The Strip (The O.C. episode)

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


Season = 1
(2003-2004)
Caption = Ryan and Seth at the Hard Rock beach
Episode = 26
Airdate = April 28, 2004 (FOX)
Writer = Allan Heinberg
Director = James Marshall
Production = 176525
Episode list = "The O.C." (season 1)
List of "The O.C." episodes
Prev = The Shower
Next = The Ties That Bind|

"The Strip" is the 26th episode of the FOX television series, "The O.C.". The episode was written by Allan Heinberg and was directed by James Marshall. It originally aired on Wednesday April 28, 2004.

Guest starring

Plot

Seth and Ryan are both troubled guys, Seth because Summer is about to dump him, and Ryan because of Theresa's ongoing presence in Newport. Ryan has been sleeping on Seth's floor while Theresa stays in the poolhouse, and Seth wakes him up to question if Ryan is curious to know what Theresa's plans are now that she's in Newport. Ryan shrugs off any curiosity, but then decides he is curious, and would like some answers. He and Seth go down to the poolhouse to talk to Theresa. When they arrive, they find that Theresa has a bag of toiletries, and that she is in the washroom. When she comes out she looks preoccupied, and does not see the boys in the room. Ryan asks her what her plans are, and she says she'll be calling some relatives and that she doesn't want to impose on the Cohens any longer. Ryan seems relieved by this, and Seth and he return to the main house. Alone, Theresa takes a pregnancy test out of the shopping bag on the bed.

The next morning, Julie and Caleb are at the Cohen's for breakfast. Julie is asking Caleb about venues for their upcoming wedding, but Caleb seems very preoccupied. Kirsten asks Caleb that he spend a little more time with her on business, as he has been spending all his time on the wedding. Julie then reveals that Caleb hasn't spent any time on the wedding, and that he has claimed to be working. Caleb then reveals he needs to go away on business, to Las Vegas. Julie, Sandy, and Kirsten find it odd that Caleb is going to Vegas the weekend before his wedding, and Julie assumes it is for a bachelor party. At that point, all the boys want to go, so Sandy, Ryan, and Seth make plans to go to "The Vegas".

Over at Jimmy's, Jimmy shows Sandy the realtor page for his new house on the beach. He wants a nice place for Marissa to live. Sandy invites Jimmy to Vegas as well. Just then, Gail, Jimmy's realtor is at the door. Sandy answers the door, and Gail blabs that Robert Smith is purchasing, and developing the land that the Balboa Lighthouse sits on. Sandy insists she must be mistaken, because Caleb Nichol is the one that bought the land, not Robert Smith. At school, Ryan tells Marissa about the Vegas plans, and she vows to be a friend to Theresa while he is out of town. Over at the Newport Group offices, Julie tells Kirsten that she wants a bachelorette party with full on, full frontal, male strippers. Kirsten voices her preference for a lovely catered cocktail party, sans the strippers. Julie accepts, with strippers.

Back at school once again, Seth tells Summer that he's going to the Vegas, and she informs him that they are breaking up. And later, in the poolhouse, Theresa tells him that she's going to Atlanta. Ryan offers her money to stay, but she doesn't accept, and says she's leaving. When Marissa and Seth hear about Theresa's need for money, Seth offers his savings for Ryan to gamble in Vegas. Ryan reluctantly agrees.

The boys arrive in Vegas. All are pleased but Caleb, who finds Seth's choice of hotel less than satisfying. Seth and Ryan love it though, as they've booked the Penthouse suite, with its own bowling alley. When Ryan and Seth realize they'll never be able to go into the hotel casino without being thrown out, they go looking for a less-than-legal gambling arena. Down on the casino floor, Caleb reveals to Sandy that Marissa will be moving in with him and Julie and not into Jimmy's new beach house.

The girls are in Newport, on the couch, watching a marathon of 'The Valley' on T.V. Summer cries, about Seth, but blames it on the show. Marissa and Hailey agree that parents almost have to disapprove of the people their kids are dating. Just then, Kirsten arrives with a favor to ask of Hailey. She wants Hailey to find her a stripper for the bachelorette party. Hailey disapproves of Kirsten's recent slavery to Julie, but accepts the favor, and says she knows of the perfect guy.

