Dawn was a secondary character in the first, second and third seasons of the Fox drama series The O.C.. She is portrayed by Daphne Ashbrook.
Background[]
Dawn is the mother of Trey Atwood and the biological mother of Ryan Atwood. She has a history of alcoholism and of forming relationships with abusive men who are also alcoholics. The father of her children Frank Atwood, was both abusive and an alcoholic.
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1[]
Dawn made her first appearance in the pilot episode, where she arrived at a Los Angeles area courthouse to collect her son Ryan, who had been released following an arrest for stealing a car with his brother Trey. Back at their home, Dawn engaged in a heated argument with Ryan and her then-boyfriend A.J. about the theft. The confrontation escalated, resulting in Dawn throwing Ryan out of the house. When Ryan returned later with Sandy Cohen, he found the house empty; Dawn and A.J. had moved out, leaving only a note for Ryan.
Sandy and Kirsten Cohen then employed a private investigator to locate her. Upon finding her, Dawn appeared to be genuinely remorseful for abandoning Ryan and returned to the Cohens' to attempt to mend her relationship with him. However, her struggles continued, as evidenced during a charity casino night where she became intoxicated and caused a scene. Recognizing her inability to care for herself, let alone Ryan, she made the difficult decision to leave him in the care of Sandy and Kirsten, trusting that they would provide him with the stability and care she could not.
Season 3[]
Dawn reappeared in the third season after getting into trouble with the law for writing bouncing checks. Sandy visited her in jail, secured her release, and she was expected to attend Ryan's 18th birthday party. However, feeling unable to face the occasion, she ultimately did not show up. Ryan later visited her in Albuquerque, where she worked as a waitress, to invite her to his graduation. Initially, upon learning that she had a new boyfriend, Ryan feared he might be another abusive alcoholic and withdrew the invitation.
However, after learning from one of Dawn's co-workers that her new boyfriend, Ronnie, was a good man and a recovering alcoholic, and that he and Dawn were working together to stay sober, Ryan changed his mind. In the season finale, The Graduates, Dawn arrived in Newport to attend Ryan's graduation and presented him with a car that Ronnie had restored. Tragically, the episode concluded with the car being destroyed in a crash caused by Kevin Volchok, which also resulted in the death of Marissa Cooper.
Trivia[]
It is not clear if Dawn and Frank are still married or if they have actually divorced.
Appearances[]
Season 1 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Episode 1": | "Episode 2": | "Episode 3": | "Episode 4": | "Episode 5": | "Episode 6": | |
Appears | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 7": | "Episode 8": | "Episode 9": | "Episode 10": | "Episode 11": | "Episode 12": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 13": | "Episode 14": | "Episode 15": | "Episode 16": | "Episode 17": | "Episode 18": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 19": | "Episode 20": | "Episode 21": | "Episode 22": | "Episode 23": | "Episode 24": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 25": | "Episode 26": | "Episode 27": | ||||
Absent | Absent | Absent |
Season 3 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Episode 1": | "Episode 2": | "Episode 3": | "Episode 4": | "Episode 5": | "Episode 6": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 7": | "Episode 8": | "Episode 9": | "Episode 10": | "Episode 11": | "Episode 12": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 13": | "Episode 14": | "Episode 15": | "Episode 16": | "Episode 17": | "Episode 18": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | |
"Episode 19": | "Episode 20": | "Episode 21": | "Episode 22": | "Episode 23": | "Episode 24": | |
Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 25": | ||||||
Appears |
Season 4 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Episode 1": | "Episode 2": | "Episode 3": | "Episode 4": | "Episode 5": | "Episode 6": | |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 7": | "Episode 8": | "Episode 9": | "Episode 10": | "Episode 11": | "Episode 12": | |
Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | |
"Episode 13": | "Episode 14": | "Episode 15": | "Episode 16": | |||
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |