| ← 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 Man of the Year" is the twenty-fourth episode in the third season of the Fox drama series The O.C.. The episode aired on the fourth of May, in 2006.
Synopsis[]
Sandy is voted "Man of the Year" by Riviera magazine due to his work for the hospital, but his connections with Dr. Griffin get him in to trouble. Seth finds out about Kirsten’s relapse. Meanwhile, Marissa visits Kaitlin at her posh boarding school, who needs her help to get out of trouble with another student. To protect himself from assault charges, Ryan has to help Volchok with some illegal activities. By the end of the evening, Seth's future may be going up in smoke...literally.
Plot[]
Ryan stops himself from beating up Volchok any further and starts checking his pulse, making sure he is alive. Ryan drives him to the hospital but is cautious of anyone suspecting him of beating Volchok up. Ryan gets help and as soon as Volchok is moved. He wakes up and tells the doctor he was jumped and didn't see who it was. Volchok tells Ryan to meet him the next day at his place and says things aren't over between them. Volchok is taken into the hospital and Ryan leaves.
Marissa wakes up to a phone call the next day from her sister, Kaitlin. She answers and Kaitlin asks about Ryan and prom. Kaitlin asks Marissa to do her a favor that involves taking a letter the school sent Julie before she sees it. Marissa goes to find the letter but only if Kaitlin tells her the reason. Ryan also wakes up to a phone call the next day from Theresa. He answers and they talk about prom when she asks if Ryan got his thing taken care of. She then offers to get takeout with him later to which he agrees. Seth tells Ryan he told Summer the truth about Brown and how Summer and him are back together. Ryan asks if he will tell his parents the truth about Brown as well but Seth says he is going to wait until he gets an acceptance letter from RISD. Marissa goes to wake up Summer who is very hungover and embarrassed about prom night. Marissa tells her about Kaitlin calling about a letter she needs to grab which makes Summer remember the letter she needs to get before the Cohen's know of Seth's lies. She leaves in a hurry.
A very hungover and embarrassed Summer waking up the morning after prom.
The letter Summer left on Sandy's desk is sitting in front of him but he is having a conversation on the phone about the hospital. Sandy tells Kirsten that he is Rivera magazine's Man of the Year. Sandy starts to talk about how Rivera is excited about the hospital. Kirsten starts to talk about the difficulties they have had and Sandy thinks this will make things better. Seth and Ryan walk in and Kirsten breaks the news to them about Sandy. Ryan congratulates Sandy and Sandy tells them all to dress up and represent. Sandy says how great the entire family is doing and hopes everyone takes the moment to enjoy it. Both Ryan and Sandy leave and Seth asks Kirsten if she is excited. She responds saying it will be good for Sandy's career. Sandy opens the door to find Sumer at the door. Summer then sneaks into Sandy's office looking for the letter when Seth walks in. She stops and they both leave to go make out.
Ryan meets with Marissa at the diner. Marissa asks if things are okay because he sounded weird on the phone. Ryan gives her the pouch of money that Volchok stole, asking her to give it to Taylor. Marissa guesses it was Volchok and says she should go over to his place and kick his ass, she got beat to it. Ryan tells her to try and forget about it and Marissa says she will and that he can count on her. Marissa tells Ryan how she was thinking of taking a road trip this coming weekend and says she will go home and pack. Ryan stops her and asks to buy her breakfast, they both smile and decide on what to eat.
Marissa smiles at Ryan after he offers to buy her breakfast.
Back at the Cohen's, Summer and Seth are making out then asks where Sandy is. Summer tries to tell Seth about the letter but chooses not to. Julie gets off the phone when Neil walks in and tells him about Sandy's achievement and the party. Neil tells Julie about the investigation on Sandy and Dr. Griffin that have been working closely together. Julie says she can't imagine Sandy doing something illegal or morally wrong. Neil tells her he is meeting with the district attorney to find out for sure and Julie wants to warn Sandy which Neil already did. Julie then wonders why Kirsten doesn't know.
Ryan goes back to Volchok's place asking how he is. Volchok says he got stitches and a few broken ribs. Ryan tries to apologize and thinks that they are okay. Volchok disagrees and says he needs help picking something up from a guy. Ryan immediately says no several times and that he is not interested. Volchok threatens Ryan with assault charges but Ryan says no one would believe him. Volchok doesn't care because he doesn't have anything to loose but Ryan has everything to loose. Volchok demands Ryan to help him the next night but Ryan can't because of Sandy's night. Volchok threatens to have Ryan arrested at the party.
Marissa goes to Kaitlin's dorm at her school to find her roommate, Hadley Hawthrone, answering the door. Hadley is on the phone and goes to get Kaitlin. Marissa asks Kaitlin to explain the letter. Julie invites Kirsten over to tell her about Sandy being investigated. Julie apologizes to Kirsten as she just thought she should know. Julie suggests that she could try and find a way to contain it and Kirsten appreciates it, but Sandy will take it hard. Julie then tells her that Sandy already knows because Neil told him.
