" Last season on The O. C:" " Theresa's pregnant." " You don't have to leave." " Then come with me." "I'm leaving." "I can't let Theresa do this by herself." "Oh, my God!" "It's a palace." "Look, you're getting what you wanted." "I'm moving in with you." " You going somewhere?" " Like, say, San Quentin." " Thank you." " Could we convince you to stay?" "He's the first real friend I've ever had." "He's the only real friend I've ever had." "I understand why you have to do this, but I wish you didn't have to." "Before he got here, I was the biggest loser." "This place was hell for me." "I can't even imagine what it's gonna be like here without him." "So we've knocked down the retaining wall to allow for more flow." " Great." "When do you think we will have achieved flow?" "When will we be done tearing your house apart?" "No, my house is torn apart." "The construction's got nothing to do with it." "Ballpark, Archie." "It's September now." "I'd say two weeks." "A month tops." " Six weeks." " Well, in the meantime..." "In the meantime, could you please try to convince the fellas here to wear something in a shirt?" "My neighbors have started to refer to my home as "the manhole."" " Too Village People?" " Exactly." " I'll talk to my guys." " Hey, Archie." "Sandy." "And don't ever get married." "And if you do, don't ever have kids." "Well, good news." "Archie thinks the remodel should be done anytime between now and..." "Well, he didn't say never but there was subtext." "I'd love some coffee." "Thank you." "Boy, am I excited to head into court for day one of this riveting nuisance lawsuit where one yacht owner feels that this other yacht owner is in violation of the noise ordinance at Crystal Cove." "Butterscotch donkey, El Paso, lampshade, truck stop, stethoscope..." "I know you think that I'm ignoring you so you speak in gibberish to see if I'm listening." " You were listening." " Nope." "I'm distracted by today's paper." "Actually, the date of today's paper." " He's gonna come back." " By the time school starts or by the time Archie finishes the remodel?" "What do you want me to do?" "Tie him up, stuff him in a trunk?" "At this point?" "Yes." "I have had enough of your hippie parenting psychobabble." "So that's the problem." "It's not just smothering overprotectiveness that kept him from having a friend until Ryan came." "Sometimes the best thing for a kid is to have some space." "The Pacific Ocean?" "That's not enough space?" "If you force him to return, he'll wanna run away again." "I don't care what he wants." "I don't care what he thinks is fair." " He could have died out there." " Okay, so you can blame me." "And he can blame us." "And we can keep passing the buck all summer long." "Summer is over." "School is starting." "This is where he belongs." " He's gonna figure that out." " I'm tired of waiting for that." "Bring him home, Sandy." "Bring him home." "Could it be any hotter?" "I feel like my flesh is melting." "I just hope it melts evenly." "Damn, girl." "Break me off a piece of that." "He's totally checking you out." "So my mom's trying to drag me to Cardio Barre again." "It's her idea of mother-daughter bonding." " Cardio Barre?" " She says it's the new Tae Bo so maybe I can learn to kick her ass." " I don't think you need any more cardio." " What's that supposed to mean?" " Nothing." "It's just that..." "Well, and I mean this in the least scandalous way but you're looking a little thin." " I eat." " Okay." "Oh, God." "You definitely drink." "What's in this, lighter fluid?" "This is a Newport Beach Iced Tea." "This is 10:00 in the morning." "It's a little early." "For who?" "This bikini is so uncomfortable." "I need to go get a new one." " You wanna go to South Coast?" " Totally." " There's a Paul Frank sale Wednesday." " Wednesday?" "I can't." " I have plans with Zach." " More plans with Zach, huh?" "Yes." "The more time I spend with Zach, the less time I have to think about..." "God, what's-his-face." "Built like a beanpole, curly hair." "Runs away on a sailboat, leaving nothing but a note for his girlfriend who cried until July Fourth when she decided she doesn't cry over bitches on boats." "Seth." "His name, it's Seth." "I know." "I'm doing that thing where I pretend I don't and I have to use a lot of descriptive insults to give voice to my inner pain." "So yeah, can't do it Wednesday." "More plans with Zach." "Well, it's a