| ← S2 | The OC Season 3 | S4 → | ||||||
| #01 | "The Aftermath" | #10 | "The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah" | #19 | "The Secrets and Lies" | |||
| #02 | "The Shape of Things to Come" | #11 | "The Safe Harbor" | #20 | "The Day After Tomorrow" | |||
| #03 | "The End of Innocence" | #12 | "The Sister Act" | #21 | "The Dawn Patrol" | |||
| #04 | "The Last Waltz" | #13 | "The Pot Stirrer" | #22 | "The College Try" | |||
| #05 | "The Perfect Storm" | #14 | "The Cliffhanger" | #23 | "The Party Favor" | |||
| #06 | "The Swells" | #15 | "The Heavy Lifting" | #24 | "The Man of the Year" | |||
| #07 | "The Anger Management" | #16 | "The Road Warrior" | #25 | "The Graduates" | |||
| #08 | "The Game Plan" | #17 | "The Journey" | |||||
| #09 | "The Disconnect" | #18 | "The Undertow" | |||||
"The College Try" is the twenty-second episode in the third season of the Fox drama series The O.C.. The episode aired on the twentieth of April, in 2006.
Synopsis[]
With graduation weeks away, Ryan, Seth, Summer and Marissa leave Newport to attend their respective pre-frosh orientations at UC Berkeley and Brown. While at Berkeley, Marissa and Ryan try to work out as friends. At Brown, Seth and Summer run into an old friend. Meanwhile, Kirsten runs into someone from her family's complicated past, and jumps back into old habits.
Plot[]
Seth and Ryan bring packed bags for college orientation into the kitchen. Seth’s planning to go to Brown in hopes of them admitting him into the university. Ryan thinks it’s going to be hard for him to avoid Summer at Brown while Seth thinks it’s just as bad as Ryan going with Marissa to Berkeley. Kirsten walks in ready to take them to the airport without Sandy as he is in an “important” meeting. Seth leaves first while Kirsten gives Ryan encouragement for his trip. Kirsten spots Theresa Diaz at the airport, reuniting with her son.
Theresa Diaz greeting her son at the airport.
Summer and Marissa are packing their bags for orientation. Summer is upset about going to Brown without Seth and that Marissa is going to Berkeley without Ryan. Marissa says he will still be there but it forces them to think of the future and be friends. Summer asks Marissa about her relationship with Volchok and Marissa tells her it’s over. Marissa left some of her stuff at Volchok’s and is planning on picking it up before she leaves. Summer doesn’t think it’s a good idea because breakup sex is inevitable. Marissa changes her kind and decides to meet him at the diner. Marissa gives her glitter scarf to Summer to take with her to Brown.
Marissa and Summer talk about their futures at their selected colleges.
Neil makes some tea for Julie when the girls walk in ready to go to the airport. Neil helps bring their bags to the car when Julie asks Marissa if she wants her to go with her. Marissa says she will be okay because she got parties out of her system and truly wants a new change. Neil and Julie are glad that Marissa is in better spirits as they talk about their plans for the weekend. Neil has a dinner where Julie doesn’t have any plans and doesn’t want to go with Neil. Neil wonders why and Julie decides to go with.
At Berkeley, Ryan meets up with Wes Seyfried who appears to be showing him the campus. Wes starts to ask Ryan questions about where he is from and at first he says Newport and then tells the truth about his history in Chino. This causes awkward silence between him and Wes. Wes then tells him he thinks he will be okay as many students he knows are come from no where and it’s easy to fit in.
Ryan Atwood exploring the Berkeley Campus.
Marissa meets Volchok at the diner but he didn’t bring her stuff. He asks her why she bailed and what happened. Marissa says they have nothing in common and Volchok assumes she’s talking about money. Marissa starts to talk about The Sound of Music and how she wanted that to be her life when she was younger. Then she grew up and realized that right now, she wasn’t living the life she wanted with a guy who doesn’t truly care about her. Volchok wishes her luck, says he will drop of her stuff and leaves.
Kirsten visits Sandy who apologizes about the other night and not going with her to the airport with the boys. Kirsten says it isn’t about that and tells Sandy who she saw at the airport. She tells him how Theresa had a boy that looked like he was 2 years old and they speculate if the boy is Ryan’s. Sandy asks if Kirsten spoke to her which she didn’t but could tell that Theresa is now a mother. Sandy and Kirsten wonder if Theresa lied to Ryan about loosing the baby in The Distance. Kirsten thinks they should tell Ryan but Sandy thinks they should wait until he gets back.
