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Taylor Townsend is the friend of Summer Roberts, Marissa Cooper, Ryan Atwood. She is the daughter of Veronica Townsend.

Despite being something of a socialite, Taylor is highly looked down upon by her classmates. During "The Swells", her mother, a highly-driven sports agent, is shown as emotionally cold toward her daughter. The relationship between Taylor and Veronica remains strained until the penultimate episode.

After being more of an adversary, Taylor now is a friend to the series' central characters — eagerly on her part, though occasionally begrudgingly on theirs. Her personality, though softened by a new circle of friends, remains largely almost exhaustingly energetic and eager.

Season 3

After Marissa Cooper was expelled from The Harbor School and thus barred from keeping her position as Student Social Chair, Taylor quickly and unofficially assumed The Social Chair responsibilites Marissa once held. Taylor's actions soon angered Marissa's best friend Summer Roberts.

Taylor's power-grabbing encouraged an otherwise reluctant Summer to seek the social chair position. Summer's biggest test as social chair came in organizing the annual school carnival, as she successfully coordinated the mix of rides, food, and events. However, when Summer planned a dance for the school, she was overshadowed by Taylor, who took credit for it, and Jack Hess, the new dean of discipline at The Harbor School. Taylor memorably remarked, "This is... the end of Summer."

Initially, only Summer seems aware of Taylor's scheming, while Marissa seemed mildly interested in the goings-on in Taylor's life, and Summer's boyfriend Seth Cohen seemed to not believe Summer's story at all. At this particular dance, Summer followed Taylor and caught her kissing Jack Hess in his office. Though she tried to convince Seth of what she's seen, no one believed her.

Summer eventually manipulated Taylor to finally get proof of an affair between her and the dean to present to Seth by telling the girl that Dean Hess and another faculty member at the school were making out under the bleachers.

Seth and Summer convinced Taylor to go to The Mermaid Inn to meet with the "dean," only to surprise her when they answered the door and begin throwing out accusations. Apparently, Summer had used a Sidekick to take pictures of Taylor and the dean kissing, sending the pictures to Sandy Cohen. Later, Sandy revealed that Taylor had told him everything about the affair when he confronted Dean Hess.

She organized a mandatory senior lock-in and attempted speaking to her classmates, but they disrespected her and threw things at her. Seth came to her rescue, unwittingly gaining Taylor's affection in the process. Taylor, wanting to keep him for herself, refused to allow a late Summer to come to the lock-in by pretending that she could not hear her, simply to take Seth for herself.

When Seth and Summer wanted to get Marissa back in Harbor, they went to Taylor as she could get more names for their petition to reinstate Marissa. Taylor at first wanted nothing to do with it, but she soon helped out. Threats from her mother to take away her car and college money momentarily deterred Taylor from protest efforts, but she emerged at a school board hearing on Marissa's side, defying her mother. It was a decision that earned Taylor new respect from her classmates, and from Summer specifically. At the end of Season 3 Seth admits Taylor to the "inner circle". Proudly she calls the group the "fab five".

Season 4

Taylor moved to France for a long time, where she married a Frenchman named Henri Michel de Maumarot. But when she recognized that she didn't want to be married, she flees back to Newport, where she has to hide from her mother, who would never understand it.

She hides at The Cohen's and in Julie's House, but finally confronts her mother. When Taylor tried to divorce herself from her French husband she needs Ryans help, who kisses her to prove that she hadn't been faithful, which legitimates the divorce.

After that Taylor falls in love with Ryan and works on him really hard, pretending to be his sleep therapist just to seduce him.

Initially he is not interested. She asks him to kiss her to see if he feels anything. This seems to cure his insomnia and he starts fantacising about her.

Shortly after they get together, her French ex husband comes to town, having written an erotic novel about their time together. Taylor is worried Ryan will think less of her because of it, but he is more concerned when he finds Taylor and Henri-Michele have more in common and shared intellectual interests in French literature and philisophy. Taylor is breifly attracted back to her ex by her better ability to express his feelings towards her.

When Ryan manages to express his feelings, Henri-Michele leaves town, Taylor believes her and Ryan need space. Changing her mind, she then begins to stalk him, watching him from a balcony near his workplace for over 7 hours.

Ryan learns to cope with her strangeness and they get back together. Taylor then gets the idea of going to Berkley with Ryan in the Fall, where she had applied along with several other colleges several months previously. She intends to make her decision based on whether he tells her he loves her. To secure such a declaration, she makes dinner for the two of them and attempts to ply him with wine. She however ends up a lot drunker than him, but nonetheless he tells her he loves her. In her drunken state, she then reveals to Ryan her plans to go to Berkley with him in the Fall.

The next day is her birthday and Ryan contemplates whether to give her the romantic gift he had brought for her in light of what she had said the previous night. He ends up giving her a dictionary, causing the expected negative reaction. Later he finds her and gives her the original present he brought. There is then an earthquake in which Ryan is injured and hides this from Taylor and Taylor finally repairs her relationship with her mother.

The next episode is the show's finale and six months have passed. Taylor has been for an unknown reason back in Paris and her and Ryan have had no contact. She then returns and they make up have sex. She then returns to Paris soon after and is last seen in a flashforward five years later exchanging a look with Ryan that is anything but revealing. We never discover whether the two end up together or what becomes of her.

In the commentry of the finale, the show's creator remarked that many people had asked him if they ended up together but that he was not saying and it was up to the viewer.

Memorable Quotes

(waiting for the arrival of Henri-Michel's lawyer) Taylor: What's your favorite fruit? Ryan: Peaches. Taylor: He used to say my breasts were like two firm peaches.

"Just because I want to use your body as a jungle gym doesn't mean we have to get married." to Ryan when he expresses fear of commitment

"He likes lean meat. Obviously." Talking about her Christmas gift to Ryan of a grill

Ryan: When we do say goodbye, I'd like it to be as friends. Taylor: (sarcastically, extending her hand) Sure, Ryan Atwood, Mon Amie, sounds terrif. Ryan kisses her. She rips of his shirt Taylor: I'll sew those on for you.

Relationships

Ryan Atwood

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Boyfriend

Summer Roberts

Enemies, later best friends

Seth Cohen

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Summerandtaylor

Marissa Cooper

Enemies, later friends

Kaitlin Cooper

Friends

Henri Michel de Maumaront

Ex-husband

Jack Hess

Affai

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Seung Ho

Ex-boyfriend.He was her date to the prom.

References

Appearances

Season 3

Season 4

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