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"The Homecoming" is the eleventh episode in the first season of the Fox drama series The O.C.. The episode aired on the nineteenth of November, in 2003.

Synopsis[]

On Thanksgiving Day, Ryan ventures to his hometown in Chino to help his imprisoned brother, Trey, with some business he has. Marissa tags along with Ryan to get a look at the neighborhood where he was born and raised, but it brings out some bad situations and unpleasant trips down memory lane for Ryan. Back in Newport, Kirsten invites Jimmy and Rachel over for Thanksgiving dinner where Seth takes the player role of playing both Summer and Anna. But he does not play it well, leading to both of the girls running into each other and learning about Seth's two-timing act.

Plot[]

It's Thanksgiving day and Kirsten is doing her best to make Ryan's first Thanksgiving with the Cohens very special. Kirsten insists on taking charge of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Seth tries to stop saying its his favorite holiday and because he doesn't want Kirsten to ruin Thanksgiving. Kirsten is looking for several items to cook with when she attempts to start cooking the turkey. Kirsten picks up the turkey in a weird way and Sandy jokes saying it was how she held Seth as a baby. Kirsten suggests they start pasting when Sandy says he will do it. Kirsten tries to move onto the cranberries but Ryan handles it. Kirsten then attempts to peel the potatoes when Seth steps in first. Kirsten then asks what she is supposed to do and the boys say she should set the table. The phone rings and Kirsten answers it but it's for Ryan. His brother, Trey, is calling and he steps out of the kitchen. Kirsten tells Sandy and Seth that he is calling from jail and how she has gotten so used to Ryan being apart of their family, she forgot he still has one of his own.

Kirsten Cohen - The Homecoming 2

Kirsten attempts to cook Thanksgiving dinner and the boys give her a hard time.


Ryan and Trey are catching up when its obvious Trey is asking Ryan to visit him, since it has been a long time they have seen each other. Ryan walks back into the kitchen and the Cohens ask about Trey. Ryan tells them that Trey wants him to visit. Kirsten asks if he will go and he says he could and be back in time for dinner. Sandy says it would be good for him to see Trey. Ryan is stalling by helping make the food before he goes to see his brother. Ryan doesn't really want to go because he knows his brother will just want something from him. Seth says he might not want that and Ryan tells him that he doesn't know Trey. Ryan doesn't like talking about his brother and Seth says he could go with him. Ryan doesn't want to make Seth do that but Seth says they are technically brothers now and starts to say something about being there for him. Ryan interrupts and says someone has to keep Kirsten from the food. Seth also has Anna coming over.

Kirsten asks Sandy if he thinks Ryan is okay as he is cooking corn on the grill. Sandy thinks so. Kirsten tries to help and Sandy says that Seth really likes corn. Kirsten asks how they expect her to get better and Sandy says he doesn't and the boys made a pact, a promise to keep Kirsten away from the Thanksgiving food for the guests. The Cohens invited Jimmy, Marissa, and Rachel to their home for the holiday. Kirsten can't believe her dad is spending Thanksgiving with Julie Cooper since he has never had it with them. Seth comes outside and tells Kirsten she is too close to the corn and asks her to step aside.

Seth Cohen - The Homecoming 2

Seth is determined to keep Kirsten away from all the food on Thanksgiving.


Marissa is telling her dad how she doesn't want to go to her mom's for Thanksgiving. Jimmy tells her it is just for an hour and she asks why they have to spend it with Caleb. Marissa asks him if it is weird for him and Jimmy says Julie is moving on and he plans to do so as well. Jimmy tells Marissa how her mom is still her mom and they leave to go see her. Ryan tells Seth he is heading out to see Trey when Seth grabs a new comic book for Ryan to take for Trey. Ryan sees all of the cologne Seth has laid out and asks when he started wearing it. Seth says since Anna is coming over and Seth tries to deny it. Ryan thinks Seth likes her and says that Anna is into him. Seth stops him and asks Ryan for his advice that he promises not to tell anyone. Seth tells him about Summer kissing him on the yacht at the event. This confuses Ryan and Seth says that he has never had any women in his life before and now has two. Ryan says he feels realllly bad for Seth and jokes how he has a tough problem. Seth says he liked it so much better when Ryan had no sense of humor when the doorbell rings. It's Marissa and Jimmy and they greet Sandy and Kirsten. Marissa finds Ryan saying she wanted to stop by before she went to her mom's in case Ryan wanted to talk. Ryan asks her your pool house or mine.