formality, really." "I refuse to get close to him." "I will never be close to a boy again." "Yeah, I know what you mean." "That's good." "All right, thanks for the ride." "Don't forget your lunch." "I peeled your orange for you." "Thanks, but it's probably not the best way to fit in with these guys." "Right." "All right, well, I'Il..." "Yeah, you don't want the foreman to get angry." "He's always angry." "He's an angry man." "Maybe tonight we could rent a movie or play pool or something." "Yeah." "Pool sounds good." "See you." "Honey, I've got to pick up Kaitlin from junior lifeguards." "Maybe she can save her sister from drowning in self-pity." "What is that flower truck doing in our driveway?" "I get the feeling that it's been there every week." " Because it has." "We get flowers delivered every week?" "Yes, Cal." "They're living things." "They die." "Do you hear clicking on the phone?" "Every time I dial out, I swear I hear a clicking." "Okay, Nixon." "Paranoid much?" "What's going on with you?" "You're either hopped up on blow or something is seriously wrong." " It's nothing." "It's my blood-thinning medication." " Sometimes it makes me feel..." " Wacko?" "Like all summer long?" "I'm taking Kaitlin to go look at new ponies." "What's wrong with China?" "China has alopecia." "I was hoping that the hair treatments would work, but bald as a baby's ass." "It's just not right for a little girl to love a hairless pony." " I suppose that's fair." " Thanks." "You're not charging that on the company card, are you?" "Why?" "Because we can't claim Kaitlin's new pony as a business expense." " It's illegal." " Oh, I know." "I was gonna put it on the black card." "Bye, sweetie." "Yeah, they're all done there." " Hello?" " Luke, it's Kirsten." "Hey, Mrs. Cohen." "How you doing?" "Although I think I can answer that one for myself." "Yeah." "Is he there?" "It's for you." " Hello?" " Seth." "It's Mom." "Mom." "Blond, sharp Anglican features, cute little nose?" "Come home." " Did Ryan come back?" " Seth Ezekiel..." "Using the dreaded middle name won't help to forge a bond." "This has gone on long enough." "Not yet." "I signed up to teach more sailing lessons through September." " Portland needs me, Mother." " So do I." "Here's the thing, though." "I hate it there." "I'm never coming back to Orange County." "If you and Dad want to move to, say, anywhere else on the planet then we can talk." " Here I was, crazy to think that a simple appeal from a mother to a son might get some traction." "Yeah, well, that is crazy." "Bye." "So you're just gonna hang up on...?" " Gave in and called him, huh?" " He used to be such a sweet kid." "And he's turning out to be quite the angry young man." "I had the same talk with him this afternoon." "Doesn't he know that we didn't want Ryan to leave any more than he did?" "Well, right now it's..." "It's not about what he knows." "It's about how he feels." "This house just seems so empty." "We're gonna have to rip up this floor a little bit." "Is that okay?" "And yet so full." "Full of sweaty, shirtless men." "You'd think you'd be in heaven." "That's Jimmy." "I said we'd have dinner with him, but..." "I'll talk to him." "Jimbo." "How goes it?" "It goes fantastic." "You guys still gonna join me and Hailey on the boat for dinner?" " No." "Kirsten's not feeling so great." " Seth still won't come home, huh?" " No, he'll come home." "You know, he's got no real choice." "I'm just trying to figure out the best way for him to realize that." "Well, if you're too tough on him, and you bring him back kicking and screaming..." "It'll only make things worse." "The last thing anybody wants is a bitter, resentful teenager in the house." "He won't talk to me." "He won't talk to Kirsten." "Well, maybe there's somebody else he'll talk to." "I wanted to ensure you weren't slacking or trying to punch out early." " I wish." "How are you?" " Pretty good." " You?" " That was real nice of Kirsten to send those baby clothes." " Kirsten loves to shop." " Even for the unborn." " How's the remodel going?" "A lot like this." "A disaster." " As long as it keeps her distracted, right?" " It's not really doing the trick anymore." " Seth wants to stay in Portland?" " School is approaching and everybody's digging in their heels, holding their positions." " So you going up there?" " Yeah, I've always liked Luke." "He's like a big golden retriever." "Actually, he kind