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"The O.Sea" is the twenty-third episode in the second season of the Fox drama series The O.C.. The episode aired on the twelfth of May in 2005.

Synopsis[]

Seth and Zach squabble over who should take Summer to the prom and who will meet George Lucas for dinner over the publishing of the graphic novel. Meanwhile, Sandy takes drastic actions with a recovering Kirsten. Ryan tries to piece together what happened between Trey and Marissa and runs into his old girlfriend, Theresa. Also, Julie decides to murder Caleb to avoid going broke, but her attempts to poison Caleb take a surprising turn.

Plot[]

Seth wakes up Ryan early in the morning to talk about his dilemma with Summer and Zach. Ryan is over having the same conversation with Seth and continues to try and sleep. Seth starts talking about how he has to take Summer to prom and remembers how she has fantasized about prom since elementary school. Ryan says he doesn't want to go to prom and Seth tries to explain that when he saw Trey leaving, it doesn't mean they are hooking up (YES SETH LETS GO). Ryan is still certain they hooked up and Seth argues he is thinking of the worst scenario. Ryan says he needs to talk to her but isn't sure she will tell him what really happened. The phone rings and Seth answers it. Sandy is on the line and reveals to Seth the news about Kirsten. Seth tells Ryan and they both rush out of the house to go to the hospital.

At the hospital, Sandy watches over Kirsten as she starts to wake up. Sandy tells her how grateful he is that she is okay and Kirsten apologizes to him. Sandy says they will get through this rough patch. Kirsten reveals her broken wedding ring that paramedics had to cut off. Sandy says she needed an upgrade anyway just as Seth and Ryan walk in. Kirsten assures them both she is fine and that it happened because she was talking on the phone. Seth jokes about the movies he can get going for Kirsten at home when a police officer pops in wanting to talk to Sandy. He steps out of the room and the officer, who is a good friend of the Cohen's, reveals to Sandy that Kirsten was way past the legal limit and offers to cover for Kirsten, with the condition that she gets help.

Sandy and Kirsten - The O

Sandy is grateful Kirsten is alive and well but her drinking problem is becoming more and more troublesome.


Marissa's idea for prom is underwater themed which she tells Summer the struggle of actually executing the idea. Marissa tells her that things with Ryan have been rocky and Summer is confused because she thought they were happy. Marissa gets frustrated and asks not to talk which worries Summer. Marissa changes the subject saying that Summer might be voted prom queen. Summer doesn't seem too excited because she doesn't exactly have a date. Summer doesn't want to decide between Seth and Zach and says she will only go to prom if Marissa works things out with Ryan. Julie stops by to bring food for the Cohen's and asks about Kirsten. Sandy feels guilty and Julie says it has been a rough few weeks. Julie asks for advice about her prenup and how Caleb is in such a rush to divorce her. The prenup entails that if they are married for less than a year, she gets nothing, and they are just on the brink of being married for a year. Julie asks if he can find a loophole but Sandy says she is out of luck unless she finds a way of stopping Caleb from turning in the papers.

Summer and Marissa - The O

Summer continues to worry about Marissa's behavior and her relationship with Ryan.


At Harbor, Seth apologizes to Zach about the launch party and they both agree to put it behind themselves. They wonder if Summer feels the same way as they run into her. Summer says she is sick of their excuses and says it will be up to the both of them to decide who goes with her. Seth and Zach start arguing about who will take her just as Zach gets a message from Reed, explaining how she needs to meet with them both. Back at the Cohen's, Sandy is watching over Kirsten and offers her a brochure to a rehab facility. Kirsten gets defensive of this and says she doesn't need to go. She tells him that she is going to pour out every bottle of alcohol because she doesn't want to risk everything like she has already done.

Summer - The O

Summer tells Zach and Seth to figure out who will take her to prom.


Marissa is walking through the halls at school when Ryan confronts her asking to tell him what is going on. Ryan says how he saw Trey leaving her house and very bluntly accuses her of hooking up with him which she takes note of. Marissa claims it isn't what he thinks and Ryan says that he is guessing. Marissa gets reasonably upset and Ryan asks what he is supposed to think since she has been acting weird since he got back from Miami. Marissa says that Ryan is supposed to give her more credit than that and she tells Ryan she didn't hook up with Trey. She leaves saying that if he doesn't believe her, he should ask Trey what happened.