Hadley Hawthrone, Kaitlin's roommate, answers their door.
Ryan and Theresa are eating takeout and talk about Daniel. Theresa talks about their history and their future when she notices Ryan's bruised knuckles. Theresa figures out that Ryan fought Volchok. Ryan gets a phone call from Volchok and Theresa gets up to leave. Ryan stops her and tries to explain himself to her since he can't tell the Cohen's. Theresa tells Ryan she has a son she has to think about now and can't be with anymore bad guys. She tells him she will always love him, to stay safe, and leaves.
Kirsten visits Sandy at his office who seems to be in denial, thinking that the investigation will go away and that the Man of the Year honor will help with that. Kirsten tells him it won't and tells himIabout Neil's meeting. Sandy says he will find a way to figure it out and promises Kirsten he won't let it affect the family. Kirsten goes home and opens the door of her kitchen cabinet, pulling out a bottle of alcohol. Sandy goes to his safe, takes out some documents, and leaves.
Marissa, Kaitlin, and Hadley are having dinner at school and Kaitlin points out a boy in the crowd. Marissa asks what the kid has against Kaitlin and she tells her that he gave her an invitation to a "lipstick party" (Adderall) and she declined. The kid went and told the head mistress at their school that he saw Kaitlin taking Adderall. Hadley tells Marissa that he easily gets away with things due to his sports and academic success. Kaitlin does not want to get kicked out of school and asks for Marissa to get evidence. She comes up with a plan that involves their school uniforms.
Marissa, Kaitlin, and Hadley discussing a plan to keep Kaitlin from getting kicked out.
Ryan goes back to Volchok's place, Volchok is going over a plan with another guy there. Volchok gives Ryan the address and its a house in his neighborhood. Seth tries to talk to Kirsten about his plans to go out but she is passed out in her room. Seth goes over to his mom's nightstand and smells the mug when Summer walks in. Summer asks Seth if Kirsten is sick and Seth says that she is and has to stay back with her. Seth says they need to raincheck dinner and Summer gets concerned. Seth goes back to his mom's room and covers her with a blanket. He washes out the mug goes back to his room. He opens up his drawer to possibly smoke a joint but changes his mind.
Marissa walks through the school in full uniform at Kaitlin's boarding school with many eyes on her. She approaches the kid that got Kaitlin in trouble and speaks to him in an accent, asking for a tour in his dorm. He doesn't buy the accent so she tells him she's a stripper. Seth asks to speak to Kirsten and she asks to wait until later because she is on her way to an AA meeting. Seth asks how it is going and she gives him a vague response.
Marissa wears a school uniform to seduce a kid trying to get Kaitlin kicked out of school.
Sandy meets with a DA at the club before Neil shows up and asks for advice. The DA tells Sandy the case does not have a lot of strong evidence but since Sandy has been working closely with him, anything Dr. Griffin has been doing could be blamed on Sandy as well. Sandy asks if he had reciepts, would it help to which the DA says it would. Sandy then asks him that if he cooperates, would he be able to finish the hospital with the Newport Group. The DA says that if Griffin goes down, so does the hospital. This leaves Sandy with a choice to make. Neil arrives and Sandy leaves. Ryan and Volchok get a visual on the house and wait until the owners leave. Ryan asks what they are picking up and Volchok doesn't really answer him. A neighbor comes up to the car and starts talking to Ryan since she noticed it was the Cohen's car.
Marissa takes the kid to a supply closet and tells him to take off his pants. He does so and she pushes him into a chair. She takes the ribbons from her hair and starts to tie them around his wrists. Marissa says she haas to go change, takes his pants, and leaves. Kaitlin and Marissa take out his keys and run to his dorm. Summer goes to Sandy's office looking for the letter and runs into Sandy. She spots the letter on his desk and asks to wait for Seth in his office. She then asks Sandy if Kirsten is feeling better to which Sandy says he didn't know she was sick. Summer moves in closer to his desk and begins to reach for the letter. Sandy grabs the letter before she can and asks her what it is. Sandy opens it and begins to read the, "Most Recent and Troubling Lies" Seth wrote down. Summer tells Sandy how Seth gave it to her and said she could use it against him when he messed up. Sandy responds saying it is serious and Summer says it was before she knew he didn't get into Brown. Sandy and Kirsten did not know that.
At Kirsten's AA meeting, she is talking to the group about her relapse and how her husband doesn't know since he is highly invested in his business deal that might get him arrested. She says she isn't blaming anyone as she holds the power in deciding whether to drink or not but that she really needs her husband. Seth is listening to her from around the corner. Seth gets home to find Sandy waiting to talk to him and Seth wants to talk to him as well. Sandy says he loves him and is worried about Seth. Seth says he is too. Sandy talks about Seth smoking pot and Set asks if he would rather do it somewhere else, like his dorm. Sandy says it would require him getting into college. Seth asks him if he thinks it is a good idea for him to go away to college when Kirsten has been drinking again. Seth goes on to say that if Sandy had been paying attention to Kirsten instead of the hospital he would notice that she has been passing out before dinner. Sandy tells him not to talk to his dad like that and Seth says it would require him to act like one.