of is." "You wanna come?" "A one-two punch might be more effective." "You and me unbeatable combination." "He was pretty mad at me last time I saw him." " We haven't talked since." " He's pretty mad at everybody." "I don't know." "Theresa's got some tests." "I got work." "Well..." "Just in case." "Don't worry if you don't use it." "I got a great fare." "Good luck." "Take care, kid." "Breakfast is ready." "My mom left early." " There's plenty of food." " Thanks." " What's that?" " Nothing." "Sandy needed some help convincing Seth to come home." "Is that why he came by yesterday?" " He said he was just checking in." " Yeah." "No." "I don't know." "I mean, Seth's still angry." " I guess he blames his parents." " For you leaving?" "Yeah." "I can't imagine what he thinks about me." "So are you gonna go to Portland?" "No, I can't." " You should go if you wanna go." " It's for them to figure out as a family." " You're not part of their family?" " Not anymore." "I should get to work." "Hey, Cal." "Always a pleasure." "Although, if I may, why are we meeting in a parking garage?" "Because my office might be bugged." "My home, your home." "Who knows what the feds are up to?" "Wow, you've really flipped your noodle, haven't you?" "Hey, I could be wearing a wire." "You never know." "Sure you don't wanna frisk me?" " I don't have time for jokes." " Nor do I. I gotta be at the airport in half an hour." " I'm heading up to Portland." " To see Seth?" " Yeah." " I don't get it." "His best friend leaves, so he runs off with another boy and his gay dad." "You gotta admit it sounds kind of strange." "This from a guy who is one klick away from wearing a wig and a fake mustache." " You think my paranoia is unfounded." " It's entertaining, but entirely unfounded." "I haven't heard anything from my friends at the DA's office." "That doesn't make sense." "DA comes to see me at the beginning of summer tells me the sky is falling, and he hasn't done a damn thing since." "Well, either they've realized they got nothing or they're building one hell of a case." "I got a plane to catch." "That looks just like..." "Talk to her since your Fourth of July blowout?" "No." "She stopped taking my calls I stopped calling." "She doesn't understand it's not about her." "You've got some willpower because she has a killer rack." "You guys missed the greatest water-ski lesson ever." "This guy must have been 300 pounds, and he wanted to drop his ski." "I've never seen a harder wipeout in my life." " He lost everything." " Including his bathing suit." " Hey, I'm sorry I missed that." " Hey, what happened to you last night?" "We went to Salty's, and my ID finally worked." " It was so much fun." " I don't know." "I just wasn't up for it." " Cohen had a little fight with his mom." " Thank you." " That was both honest and emasculating." " Parents are turning up the heat?" "I guess." "It's time to tell them about that homeschool plan." "I'm sure that'll go over really well." "We gotta get back out there." "Just wanted to share." " All right, dude." " All right." "Don't drown." "If you see any more naked fat guys, be sure and let Luke know, okay?" "He's so funny." "Dude." "You need to close on Jane before the summer's over." "I live here." "So does she." "There's plenty of time." "Whatever you say." " Hey, guys." " Hey, Dad." "What time's dinner?" "Half an hour." "And we have a guest." "Hi." "Sandy Cohen." " Hey." " Hey." " New car?" " Yeah." "My mom gave it to me." " It's my getaway car." " Not without me." "Thank you, you guys, for coming." "Hailey is stuck at work, but we're happy to keep you company." "Yeah, being in the house by yourself isn't as wonderful as I had fantasized." "So have you talked to Seth or Ryan?" "I talked at Seth, if it qualifies as a conversation." "Sandy saw Ryan last night." " He seems to be doing well." " That's good." "Do you guys still talk?" "Yeah, not really." "We used to but it just sort of made everything harder." "See?" "A kid doesn't need to be in Portland to be distant." "So the last I heard, you were opening a restaurant." "How's that going?" "Well, it didn't happen." "It's a long story." "But, hey, there's plenty of good restaurants in Newport." "I thought you said Newport's restaurants were overpriced and over-sauced." "I have this thing about sauces." "Less is more." "So are you excited about school or...?" "It's gonna be a little weird." "I gotta