We are back and I’m a little late with this recap. I watched the episode on Thursday night, but was too tired to do a recap. Then, I went out of town for the weekend. So here I am sitting through this episode a second time and doing the recap. It’s late, but better late than never.
This was the first episode after a month break, so lets take a look at what could be happening.
Johnny fell off the cliff and died. That caused further problems between Ryan and Marissa. Marissa seems to be in mourning over Johnny’s death and Ryan thinks that Marissa should understand that they both were there at the time and they should know what the other is going through, eventhough Marissa says that Ryan doesn’t understand. So Johnny’s cousin, Sadie comes into the picture and Ryan seems to be hanging around her more than Marissa. It looks like they will go on a road trip in this episode, so you know what means. Bonding between them. It ALWAYS happens on road trips. Marissa could be in trouble.
Oh..and Volchok is back to be the bad guy and fight with Ryan.
Summer and Seth seem to have made up with Summer now having something to use against Seth if he decides to do the dumbest thing EVER and lie to Summer again.
Okay..enough preview..on with the show!
The O.C. – Season Three (Episode 16) – “The Road Warrior”
We open up with Summer talking and standing. A voiceover for her. NO! Marissa knocks on the door and Summer has recorded her voiceover and is playing it as Marissa walks in. The voiceover talks about choices and change and all of that. Marissa wants to know what is going on. Summer says that all the TV shows she watches have female voiceovers. That make their lives more meaningful and dramatic. Which is why she did one for herself. That’s funny! Marissa thinks their lives have enough drama in them. Summer agrees that that Marissa’s life is dramatic enough. But she thinks that their senior year is winding down and they don’t have much time left. Marissa agrees and tells her that the boys are waiting for them. Marissa leaves and Summer continues her voiceover.
Now cut to the hot tub where Seth is alone with Marissa and Summer, who are hott by the way! Ryan is nowhere to be seen. Marissa hasn’t seen him a lot lately. But Seth likes the odds now in the hot tub. Two girls and a guy! They say he is right and say they always wanted to do a threesome. Seth gets this nervous laugh and says they are kidding. But here they come.
Summer: “You know what they say Cohen..what happens in the hot tub stays in the hot tub!”
Yeah..Seth bails out of that as Marissa and Summer laugh. He is going to call Ryan.
But Ryan is busy with Sadie. He is helping her fix some pipes. There is a knock at the door and Ryan’s phone rings. The police are here for Sadie. Seth is calling Ryan. Seth tells Ryan about the hot tub.
Seth: “I’ve got two girls in bikinis trying to seduce me, which sounds awesome but I’m scared..I’m wet..and I’m cold Ryan!”
Ryan says he is on his way. Sadie tells him to go as the police have some questions for Sadie. They think that Johnny’s death might not have been an accident. Ryan was there and knows it was, but Sadie tells him to go so he does.
“California…here we come…right back where we started from…California…here we come! Oh!!”
We come back and Marissa and Summer are talking at Coop’s house. Summer wants to go on a double date this weekend, but Marissa wants to “play it by ear”. Summer thinks Marissa will make an excuse to get out of it. Marissa says that Ryan missed out on last night and not her. Summer thinks they have a system worked out where they alternate who skips a “date” planned with her and Seth. Summer talks about her dad and how is has been busy with work. Marissa gets a phone call. We don’t know who it is, though.
Ryan and Seth visit Sadie. It appears that Sadie and her aunt could be losing the house. And the life insurance on Johnny won’t pay up, because there is new evidence in the case. They don’t think it’s an accident anymore. Seth suggests that maybe they think Ryan pushed him. But Sadie says the police are after Marissa and not Ryan.
Kirsten and Julie talk about their business, but Julie is not listening. She is really tired. She has been sneaking out with Dr. Roberts in the back of cars and such. Julie and Dr. Roberts don’t want to go public just yet and that means keeping it a secret from their kids as well. Dr. Roberts calls Julie at this moment and he thinks that Summer is getting suspicious. They plan a date to talk about all the “secrets talk”.
