Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Of all the great things about television, the greatest is that it’s on every single day. TV history is being made, day in and day out, in ways big and small. In an effort to better appreciate this history, we’re taking a look back, every day, at one particular TV milestone.
IMPORTANT DATE IN TV HISTORY: May 18, 2006
PROGRAM ORIGINALLY AIRED ON THIS DATE: The O.C., “The Graduates” (Season 3, Episode 25). [Stream on Hulu.]
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: By the end of The O.C.‘s third season, we’d all pretty much had it with Marissa. In our defense, she’d put us through a lot. Overdoses, breakups, makeups, various adversarial periods with her parents, shooting deaths, drinking, and a whole lot of sullen moping. By this point, most of the audience had already transferred most of their allegiance to Summer and Seth anyway. So when Mischa Barton’s exhausting/troubling tabloid presence ended up leading to her decision to leave the show, it wasn’t the sad occasion it might have been two years prior.
Of course, that didn’t mean that it wasn’t a punch in the gut when it happened. Certainly not when it happened due to the actions of Cam Gigandet and his smirky teen thuggery.
Graduation episodes of teen dramas never have the finality that they think they do, because almost always the cast ends up back together at college the following fall anyway. Not so for The O.C., as high-school graduation also meant losing one of its signature characters. If nothing else, Marissa final moments made for a great visual, with Ryan carrying her body out of the wrecked car, with the car an exploding, fiery wreck in the background. They even brought back “Hallelujah” for an encore.
Rest easy, Marissa Cooper. We miss (?) you.
