Previously: Summer was at Brown alone and Ryan moved out of the Cohen house.
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The Gringos
Karina: Ryan calls Julie while Seth wants to be connected to the pilot of a plane but no such luck because even Seth can’t bully himself into an airplane cockpit or something like that. After hanging up, Seth “accidentally” hears what Julie and Ryan are talking on the phone about – him and some investigation. (Can you tell I’m not completely up to date on my OC watching? Ahem.)
The two boys meet in the kitchen but Ryan is very withdrawn so Seth tries the direct approach of asking where Ryan is planning on going but no such luck. Seth doesn’t want to let Ryan go and find Vulture, so he gets in Ryan’s car instead refusing to leave his brother alone. Like you do. I’m a little bit hazy on all the Vulture stuff because I didn’t watch the end of season 3. Like the fact that Vulture isn’t even called Vulture but Volchok.
Marines: I was sitting here thinking, “when should I correct her…?”
Karina: CALIIIIFOOORNIIIAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
Cut to college/university (I will never understand the difference) where Chris Pratt (!!!) is talking about stuff while wearing his multi-coloured beanie. I always find it funny to see him in older TV shows. I remember I first came upon Star-Lord in Everwood. He’s come a long way since then. Anyway.
Star-Lord spots Summer and asks her where she went. They have a weird conversation which I can’t quite follow right after being awake from a nap. They hug and Summer returns to her dorm where one Taylor Townsend is crashing in Summer’s bed, offering snuggle time. Oh the early 2000s and the fanfics this will have inspired. Maybe that’s just me though.
Taylor explains why she isn’t in France anymore which I wonder about as well. But she gets sidetracked by Summer not shaving her legs anymore and the outgrown pedicure. Summer apparently isn’t doing that stuff because of being green and all but before Taylor can get more into the subject, Star-Lord enters, demanding Summer’s presence.
Julie Cooper is in the Dean of Discipline’s office because of Kaitlin. The Dean asks about the home life and Julie blah-blahs some, practically evading the question. And then she recruits both parent and child to help with a clothing drive they’re holding for refugees. MUHAHA! (M: “No! Not helping needy people!” — Julie Cooper)
Cut to the Cohen parents trying to decipher a note left on a post-it. Just when Sandy tried explaining the message away as nothing, Seth calls about the Ryan situation. The boys are in Mexico because of course they are. Bad things happen when the Cohens pass the border.
Generic shots of Mexico. The boys enter a run-down motel. Ryan uses Seth’s bathroom break to ditch him behind and do his own thing. The music rises when Ryan sees a guy from behind but it’s not Vulture because the guy doesn’t work there anymore.
Mari: It’s a rule of TV that if you are looking for someone, they will no longer work where you think they work.
Karina: That’s true!
Amber, Summer’s roommate, comes upon Taylor in Summer’s and Amber’s room. Amber has a whole polaroid collection of photos of guys she slept with. It’s a bit of a social science class project and she hasn’t slept with all of them. Most were just oral sex. HOOKAY. I’m so glad I lived at home while attending university.
Seth stumbles upon some very, very drunk and crazy people in a bar. Of course he has to drink with them.
Cut to Harbour and the clothing drive. Ryan calls Julie from Mexico about Vulture not working at the place they think he works at anymore. It’s not good news.
While Summer is concerned about a tree being cut down, Taylor asks what is going on with her and Seth. Summer doesn’t give an answer so Taylor makes Summer call the boy but only gets a Mexican guy on the phone because Seth is busy doing shots. He looks miserable.
Drunk!Seth stumbles into Vulture’s former workplace. He gets told to leave by the bartender but I saw a woman in the back lurking while Seth talked so there will be something. And sure as hell the woman comes to Seth’s rescue telling him that Ryan was there earlier and she also knows where Vulture is. Win-win.
The Cohen parents are apparently now in Mexico as well. Because of course they are. Don’t they have to work? Like, at all?
Mari: The whole point of the show is that they are rich! Rich! Rich people can go to Mexico whenever.
Karina: I really wish I was rich like that and had a job where it didn’t really mater if I showed up at work or not.
Taylor is still talking to the guy with Seth’s phone in Mexico when Summer comes in. Sleeping outside didn’t go as well as planned. Taylor tries to talk some sense into Summer but without much luck. Also, Summer points out that we never learned about Taylor’s secret. Angry, Taylor says she got married in France and now has to get a divorce AND THEN SHE LEAVES!!! NOOOO, come back. That may be the most interesting part of the whole episode. Don’t leave me hanging.
Mari: Meanwhile, back in Mexico…
Karina: Ryan returns to the motel where Seth confronts him about his whereabouts before dropping the info about knowing where Vulture is.
Back in Newport, Kaitlin comes upon Julie glued to the TV. Apparently the woman hasn’t moved in 18 hours and she looks terrible. They have a real moment which always surprises me when it happens on this show and even more when it’s with Julie Cooper. Obviously they are sad about Marissa’s death but neither one really acknowledges it. Talk about your feelings guys, it will help you!
Back in Mexico, Ryan is walking through hallways, getting closer to nothing while Seth zeros in on Vulture. Idiot. Seth tries to talk sense into the guy but he just runs away. Meanwhile Ryan comes upon the Cohen parents.
Summer comes after Taylor at the airport. That’s usually a TV trope for lovers but okay, just running with my headcanon from earlier. They have a cute moment. Taylor apparently is really married and it’s very weird. Somehow my trip to Paris last year was very different from that.
Julie Cooper sneaks up on her daughter and her two gay friends at school. (M: They are brothers, FYI…) (K: WHOOPS forgot to take off my rainbow goggles. #sorrynotsorry. I’m the opposite of gay erasure in the media. I apparently mistake straights for gays on TV now too and not only in real life when there are beautiful women involved. Moving on.) Julie pulled herself together after her mini-meltdown earlier. Just then the Dean takes her to the side telling Julie about someone from the clothing drive selling used clothes from the drive which, of course, means Kaitlin. Poor girl. She can never catch a break but I guess that’s why she was brought back into this show to be the token screw-up Cooper.
On the way back from Mexico, Kirsten drops a love bomb on Ryan, telling him how she is now worried about both him and Seth because he is a son to her as well. #cute
Julie is busy scolding her daughter about the clothes-thing. There are so many things going on. Julie gets call from Sandy so they meet in a bar where Sandy confronts Julie about Mexico. And Julie’s all “At least you still have all your kids” wow, wow, wow. Low blow!
These are dark times in Newport. I have to say, I don’t really care about what happened to Marissa and I miss the simpler times when they all went to school together but alas. This is what we get right now. Thanks to the lovely ladies on Snark Squad for letting me recap yet another episode.
Next time on The OC: Julie spends Thanksgiving alone in S04 E03 – The Cold Turkey.
I'm a 30-something safety engineer dreaming of finding someone to support my habit of shipping badass women in media with each other. Love running and singing and also self-depricating humour.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
