Ryan Atwood
Encyclopedia
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character
on the FOX
television series The O.C.
, portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie
. A troubled teenager from Chino, California
, he is considered the protagonist
of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is given a second chance to pursue his life's goal
s and dreams.
The final line of the show is spoken by Ryan. At the very ending of the series finale, during a flashforward
, Ryan leaves the construction site in which he works and as he walks towards his Range Rover
he sees a kid in the same situation as he was in "Premiere". Ryan looks at the kid and says: "Hey, kid! Need any help?". The screen then fades out.
Rush found the role of Ryan Atwood particularly hard to cast and only invited Benjamin McKenzie
to an audition after Warner Bros
had made them aware of the young actor after his unsuccessful audition for a UPN
sitcom. McKenzie lacked working experience and later described his selection as "a tremendous leap of faith" on the producers' part. Chad Michael Murray
was originally offered the role of Ryan Atwood but turned it down for the lead role of Lucas Scott
on One Tree Hill
.
by his biological father and some of his mother's boyfriends, Ryan finds it extremely hard to get close to anyone. Having been born and raised in a working class
family, Ryan knows the lifestyle and attitudes of people from his neighborhood of Chino, California
and the dangers that entoll if outsiders are influenced by its environment. He is tough, cynical and quick-tempered, yet compassionate and empathetic toward people in trouble and those less fortunate than himself. He at times appears burdened by an almost-compulsive need to rescue others
, however, and is overly protective of Marissa
and Theresa
, his main love interests on the show. The fact that he rarely smiles is something of a running joke among other members of the Cohen household.
Ryan's favorite fruit is peaches, and his favorite band is Journey
. Some of his other extracurricular activities include soccer during his sophomore
year of high school (first year in Harbor). Ryan (by his own words) used to play soccer before going to Harbor and a soccer ball is sometimes seen in the Cohen's pool house. Ryan also revealed that he had played safety in football while talking to Johnny Harper in Season 3. And despite the generosity of his adoptive family, Ryan repeatedly demonstrates he can earn his own keep by taking paying jobs around town, such as a busboy at the Crab Shack, a construction worker, an intern at the Newport Group, and a barback
position.
are caught attempting to steal a car, his mother Dawn
kicks him out. His attorney, Sandy Cohen
, takes him into his home in Newport Beach, California
, despite objections from Sandy's wife, Kirsten
. Upon realizing his mother is unwilling to take care of him, however, Kirsten's maternal instincts kick in and she welcomes him to stay. Ryan becomes part of the Cohen family, living in their pool house and becomes a brother to Sandy and Kirsten's son, Seth Cohen
; even Sandy and Kirsten consider him their second son. However, even though he is accepted by the immediate Cohen family, Kirsten's father Caleb Nichol
and the Cohen's neighbor Julie Cooper
have reservations about Ryan. Shortly after meeting her, he begins a relationship with Marissa Cooper
, his next-door neighbor, whose life he saves from a pain-killers overdose while they are in Mexico with friends.
Ryan's relationship with Marissa is interrupted by Oliver Trask
, a deeply disturbed man Marissa meets in therapy who becomes obsessed with her. Ryan becomes suspicious, which brings significant trust issues between the couple, eventually resulting in a breakup, although they remain friends.
At the same time, Theresa Diaz
, Ryan's childhood sweetheart, comes to Newport, resulting in a rekindled romance between them. However, Theresa leaves Newport after her fiancée Eddie, one of Ryan's friends in Chino, arrives and convinces her to return to Chino with him. Ryan and Marissa resume their relationship shortly after, but this is complicated when Theresa returns after suffering domestic abuse by Eddie. Theresa reveals she is pregnant, but does not know whether the father is Ryan or Eddie. Upon reflection, she decides to keep the baby and return home to Chino to be with her mother. Feeling compelled to help her bring up the child, Ryan decides to go with Theresa, leaving Marissa, the Cohens, and everything else in his life behind.
, where he ran away following Ryan's departure. He hesitantly goes, hoping to convince his friend to go home to his parents before the fall semester starts, but while he stays in Portland, Theresa notifies him through the telephone she has miscarried
. Although Ryan is devastated and wants to return to her, Theresa refuses and tells him he needs to go back to Newport with Seth.
