The O.C. (season 4)

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The O.C. Season 4

"The End's Not Near, It's Here," the series finale of The O.C.
Country of origin Flag of the United States United States
Network Fox
Original run November 2, 2006 – February 22, 2007
No. of episodes 16
DVD release date May 22, 2007
Previous season Season 3

The fourth and final season of The O.C. premiered on November 2, 2006 in the United States, featuring a total of 16 episodes. Season four's regulars consisted of Benjamin McKenzie (Ryan Atwood), Adam Brody (Seth Cohen), Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts), Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen), Kelly Rowan (Kirsten Cohen), Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper), Autumn Reeser (Taylor Townsend), and Willa Holland (Kaitlin Cooper). This season marks the first and only season without Mischa Barton as Marissa Cooper due to her character's death at the end of Season 3. Two previously recurring characters were added for the final season; Autumn Reeser as Taylor Townsend and Willa Holland as Marissa's little sister Kaitlin Cooper both began as guest stars in season three and were made not regulars for season four.

Contents

[edit] Plot Overview

The season begins with everyone coping with the death of Marissa Cooper. Ryan has moved out of the Cohen household and becomes a cage fighter to deal with his anger. Summer begins attending Brown University, where she throws herself into environmental activism, and avoids calls from Seth, who stays in Newport and finds a job at a comic book shop. Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin returns to Newport from boarding school and starts attending Harbor. Julie, meanwhile, hires a private detective to track down Volchok, who had fled to Mexico. She plans to have Ryan take revenge on Volchok, presumably by killing him. Ultimately, with Seth and Sandy's help, Ryan allows Volchok to turn himself in to the authorities. Ryan subsequently moves back in with the Cohens. In the meantime, Taylor Townsend who is previously thought to have been in Paris attending the Sorbonne, secretly returns to Newport after impulsively marrying a Frenchman. He then refuses to grant her a divorce. Ryan helps her by posing as her lover to get her husband to agree to the divorce, after which she and Ryan begin a romantic relationship. In Chrismukk-huh Ryan receives a letter from Marissa(she wrote it before planning to leave Newport) saying that she still loves him , but she was going so that they could both move on. He finally understands that he will never forget Marissa, however he will have to move on , so he finally says goodbye to Marissa. After releasing rabbits from a laboratory, Summer is suspended from Brown for a semester and returns to California where she and Seth reconcile. Julie Cooper begins a relationship with wealthy Texan businessman Gordon Bullit, however, she soon becomes conflicted when she falls for Ryan's biological father, Frank, who was released from prison. Near the end of the fourth season, Kirsten becomes pregnant with a baby girl, and she and Sandy consider whether Newport is the right place to bring up another child. A powerful earthquake hits Newport, and the Cohens' house is damaged beyond repair. Ryan and Seth go back to Berkeley to convince a gay couple who live in their old house to sell it to them. Kirsten has her baby. At Julie's wedding to Bullit she says "I can't do this without Kiki" so the wedding is brought there so that Kirsten can be with them. After seeing everything that has happened in the house the gay couple decide to sell their house to the Cohens. Ryan and Taylor begin their relationship again when they realize they both love each other still. Julie finally decides to stay single and raise her baby boy alone with Kaitlin and get her life back on track without a man. Fast forward to a few years later when Seth and Summer finally get married, Taylor and Ryan share a look at their wedding (it is up to the viewer to decide whether or not they are together), Julie goes back to college and graduates, where we see Kaitlin, Bullit, Frank, and Ryan's half-brother (again, it is up to the viewer to decide the scenario). Ryan becomes an architect and the show closes with him asking a boy, alone with only a bike, if he needs help just as Sandy helped him in the very first episode. All ends well with Ryan asking the boy, "Hey kid, need help?" The kid looks up and then looks away.

