The "O.C." Moment: Amy's List

When trying to come up with a list of the best “O.C.” moments, I had to consult my friend, Amy, who—like me—has been with the show from the beginning. In fact, Amy has almost every one of the show’s six soundtracks (They were Christmas presents from me, actually.).

So when I asked her what she thought, she gave me a list and instead of picking just one, I decided to share the entire list with my comments…

The death of Marissa
This would’ve been much more of a shocker if not for those annoying FOX promos and Mischa Barton spilling it the night before on “Access Hollywood.” A lot of people have said that this was the death of the show. But for me, it was a total rebirth. It’s been really great to see Ryan actually smile this year—especially since Ben McKenzie looks so good doing it.

The many men of Julie Cooper
When we first met Julie, she was just the typical television rich wife—all about the money and clothes, not so much about the family. But when she and her husband Jimmy split up after Jimmy lost all of his clients’ money, she became the best tramp on TV. Her first post-Jimmy relationship was Caleb Nichol, Kirsten’s father. And then came the doozy—Luke, her daughter Marissa’s ex-boyfriend. Caleb had dumped her and Luke just happened to come over when she was feeling lonely and it spiraled from there. Of course, everyone found out, Luke ended up leaving town, and Julie married Caleb. But Julie and Caleb didn’t work out (big surprise) and Julie ended up having an affair with Jimmy, her first husband. After Caleb died, Julie planned to marry Jimmy; but he got himself into trouble again and left town. That left Julie penniless and she was forced to live in a trailer park—until she fell for Summer’s father, Neil. But Julie’s grief over Marissa’s death killed that relationship and Neil moved to Seattle—although he allowed Julie to stay in the house. Julie then went through a younger man phase—including her daughter Kaitlyn’s tennis instructor. But she soon caught the eye of Bullitt, a wealthy businessman. However, Julie only had eyes for Ryan’s dad, Frank, who recently gave her a promise ring. Phew!

Six degrees of Theresa
We just couldn’t get rid of her. Every time you turned around she was there—Theresa, Ryan’s ex-girlfriend from Chino (Navi Rawat). First, she just happened to show up as a waitress at a Newport function Ryan attended. Then in season two, Ryan just happened to run into her on the street. Next, in season three, Kirsten just happened to see her at the airport. I really hope that she doesn’t just happen to turn up under some earthquake rumble. Then again, I’ve never forgiven her for her part in that horrible season one finale.

The music of “The O.C.”
During its red-hot days, “The O.C.” was known as much for introducing indie artists as it was for its stories, producing six soundtracks. But the music actually became a story as the show always had just the right song for every occasion. The show helped bring several acts into the mainstream including Death Cab for Cutie, Rooney, and Jem. For a complete list of the music used in every episode, visit http://www.musicfromtheoc.com/.

Don’t forget that the next-to-last episode of “The O.C.” airs tonight (Thursday) at 9 on FOX…