As part of Seth's idea of a reunion of the "Fab Four" (consisting of Ryan, Marissa, Seth and his girlfriend Summer Roberts
), Ryan and Marissa are pulled closer together. When he overhears a conversation of Marissa admitting to Summer that Ryan is the only one she ever loved and that she misses him every day, he also confesses his own lingering feelings for her. The two get back together, just as Ryan's brother Trey is released from jail. Ryan, along with the Cohens and Marissa, attempt to get Trey back onto his feet. However, during his trip to Florida
with Sandy and Seth to pay Sandy's mother,a visit, Trey tries to rape
Marissa while intoxicated on drugs. Marissa does not tell anyone, causing tension with Ryan, who suspects she cheated on him with Trey. After he questions his brother, who hides away at a bar in Chino and blames a drunken Marissa, Ryan bumps into Theresa and confides in her his problems. She tells him that out of the two, Marissa would never hurt him and she would be the one to trust. Following Theresa's advice, Ryan makes up with Marissa.
Meanwhile, Sandy becomes concerned with Kirsten's alcoholism
and decides to stage an intervention
. Ryan himself is more than aware of her drinking, and reassures Sandy he is doing the right thing. Ryan takes part, stating that, having lost his mother to alcoholism, he would not be able to bear it if he lost someone else he loved to the bottle. Following similar statements of love from the rest of the Cohens, Kirsten gives in and checks herself into rehab
. When Marissa finally tells Summer about Trey, Summer is quick to inform Seth. Seth, knowing he cannot lie to Ryan, tells him, who prompts an immediate confrontation with his brother. The two brothers start a fight, in which Trey almost kills Ryan. Marissa turns up and shoots Trey in the back with his own gun.
Trey survives the gunshot, but remains in a coma
. When he regains consciousness, Marissa's mother Julie blackmail
s him to place the blame on Ryan so Marissa's innocence will clear her reputation in society, but following Ryan's initial arrest, Marissa convinces him into telling the truth. With Ryan's charges dropped, Trey finally flees Newport, leaving Marissa expelled from Harbor High to instead attend public school. When she befriends amateur surfer Johnny Harper
, Ryan becomes suspicious of their closeness, fueling their on and off relationship. After Johnny dies in an accident, Ryan questions Marissa's true feelings towards Johnny, ending their relationship. Following their split, Marissa begins spiraling down a disastrous relationship with Kevin Volchok
, Johnny's former surfing rival, while Ryan develops his own rivalry against Volchok, including instances of blackmail
, extortion
and violence
.
In the season finale, Ryan, Marissa, Seth and Summer finally graduate high school, following their prospective futures; for his part, Ryan decides to attend Sandy and Kirsten's Alma Mater, the University of California, Berkeley
. Elsewhere, Volchok attempts to blackmail Ryan, threatening to inform the authorities of Ryan's earlier involvement in a robbery which he was forced to assist him with. In an effort to fulfill Volchok's ransom, Marissa gives Ryan her mother's graduation gift: pearls he could pawn off for the money. Volchok doesn't accept the money, demanding more, including a talk with Marissa, which she refuses, instead staying with Ryan. While Ryan drives Marissa to the airport, Volchok, drunk and furious, attempts to crash Ryan's car. In a blind rage, he sideswipes Ryan's vehicle, knocking it over a barrier to roll down an embankment
. After recovering himself from the accident, Ryan sees Marissa is unconscious with a bleeding head wound. He drags her out of the car and carries her down the street (mirroring the Tijuana rescue) as the car catches on fire. He sits down in the road, cradling Marissa and wakes her up. He tells her he's going to get help, but Marissa begs him to stay with her. Ryan reluctantly agrees and tells Marissa that everything's going be okay. They look into each other's eyes and then Marissa dies in his arms. The season ends with Ryan crying and hugging her body.
