Episodic Classics: The O.C., "The Strip,“ ”The Ties That Bind” | Season 1, Episodes 26 & 27
Now leaving Newport Beach… Come back soon!
Welcome to the conclusion of LaToya Ferguson’s Episodic Classics coverage of The O.C. season one. There’s been some questions about how we’re determining continuing Episodic Classics coverage, and the answer is “I do not know.” But the best way to make things clear is to like/comment/subscribe—either way, we’ll be giving LaToya a bit of a break either way, having just worked through 27 episodes in 10 weeks.
This is it. We’ve made it to the end of The O.C.’s first season. 27 episodes of mostly killer and only a little filler. (Thankfully, for any and all restaurant mentions in these final two episodes, no one says a single word about any meatloaf.) When we started this journey, we were in the summer of 2003. Now here we are, in the summer of 2004. Things have changed drastically, and yet some things remain the same. Look at the way Benjamin Mackenzie looks in that jacket-hoodie combination, or the way that Peter Gallagher looking at Kelly Rowan can just melt a viewer watching on their television screen. Those remain forever. Really, when I’m talking changes, I’m mostly talking Julie Cooper’s hair.
Seriously, as long as this season is, it really does feel like a journey, and—ultimately—a worthwhile one. Even though it’s really November 2023 right now, I suddenly can’t wait for the summer to end so I can watch this show’s second season. Even with frustrating characters and arcs among all of the greatness, that is the thing about this first season of The O.C.: you may have watched this whole series multiple times and know where it goes next, but that feeling of wanting to see where this all goes always returns with the end of this season. It’s a comfort show, which is something we know that audiences are desperately latching onto now more than ever in this streaming era—and for good reason.
At the same time, I’ll be honest: I spent a whole day struggling to figure out how to tackle these episodes. Neither is exactly the pinnacle of this season. “The Strip” is fun, at best, but mostly going through the necessary motions, while “The Ties That Bind” is a good, competent season finale. “The Ties That Bind” taps into those early moments of the season while also pulling everything leading up to it together. It’s just simply not the best episode of the season. And “The Strip” is… “The Strip.”