At Brown, Seth makes a call to Ryan and they share how their experience is going so far. They can’t believe how they are on Ivy League campuses and Ryan asks if Seth is staying low to avoid Summer. Seth says he hasn’t seen her yet but someone yells his name in the distance. It’s Anna! They start to catch up with each other and Anna brings up Seth’s comic. Seth tells her that it isn’t his anymore as he traded it to Zach in exchange for Summer in The O.Sea. Anna asks how they are and he says they are great. Anna thinks it’s fate that they got into the same school. Seth tells her the truth and that he is there to try ti get in and asks Anna for help.
Anna Stern's return.
Julie visits Kirsten and invites her to Neil’s dinner. Kirsten says she is busy and Julie pleads with her to come with but Kirsten says that her and Sandy have hit a rough patch in their marriage. Kirsten talks about her dislike toward the hospital project Sandy is working on. Julie continues to plead with her to come and says she can’t do it without Kirsten by her side and Kirsten finally gives in.
Julie refuses to go to the party without her dear friend, Kirsten.
Ryan is getting to know Wes and Miguel that he seems to find things in common regarding family and ones past. Marissa walks in and Wes has his eyes on her. Marissa comes up to them and she says her and Ryan are in the same class. Ryan introduces her to Miguel and Wes. Marissa leaves to go eat and Miguel and Wes ask what the real story is with Marissa. Ryan tells them how he dated Marissa for 2 and a half years. Wes says she seems nice and lonely. Ryan tells him he could go talk to her but Wes says that since he is Ryan’s buddy he is not crossing that line. Ryan insists it’s okay and Wes leaves to go talk with Marissa.
Back at Brown, Seth and Anna walk into a faculty meet and greet to talk to the head of admissions, Dr. Overbee. Seth is making sure Summer isn’t near them when Anna asks if he has thought about what he wants to say. Seth has not but goes over to talk to him anyway. On Summer’s tour, she looks bored and spots Seth. Dr. Overbee cant speak to Seth for very long but he says he can meet with Seth the next day. Summer confronts Seth and asks him why he is there. Seth lies to her, again, and she thinks he wants to go to Brown just not with her. Anna shows up and asks how it went with Dr. Overbee. Summer gets the idea that Seth wants to go to school with Anna instead.
Wes and Marissa are walking around and he asks her about Ryan. Marissa tells him they are trying to work it out as friends and asks where Ryan is. Wes tells her he is touring the architecture building. She then asks where he hangs out and he tells her the political science building, he hopes to get into law school. She tells him how her dad was a poly sci major and how Wes reminds her of her dad. Wes and Marissa are hitting it off when Ryan walks in. Marissa goes over to talk to him to make sure it’s okay she is there as she doesn’t want things to be weird between them. Marissa says friendship didn’t work out for them in Newport but Ryan tells her everything feels different at Berkeley between them and is willing to try. They go back to their old ways and wants to hear about his architecture tour.
Ryan and Marissa work things out as friends.
Anna finds Seth upset and tries to console him. Seth apologizes for not telling Anna he was also on a Summer mission. Anna says she should’ve known since Seth is pathetic. Anna gives him a schedule of pre-frosh activities and tells him to figure out what Summer will go to. Anna helps Seth write a speech for him to say to Dr. Overbee. Seth asks what he has done without Anna the past few years.
At the Cohen’s, Sandy is excited about the dinner with Neil’s doctor friends in hopes of getting some more to his new hospital. Sandy gets a call from Ryan and they talk about how fun he has been having. Sandy gets a work call and gives Kirsten the phone to talk to Ryan. Ryan asks Kirsten how she is and thinks she doesn’t sound fine. Kirsten denies it and Ryan wants to know what’s going on. She tells him it can wait until he gets home but Ryan insists on knowing. Kirsten makes sure Sandy can’t hear her and she tells Ryan about Theresa at the airport with a boy who looked like her son.
Seth and Anna look for summer at orientation and Anna tells him to just go and tell her the truth. Seth tries to talk to Summer but Summer doesn’t want to. The tour guide is explaining the tour and wonders where Seth’s name tag is. Seth steals a name tag and proceeds to talk to Summer. Seth tells her she can’t ignore him forever and he insists she let him explain. Summer believes Seth broke up with her to date other college girls and she tells him he already ruined her senior year of high school and isn’t going to let him ruin college as well. Summer demands him to leave her alone.
Ryan gets back to Newport, leaving Berkeley early. Kirsten apologizes for telling him but Ryan is glad that he did. Ryan says how he was expecting it in a way since things were going okay for him for a while, he knew it wouldn’t last. Kirsten says it might not be complicated and she looked Theresa up. Kirsten tells him no matter what, his family is behind him.