with her grief
, hires a private investigator
to dig up evidence of Volchok's whereabouts, in hopes of exacting her revenge. She passes her discovered information of him onto Ryan, the only person who can truly understand the pain she feels, and suggests he do with Volchok whatever he wishes, as giving the police the information is too valuable a deal to pass up. Using this information, Ryan heads to Mexico
to finish the job, but after Seth overhears his intentions, he tags along to insure Ryan doesn't ruin his life by committing murder
. To do so, Seth warns Volchok to leave town before Ryan gets to him and advises that he take advantage of his lawyer father. After his plan fools Ryan, with Sandy and Kirsten appearing to convince him into his return home, he unwillingly does so; his relationship with Seth is severely compromised, however. Heeding Seth's advice, Volchok contacts Sandy to be his defense attorney, although Ryan discovers it. Sandy, knowing Ryan would never kill anyone, drives him to the hotel where he's temporarily housed Volchok. Inside, Ryan immediately leaps into an attack, putting a broken bottle against Volchok's throat; he spares Volchok's life at the last minute, however, leaving him for the police and telling Volchok that he has to live with what he did for the rest of his life.
Ryan settles back down to life in Newport, determined to have an uneventful summer, until Taylor Townsend
returns from France
trapped in a loveless marriage, seeking a divorce
. Ryan is reluctantly drawn in and, during a heart-to-heart conversation with Sandy, he is reminded that he's always been the one to help people when they truly need it the most. Ryan kisses her in front of her husband's lawyer, who can grant a divorce only if one member was unfaithful and agrees that their kiss was true and heartfelt. Seth warns Ryan that Taylor is unstable and clings to anyone who shows her kindness; while Ryan appreciates the notion, he admits that he is not yet over Marissa and decides to confront Taylor; she initially denies her own feelings, but later confesses that she is attracted to him. Following a second kiss, the idea being to discover if it would spark any feelings, he exclaims to himself, "Whoa," and admits he does like her, except that he does not want anything too serious.
During Chrismukkah
(a combination of Christmas
and Hannukah celebrated at the Cohen house), Ryan discovers a letter in the mail from Marissa, but gets distracted by Kirsten. While he's later hanging decorations on the house roof, Taylor arrives with her gift to him; he is preoccupied by Marissa's letter, however, and acts coldly towards her. When she forces herself up the ladder he's working on to angrily give him his present, the ladder falls, along with the two of them, knocking them both unconscious. While in the hospital, Ryan and Taylor dream of being in an alternate dream universe
of Newport, instead being as if Ryan had never been adopted by the Cohen family. When Taylor misunderstands a conversation with a housekeeper from this world, she informs Ryan that Marissa is alive; Ryan says he never wants to wake up so he can be with her again. When he finds out of her arrival at an airport from Berkley and goes to meet her, he only finds this world's version of Marissa's sister Kaitlin
, who tells him that Marissa had died from the overdose in Tijuana, meaning that Ryan was never there to save her. In the real world, Kirsten shows Julie Marissa's letter to Ryan, which she had written to Ryan before she left for Greece
. In the letter, Marissa states she had to leave because, even though she still loved him, they could not be together and it was time to move on with their lives because they were holding each other back. After Julie sets the note beside an unconscious Ryan, it appears for him to read in his dream. He goes to the lifeguard tower that he and Marissa often found themselves at and reads it. After doing so, Ryan realizes that it's time to forgive himself about Marissa's death. He sets the letter down on the ground and walks away, saying goodbye. Moments later, he regains consciousness after finding the strength he needed to say goodbye.
Days later, Ryan finds out from Sandy that his biological father, Frank Atwood, is out of jail and wishes to see him. Ryan is initially hesitant, recalling the abuse he suffered at Frank's hands, but Frank convinces him with a diagnosis of lung cancer
. However, following dinner with the Cohens, a suspicious Sandy reveals Frank was lying about the cancer, and an embarrassed Frank leaves Newport, although he returns apologetically and with help from Taylor, forms a tentative relationship with his son.
Meanwhile, Taylor's ex-husband Henri-Michel comes to Newport on a book tour for his best-selling novel about their marriage. Feeling insecure about Taylor's exotic life in France
, Ryan breaks up with her, claiming they are both "too different". A week later, Ryan decides he was wrong, but discovers it might be too late as Taylor is already considering a reconciliation with Henri, who still loves her. In a moment of desperation, Ryan upstages a poetry reading by Henri at a local book store with a poem of his own, where he confesses he can grow to love Taylor, given time.