Matt gets a visit from Maya. Sandy comes in to talk to Matt. He doesn’t want to interrupt, though. Maya leaves and Sandy tells Matt that the clock is ticking. They have to get the proposal to the board soon. Matt needs to come through, but he doesn’t want to just ask Maya with a meeting with her dad. It could screw things up. Sandy tells him to take care of it.
Summer and Seth are at school. She tries to call her father, but he is in surgery all day or that is what they say. Here comes Taylor to join her “friends”. Yay! Summer explains what is going on and she suggests on hooking up Dr. Roberts with someone. How about getting Kirsten to get Dr. Roberts a date? And Summer will help play matchmaker! She will pick the date herself. Great!
Ryan runs into Marissa in the hall at school. Ryan says that the police are looking for her. Marissa doesn’t want to drag Ryan into things if that is the case. They have a few awkward moments and say they will get together later. Ryan suggests that she talk to Sandy about the police, but Marissa thinks everything will be okay.
Ryan comes back to Sadie’s house to help out again. She has other plans. She is on a mission to “smack” Johnny’s dad around. Ryan wants to go with her, but Volchok is already here to join her. They talk about the fight they almost had and how they want a second round. Sadie explains that Volchok’s dad was friends with Johnny’s dad, so he knows where he would be located. Ryan says that Volchok can give them the address then. Sadie thinks it’s a good idea. Volchok writes down the address on a piece of paper and then thinks. If Ryan is with Sadie, that means Marissa will be all alone. Volchok likes the thought of that.
We come back to see Ryan and Sadie in the car on their roadtrip. Sadie thinks that Ryan is a rich kid with the Cohens, but they are not his parents. He briefly explains his “sad” story. She likes the fact that he “doesn’t fit in” with the Newport life. Oh..and Sadie says that her and Volchok hooked up a long time ago, but it didn’t work. No surprise to Ryan. Johnny’s dad owes his mom a lot of money and Sadie is on a mission to get it now that her aunt needs it.
Sandy talks to Matt at the office and wants to go on a double date. He also wants to talk to Maya himself about the meeting with her dad. Sandy thinks it would be better and easier this way. They get interrupted by Marissa. She tells Sandy about the police. The police are trying to blame her for Johnny’s death. Sandy is shocked. He wants her to tell him everything she knows about Johnny and her and the night and everything. The police will have to come to the Cohen house to get a statement from Marissa.
Summer comes to see Kirsten and Julie, which shocks them. She wants them to hook up her father, which Julie doesn’t like. She can’t show it, though, because well..she is already involved with Dr. Roberts as you all know. Summer says her father is miserable. He is always working or at the gym. Summer says it’s up to her to pick the woman for him, because he has bad taste in women! HA!
Summer: “Oh..please don’t say that. My dad has disastrous taste in women. If I don’t step in, he might end up with the first money-grabbing slut-bag who gets to see the backseat of his Mizaratti!”
Summer says her dad always goes for blondes and Summer hands over a list of characteristics to the two. They say they will see what they can do. Don’t think that will happen. Now Julie questions if she can be everything on Summer’s list, which doesn’t seem likely except maybe being blonde.
Ryan and Sadie end up at where Johnny’s dad, Jack Harper, should be. They find some unknown guy instead. He says that Jack has moved. No one misses him. He is living in the desert now. Sadie thinks that maybe Ryan will be missed by everyone as it’s a longer drive than expected. Sadie says Ryan doesn’t have to help, but Ryan says he wants to come along and will make a few calls.
Dr. Roberts and Julie meet up and Julie is putting up a front. She is trying to be like everything on Summer’s list.
Meanwhile, Taylor is speaking Korean to some guy at the same restaurant. Oh..snap! She sees Dr. Roberts and Julie together. Busted!