Ryan & Marissa - The Homecoming

Ryan and Marissa, "Your pool house or mine?"


Kirsten and Sandy begin to pick apart Jimmy's look since he doesn't know Sandy and Kirsten are setting him up with Rachel. Jimmy is confused and they ignore his questions. Ryan and Marissa are kissing in the pool house when Marissa says she has to go to her mom's but says she will be back in an hour. Ryan says he will be back by dinner and she asks where he is going. Ryan regrettably tells her he is seeing his brother and Marissa asks if he wants her to come with. Ryan says it's okay and she goes on to say how she wants to see where Ryan is from. Ryan then tells her she should be with her mom and Marissa feels bad since Ryan has this whole life she doesn't know anything about. Ryan says it is better that way. Ryan explains to Marissa that it isn't his life anymore so it doesn't matter. He kisses her and she leaves.

Rachel is the next guest to arrive and they introduce her to Jimmy. Sandy and Kirsten have them sit in the living room and they leave them be and go to the kitchen to avoid the awkwardness. Sandy says how they suck and it wasn't very smooth. Ryan tells the Cohens he's leaving as Sandy gives him his phone just in case. Kirsten asks if he wants anyone to go with him, gives him the keys and a pie to give to Trey. Ryan questions it and she tells him it was store bought. Ryan makes yet another joke and makes Seth think he has too much cologne on. As Ryan is getting into the car, Marissa is sitting in the passenger's seat, waiting. She tells him that she is going and that Julie gave her permission to go and Ryan reluctantly lets her tag along.

Ryan and Marissa make it to prison. Ryan sees Trey and he introduces him to Marissa. Trey hugs Ryan and says how good it is to see him. Ryan apologizes for not coming more often to see Trey. He understands Ryan has a new life. Ryan can just sense Trey needs something from him and ask. Trey tells him that he is in trouble and owes people a lot of money, $6,000, that he lost. Ryan wonders how that even happened and Trey tells him that the people he owes have friends in prison who beat him up to remind him about it. Ryan tells him that he doesn't have that kind of money and Trey says he isn't asking for it. Ryan asks him what he is asking. Ryan and Marissa leave and he tells her they are going to the bus station so Marissa can go home. Ryan tells her that he has to steal a car and drop it off at a chop shop to pay off Trey's debt. Marissa worries about him getting caught when Ryan says that he doesn't have a choice because it is his brother. Marissa refuses to go and says she isn't leaving him.

Trey and Ryan - The Homecoming

Trey asks for Ryan's help in paying off a huge debt he owes.


At the Cohen's, Anna arrives and meets Sandy and Kirsten. As Anna talks about her life and her family, Sandy and Kirsten seem to approve of her. They pat him on the back and leave them be in the kitchen. Rachel realizes that Sandy is trying to set her up with Jimmy and confronts him about it. Sandy denies it and she says that Jimmy is a criminal and wonders how desperate he thinks she is. Sandy says that Jimmy is a good guy and Rachel calls him a thief. Sandy then says she is a lawyer and that it is a perfect match. Rachel then says that Sandy doesn't want to deal with what is going on between them and Sandy immediately says there isn't anything going on. Sandy puts up boundaries and tells Rachel how they are coworkers and that's it. Sandy hypes up Jimmy and Rachel tells him it isn't going to happen. Jimmy then confronts Kirsten about how he also knows he is being set up with Rachel. Kirsten ignores this. Rachel goes back to the living room where Jimmy is watching football. They both admit to each other that they didn't know about the set up. They start getting into the football game together and are rooting for the opposite teams.

Sandy and Kirsten see Anna and Seth getting along as well as Jimmy and Rachel. They are feeling pretty good about themselves and cheers their drinks. The doorbell rings and Julie and Caleb are there as Sandy calls them the "gruesome twosome." Julie says how the caterer's truck broke down with their feast and she came to tell Marissa they are going out to eat. Kirsten tells Julie she isn't there and Caleb says they could just eat at the Cohen's and asks Kirsten if she would mind. Kirsten says no to Caleb and tells Julie how Ryan left that morning to Chino. Julie walks into the living room and sees Jimmy sitting on the couch with Rachel. Caleb joins them and asks about the game. Kirsten and Sandy start to see how bad things could turn out and Kirsten downs more wine.