As a way to make up for giving a pocket dictionary
for her nineteenth birthday, Ryan gives Taylor his original present of a bound book full of love poems she translated for him. He admits he loves her, but as they reconcile, an earthquake
hits Newport. Fortunately, the two survive, but Ryan is injured from protecting Taylor and is brought to the hospital for recovery. Six months later, Ryan and Taylor spend time together before she leaves Newport for college in Paris
. Ryan thanks her for saving him from self-destruction and he and the Cohens depart from their Newport home, damaged beyond repair, to Sandy and Kirsten's old home in Berkeley, California
, while Seth is leaving for RISD.
In a flashforward
, Ryan attends UC Berkeley
, where Sandy is now a law professor, and graduates. Ryan sticks around the Cohen home in Berkeley to help Sandy and Kirsten raise his adoptive sister, Sophie Rose. At Seth and Summer's wedding, he is made best man and shares a smile with Taylor, the maid of honor (their relationship status is left ambiguous). Ryan achieves his dream of becoming an architect
and, as he walks away from the construction site, he notices a teenager down on his luck, seemingly in the same situation Ryan was when he was kicked out of his home. Ryan then calls out to the kid, asking if he needs help, bringing his story to full circle.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...
. A troubled teenager from Chino, California
Chino, California
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
, he is considered the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is given a second chance to pursue his life's goal
Goal
A goal is an objective, or a projected computation of affairs, that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.Goal, GOAL or G.O.A.L may also refer to:Sport...
s and dreams.
The final line of the show is spoken by Ryan. At the very ending of the series finale, during a flashforward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
, Ryan leaves the construction site in which he works and as he walks towards his Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
he sees a kid in the same situation as he was in "Premiere". Ryan looks at the kid and says: "Hey, kid! Need any help?". The screen then fades out.
Casting
| "When Benjamin [McKenzie] came in, he wasn't physically what Josh had envisioned, but he inhabited the character unlike anyone we had seen. I think that the character of Ryan is a kid that always seems a little lost and has a sense of mystery and danger; Benjamin has all those qualities." |
| — Patrick Rush on the casting of Benjamin McKenzie as Ryan |
Rush found the role of Ryan Atwood particularly hard to cast and only invited Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie
Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan , better known as Benjamin McKenzie, is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing Ryan Atwood in the television series The O.C. and for playing Ben Sherman in Southland. He appeared in the films Junebug and 88 Minutes which earned him a Sarasota Film...
to an audition after Warner Bros
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
had made them aware of the young actor after his unsuccessful audition for a UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
sitcom. McKenzie lacked working experience and later described his selection as "a tremendous leap of faith" on the producers' part. Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, former fashion model and spokesperson. Murray is well known for portraying Lucas Scott in The CW young adult drama series One Tree Hill, in addition to the commercially successful films A Cinderella Story, Freaky Friday and House of Wax...
was originally offered the role of Ryan Atwood but turned it down for the lead role of Lucas Scott
Lucas Scott
Lucas Eugene Scott is a fictional character and formerly the main protagonist from The CW television series One Tree Hill, portrayed by Chad Michael Murray. Lucas is a talented basketball player and writer. He is rival to half-brother Nathan Scott, before the two eventually become close friends...
on One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
.
Personality
Having been physically abusedChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
by his biological father and some of his mother's boyfriends, Ryan finds it extremely hard to get close to anyone. Having been born and raised in a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
family, Ryan knows the lifestyle and attitudes of people from his neighborhood of Chino, California
Chino, California
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It is located in the western end of the Riverside-San Bernardino Area and it is easily accessible via the Chino Valley and Pomona freeways....
and the dangers that entoll if outsiders are influenced by its environment. He is tough, cynical and quick-tempered, yet compassionate and empathetic toward people in trouble and those less fortunate than himself. He at times appears burdened by an almost-compulsive need to rescue others
Messiah complex
A messiah complex is a state of mind in which an individual holds a belief they are, or are destined to become, a savior. The messiah complex does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ....
, however, and is overly protective of Marissa
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...
and Theresa
Theresa Diaz
Theresa Diaz is a fictional character on Fox series The O.C., played by Navi Rawat. She is the child of Eva Diaz and the sister of Arturo Diaz, who is the best friend of Trey Atwood.-Season 1:...
