Episodic Classics: The O.C., "The Nana,“ ”The Proposal,” ”The Shower” | Season 1, Episodes 23, 24, & 25
Goodbye to Luke / Goodbye to everything that I knew
Keeping in mind that Melinda Clarke’s Julie Cooper was just a recurring guest star and we hadn’t even met Alan Dale’s Caleb Nichol when The O.C.’s first season began, it’s kind of amazing that it all ends with the rise of the “gruesome twosome.”1 Long live The Cooper-Nichol Regime, the true winners of this 27-episode season.
You could also call the Seth/Summer relationship a winner as a result of this season’s length as well, considering the character development at play and their ups and downs from beginning to (near) end. The length has definitely made them feel more like a seasons-long couple than just the one. Their relationship beats, especially from “The Heartbreak” on, only continued to solidify them as the true “it” couple of this show—and, of course, reinforced Adam Brody and Rachel Bilson as breakout stars at the time. Seth and Summer more or less go through the “normal” relationship beats of a teen drama, but there’s something about Brody and Bilson’s individual charismas tha…