In Defense of The O.C.
As a teenage melodrama, The O.C. is shockingly self-aware. There’s a layer of sarcasm that somewhat counterbalances the heaviness of divorce, class warfare, gun violence, and depression. Characters reference elements of the show that are noticeably odd, whether it’s poking at how un-funny main character Ryan Atwood is, or Seth Cohen making fun of his father’s prominent eyebrows, or pointing out the instantaneous transformation of water polo superstar Luke Ward from antagonistic jock to lovable third wheel. In these moments it becomes clear that The O.C. doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s a teen drama that remains true to its genre. At times, it’s light and fun, but it also consciously teeters along the line of drama and melodrama.
“The Best Christmukkah Ever” is a classic O.C. episode. In fact, the term Christmukkah, the merging of Christmas and Hanukkah, is potentially the show’s biggest contribution to pop culture. Seth introduces Ryan to his first Christmukkah, a holiday he is intensely passionate about, just a few months after Ryan was adopted into the Cohen family. Although the holidays in the wealthy neighborhood of Newport Beach in California’s Orange County (the O.C.) are not snowy and filled with hot cocoa, Seth’s love for Christmukkah is comically strong. It’s not about the presents for him, and it’s certainly not about religiosity, but throughout the episode he has this childlike conviction that miracles happen on Christmukkah: “I’ve got Jesus and Moses on my side, man.” Seth’s humor grounds this otherwise dark episode, and his self-awareness allows the show to gently mock itself. At one point, he assembles “Seth Cohen starter packs,” complete with Death Cab for Cutie CDs and The Goonies. At another point, he refers to his mom as “waspy mc-wasp,” reflecting an awareness that The O.C. depicts almost exclusively waspy characters and an almost exclusively white cast.
Ryan’s girlfriend, Marissa Cooper, is often the one to bring melodrama to the table, but she also has a lot to deal with. At this point, her parents have recently divorced, and she almost died after overdosing in Tijuana over Spring Break. The melodrama in this episode comes to play when her mother makes an appointment with a therapist in response to Marissa shoplifting from the mall. (Her father went bankrupt and is no longer filthy rich.) Marissa storms off in an adolescent rage: “If no one’s making my parents go to therapy, then no one’s making me!”
Later in the episode, at a holiday party hosted by Marissa’s mom, Ryan suggests that therapy is maybe a good idea, which prompts Marissa to storm off again. She downs a mixed drink in the bathroom, while dramatically looking at her reflection in the mirror, and next thing we know she’s drunkenly trying to drive herself home. Fortunately, Ryan takes over and after a run-in with the cops, he takes her flask and throws it far away before aggressively opening and closing the passenger door repeatedly. Marissa begs him to stop, “You’re scaring me!” Ryan yells back, “Good, because you’re scaring me.”
D-r-a-m-a.
Dropped in between this narrative is a harmless Seth Cohen subplot. The O.C. never runs away from melodrama, but it avoids getting too deep. In fact, Ryan makes a remark about being beaten on Christmases past in the opening, but before he can fully dampen the mood, the episode cuts to the vibey theme song, ”California” by Phantom Planet, in a classic O.C. way. Seth’s storyline has the same effect. Aside from his passion for Christmukkah, Seth finds himself forced to choose between two girls who both like him: popular and beautiful Summer, whom he has liked since elementary school, and quirky and comic-book-loving Anna, with whom he has a lot in common. (Anna also always wears these great hats that scream early 2000s—an important character trait.) More accustomed to rejection and ridicule from women, in his own words, Seth gets overwhelmed in this situation. When the two confront him, he starts rambling and stumbling on his words and making weird metaphors. The next day, he decides to simply be friends with both, but they reject him.
Of course, the episode can’t end here. A potentially single Ryan encounters a very single Seth in the living room, and as the family gathers, the camera pans down to their Christmukkah card, featuring a family picture with Ryan. The episode is wrapped up in a nice Christmukkah bow, as an acoustic guitar version of “Blue Christmas” reminds us that things can never get too bad in the O.C.