Ryan and Marissa are driving around Ryan's old neighborhood and Marissa takes an interest in it. Ryan knocks on the door of someone's house and it is Theresa Diaz. She recognizes him immediately and there seems to be some history between them. Ryan asks for her brother, Arturo, and Theresa gets offended that is all Ryan is asking for and won't tell her where he has been for the past five months. Ryan can't find the words so Theresa asks who Marissa is. Marissa introduces herself and Theresa notices she is Ryan's new girlfriend. Marissa realizes that Theresa and Ryan used to go out, off and on, and that they grew up together. Theresa tells Marissa how she was the girl next door and Marissa says so is she. It could not be more awkward. Theresa invites them in and Ryan turns to Marissa saying he will explain to her later. Marissa doesn't seem mad at all and walks into Theresa's before Ryan does.

Theresa Diaz - The Homecoming

First appearance of Theresa Diaz.


In Theresa's house, Ryan says hi to Theresa's mom and asks where Ryan has been. Arturo walks in and Ryan introduces him to Marissa. Theresa is still upset about Marissa being Ryan's new girlfriend when Arturo takes Ryan to go get the car. Ryan asks Marissa if she wants to go with him but Marissa says how she will hang out there. Theresa's mom says that Marissa could help them cook when Theresa says that she shouldn't ask her because Marissa has maids for that.

Julie asks Jimmy where Marissa is but they both don't know since she was supposed to go to Julie's. Kirsten and Sandy are scrambling and trying to figure out who should stay. Caleb walks into the kitchen and says hi to Seth and Anna. Caleb asks to talk with Kirsten because he can tell she is mad. Kirsten says it is okay and walks out as Caleb goes after her. Anna stops him and starts having a conversation about the wetlands that he currently owns that is about to undergo construction. Anna asks how he feels about creating pollution problems for Newport and Sandy joins her. The doorbell rings and it's Summer at the door. Summer is looking for Marissa because she was supposed to have Thanksgiving with her and her family. Seth tells Summer he doesn't know where Marissa is and Summer says that they should talk about what happened on the yacht. Seth suggests going to the pool house to talk and has her go through the front to the back instead of taking her in through the house. They step into the pool house and Summer grabs and kisses him. She says she can't help it or explain it and continues to kiss him.

Seth & Summer - The Homecoming

Summer kisses Seth in secret in the pool house on Thanksgiving day.

At Theresa's house, Marissa finds out that Ryan was in musicals when he was younger. Theresa says how Ryan quit doing them when they got to high school. Marissa then sees a picture of Theresa and Ryan at a dance together and Theresa says how they used to get into all kinds of trouble. Theresa then tells Marissa how Ryan just left and Marissa defends him, saying that she doesn't think Ryan planned what happened. Theresa says how Ryan could have called and that they knew each other their whole lives but not so much anymore. Arturo talks about the car saying that Trey must owe someone a lot of money considering the quality of the car. Arturo then asks Ryan why he is back doing things for Trey. Arturo says how Trey was his best friend but he is trouble and that Ryan doesn't have to do this for him.

Marissa - The Homecoming

Marissa finds out Ryan used to do musicals growing up and discovers even more about his past.


Kirsten is frustrated with her father that the only reason why he is now having Thanksgiving with her and her family is because his food didn't show up. Kirsten continues to drink more and more wine and Sandy tells her to slow down. Kirsten says no and asks Sandy to kick out Caleb. Seth comes back into the house after his time with Summer and runs into Anna. Anna tries to get Seth into the pool house but since Summer is hiding in there, he takes her to his room instead. Anna kisses Seth and he panics and says he needs to check on food. He calls Ryan for advice since the two girls and one guy is not working at all and Ryan says he knows what he means and asks to call Seth back later when him and Marissa are on the road. Seth figures out where Marissa is and Seth tells Ryan that her mom is looking for her. Ryan looks at Marissa who is talking with Theresa as they continue to get to know one another. Kirsten is making margaritas with the blender on high as Seth tries to tell her where Marissa is. He ends up accidentally announcing to the whole house that Marissa is in Chino.

Ryan is saying bye to Theresa and she wishes him luck. Ryan then apologizes to her about how he left things. She says that Chino isn't as fun as it used to be and waves goodbye to Marissa. Ryan confronts Marissa about lying to her mom. They start arguing since this is now another thing that Julie can hold over Ryan. Ryan says how he never should have brought her and Marissa says she isn't letting him do this alone. He doesn't want to hear it and gives her the keys to go back to Newport as she continues to argue. Ryan says it is not up for discussion and that she lied to him. Marissa gets in the car and drives away.