Summer talks to Marissa on the phone. Summer wants Marissa to call Ryan. They haven’t talked much lately.
Ryan is busy at the hotel with Sadie. They are about to..um..play poker. Sadie suggests that it should be strip poker. Ryan has played it, but he is wearing more clothes than Sadie. Except that Sadie says she is a better player than him. Loser gets to sleep on the floor. And now Ryan’s phone rings. It’s Marissa, but Ryan doesn’t answer the phone. He tells Sadie it’s Seth, though. Marissa hangs up and we get a few shots of Ryan and Sadie having fun, while Marissa sits alone at her house. Interesting. Break time!
The next morning and Ryan is waking up on the floor of the hotel. Sadie brings him breakfast. And she wonders if he called Seth back. He does just that and Seth is covering for him. You know how well that works, so Sandy and Kirsten should be finding out what is going on in about 5 minutes. Seth wants to know what is going on, but Ryan thinks the less he knows the better it is.
Seth continues to roll around in Ryan’s bed after hanging up the phone with Ryan and look here comes Taylor. Seth is shocked to see her, but Taylor tells Seth that Julie is dating Dr. Roberts and wants to know who should tell Summer? Oh..here’s Summer and she heard them say something about her. She thinks that maybe Taylor and Seth are seeing each other now. But Taylor says heck no!
Taylor: “Oh..NO! NO! I’m totally over that weirdness. NO! Your dad and Julie Cooper are doing it. Yeah..it’s a shock to me too. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!”
They don’t believe Taylor, but Taylor knows where their next date will be. So we assume that she is going to bring them to this place.
We see Julie and Dr. Roberts at the golf course. He is trying to teach her a few things.
Here is Seth and Summer and Summer still doesn’t believe it as this is her dad’s “sacred place”. He wouldn’t bring a girl here. Oh..but there they are and they see them. She thinks this is horrible. They back up and leave before they see Summer and Seth.
Ryan and Sadie end up at the place where Jack Harper should be, but he isn’t there. Another guy is there and he wants to know who is looking for him. Sadie says “his dead son” is, which is a little odd but makes sense. They go and wait in the car for Jack. The guy makes a phone call.
Now we get some flashback scenes with Marissa and the night that Johnny died. She and Sandy talk to the police, who question her. We get various scenes of the whole Johnny/Marissa/Ryan triangle. And it looks like they have pieces of the burned letter that Marissa wrote to Johnny. She told him that “I’m not in love with you and I never will be!” The police also don’t think that this made Ryan happy either. So the police think that Marissa drove Johnny to his death by making him upset. Marissa says that Johnny didn’t commit suicide nor did Ryan push him. Johnny just slipped and fell.
Now Marissa comes back to the scene of the death. She knocks over some cones and she has a visitor now. It’s Volchok. He says that he used to be friends with Johnny until Johnny became a better surfer than him. He didn’t like that. Volchok says they should hang out sometime, but Marissa is not interested. Volchok doesn’t think she is so sure. He has a secret as well.
Sandy comes in to talk to Kirsten. There is no material evidence to declare it a suicide or having foul play involved, so it has to be an accident. He then explains to her than Maya is their only chance to make this proposal work. Kirsten doesn’t like that idea as it could affect the relationship between Matt and Maya. Sandy insists that this project could do a lot of good for a lot of people and he will do anything to make sure it goes through. Kirsten doesn’t seem to like this at all.
Jack Harper shows up and he says he doesn’t have a son. He finally recognizes Sadie. Sadie wants the child support money that he owes her aunt. He used that money to start up his own business. Sadie then takes a baseball bat and beats up Jack’s truck. He must have used some of that money to buy the truck. This sets off a chain of events. Jack goes after Sadie as she busts up some headlights. Ryan joins the fight and gets beat up by Jack and his buddies. He is left laying on the ground..all bloody. Time for another break!