, his main love interests on the show. The fact that he rarely smiles is something of a running joke among other members of the Cohen household.
Ryan's favorite fruit is peaches, and his favorite band is Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
. Some of his other extracurricular activities include soccer during his sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
year of high school (first year in Harbor). Ryan (by his own words) used to play soccer before going to Harbor and a soccer ball is sometimes seen in the Cohen's pool house. Ryan also revealed that he had played safety in football while talking to Johnny Harper in Season 3. And despite the generosity of his adoptive family, Ryan repeatedly demonstrates he can earn his own keep by taking paying jobs around town, such as a busboy at the Crab Shack, a construction worker, an intern at the Newport Group, and a barback
Barback
A barback is a bartender's assistant. Barbacks work in nightclubs, bars, restaurants and catering halls. Barbacks stock the bar with liquor, ice, glassware, beer, garnishes, and so on, and usually receive a portion of the bartender's tips; often around 10% to 20%, or a portion of total sales; from...
position.
Season 1
When he and his brother TreyTrey Atwood
Trey Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., first portrayed by Bradley Stryker during season one and then by Logan Marshall-Green from season two onward...
are caught attempting to steal a car, his mother Dawn
Dawn Atwood
Dawn Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Daphne Ashbrook. She is the mother of Trey and Ryan Atwood. She has a history of alcoholism and of forming relationships with abusive men who also drink. Her husband Frank Atwood is both abusive and an...
kicks him out. His attorney, Sandy Cohen
Sandy Cohen
Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series The O.C., portrayed by Peter Gallagher.Sandy, a lawyer, raconteur, and son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father left his mother when he was young and...
, takes him into his home in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
, despite objections from Sandy's wife, Kirsten
Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Kelly Rowan. Kirsten is the wife of Sandy Cohen, mother to Seth Cohen, and the adoptive mother of Ryan Atwood...
. Upon realizing his mother is unwilling to take care of him, however, Kirsten's maternal instincts kick in and she welcomes him to stay. Ryan becomes part of the Cohen family, living in their pool house and becomes a brother to Sandy and Kirsten's son, Seth Cohen
Seth Cohen
Seth Ezekiel Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Adam Brody. Seth was one of the "core four" characters on The O.C. alongside Ryan Atwood, Marissa Cooper, and Summer Roberts.-Background:...
; even Sandy and Kirsten consider him their second son. However, even though he is accepted by the immediate Cohen family, Kirsten's father Caleb Nichol
Caleb Nichol
Caleb Nichol is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Alan Dale during the show's first and second seasons...
and the Cohen's neighbor Julie Cooper
Julie Cooper
Julie Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Melinda Clarke.-Background:...
have reservations about Ryan. Shortly after meeting her, he begins a relationship with Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...
, his next-door neighbor, whose life he saves from a pain-killers overdose while they are in Mexico with friends.
Ryan's relationship with Marissa is interrupted by Oliver Trask
Oliver Trask
Oliver Trask is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Taylor Handley. Oliver appeared in the series' first season as thorn in Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper's relationship, soon developing a severe obsession with the latter...
, a deeply disturbed man Marissa meets in therapy who becomes obsessed with her. Ryan becomes suspicious, which brings significant trust issues between the couple, eventually resulting in a breakup, although they remain friends.
At the same time, Theresa Diaz
Theresa Diaz
Theresa Diaz is a fictional character on Fox series The O.C., played by Navi Rawat. She is the child of Eva Diaz and the sister of Arturo Diaz, who is the best friend of Trey Atwood.-Season 1:...
, Ryan's childhood sweetheart, comes to Newport, resulting in a rekindled romance between them. However, Theresa leaves Newport after her fiancée Eddie, one of Ryan's friends in Chino, arrives and convinces her to return to Chino with him. Ryan and Marissa resume their relationship shortly after, but this is complicated when Theresa returns after suffering domestic abuse by Eddie. Theresa reveals she is pregnant, but does not know whether the father is Ryan or Eddie. Upon reflection, she decides to keep the baby and return home to Chino to be with her mother. Feeling compelled to help her bring up the child, Ryan decides to go with Theresa, leaving Marissa, the Cohens, and everything else in his life behind.
