The O.C.:10 Times It Broke Our Hearts

In 2003, TV audiences got to enter the world of Newport where the wealthy had lavish charity parties, went on epic trips, and had plenty of drama to keep TV fans entertained. The O.C. focused on Ryan Atwood, a Newport transplant from Chino who didn’t fit in with his new surroundings, but tried to make the best of his new situation – given a home and a family in the Cohens.

Though Ryan entered into a world that should have made things easier for a kid who grew up with no money and no one to take care of him, he sure ended up in the middle of a whole lot of conflict. The O.C. didn’t just entertain us as Ryan navigated Newport; it also broke our hearts in these ten moments.

10 When Ryan Couldn’t Stay With The Cohens

The O.C. kicked off with Ryan Atwood temporarily staying with the Cohen family instead of staying in a juvenile detention facility. Sandy Cohen wanted him to stay to give Ryan a better chance at turning his life around. Kirsten Cohen, however, wasn’t comfortable having someone she thought was a criminal living in her home, and Ryan had to go back to juvie.

The most heartbreaking aspect of that first storyline was that Ryan wasn’t phased by it all. He didn’t blame Kirsten for wanting him out of her house. Ryan rolled with the punches, and it was clear he had been doing it for a while. That was the first of many times the show would break fans’ hearts.

9 When Kirsten Drank Her Way Through Caleb’s Funeral

It became clear very early in the series that Kirsten Cohen used alcohol to cope with stress. When the entire family came together for the holidays, she dealt with family drama by whipping up margaritas. When Newport’s wealthy wives got on her nerves at charity events, she downed extra glasses of wine. That came to a head when her father died.

While the Cohen family came together to lay Caleb to rest, Kirsten tried to temper her guilt, anger, and sadness with copious amounts of alcohol. She was barely coherent for her own father’s funeral.

8 When Marissa Overdosed In Tijuana

Not only did Marissa run into her boyfriend while he was hot and heavy with another girl, but during the same trip she found out that her parents were officially separating. It was a lot for her to deal with at once when she was already unhappy, and Marissa decided to escape the pain with pills meant for Summer’s stepmother and some alcohol. Ryan, Summer, and Seth found her passed out in an alley and in need of serious medical attention. It was the first time in the series fans thought they could lose a main cast member.

7 When Oliver Held Marissa Hostage

Marissa tried her best to make friends outside of her usual circle. One of those was Oliver, a boy she met while waiting to see her therapist. Oliver and Marissa became fast friends, but Marissa didn’t realize just how fixated on her he was. 

Marissa only realized that Ryan was right about Oliver’s obsession when he pulled a gun on her and held her in his hotel room. Marissa, just wanting to help someone she considered a friend, continued to try to talk him down until Ryan and security arrived. It was a sad moment for Oliver who berated himself for “always doing this” to himself. He needed help, and though fans never saw him again in the show, Marissa promised to help him get it.

6 When The Cohens Staged An Intervention

Kirsten’s drinking was initially something Seth and Sandy joked about. When it became apparent that it was a real problem, however, the family and Kirsten’s closest friends staged an intervention, wanting her to get help.

Kirsten initially denied that she needed help, and Seth avoided even participating in the intervention for the most part. While the intervention itself was a heartbreaking look at reality in the otherwise fantasy world, Seth completely wanting to avoid the fact that his mother needed help was something fans disliked even more. 

5 When Seth Broke Up With Summer

When it came time for the main characters to leave high school behind, a wrench was thrown into Seth and Summer’s plans. Seth’s dream school was Brown, but he faced rejection when Summer got in. Rather than admit the truth to Summer, he broke up with her.

Seth and Summer were built up as the It couple of the series, and while they had plenty of obstacles to overcome, this one seemed insurmountable. Seth lying to Summer about the next step in their lives didn’t seem like something they could come back from.

4 When Marissa Died

Some fans might have thought that Marissa Cooper’s time on the show ran her course, others loved that she brought plenty of drama. Marissa’s final moments on the show still hit fans hard.

Marissa’s death came as the car she was in with Ryan was run off the road by Volchok. Her last moments on screen with Ryan included him carrying her away from their burning car. The imagery echoed Ryan picking her up in an alleyway in Tijuana from the first season of the show, reminding fans of the way the two started.

3 When Summer Gave Julie A Wedding Gift

Julie wasn’t particularly close to anyone. She was usually more concerned with her own status and her family appearing perfect instead of what the people around her actually felt. She experienced a lot of growth over the course of the series, and when she was finally in a place where she thought she could be happy and well-adjusted, she was ready to get married again.

Before Julie’s wedding, Summer took a moment to give Julie a gift. It was a locket with a lock of Marissa’s hair in it so Julie could have her daughter with her always. It was a touching moment between Marissa’s best friend and her mother that the audience never would have expected when the series first began.

2 When Kirsten And Sandy Hit A Rough Patch

Season two was rough on a lot of the characters in The O.C. While the teenagers all had a lot going on, the adults had their own relationship drama to contend with. Both Kirsten and Sandy Cohen found themselves tempted to stray.

Sandy had a bit of an emotional affair when his first love showed up back in town and he started working with her. Likewise, Kirsten was tempted by a coworker of her own. Ultimately, they both realized their love for one another was stronger than any temptation, but not before both kissing their respective coworkers and facing a lot of ups and downs in their relationship. It shook fans to see that the best examples of adults on the series had the potential to separate.

1 When Julie Wanted To Get To Know Her Daughter

Though she spent a lot of time trying to control her daughter, Julie truly loved Marissa Cooper. She just believed that by trying to hold fast to the controls, she could keep Marissa from getting into the same trouble she did. It didn’t quite work out that way.

Following Marissa’s death, Julie realized she didn’t know the real teenage girl, but the facade that Marissa presented to her. As she and Ryan both mourned Marissa in the final season, she asked Ryan to tell her about the real Marissa. She was finally ready to get to know her daughter.

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