The owners leave and Ryan tells Volchok to go ahead and he will wait. He gets Ryan to go with him as his cover when they approach the house. Volchok leaves Ryan waiting in front of the house while he walks to the back. Ryan watches as a police car drives by down the road in the neighborhood when the garage door opens. Volchok tells Ryan to get into the car as this is what Volchok came to steal. He tries to bust open the window when the car alarm goes off. Ryan yells at him to leave but Volchok breaks the window instead. He hotwires the car when the cop car approaches and tells Ryan to get in. Ryan doesn't so Volchok drives off and Ryan runs while the cop car chases Volchok.
Ryan and Volchok walk up to the house Volchok wants to steal from.
Kaitlin thanks Marissa for her help. Hadley says she is surprised by how cool she is since Kaitlin talks about Marissa's problems a lot. Marissa says she's glad they wont get into trouble and that she actually had fun. Hadley takes a phone call and Kaitlin says how much she liked hanging out with Marissa and how it sucks Marissa is leaving for college. Marissa is still deciding on whether or not she wants to go. Kaitlin says she is really going to miss her and that she means it.
Kirsten gets home to find Sandy wanting to talk to her. Sandy hesitates then asks her if she has been drinking again. Sandy says he wished she would talk to him and Kirsten responds saying she tried to. Kirsten then says that the only way Sandy would have talked to her would be that of a relapse. Sandy denies it and Kirsten isn't so sure. Kirsten apologizes for relapsing and then keeping it a secret. Sandy apologizes as well. Kirsten visits Seth in his room confronting him about his knowledge of her relapse. Seth assumes that she also knows about Brown and apologizes for telling Sandy about her drinking. Kirsten is glad that she told him and says that even though things have been difficult, they are still a family. Seth jokes that they are a well put together family with Sandy about to go to jail and Kirsten drinking again that it gives the Atwood's a run for their mind. Kirsten asks Seth to apologize to Sandy and he agrees. Kirsten asks Seth to pick something up at the office and believes Sandy is going to fix things.
Ryan is still running through the woods when he pulls out his phone to call Marissa. Ryan asks where she is and she tells him she is driving home from visiting Kaitlin and asks if he is okay. Ryan is panicking and asks to meet her at her place. She agrees and lets him know about they key and to wait in her room. Marissa is worried as Ryan hangs up the phone and continues to drive home. Seth is looking at their family pictures in Sandy's office and sits to smoke a joint. Julie finds Neil and asks why he isn't ready to go to the party. He doesn't want to see Sandy go down but Julie insists they be there for Sandy and Kirsten. Neil says it feels like a conflict of interest and that he may have to testify against Sandy. Julie doesn't understand as she sees the Cohen's like family and leaves heading to the party. Seth gets a call from his mom and she wonders when Seth will get there and he says he will be there soon. Seth grabs the drawing and leaves but knocks the joint over into the trash that starts to catch fire.
At the party, the DA shows up to the party and Sandy jokes that he is there to arrest him. The fire starts to spread throughout Sandy's desk. Marissa gets home to find Ryan and he immediately asks her if she would admit she was with him the whole night. Marissa questions it but Ryan wants an answer. She says yes as Sandy's office continues to burn. Summer and Neil arrive and Julie greets Neil, pleased he changed his mind. Neil says that Julie did. Sandy starts his speech and thanks everyone for the honor but that he can't accept it. He tells everyone that he is cooperating with the district attorney in the investigation. Summer apologizes to Seth and he accepts, as he thinks it is for the best. Sandy goes on to say that he is stepping aside as he wants to cherish an honor that is more important to him, father and husband of the year.
Kirsten and Sandy after he ends his partnership with the hospital.
Sandy hands over his receipts to the DA and plans to keep in touch. Sandy makes up with Seth and Kirsten when police officers arrive looking for someone. Marissa and Ryan show up and he thinks they are looking for him. The police officers leave the club with Seth being arrested. Ryan asks what happened and Sandy says there is a fire at the Newport Group and they think Seth did it.
Cast[]
Starring[]
Guest Starring[] |
Co-Starring[]
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Music[]
- "The Pioneers" by Bloc Party
- "The Pioneers" by Tunng
- "Some You Give Away" by La Rocca
- "Spaceship" by The Vines
- "Cherry Bomb" by The Runaways
- "Flames Go Higher" by Eagles of Death Metal
- "I Don't Care What My Friends Say" by Chris Holmes
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
Gallery[]