Season 2
Having quit school and working in construction, Ryan lives with Theresa, but she realizes he is unhappy and encourages him to visit Seth in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where he ran away following Ryan's departure. He hesitantly goes, hoping to convince his friend to go home to his parents before the fall semester starts, but while he stays in Portland, Theresa notifies him through the telephone she has miscarried
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
. Although Ryan is devastated and wants to return to her, Theresa refuses and tells him he needs to go back to Newport with Seth.
As part of Seth's idea of a reunion of the "Fab Four" (consisting of Ryan, Marissa, Seth and his girlfriend Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Rachel Bilson.-Background:Summer Roberts grew up in Newport Beach, California, with her wealthy father, Dr. Neil Roberts...
), Ryan and Marissa are pulled closer together. When he overhears a conversation of Marissa admitting to Summer that Ryan is the only one she ever loved and that she misses him every day, he also confesses his own lingering feelings for her. The two get back together, just as Ryan's brother Trey is released from jail. Ryan, along with the Cohens and Marissa, attempt to get Trey back onto his feet. However, during his trip to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with Sandy and Seth to pay Sandy's mother,a visit, Trey tries to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
Marissa while intoxicated on drugs. Marissa does not tell anyone, causing tension with Ryan, who suspects she cheated on him with Trey. After he questions his brother, who hides away at a bar in Chino and blames a drunken Marissa, Ryan bumps into Theresa and confides in her his problems. She tells him that out of the two, Marissa would never hurt him and she would be the one to trust. Following Theresa's advice, Ryan makes up with Marissa.
Meanwhile, Sandy becomes concerned with Kirsten's alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and decides to stage an intervention
Intervention (counseling)
An intervention is an orchestrated attempt by one, or often many, people to get someone to seek professional help with an addiction or some kind of traumatic event or crisis, or other serious problem. The term intervention is most often used when the traumatic event involves addiction to drugs...
. Ryan himself is more than aware of her drinking, and reassures Sandy he is doing the right thing. Ryan takes part, stating that, having lost his mother to alcoholism, he would not be able to bear it if he lost someone else he loved to the bottle. Following similar statements of love from the rest of the Cohens, Kirsten gives in and checks herself into rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
. When Marissa finally tells Summer about Trey, Summer is quick to inform Seth. Seth, knowing he cannot lie to Ryan, tells him, who prompts an immediate confrontation with his brother. The two brothers start a fight, in which Trey almost kills Ryan. Marissa turns up and shoots Trey in the back with his own gun.
Season 3
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. When he regains consciousness, Marissa's mother Julie blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
s him to place the blame on Ryan so Marissa's innocence will clear her reputation in society, but following Ryan's initial arrest, Marissa convinces him into telling the truth. With Ryan's charges dropped, Trey finally flees Newport, leaving Marissa expelled from Harbor High to instead attend public school. When she befriends amateur surfer Johnny Harper
Johnny Harper
Johnny Harper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., played by Ryan Donowho.-Season 3:Johnny Harper was an upcoming surfer, rival of Kevin Volchok and best friend of Dennis "Chilli" Childress...
, Ryan becomes suspicious of their closeness, fueling their on and off relationship. After Johnny dies in an accident, Ryan questions Marissa's true feelings towards Johnny, ending their relationship. Following their split, Marissa begins spiraling down a disastrous relationship with Kevin Volchok
Kevin Volchok
Kevin Volchok, more commonly referred to as simply Volchok, is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Cam Gigandet.-Background:...
, Johnny's former surfing rival, while Ryan develops his own rivalry against Volchok, including instances of blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
, extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
and violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
.
