Welcome to "The O.C.," where the lives of a group of friends and families have forever been changed by the arrival of an outsider to their affluent oceanside community of Newport Beach in Orange County, California. When Ryan Atwood was taken in from the streets of Chino by then public defender Sandy Cohen and his wife, Kirsten, the Cohens had no idea how Ryan's arrival would change their lives and the lives of those around them. Their "adorkable" son, Seth, found a friend and brother in Ryan to share his quirky way of looking at the world--and the trials and tribulations of winning the heart of Summer Roberts, his lifelong crush. Ryan has fallen in love with the beautiful girl next door, Marissa Cooper. But their romance is ill-fated, constantly tested by the young lovers' inability to escape from their pasts.
When Sandy becomes the honorary chairman of the Newport Beach charity yard sale, he solicits help from Trey (recurring guest star LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN), who has his first confrontation with the Newpsies. While Sandy auctions off Newport's finest, Kirsten and Carter (recurring guest star BILLY CAMPBELL) share a table. When one of the auction's most expensive pieces goes missing, Ryan and Seth could also use some help. Meanwhile, Trey looks for a more permanent place to live as the Cohens welcome yet another houseguest.
When someone from Ryan's past comes for a visit, he worries that nothing good can come of it; while the Cohen family welcomes the Chino visitor with open arms. As Marissa and Ryan continue to explore their newfound friendship, Seth and Summer face some unforeseen news. Meanwhile, Julie admits her mistake to Kirsten and looks to Caleb for help.
Seth is determined to bring back the spirit and fun times of last year and won't stop until his plan is successful. Alex's (recurring guest star OLIVIA WILDE) jealousy is fueled when Marissa enlists an unlikely partner to help her with the school bonfire. Meanwhile, Kirsten wants Carter (recurring guest star BILLY CAMPBELL) to continue with the magazine despite his reservations, and Sandy helps Julie keep her blackmailer at bay.
Although she is trying hard to make her new living situation work, Marissa feels she needs a break and agrees to join Summer, Seth and Ryan at the mall. Julie and Kirsten await the arrival of Carter (recurring guest star BILLY CAMPBELL - "Enough," "The Rocketeer"), the new editor of Newport Living, but Julie is distracted when she's visited by Lance (recurring guest star JOHNNY MESSNER - "Spartan," "The Whole Ten Yards"), an opportunistic man from her past. Meanwhile, Sandy and Caleb finally bond over all of their recent experiences.
It's raining in Newport. Marissa tells Julie that she and Alex (recurring guest star OLIVIA WILDE) are dating and decides she has to get out of Caleb's house. Summer is faced with a big decision as she prepares to go to Italy with Zach (recurring guest star MICHAEL CASSIDY). Ryan convinces Lindsay (recurring guest star SHANNON LUCIO) to take the paternity test, and everyone anxiously awaits the results. Meanwhile, Sandy is stranded in a motel room with nothing but a few snacks, champagne and Rebecca (recurring guest star KIM DELANEY).
While Rebecca (recurring guest star KIM DELANEY) pays her last respects to her father, Kirsten grows impatient with Sandy's long absences from home and decides to visit Rebecca. Alex (recurring guest star OLIVIA WILDE) invites Marissa to hang out with her friends. Meanwhile, Caleb decides to remove all doubt that Lindsay (recurring guest star SHANNON LUCIO) is his daughter.
In the season finale, Sandy must make a life-changing decision to save his marriage to Kirsten. Seth, Summer, Marissa and Ryan are caught in the crossfire at The Bait Shop; and Jimmy Cooper (former series star TATE DONOVAN), worried about Marissa and his family, rushes home to Newport Beach.
Sandy and Caleb confront Kirsten about her behavior. Ryan heads home to Chino, as he looks for the truth about Trey (recurring guest star LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN) and Marissa. Meanwhile, Summer refuses to let her three-way relationship with Zach (recurring guest star MICHAEL CASSIDY) and Seth stop her from attending the prom. And, Julie and Caleb toast to their final evening together as husband and wife.
Since Carter's departure, Kirsten has been drinking more than just tomato juice for breakfast, and when Sandy questions her, he's left to sleep alone in the bedroom. Marissa's nervousness around Ryan leads him to wonder if something has happened between her and Trey (recurring guest star LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN). Summer, tired of Seth and Zach (recurring guest star MICHAEL CASSIDY) behaving foolishly, confronts Reed (recurring guest star MARGUERITE MOREAU) about the graphic novel and finds herself center stage at the Atomic County launch party. Meanwhile, Caleb shows Julie that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Sandy, Seth and Ryan travel to Florida to visit Seth's Nana, Sophie (recurring guest star LINDA LAVIN - "Alice"), who is living in Miami Beach. While playing shuffleboard at the coastal retirement community, Seth and Ryan meet Mary-Sue (JAIME KING - "Sin City"), who helps Seth get center stage on the Music Video Nation spring break television special, hosted by Swerve (BRET HARRISON), along with Pixie (KRISTA KALMUS), who is a star of "Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley." Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Carter (recurring guest star BILLY CAMPBELL) packs his bags and leaves Kirsten alone at the offices of Newport Living, and Trey (recurring guest star LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN) misinterprets Marissa's friendship. Also, rapper T.I. (himself) performs his hit single "Bring Em Out."
After the wild party at Caleb's mansion, Sandy, Seth and Ryan devise a plan to save another Atwood from going to jail. Kirsten and Carter (recurring guest star BILLY CAMPBELL), fulfilling more than their editorial duties, take a trip to the wine country. Meanwhile, Caleb returns from Europe and rebuffs Julie's romantic advances. The band DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE performs.
Eager to help Trey (recurring guest star LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN) and Ryan repair their relationship, Marissa hosts a birthday party for Trey at Caleb's mansion that quickly gets out of control. After surfing with Carter (recurring guest star BILLY CAMPBELL), Sandy suggests introducing him to a woman friend, to Kirsten's chagrin. When Summer finds out what Seth's potential graphic novel publisher, Reed (recurring guest star MARGUERITE MOREAU), is really like, Seth is in big trouble. And after leaving town in disgrace, Julie returns and surprisingly ends up reminiscing with an old acquaintance.
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