At the meeting with Reed, Seth and Zach try to talk about the disaster of their comic launch. Reed then tells them both that George Lucas is interested in their comic and is considering making it into his next movie. Seth and Zach are over the moon about it until she says that only one of them can go to the meeting. Reed then says that they both need to figure out who is going and tells them that it is happening the next night, which is the night of their prom. Zach says how terribly he wants to go to the meeting with George Lucas while Seth says how badly he also wants to meet him. Zach says that one of them has to go to the meeting while the other takes Summer to prom. They both have no idea how they will settle it.

Caleb visits Kirsten to see how she is doing and he is furious she was driving drunk. Sandy says that Kirsten needs support and that if he isn't there to do so, he should leave. Caleb argues with Sandy who just becomes more defensive of Kirsten until she walks in. Sandy steps out to allow Caleb and Kirsten time to talk. Kirsten assures Caleb she is fine and asks how things are at the office. Caleb says that she could have been killed and Kirsten is determined she has learned her lesson. Caleb accuses Kirsten of having a problem and calls her an alcoholic. Caleb compares her to her mother and Kirsten goes off on Caleb. She claims that her mom drank because of Caleb and yells at him about Hailey. They get into a screaming match and Kirsten tells Caleb he will die alone and storms out.

Kirsten - The O

Kirsten screams at Caleb, telling him he will die alone.


Ryan pounds on Trey's door wanting to speak to him but there is no answer. Ryan calls Trey and leaves him a message, wanting to speak with him. Summer is listening to music and flipping through magazines at school when Zach and Seth approach her. Zach and Seth try to figure out who she hates more and Summer says that she has always chose one over the other when they either left her or someone wronged her. She says it is entirely up to them and she doesn't care how they decide. Seth offers to flip for it but Zach says they should flip right before prom so no one can back out of it. They plan to meet up right before prom to do it.

Summer - The O

Summer trying to enjoy herself before Zach and Seth decide who will take her to prom.


Seth talks to Ryan about Marissa and he says it is good news that Marissa and Trey didn't hook up. Ryan knows that something happened between them and that Trey is avoiding his calls. Seth says he should believe Marissa and that he has no reason not to and should go to prom with her (YES SETH!!). Ryan doesn't want to go but Seth advocates for it and hopes Ryan learns from his own mistakes. Caleb comes to the house looking for his sleeping pills and Julie lets him in. Caleb tells her about his argument with Kirsten and Julie suggests he apologizes or writes her a letter. Julie grabs his pills but ends up switching them out. Julie then asks to go out with him the next night and Caleb hesitates but agrees.

The next day, Ryan finds Marissa at school and he apologizes to her about their argument. Ryan says he believes Marissa and then asks her to go to prom. Marissa hugs him and starts kissing him. Ryan says that he didn't think she was into PDA at school and she says she is coming around. Marissa and Ryan continue to make out while Jess watches them from a distance. Sandy finds Kirsten who is completely exhausted and he says that her dad will always come back to her. Kirsten feels terrible about the things she said and Sandy says he will forgive her. Kirsten says she should talk to her dad but Sandy wants to spend time with her, saying they need to work on their marriage. Jess tells Ryan that he is getting Trey's leftovers and Ryan says he knows nothing happened between them. Jess tells him that Trey left for Chino and Ryan has a hard time believing her.

Ryan and Marissa - The O

Ryan asks Marissa to prom.


Zach and Seth flip for who is going to meet George Lucas and who is going with Summer to prom. They flip for it and reveal the results and wish each other luck. Julie is mixing pills in a drink that she is preparing for Caleb. Caleb arrives and Julie hides her evidence. Julie says she just wanted one last night with Caleb and gives him the signed divorce papers. She pours him his drink and just before Caleb takes a drink, he asks for a different drink instead.

Julie - The O

Julie fixes Caleb a drink that has a mixture of pills.