In the season finale, Ryan, Marissa, Seth and Summer finally graduate high school, following their prospective futures; for his part, Ryan decides to attend Sandy and Kirsten's Alma Mater, the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. Elsewhere, Volchok attempts to blackmail Ryan, threatening to inform the authorities of Ryan's earlier involvement in a robbery which he was forced to assist him with. In an effort to fulfill Volchok's ransom, Marissa gives Ryan her mother's graduation gift: pearls he could pawn off for the money. Volchok doesn't accept the money, demanding more, including a talk with Marissa, which she refuses, instead staying with Ryan. While Ryan drives Marissa to the airport, Volchok, drunk and furious, attempts to crash Ryan's car. In a blind rage, he sideswipes Ryan's vehicle, knocking it over a barrier to roll down an embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
. After recovering himself from the accident, Ryan sees Marissa is unconscious with a bleeding head wound. He drags her out of the car and carries her down the street (mirroring the Tijuana rescue) as the car catches on fire. He sits down in the road, cradling Marissa and wakes her up. He tells her he's going to get help, but Marissa begs him to stay with her. Ryan reluctantly agrees and tells Marissa that everything's going be okay. They look into each other's eyes and then Marissa dies in his arms. The season ends with Ryan crying and hugging her body.
Season 4
Following Marissa's death, Ryan moves into a storage closet at bar where he works, while avoiding the Cohens, and resorting to cage fighting as a way to release the anger of his loss. Julie, finding any way necessary to copeCope
The cope is a liturgical vestment, a very long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour....
with her grief
Grief
Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions...
, hires a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
to dig up evidence of Volchok's whereabouts, in hopes of exacting her revenge. She passes her discovered information of him onto Ryan, the only person who can truly understand the pain she feels, and suggests he do with Volchok whatever he wishes, as giving the police the information is too valuable a deal to pass up. Using this information, Ryan heads to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to finish the job, but after Seth overhears his intentions, he tags along to insure Ryan doesn't ruin his life by committing murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. To do so, Seth warns Volchok to leave town before Ryan gets to him and advises that he take advantage of his lawyer father. After his plan fools Ryan, with Sandy and Kirsten appearing to convince him into his return home, he unwillingly does so; his relationship with Seth is severely compromised, however. Heeding Seth's advice, Volchok contacts Sandy to be his defense attorney, although Ryan discovers it. Sandy, knowing Ryan would never kill anyone, drives him to the hotel where he's temporarily housed Volchok. Inside, Ryan immediately leaps into an attack, putting a broken bottle against Volchok's throat; he spares Volchok's life at the last minute, however, leaving him for the police and telling Volchok that he has to live with what he did for the rest of his life.
Ryan settles back down to life in Newport, determined to have an uneventful summer, until Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., played by Autumn Reeser.-Personality:...
returns from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
trapped in a loveless marriage, seeking a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. Ryan is reluctantly drawn in and, during a heart-to-heart conversation with Sandy, he is reminded that he's always been the one to help people when they truly need it the most. Ryan kisses her in front of her husband's lawyer, who can grant a divorce only if one member was unfaithful and agrees that their kiss was true and heartfelt. Seth warns Ryan that Taylor is unstable and clings to anyone who shows her kindness; while Ryan appreciates the notion, he admits that he is not yet over Marissa and decides to confront Taylor; she initially denies her own feelings, but later confesses that she is attracted to him. Following a second kiss, the idea being to discover if it would spark any feelings, he exclaims to himself, "Whoa," and admits he does like her, except that he does not want anything too serious.
During Chrismukkah
Chrismukkah
Chrismukkah is a pop-culture neologism referring to the merging of the holidays of Christianity's Christmas and Judaism's Hanukkah as celebrated in interfaith households where one parent may be of Christian heritage and another parent of Jewish heritage. The word itself is a portmanteau arisen...
(a combination of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and Hannukah celebrated at the Cohen house), Ryan discovers a letter in the mail from Marissa, but gets distracted by Kirsten. While he's later hanging decorations on the house roof, Taylor arrives with her gift to him; he is preoccupied by Marissa's letter, however, and acts coldly towards her. When she forces herself up the ladder he's working on to angrily give him his present, the ladder falls, along with the two of them, knocking them both unconscious. While in the hospital, Ryan and Taylor dream of being in an alternate dream universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
of Newport, instead being as if Ryan had never been adopted by the Cohen family. When Taylor misunderstands a conversation with a housekeeper from this world, she informs Ryan that Marissa is alive; Ryan says he never wants to wake up so he can be with her again. When he finds out of her arrival at an airport from Berkley and goes to meet her, he only finds this world's version of Marissa's sister Kaitlin
Kaitlin Cooper
Kaitlin Cooper is a fictional character on the Fox television series The O.C., played by Willa Holland. She was originally played by Shailene Woodley.-Season 1:...