[edit] Episodes

# Title Writer(s) Director Original Airdate # season
77 "The Avengers"  Josh Schwartz Ian Toynton November 2, 2006 1
Five months after Marissa's death, Ryan attempts to move on with his life. Julie develops a medication addiction and Dr. Roberts has second thoughts about their relationship as Gloria begins to come back into his life. Julie meets up with Ryan and shares some inside information to the whereabouts of Volchok. 
78 "The Gringos"  John Stephens Patrick Norris November 8, 2006 2
Ryan and Seth go to Mexico, trying to find Volchok. Summer is unsure about her relationship with Seth, while Taylor tells her that she got married in France. Kaitlin steals from a clothing drive at her school. Seth helps Kirsten and Sandy to keep Ryan from taking revenge and they return to Newport, where Sandy has a serious conversation with Julie. 
79 "The Cold Turkey"  J. J. Philbin Michael Lange November 9, 2006 3
Thanksgiving at the Cohens! Summer returns, Julie is outcast, Taylor pops up, and Kaitlin decides to join the Cohens, along with a few other surprise guests. Ryan is still mad at Seth and wants to get revenge on Volchok. Sandy takes Volchok in as his lawyer. Ryan sees Sandy with Volchok and wants answers, so Sandy takes Ryan to the hotel where Volchok is. Volchok is taken into custody. Summer decides to go back to Brown early. 
80 "The Metamorphosis"  Leila Gerstein Norman Buckley November 16, 2006 4
When Seth visits Summer, she realizes that her materialistic, gossiping self may be forever gone ever since she went to Brown. Ryan helps Taylor with her divorce. Temptation stirs when Kaitlin and Julie vow to stay out of trouble. Sandy longs for a guy's night out. And Taylor attempts to use Ryan to legalize her divorce. 
81 "The Sleeping Beauty"  John Stephens Ian Toynton November 30, 2006 5
When Taylor learns that Ryan can't sleep, she comes up with her own therapeutic plan to help him get over his insomnia. Meanwhile at Brown, Summer and Che take their activism to a new level, resulting in more freedom than they expected. Kaitlin, after being served by her own mom in tennis lessons, volleys back at Julie but helps save the dating service. And when all of Taylor's schemes backfire, she turns to Kaitlin for help with Ryan and in the end gets her way. 
82 "The Summer Bummer"  Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage Michael Lange December 7, 2006 6
When Seth visits Summer at Brown, he finds an empty dorm room, and Sandy and Kirsten find an opportunity to bond with Ryan, who is in a Taylor-induced haze. Kaitlin meets the mean girl of Harbor School and takes her down by throwing a rager at the Roberts house. Meanwhile, Julie Cooper learns that Newmatch is more than a dating service and the truth about Che comes out. 
83 "The Chrismukk-huh?"  J. J. Philbin & John Stephens Ian Toynton December 14, 2006 7
It’s Chrismukkah in The O.C. After Ryan and Taylor fall off the Cohen roof they enter a dream world where nobody knows them, Mayor Sandy is married to Julie, Jimmy to Kirsten, Summer to Che. A letter is delivered to the Cohen house, which was sent by Marissa before she died. 
84 "The Earth Girls Are Easy"  Mark Fish Norman Buckley December 21, 2006 8
It’s New Year’s Eve in The O.C. and Ryan has planned a special surprise road trip for himself and Taylor, but when Summer confronts Seth about not making any plans, Ryan’s romantic getaway for two is spoiled. Meanwhile, Summer’s future rests in the hands of a raver the gang meets on the way to Vegas. And the Bullit asks an old friend to take a look at Julie’s accounting. 
85 "The My Two Dads"  Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage Michael Schultz January 4, 2007 9
Kaitlin fails a class presentation and is forced to work with Will, a smart band geek at Harbor. When Kaitlin thinks she can get Will to do her homework for her, he challenges her and sparks fly. Bound by their new commitment, Seth and Summer move forward with their plans, regardless of how they really feel. Meanwhile, Sandy confronts Frank on why he's in Newport and Julie tells Kirsten of Frank's true identity. 
86 "The French Connection"  J. J. Philbin John Stephens January 11, 2007 10
Taylor’s ex-husband gets a little too close to home while he is promoting his erotic memoir. After Henri-Michel tells Ryan about Taylor’s exciting life in France, Ryan questions their relationship. Seth visits Dr. Roberts in Seattle to ask for permission to marry Summer. Meanwhile, Summer reconnects Holly and a vision of her future in Newport. And Kaitlin realizes she likes Will, but is concerned he thinks she’s too shallow. 
87 "The Dream Lover"  Leila Gerstein Patrick Norris January 18, 2007 11
Che and Seth take a trip to the forest where Che, after a dream, discovers his spirit might be in love with an unexpected someone. After the trip to the forest, Seth and Summer finally speak. Also, Taylor decides that she can no longer speak to Ryan and Julie works her way back into Kirsten’s life the only way she knows how. Meanwhile, Kaitlin shuts Will out. 
88 "The Groundhog Day"  Mark Fish Ian Toynton January 25, 2007 12
As the Cohens prepare for Kirsten's 40th birthday party, Kirsten gets some news that will change her life forever. Meanwhile, Julie Cooper is having a secret love affair that Kaitlin does all she can to stop. While Ryan acts like he doesn't miss Taylor, Taylor visits a therapist, who gives her some rules to live by. After their plan to save Newport Chuck goes awry, Che finally discovers that Seth is not his soulmate and Sandy and Kirsten have surprises for each other. 
89 "The Case of the Franks"  J. J. Philbin Norman Buckley February 1, 2007 13
While Taylor comes up with a plan to make things right between Ryan and his Dad, Julie continues to move things forward with Bullit. But when Julie and Frank run into each other in front of Ryan and Taylor, their secret is apparent. Meanwhile, after Seth and Summer get a psychic reading, Summer wonders if she and Seth are right for each other. And when Kaitlin discovers that Ryan and Taylor are playing Cupid to get Julie and Frank together, she goes to extreme lengths to get her mom to like Bullit but who will Julie choose? 
90 "The Shake Up"  John Stephens Ian Toynton February 8, 2007 14
Ryan and Taylor share some special words… but did they really mean them? Meanwhile, Kaitlin decides to sabotage Frank and Julie’s relationship, until her Mom finally notices and makes a change for the better. And Kirsten, for the first time, realizes what Newport society is really all about. Also, Summer encourages Seth to find something he can be passionate about. And as the night comes to a close, an earthquake hits the Southland 
91 "The Night Moves"  Stephanie Savage Patrick Norris February 15, 2007 15
After the earthquake shakes up Orange County, the gang struggles to make sure everyone is O.K. Although Sandy has told him to stay where he is, Seth will do whatever it takes to be with Ryan and Taylor. Meanwhile, the Coopers are stuck in the ice cream shop until they are saved by the only man in Newport for Julie Cooper. However, like so much in Newport, things aren’t what they seem when the family returns to the Cohen house. 
92 "The End's Not Near, It's Here"  Josh Schwartz Ian Toynton February 22, 2007 16
Six months have passed since the last episode and everything has changed. The Cohens have taken temporary residence at the Coopers', whilst Julie has a wedding. Sandy and Kirsten's daughter Sophie Rose is born and the Cohens move back to Berkeley. Seth and Summer say goodbye, as do Ryan and Taylor. Years later, Julie graduates from college, and Seth and Summer get married, with Ryan standing in as the best man and Taylor as maid of honor. As the episode closes, Ryan, an architect, reaches out to a young boy, much in the same way Sandy reached out to him years ago.