Recapping episode 23 of season 2 of The O.C.. Surf industry veteran Adam joins us for the penultimate episode of the season! Kirsten and Sandy deal with the aftermath of her shockingly not fatal car accident while being completely unaware of what is going on with their children (Ryan running off to Chino on his Trey mission and Seth inexplicably meeting George Lucas??). Marissa's event planning capability is tested for the prom (and by some of us), and we appreciate Caleb and Julie sorta but it ends with another body in the pool (too soon?). Also Summer and Zach are around and Teresa makes a brief appearance slightly winning us over finally.

Recapping episode 22 of season 2 of The O.C.. Power guest Ellen returns for the second time this season (much to our surprise) to breakdown our next episode (and the merits of the series' storytelling capabilities). Kirsten is SPIRALING, Sandy is still winning all of our hearts, Jess is doing her best Peeves impression, Trey is hanging on by a thread, Marissa is falling apart, and poor Ryan just wants everyone to get along. There is also MORE comic book stuff (snooze).

Recapping episode 21 of season 2 of The O.C.. We tackle one of the more serious episodes (at least in part) with returning champion Nickel! Bienvenido a Miami as Sandy, Seth, and Ryan visit the Nana. Seth's superfluous storyline is overshadowed by an all time Sandy plot getting rid of "Bobby." Meanwhile, Kirsten is finally over the edge re: Carter, and the Marissa / Trey interaction takes a dark turn.

Recapping episode 20 of season 2 of The O.C.. Finally adhering to a legitimate schedule, we return with guest star Billy lending his expertise on 2000s mens fashion, high school parties for cool teens, and what exactly Zach is trying to do with Summer and Seth this ep. Ryan and Marissa also play undercover cop (???) to save Trey with Sandy's blessing (also ???), while Kirsten's stock trends even further down with us from the latest Carter scenario.

Recapping episode 19 of season 2 of The O.C.. Buckle up for the last gasp of season 2. Kirsten continues her petty parade (read: Carter crush), Lance actually seems not terrible and bonds with Julie, and Marissa inserts herself unnecessarily into Ryan's relationship with Trey and is shocked when it leads to some growing tension (um... duh?). We are also completely out on Seth and the boresville comic storyline.

Recapping episode 18 of season 2 of The O.C.. A fun episode as we are now firmly in the last act of the season! Trey's refusal to admit he needs help getting his new life started leads to some friction with Ryan and hijinks ensue around this and the event of the week / non-charity yard sale. The comic book also resurfaces from centuries ago (yawn), and Carter is still around.

Recapping episode 17 of season 2 of The O.C.. We are back with what feels like a set up episode for the remainder of the season. *New character/actor alert* as Ryan's loose cannon older brother Trey literally kicks and pushes himself into the plot. Kirsten also feels guilty as her crush on Carter sort of gets exposed (though not as exposed as Julie is this ep). Summer, Seth, and Marissa also participate in the episode.

Recapping episode 16 of season 2 of The O.C.. After an unplanned break for the holidays (sure!) we are back with another mostly lighthearted O.C. classic ep. Marissa becomes relevant again, Ryan gets a little more pep in his step, Sandy and Julie are still trying to deal with Lance, and the Kirsten crush on Carter is reaching uncomfortable levels. We also say a weirdly abrupt goodbye to Olivia Wilde.

Recapping episode 15 of season 2 of The O.C.. An instant classic as we FINALLY get the gang all back together for a full episode that is honestly also kind of random, but still great. The Sandy and Kirsten stuff takes another twist as Carter and his bad style enter the picture, and we start to root for Julie again.

Recapping episode 14 of season 2 of The O.C.. We FINALLY say good riddance to this season's B team by axing both Lindsay and Rebecca in one cleansing episode that gets us ready for the remainder of the season. Seth and Summer finally fully circle back, and we see Marissa becoming relevant on the horizon.