meet all the new kids, and they don't have a water polo team." "Hey." "Some would call that heaven." "Harbor School just broke ground on the new gym." "It should be beautiful." "Are you working for the tourism board now?" "Watch your mouth." "I was trying to be polite." " You should try it." " No, thanks." " I'd rather be honest." " You want honesty?" " Yeah." " Let's talk about the spoiled brat whose parents bust their asses to make sure he's happy." "How does he repay them?" " This isn't about you." " It is." "You're killing your mother, and she is killing me." "You can't spend my entire life telling me what's wrong with Newport and expect me to go back." " You can't do that." " Newport is your home." "Like it or not." "When you're 18 and you've saved up money you can leave the parents you resent and the town you loathe." "You let Ryan go." "Why not me?" "We invited Ryan into our home." "You don't get that choice." "But you didn't even try and stop him." "I mean, you didn't even make an attempt." " Ryan had to do what he had to do." " Okay, well, so do I." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Who is this?" " Morning." "You want some coffee?" " Please." "Yeah." "I make it kind of strong." "Anything this side of motor oil." "I didn't sleep at all." "I'm sorry about our little family drama last night." "He's a good kid, Sandy." "He's a smart kid." " He's too smart." " When is it that kids get all the power?" "They've always had the power." "When they're 2 years old you're running after them, trying to make sure they don't get hurt." "Well, this is the teenage version of that." " Carson." "Father." " Son." "I'm gonna go see what Luke wants for breakfast." "I believe that was an excuse to leave us to round two." "There is no round two." " I'm backing your play." " What?" " Is this, like, a Jedi mind trick or...?" " No, I..." "I thought about what you said last night." "I don't know what else to do." "If this is really where you wanna be, I can't force you to come back." " So you're letting me stay?" " Well, at least I know you're safe here." "It's better than dragging you home so then the next time you run away, you might not leave a note." "You might not call." "Well, thank you." "Thank you." "You know, I'm really sorry to drag you all the way up here." " It was worth it just to see you." " Yeah, you too." "So look, you know that I left home when I was your age, and..." "And I wanna say to you what I wish my parents had said to me." "We love you." " And the door is always open." " Yeah, I know." "I know." "All right." "Sailing lesson at 10." "I gotta go." " All right." " Thanks." " Take care of yourself, huh?" " Yeah, bye." "Hey." "So we should probably leave in a half-hour." " I don't work Saturdays." " No, my doctor's appointment." " Right." " You forgot?" "No, no, I..." "Yeah, I forgot." "Sorry." " What's with the bag?" " I was gonna go to Portland actually." "Before I remembered your doctor's appointment." " Except you didn't remember." " I've been to every appointment." " What are you saying?" "I don't care?" " No, it's just plane tickets showing up." "Phone calls in the middle of the night." "What's going on?" "I left Newport to make life easier for everyone." "It seems like all I did was make everything more complicated." "That's funny." "I thought you left Newport to be with me." "I did." "All right?" "I just gotta make things right with Seth." "Why?" "It's not like you abandoned him." "Actually, it kind of is." "I just..." "I just took off." "I didn't really talk to him about it." "I..." "I'm only going to Portland." "Are you afraid I'm gonna lose my construction job?" "It's just a checkup." "It'll be a lot of sitting around, reading old TV Guides, listening to bad Muzak." "My mom loves that stuff." "You sure?" "Yeah." "All right." "I gotta run." "Marissa." "Marissa, you're not even ready." "Take your headphones off." "I said, take your headphones off." "I was listening to that, Mom." "We were supposed to leave for Cardio Barre 15 minutes ago." "Oh, right." "Sorry." "Fine." "I'm taking this away, and you're grounded." "What are you talking about?" "You can't ground me." "I most certainly can because I won't spend another minute living like this." "All summer, you've ignored me, acting like I don't exist." "I wish." "What did you say?" "Why do we have to keep doing this?" "Honey instead of shutting me out, just tell