We come back and Sadie is nursing Ryan’s wounds. She is sorry that she dragged Ryan into this. She wishes that she had gotten the money, but they didn’t. She says that was their last chance. And Ryan sees that him and Johnny had a lot in common. Sadie asks if he is okay? And Ryan says he will be. Ryan leaves and Sadie realizes that something may be up.
Sandy, Kirsten, Matt, and Maya are on their date. They talk about old times and catch up to today. Sandy talks to Maya. He wants her to get them a second chance with her father. She says she will look at it and pass it along if she likes it. Set up something next week. Sandy says that will be too late. They have to do something now. Matt says don’t worry about it, but Sandy says it’s a big deal and she is their only chance. Kirsten is annoyed by this. She wants him to wait until they are done eating. Maya then asks Matt if he wants her to show the proposal to her father as well and he says yes. she says “I would be happy too”. But then leaves the table and Matt chases after her. Kirsten is not happy at all.
Now we get a shot of Summer and Seth making out. Awesome! Summer wonders about her dad and Julie. What if their plan works out? Seth says that Summer and Marissa are already like sisters..why not make it official? Summer doesn’t think that Julie is right for her dad. Why? Because she is Julie Cooper!
Seth: “So what? I kinda like her. I don’t care that she married by grandpa for money or that she had sex with Luke. I think she’s got moxie.”
Dr. Roberts: “Summer! You home?!”
Seth (**While rolling off of Summer**): “Oh..gross! I’m studying! Get off me!”
Summer asks her dad how he is and he says that he is finally happy. He needs to talk to Summer about something tomorrow. Summer is about to tell him that she knows, but she doesn’t. Seth says he is proud of Summer. Summer says his dad is happy. That’s all that matters.
Ryan comes back to talk to Jack Harper. He tells Jack that his dad did the same thing he’s doing. He left him. Ryan wants Jack to make things right with Johnny. Jack says that Johnny will never know, but Ryan says that Jack will know and that should be good enough. Jack’s buddies then throw Ryan out and Jack says he never wants to see Ryan again. Oh..but he did get a little something. Sadie shows up and Ryan hands over some cash to her. She is stunned.
Sandy tells Kirsten that Maya loved the proposal and she is giving it to her father tomorrow. Kirsten says congrats. Sandy then says that Maya then broke up with Matt. She is moving back to New York. Sandy says he is still uncomfortable with the way he is doing things, but he has to do them. It’s his job now. Kirsten thinks it’s just another day at the office for him, but Sandy wouldn’t put it like that.
Kirsten: “Remember when I said I wasn’t worried about Sandy Cohen knowing where the line is? I’m officially worried!”
Marissa is at a concert at “The Bait Shop”. Volchok shows up as well. Marissa sees him and takes off.
Ryan and Sadie are driving back home now. Sadie wonders what Ryan will tell the Cohens and Marissa about this trip. Ryan said he really wanted to come on this trip when Sadie mentioned it. He just needed to get out of town and feel something different. Sadie asks..”what now that you’re back?” He just needs to talk to Marissa.
That leads to Marissa getting a phone call at the beach. You know the drill. She goes to sit at a lifeguard stand to think. Ryan calls and asks how her weekend was. She has had better. I must mention that they are playing “Forever Young” in the background, which was the song that they danced to so many episodes ago when they got back together. So it’s come full circle. Marissa says she tried to call him yesterday and Ryan says this is hard. They both just agree that’s not working. They’ve been through too much. But they don’t know what to say now. And they basically..um..break up..maybe. Just a..see you later. Whatever. Marissa cries now.
Ryan gets a knock at his door and it’s Sadie. She wants to play poker with him again. He says okay. They laugh and have a good time. Sadie tells him thanks.
And oh look..back at the beach..here is Volchok at the bottom of the stand. He looks up at Marissa, who wipes away her tears. He simply smokes a cigarette and looks out at the ocean as Marissa does the same.
And we are out until a few days from now!