In Chino, Ryan arrives at the bar that Trey likes to hang out in. He spots Trey playing pool and asks about Marissa. Trey and Ryan sit down and he tells Ryan about what happened while he was in Miami. Trey begins to tell him and Ryan interrupts saying that he came onto Marissa (YES RYAN HE DID). But, Trey claims that wasn't the case and that Marissa actually came onto him (LIAR). Ryan says he doesn't believe him and Trey lies even more saying that they agreed not to tell Ryan. Ryan still doesn't believe him and then asks if he swears. Trey says he swears, "on mom" (WHAT!?!?), and that he wouldn't lie to him (OMG CMON). Ryan storms out and he calls Marissa, saying he won't make it to prom. After, Ryan runs into Theresa.

Ryan and Theresa walk together and catch up on each others lives. Theresa tells Ryan she is just visiting her mom and Ryan asks her about Atlanta. Ryan says that he wrote her a bunch of letters that she never wrote him back on. Theresa says she needed a clean break and that she wanted Ryan to go back to Newport. She says that he belongs there and asks why he is even back in Chino. Ryan says it's because of Trey and that he hooked up with Marissa. This shocks Theresa and Ryan says that he doesn't know who to believe. Theresa says that he should believe Marissa because she would never hurt him like that but Trey would. Ryan asks how she knows that and Theresa explains that in The Ties That Bind, when she needed Ryan, Marissa let him go. Theresa encourages Ryan that Marissa is the one he should trust. They get to Theresa's and she asks to say hi to her mom. Theresa says it's late and says goodbye to Ryan, saying he should talk to Marissa. Ryan agrees and leaves. Inside the house, Theresa greets her baby (WHAT & WHAT).

Ryan and Theresa - The O

Ryan and Theresa catch up and she encourages him to believe Marissa over Trey.


A limousine pulls up to Summer's and she waits to see who will emerge from it. Zach ends up getting out and sees Summer's reaction. He gives her the corsage which doesn't match her dress. They both arrive at prom and Summer sees Marissa. She asks her about Ryan and Marissa tells her that Ryan isn't coming. Summer gets mad that he isn't coming and threatens to hurt him for it. Marissa says she will be okay. Seth is meeting George Lucas with Reed and he is completely starstruck. Seth asks straight out of the gate if he went to his prom. George says he didn't which makes Seth feel better about missing his. George then says that he does regret not going and that it's an important experience to have as a teenager. George said he felt upset that he didn't go and even made a movie about it.

Seth and George Lucas - The O

Seth meets George Lucas and he asks about going to prom.


At prom, Summer is dancing with Zach who's phone keeps buzzing which annoys her. He checks his phone and they are messages from Reed about the meeting with George Lucas. Summer can see that Zach would rather be there and encourages him to go, since he is talking himself into it. Zach then says he knows Summer didn't want him to be her date and Summer says she knows that he doesn't want to be at prom either. Summer says he has every right to abandon her since she did in The Rainy Day Women. Zach says goodbye to Summer. Seth tells George about his deal with Zach just as he shows up. They both acknowledge that Seth wants Summer and that Zach wants the comic. Zach gives his tux jacket to Seth and tells him to hurry to prom.

Sandy and Kirsten are trying to figure out what movie to watch just as their food arrives. Sandy goes through her purse to grab cash from Kirsten and finds a bottle of vodka hidden. Julie is swimming while Caleb is by the side of the pool. Julie tries offering him the drink once again but Caleb doesn't take a drink from it. They make a toast and just before Caleb takes a drink, Julie stops him and says that she messed up on his drink and offers to make him a new one. Julie storms inside and pours his drink out. Summer and Marissa walk around prom, dateless. Marissa asks Summer if she is okay and she assures her she is fine. They consider leaving until the prom announcer, gets ready to announce prom queen and king. Summer ends up winning prom queen (YAY SUMMER). She goes up to stage just as he announces Zach as prom king. The announcer gives Summer her crown and calls out for Zach. Seth arrives and storms up to the stage to make an announcement, saying he loves Summer. Seth then asks what he can do to make things up to her just as "Fix You" by Coldplay, plays in the background. Summer asks him to dance with her and they kiss.

