The Goodbye Girl (The O.C. episode)

Infobox Television episode
Colour = #ffaa44
Series = The O.C.
Title = The Goodbye Girl


Season = 1
(2003-2004)
Caption = Anna's finding it hard to say goodbye to Seth
Episode = 21
Airdate = March 3, 2004 (FOX)
Writer = Josh Schwartz
Director = Patrick Norris
Production = 176520
Episode list = "The O.C." (season 1)
List of "The O.C." episodes
Prev = The Telenovela
Next = The L.A.|

"The Goodbye Girl" is the 21st episode of the FOX television series, "The O.C.". The episode was written by Josh Schwartz and was directed by Patrick Norris. It originally aired on Wednesday March 3, 2004.

Guest starring

Plot

Articleissues
cleanup = May 2008
fansite = May 2008
inappropriate tone = May 2008

Early morning and Seth dives right into Ryan with the questions about what Theresa is doing in Newport, and how long she'll be staying. He also wants to know if she and Ryan are getting together, or if they are just friends, and Ryan has no answers. Theresa then shows up offering the guys a ride to school. Marissa has the same idea and shows up not a minute later. The boys have a hard time deciding who goes with who and the girls are uncomfortable with each other, so they both leave and the guys are rideless. When Seth and Ryan go into the house Ryan finds that Kirsten and Sandy have just as many questions about Theresa as Seth did.

At school, Marissa runs into Luke and asks him if it was hard for him to see her and Ryan together after they themselves split up. He said it was, but that it gets easier after you accept that it's never going to go back to how it was. Marissa then catches up to Ryan to apologize for the awkwardness that morning. Over at the tables, Seth, Summer and Anna sit together chatting away, when out of nowhere Anna announces that she's leaving Newport to move back to Pittsburgh. She says she's "had enough" of Newport and will go to live with her aunt and uncle. In the parking lot, Ryan and Theresa sit discussing what she's going to do. Ryan reassures her that everything will be OK.

After school, Luke drops by to see Julie unannounced, which she isn't too thrilled about. After a gushy display of pre-pubescent lust from Kaitlin, Jimmy arrives and looks confused to see Luke there. Julie passes it off that he is there to "defrag her hard drive". Back at the Cohen's, Sandy tells Ryan that he needs to tell Theresa not to run from Chino and her fiancé Eddie. He agrees, and goes over to The Mermaid to see her, but she tells him that she called Eddie and told him she isn't going home any time soon. Meanwhile, Sandy tells Caleb that he needs to tell Kirsten about his impending legal troubles, especially since she will become involved.

The next morning, Ryan and Seth sit together in the kitchen wondering what they're going to do about their girl problems. Out at the waterfront, Caleb and Kirsten talk about Uncle Shaun, and the legal trouble he has got himself into. Kirsten is not happy to hear that it may have a ripple effect down onto Caleb and herself. At school, Eddie shows up in Newport and confronts Ryan, asking if he is sleeping with Theresa. When Ryan says no, Eddie wonders why she would stay, and Ryan doesn't offer any answers. Outside, Seth and Anna discuss why she is leaving town. Anna says it is for the seasons, and to see her dog Swifty, and all of Pittsburgh's attractions. Seth questions that there might be another reason, but Anna denies it. She does say that she won't leave without saying goodbye. Back with Ryan, Marissa tells him that she can't compete with a girl he's known his whole life.

That evening, at the Cohen's, Sandy checks to see how Kirsten is feeling after the revelation from Caleb. She is feeling awful that she asked Sandy to help out, saying that if she'd known what she was asking for, she never would have. She also says that she will not allow Sandy to get involved. Over at The Mermaid, Ryan and Theresa have sex, while Eddie is parked outside. And Seth and Summer discuss that Anna is going to do what she wants to do, but Seth still feels guilty, feeling that he drove her away by choosing Summer over her.

The next morning, Ryan and Theresa have a little tiff when Theresa catches a vibe that Ryan might not want her at Caleb's Riviera party that evening. But she doesn't stay mad long, and tells Ryan to come by afterwards and they can get naked again. Later in the day, Marissa shows up with some clothes for Theresa to try on for the party, looks like she might go after all. That evening, at the party, Theresa and Marissa show up and surprise Ryan with how stunning they each look, not two seconds after Summer told Ryan that Marissa still loves him. Anna also shows up at the party, to say goodbye. Summer and her have a nice moment saying they will miss one another despite everything. Anna can't bring herself to say goodbye to Seth in person so she gives a letter to Ryan to give to Seth, and she leaves.

Luke approaches Julie at the bar and comments on how hot she looks, especially her ass. Jimmy sees the two of them and the look in their eyes, but when he confronts Julie on it she denies everything. During Caleb's speech, Eddie arrives and confronts Theresa. Of course no O.C. party would be a party without a good fight, so Ryan approaches Eddie and tells him to back away from Theresa, at which point said fight breaks loose. The party is disturbed, and Eddie is escorted out, Theresa is apologetic, and the Cohens are ever-sympathetic.

When Seth finds out that Anna had stopped by, but can't read the letter she wrote (because Eddie pushed Ryan, and the letter into the pool), he freaks out, which upsets Summer. But Summer says he should go to the airport to stop Anna, and that is where he goes, with Ryan, as he has had too much to drink. Outside, Caleb asks Julie if he can take her on a real date. Seems he wants to mend the fences. Julie tells him that if he plans the perfect date and runs it by her, she'll see. Marissa goes by to see Theresa, where she learns that Theresa is going back to Chino. And Sandy tells Kirsten that he has tampered with a witness, and "obstructed justice", and that her and Caleb's legal issue is all but solved. Kirsten is upset that he put his neck on the line, but touched.

After a frantic drive, and run, to the airport, Seth catches up to Anna at the security check. He insists that she not leave because of him, and that he loves her too. Anna corrects him and says that she loves him as a friend but that they never really had a lot of chemistry, but that they might in the future. She says she needs to be in Pittsburgh for now. After a moment of his whining, Anna tells Seth to be confident, and walks off into the crowd. On the way home, Ryan drops by The Mermaid motel to find that Theresa has also left town. Goodbye girls.

Music

*"Alone" by Trespassers William
*"A Lack of Color" by Death Cab for Cutie
*"Specialist" by Interpol
*"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" by Journey
*"If You Leave" by Nada Surf

Trivia

*This episode features indie rock band Nada Surf covering the classic OMD song "If You Leave". It plays as Seth says goodbye to Anna in the airport, a tribute to the John Hughes film "Pretty in Pink" in which the original OMD version of the song appeared.

*The scene where Ryan drives Seth to the airport to try and stop Anna from leaving is a parody of a scene from an earlier episode, "The Escape".

*"The Goodbye Girl" is also the name of a 1977 film.

*This is the last appearance of Anna Stern until "The College Try" in the third season.

*The episode reached 10.3 million viewers in the U.S. Nielsen ratings.

External links

*imdb title|0663883|Full Cast & Crew
* [http://www.fox.com/oc/recaps/season1/121.htm Recap from Official Website]
* [http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/articles/content/a1621/ Recap] from Television Without Pity