Seth meets with Dr. Overbee and he doesn’t have much time to talk. Seth starts to read of his speech to him as to why he should have gotten into Brown. Dr. Overbee is upset Seth isn’t an admitted student but Seth insists he talks with him. Seths scrambles to find the words and finally says that he has to get in because of Summer. Seth asks if he understands which he does and tells Seth he is on his own.
Sandy comes home surprised to find Ryan since Kirsten didn’t tell him. Ryan leaves to speak with Theresa. Kirsten and Sandy get into an argument and he leaves to go back to the office.
Marissa runs into Wes at Berkeley when he invites her to a party. She says she was going to go to a barbecue but might take him up on the offer. Marissa asks where Ryan is and Wes tells her he left, saying he had a family emergency. Marissa thinks she should call him when Wes says it’s not easy being friends with your ex.
Ryan goes to the address Kirsten gave him but Theresa isn’t home. The nanny is watching the boy and Ryan takes a good luck at Daniel, Theresa’s son. The nanny tells Ryan she will tell Theresa he stopped by and shuts the door.
At Berkeley, Wes and Marissa are talking about Wes’ first year of college that he is now repeating for a second time. Marissa asks him what happened and he tells her he had a bad gpa, partied way too much, and went back after a few months. Marissa starts to tell him that she did good in school for a while until her dad lost his money, her parents got divorced, she got kicked out of school, and how everything bad happened. Marissa goes on to say how she stopped being the girl who belonged in college or anywhere at all. Wes tells her that everyone belongs somewhere and she doesn’t think everyone does and maybe some people just get lost.
Marissa argues that instead of always belonging, there are some people out there that just get lost.
Seth and Ryan are talking about Theresa while Seth waits for his cab to go to the airport. Anna is in the cab to make a stop at RISD, Rhode Island School of Design, and suggest Seth uses his comic as his application. Anna instills some confidence in Seth and they head to RISD.
Kirsten and Sandy arrive to Neil’s dinner when Neil takes Sandy to meet doctors leaving Kirsten and Julie alone. Julie asks her what is wrong and Julie feels bad since he is working once again because of her. Kristen insists it’s fine because she wasn’t going to bail on her.
Marissa shows up at the Cohen’s house checking up on Ryan, coming home early. Ryan invites her in and they talk about Berkeley. Ryan thinks she saw it as a way of getting away from her problems in Newport. Ryan tells her about Theresa having a baby but he hasn’t been able to talk to her yet and he isn’t sure if he is the father or not. Marissa asks what make him think that and Ryan says he felt like he was living someone else’s life at Berkeley. Marissa disagrees saying that when Ryan was at Berkeley she could tell he belonged there and knows he will get back there, no matter what.
Ryan tells Marissa about Theresa and she gives him some advice.
Sandy makes a toast at dinner and thanks Julie and Neil for inviting him. Sandy introduces everyone to Kirsten when Neil asks her how she thinks Sandy is doing running the Newport Group. Kirsten doesn’t answer at first but gets up to make her own toast. She says how Sandy has told her countless amounts of times about how important the hospital is to him and that you grow up to marry your father and she thought she escaped that and leaves with a glass of Chardonnay in her hand. She raises the glass to her lips and chugs it down.
Marissa and Summer are catching up and Summer tells her that Seth and Anna are dating. Marissa is shocked and asked how he explained himself. Summer says he didn’t but tried to which Marissa tells her not assume as she doesn’t know for sure. Summer asks her about Berkeley and Marissa said it could be amazing if she was ready and isn’t sure she is. Summer says she believes in her and they hang up. Seth’s meeting with MICA went very great and Seth and Anna are hopeful he will get in. Anna says goodbye to him at the gate when Summer sees them. File:Anna Stern - The College Try 2.webp
Marissa sneaks into Volchok’s to get her stuff when she finds a CD of the Sound of Music on the counter. He seems to have watched it and Marissa decides to lay in bed with him. Theresa finally meets with Ryan at the Cohen’s and she immediately tells him that Daniel is not Ryan’s son. Eddie is his father confirmed by a paternity test. Theresa apologizes for not being honest with him but lied to him because his life opened up with the Cohen’s. Ryan asks if Eddie is helping her and he isn’t to which Ryan said he would have if he knew. Theresa tells him she is doing good on her own as she has a really good career going for her. Ryan asks her about Daniel and they leave to get dinner and talk.
Cast[]
Starring[]
Guest Starring[] |
Co-Starring[]
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Music[]
- "Hands" by Ms. John Soda
- "Leave Me Alone" by Two Hours Traffic
- "Wrap It Up" by Whitey
- "Night Birds" by Ryan Adams
- "Samba Sandwich" by Jonathan Boyle
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
Gallery[]
