants everyone to pretend to be hardcore for her visit. Jimmy drops by to see Hailey. He tells her that she hopes she stays in Newport. Before the two of them can get intimate, Kirsten calls her into the house.

Nana Cohen arrives! She is a bit earlier than expected, and everyone seems terrified. But then, she is unexpectedly kind and gives everyone, even California, a warm greeting. Everyone seems very confused by the gentle presence from a woman that was feared from across the country. In the pool house, Seth tells Ryan that Nana was acting strange. He was especially confused by how nice she was being to Kirsten. He thinks that it was weird that two people that have nothing in common suddenly get along. That comment perks Ryan's attention. He realizes that Marissa must be in Chino with Theresa. He goes, and there she is.

Back in Newport, everyone is still perplexed by the niceness that Sophie (Nana) is exhibiting. She wants to see Sandy's restaurant, and doesn't want to plan the traditional Passover dinner. When the doorbell rings, she answers, and Summer is there. Seth had been afraid for Summer to meet his Nana, but the meeting went very well. Summer knew all of the right Jewish lingo to say to win over Nana, not that it would be hard with how nice she is being. Nana invites Summer to dinner, and Summer agrees to read the four questions. She promises to wow Seth.

In Chino, Ryan argues with Theresa when he sees that she is having an engagement party. He doesn't understand why she is going to marry Eddie. She insists that he loves her. When Ryan sees Marissa, she tells him that he is wasting his time, and that she won't go home with him. In Newport at Jimmy's, Hailey drops by, but is quickly rejected by Jimmy when she expects intimacy. He says he was worried about her, and she leaves. Back in Chino, Marissa says she wants to hide out in Chino for now. She plans to get a job and save money. Ryan tells her that he won't go back without her.

At the Cohens, Sandy insists that Sophie drop the act. He knows that she is not happiness and light, and something must be going on. The real Nana comes out then, heavily criticizing Sandy's life in Newport, and she announces that she has lung cancer, and has 4-6 months to live. She has come to say goodbye.

In Chino, Ryan and Eddie have a dispute about why Ryan is in town. Eddie doesn't appreciate him being in town. He tells him to leave town, and one of his thugs shoves Ryan down to the ground. Julie calls and asks where they are. Ryan doesn't say, and then Julie tells him to bring her home right away. Seth calls Luke as well and insists he come home, because things are heating up.

Back at the Cohens, Sandy is questioning why she didn't say anything. She wants him to keep the illness a secret. She doesn't want to seek any treatment because the cancer has spread, and there doesn't seem to be a way to stop it. Sandy says that she should get the treatment so they have more time with her. She gets really angry at that point saying that she hates that he left home, and that he married Kirsten (whose father is the type of man Sophie hates), and that she doesn't know why she came to California. She storms out in anger. Outside, Sandy talks to his mother, and asks that she seek treatment, if not for herself, then for him and her grandkids. Seth overhears the conversation. Nana and Seth talk about her illness. She tells him that she couldn't handle the thought of telling him. She tells him that the illness is complicated, and that she isn't doing the treatment. Seth gets the impression that she doesn't want to be around.

Luke drops over to Julie's to apologize for everything that has happened. She says that it's her fault, not his. She says she has no choice but to have Marissa committed, to keep her safe. In Chino, Marissa thanks Theresa for letting her stay there. She asks if it will be weird now that Ryan is there. Theresa assures Marissa that she is fully committed to Eddie, and that her recent trip back into Ryan's life was a mistake. Theresa tells her that she has nothing to be afraid of. Ryan and Eddie are talking as well. Eddie tells Ryan that Marissa came to Chino because it was the one place she knew only he could find her, and that he shouldn't give up on her so quickly. When Ryan confronts Marissa about going home, she breaks down and says she can't go back to that life. Just then, Luke shows up, and Marissa is pissed to see him. She slaps him and tells him to leave. He does.

Back in Newport, Kirsten tells Sophie that she has a choice to make - to die or to try and get better, so she can spend time to be in the family again. That night before dinner, Sophie tells Sandy that she admires what he has done for Ryan. She had been helping kids for forty years and she never thought to bring one home. She tells him that she is leaving the next morning to seek treatment for her disease. He is thrilled.

Marissa has returned home with Ryan, and they go by Julie's to get some clothes. Julie is thrilled to see her daughter, but Marissa insists she is not staying. She tells her mother not to think about having her committed or she'll tell everyone the reason why she left. Julie tells her to get her things and get out. "Gladly", Marissa says.

Jimmy drops by the Cohen house for dinner, and isn't sure how Hailey will react. She is fine with it. She also says that she thinks he is right, and that they should not be in a relationship. She finally has the chance to get herself back together. Jimmy then says he was thinking the opposite, and that he wants them to be together. The hardest part is telling Kirsten. Hailey says it'll be their secret for a while.

Ryan and Marissa come over and reunite with Seth and Summer, and the group joins the family for their Passover dinner.

[edit] Trivia

The episode debuted at 11.4 million viewers in the US Nielsen ratings.
In this episode, Ryan asks Marissa "What do you think of Chino?" and she replies, "I think I could get in more trouble where I'm from." This is a callback to the pilot episode when Marissa asks Ryan what he thinks of Newport.
Theresa Diaz's mother Eva is played by Cynthia Avila, a different actress to when we first met Eva in The Homecoming who was played by Gina Gallego.^[1]