me what's bothering you." "You really want to know what's bothering me?" "Do you?" "Do you really wanna know what's on my mind?" "Yes." "Okay, thanks for the heads-up, Otis." "I'm gonna talk to Caleb as soon as I get back into town." " Sandy." "Cab's here." "All right, thanks." "I had a feeling I'd see you here." " What, are you leaving?" " I took my shot." "Good luck." "And thanks." "Summer." "Hello." "Hey, Mrs. Cohen." "Can I come in?" "Sure." "Is everything okay?" " I'm here to get over Seth." " Excuse me?" "My therapist said the best way to move on in my life is to divest myself of all of Seth's material possessions." " I gotta dump off a bunch of his crap." " Oh, right." "Got it." "My therapist said it's my best chance at ever again vibrating at a high frequency." " Vibrating at a high frequency?" " Lynn Grabhorn?" "Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting." "Humans have an electrochemical currency running through us which is affected by our emotions." "When you are feeling happy or joyful that current, or energy, vibrates at a higher frequency than when you are feeling sad or angry at, let's say, Seth Cohen." "When you're at a high frequency, you're more likely to attract happy people than when you vibrate at a low, sad, bitter-at-Cohen frequency." "It's the law of attraction in physics." "You know where his room is." " Thanks." " Summer, for the record if he wasn't my son, I'd do the same thing." "I hope we can still be friends." "What do you say?" "First up, Madden Football." "Dude, when are you gonna give up the sports games?" "Why would I do that?" "Hey, Dad, is dinner ready yet?" "Got the grill going, and we've got another guest." "Yeah, who is it this time?" "My mom?" " You, I would not have guessed." " What's going on, Chino?" "How are you guys?" "You know, good." "I'm sure you're probably here to do my father's bidding." "But you might as well stay for a burger, right?" "Yeah." "Hey, man." " Hey." " So you learned how to work a grill." " You got a step up on your mom." " I've learned a lot this summer." "Portland seems nice." "From the airplane, anyway." "Yeah, it's awesome." "Real people, real weather." "Cute girls too." " So you and Summer..." " Not so good, actually." "She'II..." "She'll probably never speak to me again." "It's probably best she moves on, though." "I don't think we're gonna be seeing too much of each other." "I live here now." "Listen, I'm sorry if I..." " lf I caused..." " Dude, honestly, stop." "You did not make me leave Newport, okay?" "If anything, the truth is you probably made me stay a year longer than I should have." "Honestly." "Like, boarding school, Portland, whatever." "I was out of there sooner or later." "Me and the O.C. Are a truly beatable..." " Dropping out of school, moving here." " It used to be normal for teenagers to board tramp steamers and travel the country." "The Depression." "They were looking for work." "Hobos are hot again." "So there's no chance of you going back to Newport?" "Are you?" "Well, then, you know..." "Yeah, but, Seth, I can't." "Neither can I." "I've gotta admit, Jules, you've done well for yourself." " It's all you've wanted." " Careful what you wish for." "Thanks." "So, what's the matter?" "What's going on?" "Aside from our daughter being the spawn of Chucky and Keith Moon?" "She is definitely going through a hard time right now." "Jimmy, you have no idea the level-four meltdown I witnessed." "There was lawn furniture in the pool." " Sounds like it constitutes a level-five." " Sad part is it's the most honest conversation we've had yet." "Thank God Kaitlin's going to boarding school." "This is no place for a child." "Marissa, however, will be seriously screwed up for the rest of her life." "Permanent damage, Jimmy." " Unless we do something." " Like what?" "Give her some semblance of a normal family dynamic." "Maybe Sunday dinners you can come over here with..." " Hailey?" " Right, right." " You two are still...?" " Yeah, we're great." "She's fantastic." "Sweet." "Limber." " How about you and Caleb?" " Not so limber." "I'll help." "The best I can." "Okay?" "Thank you." "And for the record, I am happy for you." "For the record, I don't believe you, but for Marissa's sake, I'll pretend to." "I can't believe you talked to the DA's office yesterday and to me only now." "I was trying to bring your grandson home." " He's staying." "Thanks for