Season2episode23

Seth chooses Summer and prom over his comic book and kisses his queen.


Marissa watches them in the crowd and leaves as everyone partners up to dance with their dates. Marissa stands outside of the dance devastated until Ryan shows up. Marissa is surprised to see him as he makes his way over to her. He grabs her and she pulls him in. Ryan kisses her shoulder while Marissa relaxes in his arms. He apologizes for missing prom but she tells him he is just in time. Ryan and Marissa dance together outside, peacefully.

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Ryan and Marissa dance together at their prom.


Julie attempts to make Caleb another drink and is really having a hard time going through with It. As Julie tries to make his drink, Caleb starts to grab his chest in pain. He tries calling for Julie but ends up falling into the pool. Julie comes back out and screams for Caleb. She dives into the pool and grabs Caleb, pulling him out of the water. Kirsten comes back into the kitchen ready to eat when Sandy asks what they will do for her. Sandy tells her that he found her stash of alcohol and that he believed her when she said she was done. Kirsten claims she is doing things her own way but Sandy says she is doing it wrong with all her lying and sneaking around. Kirsten doesn't want to be watched and Sandy says it might be what she needs. The phone rings and Sandy goes to answer it. Julie is on the line and she sounds distressed. Sandy hangs up the phone and tells Kirsten that Caleb has died. Kirsten immediately grabs her bottle of alcohol and heads to her bedroom.

Kirsten and Sandy - The O

Sandy reveals to Kirsten that her father, Caleb Nichol, has died.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Music[]

Quotes[]

  • Summer: My dream involved a date. A hot guy in a tux with a carnation pinned to his lapel. Instead, I'm drawing straws between nerd boy and ass clown.
  • Ryan: Is this about you and Summer?
  • Seth: No...maybe...yes but only because Summer and I aren't going to go to our prom because of some stupid fight. So you should really learn from the error of my ways, please. Somebody really should.
  • Ryan: He hooked up with Marissa. Trey says she came onto him, she says nothing happened. I don't know who to believe.
  • Theresa: I do. Ryan, Trey has been jerking you around your entire life and Marissa...
  • Ryan: Has made mistakes.
  • Theresa: She would never hurt you like that.
  • Ryan: How do you know?
  • Theresa: Because last year, when I needed you, she let you go. Even though it broke her heart. They both love you, but between the two of them, Marissa is the one you can trust.
  • Seth: Ok, fine, I'll go smaller. Did you go to your prom?
  • George Lucas: Prom?
  • Reed Carlson: [puts hand to her head] Oh, my God...
  • George Lucas: As in, "prom"?
  • Seth: I just, uh... it's a personal thing, and I was just kinda wondering if you went to yours. It'd really help me out.
  • George Lucas: Well, actually, I didn't. I spent my time being creative. Drawing Ewoks... Jar Jar Binks...
  • Seth: Good to know. If George Lucas can skip his prom, I can skip mine.
  • George Lucas: No. Now, wait a minute. I do regret not going to my prom.
  • Seth: Really? Because it's like a seminal moment?
  • George Lucas: Exactly.
  • Reed Carlson: Mr. Lucas, I am so sorry. Can we get back to the point now?
  • George Lucas: No, no, no. Wait. It would be good for me to talk about this. The prom is a great American tradition. It's important to experience the things of being a teenager when you're a teenager. When I went off and made my film "American Graffiti", I'd never had the experience of a prom and I had to make a movie about it. I felt... hopelessly inadequate without having... really done it myself. Not having been part of that pivotal moment in teenage life, uh, I felt very sad and alone.

Trivia[]

  • George Lucas did the show as his daughters were fans and also to feature the television premiere of the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) during the commercial break.
  • This episode marks the final appearance of the following guest stars: Michael Cassidy, who plays Zach Stevens, and, Marguerite Moreau, who plays Reed Carlson.
  • This episode marks the final appearance of star, Alan Dale, who plays Caleb Nichol.

Gallery[]

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