Ryan and Marissa - The Homecoming 2

Ryan figures out that Marissa did not get permission to go with him to Chino and sends her back.


Seth and Summer continue to make out in the pool house and they both can't believe it is happening between them. Summer asks to go inside and he prevents her by making excuses. In the house, Julie and Jimmy are arguing about who allowed Marissa to go or who let her slip by. Caleb butts in and asks what kind of father doesn't know what their daughter is doing. Kirsten can't believe he said that. Sandy and Rachel then say how Caleb ruins the land and Julie jabs at Rachel. Kirsten says that Rachel is their guest, unlike Julie and Caleb. Julie then brings up Ryan going to Chino and how it is their fault she is there. Sandy says that Ryan isn't the problem and everyone continues to go back and forth with each other. Seth walks in on a mission to see Anna. Seth and Anna start making out and he tells her that he has food to check on, again. Summer hears someone come into the pool house and thinks it is Seth but it's Sandy.

Ryan is dropping off the car at some sketchy junkyard. Ryan asks if they are good and if Trey is off the hook. The guy is upset and gathers his friends who surround Ryan and how late the debt is that Trey should have paid. The guys says that he also owes "interest" for that and starts to beat up Ryan. Marissa pulls up and honks the horn. Ryan manages to get away and runs to the car. He hops in and she speeds away. Ryan asks why she is there and Marissa says she followed him which he says was a good idea.

Ryan and Marissa - The Homecoming 3

Ryan manages to pay Trey's debt and get away with help from Marissa.


At the house, Julie and Jimmy are continuing to argue while Kirsten and Caleb do as well. Sandy confronts Seth about his two timing with Summer and Anna. Seth tells Sandy about being unable to pick which girl he was more into. During the arguing and Seth talking to Sandy, Sandy can smell something burning. Sandy pulls out the turkey that Kirsten had put into the oven. Anna walks in at the same time Anna does. They are both surprised to see each other and get mad at Seth as they figure out what he had been doing. Both Anna and Summer leave and Seth tries going after them both. Kirsten leaves too, saying she feels sick.

Seth Cohen - The Homecoming 3

Seth gets caught by both Summer and Anna in his two timing act.


Marissa and Ryan go back to visit Trey again. Ryan tells him that the car was delivered, the debt was paid off, and he is never doing anything for him again, due to the fact that he could have been killed. Trey tells him that he gets it. Ryan promises to visit more and Trey tells him not to because he has a chance at something better and gets the chance to leave everything that was in the past behind, even him. Ryan tells Trey to take care of himself and they hug each other goodbye. Ryan and Marissa talk in the car on the ride back to Newport about how her first time in Chino was. Marissa says how she never realized that when Ryan left, he left people behind. Ryan tells Marissa he never wants to do that again.

Sandy is eating takeout in bed while Kirsten is passed out next to him. Jimmy and Rachel make plans to watch another football game together when he is ready. Ryan and Marissa walk in and find Julie and Caleb eating takeout as well and Julie asks Marissa if she is okay. Julie gives Ryan a look and asks Marissa why she didn't tell her she was going. Caleb interrupts and tells Julie it is Thanksgiving and that about sums it up. Seth is wallowing in his room about what he did when Ryan and Marissa walk in. Ryan and Marissa join Seth and they eat takeout when they talk about each other's days. Ryan tells Seth how he said bye to his brother and how it is good to be home. Marissa comforts Ryan and then tells Seth that Ryan did musicals. Seth then says that is very "minty" of him and they all laugh.

Marissa and Ryan - The Homecoming

Marissa tells Seth that Ryan did musicals growing up.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Quotes[]

"You know what I dream about when I dream of Thanksgiving? I dream about eating food that has so much flavor that when I eat it, all the blood rushes to my stomach and I pass out at the table. Don't deny me that." -Seth

"Would you mind holding on for one second? I've got some green beans in the house that I need to check on." "You're passing me up for beans?" "No." -Seth and Summer

"I was just expressing awe and delight. Now it'll be replaced with a bruise....on my ass." -Seth to Summer

"Does anyone want another drink?" -Kirsten

"Ew. I mean, not ew. You're very attractive....for a dad....uh, very distingushed..." -Summer to Sandy

"I always knew you were a late bloomer sweetie." -Kirsten to Seth

Music[]

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

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