asking." " He's staying?" "Want me to talk to him?" "I can be quite persuasive." "You better rest up." "And stockpile some of that persuasiveness." "Why?" "What did the DA say?" "The clouds have gathered, Cal." "It's about to rain down on you." "On all of us." "So put your storm windows in, if you know what I mean." " That bad, huh?" " Get your house in order." "The Newport Group." "The family." "Do it soon." "Come on, Chino." "Try and hurt me." "Make me feel pain." " Wound me." " Think of all the money Luke saves on therapy playing these games." " I think he should still consider therapy." "You're gonna pay for that." "Ryan." "Telephone." " Good luck." " I'll wait here." "Okay." "Here we go." " Hello." " Ryan?" "Hi." "What's wrong?" "I went to the doctor's for the checkup." "And they couldn't find a heartbeat." "I lost the baby, Ryan." "I guess in the first couple months this can happen." "Okay." "Okay, I'm coming back." " I'm getting on the next flight, and..." " No." " What?" " I think that maybe we should see this as a sign." "You know, I think it's a sign." "Ryan, you're not happy with me." "You haven't been happy." "The only reason you've stayed is because of this baby." "And now there isn't a baby." "You don't want me to come home." "You don't wanna come home." "Is this your battleground?" "Is this your...?" "Hey, everything all right?" "Theresa lost the baby." "Did you tell him?" "Did he believe you?" "Yeah, I think so." "It's for the best." "For you and him and for the baby." "What time's your cab get here?" "Any minute." " What are you gonna do now?" " I don't know." "Get my stuff out of Theresa's, and then I'm homeless again." "Have I sold you on the wonders of Portland?" "We could take our show on the road." "I can't impose." "Besides, I got this job." "It pays pretty well, so..." "I'll figure something out." " What about you, man?" " You know." "Just keep teaching sailing, hang with Luke." "His dad's dating someone new, so that should be interesting." "Sounds fun." "Plus, you know, my parents are kind of okay with this now, so it's good because I don't have to feel guilty..." " That's great, man." "Yeah, it's awesome." "It's awesome." "Chino, your cab's here." "All right, well guess this is it." "Yeah, don't be a stranger." "All right." "See you." " Hey, so I was thinking..." " I was thinking too." "You know, they don't even have a water polo team here." "That's just gonna be a problem for me." " We don't have to hug or anything?" " No." "Okay, come on in." "I kind of like eating amongst the furniture." "It's..." "It's cozy." "So we leave for three months, you tear the whole place apart." "You're back?" "There was a two-for-one special on brooding young men." " Are you coming back too?" "Yeah, yeah." "It's a long story, but I figure this is where I belong, so..." "Yeah." "What he said." "Good." "Because nobody leaves this family twice." " Welcome home." " Thanks." "Hey." "What's going on?" "All right." " So?" "Good to be back?" " Yeah." "Yeah, it is." "You?" "My room felt so much smaller to me." "I don't know." "Or perhaps I have grown quite a bit in the last few months." "Summer had been there." "She dumped everything that reminded her of me so that should be fun come Monday." " Yeah, Monday's gonna suck." "Do you need anything?" "Want me to fire up the grill?" "Because, Ryan I can do that." " No, I'm good." "I'm good." " Tired, but good." " Well, then." "Hey, wait, wait." "How did you make it all the way to Portland from Newport in that little catamaran?" "Well, Ryan, sit down, my son." "It was a long and torturous journey and I'm not gonna sugarcoat any of the details for you." " Please don't." " Because we're friends." "First I sailed to Catalina." "Then I sailed to Santa Barbara." "Santa Barbara, I ran out of snacks, freaked out a little bit pawned my boat for cash, took a Greyhound to Portland." " Took a bus?" " But don't say it like that." "It was a local." "Okay, have you ever been on one of those?" "Not for the faint of heart." "Can't believe after all that, you took a bus." "We should come up with a better story for school, though." "That'd be good." " No, no, I like the bus idea." "It's cool." " Okay, but what about maybe...?" "Boat sank, saved by whales." "It's very Whale Rider." "What else you got?" "I took the boat." "The boat sank." "Saved by a mermaid." "The boat sank." "Stranded on a desert island." "Volleyball..."