, who tells him that Marissa had died from the overdose in Tijuana, meaning that Ryan was never there to save her. In the real world, Kirsten shows Julie Marissa's letter to Ryan, which she had written to Ryan before she left for Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. In the letter, Marissa states she had to leave because, even though she still loved him, they could not be together and it was time to move on with their lives because they were holding each other back. After Julie sets the note beside an unconscious Ryan, it appears for him to read in his dream. He goes to the lifeguard tower that he and Marissa often found themselves at and reads it. After doing so, Ryan realizes that it's time to forgive himself about Marissa's death. He sets the letter down on the ground and walks away, saying goodbye. Moments later, he regains consciousness after finding the strength he needed to say goodbye.
Days later, Ryan finds out from Sandy that his biological father, Frank Atwood, is out of jail and wishes to see him. Ryan is initially hesitant, recalling the abuse he suffered at Frank's hands, but Frank convinces him with a diagnosis of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. However, following dinner with the Cohens, a suspicious Sandy reveals Frank was lying about the cancer, and an embarrassed Frank leaves Newport, although he returns apologetically and with help from Taylor, forms a tentative relationship with his son.
Meanwhile, Taylor's ex-husband Henri-Michel comes to Newport on a book tour for his best-selling novel about their marriage. Feeling insecure about Taylor's exotic life in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Ryan breaks up with her, claiming they are both "too different". A week later, Ryan decides he was wrong, but discovers it might be too late as Taylor is already considering a reconciliation with Henri, who still loves her. In a moment of desperation, Ryan upstages a poetry reading by Henri at a local book store with a poem of his own, where he confesses he can grow to love Taylor, given time.
As a way to make up for giving a pocket dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
for her nineteenth birthday, Ryan gives Taylor his original present of a bound book full of love poems she translated for him. He admits he loves her, but as they reconcile, an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
hits Newport. Fortunately, the two survive, but Ryan is injured from protecting Taylor and is brought to the hospital for recovery. Six months later, Ryan and Taylor spend time together before she leaves Newport for college in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Ryan thanks her for saving him from self-destruction and he and the Cohens depart from their Newport home, damaged beyond repair, to Sandy and Kirsten's old home in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, while Seth is leaving for RISD.
In a flashforward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
, Ryan attends UC Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where Sandy is now a law professor, and graduates. Ryan sticks around the Cohen home in Berkeley to help Sandy and Kirsten raise his adoptive sister, Sophie Rose. At Seth and Summer's wedding, he is made best man and shares a smile with Taylor, the maid of honor (their relationship status is left ambiguous). Ryan achieves his dream of becoming an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and, as he walks away from the construction site, he notices a teenager down on his luck, seemingly in the same situation Ryan was when he was kicked out of his home. Ryan then calls out to the kid, asking if he needs help, bringing his story to full circle.
Trivia
- Ryan's favorite fruit is peaches.
- Ryan's favorite band is Journey.
- Ryan plays soccer during his sophomore year of high school. He may have also played in later years but it is not mentioned on the show although a soccer ball is sometimes seen in his bedroom.
- Over the four seasons of the show Ryan worked as a waiter/busboy at the Crab Shack, a construction worker, an intern at the Newport Group, a barback in a very shady joint and again as a waiter/busboy at a Mexican resturaunt in the mall.
- Is it known that Ryan lost his virginity sometime before his sophomore year of high school and it may or may not have been to Theresa, at approx age 14.
- Ryan was physically abused by his birth father and some of his mother's boyfriends before being adopted by the Cohens.
- Ryan participated in musicals when he was much younger, including playing Snoopy in Charlie Brown, the musical, in 8th grade.
- In behind-the-scenes with Beach Couture, the hairdresser and makeup artist tells viewers that in all, there are about 50-100 wife-beaters in Ryan's closet. One is used in each episode.
- Ryan is the only character of the "Core Four" to never be seen under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, he was seen smoking a cigarette in the first episode and attempting to buy alcohol. Later on he would drink one beer in a bar and a glass of wine at Taylor's house, he also shared a beer with Luke on the baseball field during Season 1.
- Ryan and Marissa have been the only couple to break up and get back together more than 3 times.