Back in the Vegas, Seth is feeling liberated and confident, and decides to "converse" with some new women. He doesn't get the chance though, as a girl approaches him and kisses him. Jenn, a local student, says that she needs to look like she is with a guest in order to stay at the hotel beach. Summer then calls Seth to talk, but is interrupted by another, quite vocal kiss from Jenn. Summer hangs up on Seth and flips out that she's sitting at home suffering while he is off kissing random women. Marissa then says that they will have a girls night out with Theresa. In Vegas, Jenn offers Ryan and Seth a night on the town. She tells them that she knows some guys having an intense poker game downtown. They go. Up on the patio, Sandy vows to Jimmy, to find out Caleb's real reason for being in Vegas. He also tells Jimmy that Marissa is moving in with Caleb and Julie.

That night, back in Newport at Jimmy's, Marissa and Theresa discuss Theresa's pregnancy after it slips out. Theresa is concerned because she can't even afford an abortion, let alone to raise a child. Marissa suggests that she tell Eddie, but Theresa isn't so sure the baby is even Eddie's, which shocks Marissa. In Vegas, after winning enough chips at poker, Ryan decides to call it quits, but Seth isn't ready to end the night's fun and invites Jenn and some of her girlfriends up to the penthouse suite for some bowling. Back at the Cohen's, Julie waits for her stripper, who arrives in the form of not one, but four firemen. All the ladies go wild. Once again at the hotel in Vegas, Jimmy meets up with Ryan, and Ryan slips out the details of Caleb and Marissa's deal for Marissa to live with Caleb and Julie.

Summer arrives in Vegas to confront Seth about his kiss with Jenn, and to sort things out regarding their relationship. When she barges in to the hotel room, she finds Seth and Jenn kissing, once again, on the balcony. Before Summer has a chance to get her claws out, three more luscious lovelies (Jenn's friends) enter the scene and Summer is horrified. Three large men enter the room too, and demand payment for their four girls. It turns out Jenn and her friends are prostitutes, or "skanks" as Summer would put it.

As Ryan and Seth try and figure out what to do regarding payment for the four girls, Summer and Seth hash things out. Summer admits that she might have overreacted a little bit when it came to her father, and Seth reveals that he only tried so hard to impress her father because he knew the meeting was important to her. Seth also reassures Summer that nothing more than four kisses happened with Jenn. Without enough money to pay for the hookers, Jenn suggests Ryan play another round of poker with the scary boys downtown.

The bachelorette party has wound down, and Julie is satisfied with her strippers. Turns out Hailey wanted to see how satisfied Julie could get with said strippers, as it is revealed that they were working for Hailey, to test out Julie's affection for Caleb. Julie catches on to the plans and confronts Hailey, leading the two of them into a cat-fight, which, in true drunken cat-fight fashion, ends in the pool.

At a swanky Vegas restaurant, Sandy discovers Caleb, schmoozing Robert Smith to purchase the Balboa Lighthouse. Sandy is furious and manages to sabotage the deal and vows to sue Caleb. Before Caleb and Sandy can square off, Jimmy arrives and beats Sandy to the punch, literally. Jimmy floors Caleb for taking Marissa away from him. Back downtown, Ryan is playing poker once again, and stressfully wins enough money to pay off Jenn's pimps. Seth, Ryan, and Summer leave the Vegas with less money, and far less enthusiastic than how they came, but happy nonetheless, and Summer and Seth are back together.

The next morning, Ryan arrives at Jimmy and Marissa's to find Marissa furious that her father knows about her agreement with Caleb. She is upset about her talk with Theresa. Marissa tells a frozen Ryan that Theresa is pregnant, and that the baby might be his...

Music

*"On Parade" by Electrelane
*"Ch-Check It Out" by Beastie Boys
*"So Sweet" by Johnathan Rice
*"Jacqueline" by Franz Ferdinand
*"How High" by Tricky
*"The Vanishing" by Stars
*"Fire" by Ohio Players
*"Passing By" by Zero 7
*"Meet Your Demise" by The Willowz

External links

*imdb title|0663920|Full Cast & Crew
* [http://www.fox.com/oc/recaps/season1/126.htm Recap from Official Website]
* [http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/articles/content/a1626/ Recap] from Television Without Pity