The Game Plan (The O.C. episode)

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


Season = 3
(2005-2006)
Caption = Taylor
Episode = 8
Airdate = December 1, 2005 (FOX)
Writer = Cory Martin
Director = Tate Donovan
Production = 2T6258
Prev = The Anger Management
Next = The Disconnect

"The Game Plan" is the 59th episode of the FOX television series, "The O.C.". The episode was written by Cory Martin and was directed by Tate Donovan. It originally aired on Thursday, December 1, 2005.

Guest starring

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Plot

Marissa meets with the college counselor at Newport Union who assures her that, with her good grades and activities, she'll be fine. Marissa seems less than enthused. She finally confides that she knows she's going to have to explain why she was expelled from Harbor and that means dredging up the past, when all she's been trying to do is forget about it. Mitchell advices her to stop running from her past and start writing about it before it ruins her future.

Marissa tries filling out her college application but is haunted by flashbacks from her traumatic past. Finally, she can't take it anymore and starts hurling everything in front of her across the room.

Just before dinner, Sandy announces that he's invited an old college buddy (who just so happens to work at U.C. Berkeley) to join them. Seth wonders what he's joining them for, dinner or an ambush?

Johnny and Chili stop by Summer's house to pick up Marissa for the big PacWest Surf Contest. Marissa doesn't think she'll be good company. She explains that if she can't write the essay, she might as well forget about college. So forget about it. Chili suggests she comes on tour with them. Johnny thinks it's actually not a bad idea-travel the world. Take some pressure off, give yourself some time to think. At least come to the contest today and check it out for yourself.

Julie meets Kirsten at the yacht club for lunch. Oh, but she can't stay long, she's moving into a fabulous new place. Kirsten gets right to the point. She thinks she and Julie make a great team and she'd like them to go into business together. Julie tells Kirsten she doesn't need her charity. Then why are you living in a trailer park? Kirsten confesses to having followed her. In that case, Julie hopes she's opening a detective agency. Kirsten assures Julie that it's not charity. She needs this as much as Julie does. But, before they can go into business together, she needs to know what happened to Charlotte. She doesn't buy the story about her leaving to be with her dad. Julie breaks it down for Kirsten - everything from Charlotte only going to rehab to find a rich, vulnerable woman she could exploit, to the black-tie benefit scam. When Kirsten realizes that Julie was in on the scam, she takes off.

Down at the beach, Marissa looks around and wonders if this is what her life's going to be like. Hanging out and watching Johnny surf? Chili quickly jumps in - "That, and scoring hot foreign babes." Great.

Taylor meets Summer at the diner for what she assumes is going to be a little chat about staying away from Seth and Brown University, so she doesn't know what to think when she learns that Summer's giving up. He's all yours. Go do whatever you smart people do. At first Taylor assumes it's some kind of ploy, until Summer confesses that she's afraid Seth's going to go away, meet a bunch of smart, interesting girls, and realize that's who he's meant to be with.

Johnny, Chili and Marissa are waiting for the surf team to be announced, when Ryan shows up, wanting to know what happened to Marissa - yesterday she wanted to go to college and now she's doing this? He can't believe she gave up so easily. Then Ryan turns to Johnny - "You told Marissa she should blow off college?" Just then a loud speaker booms. They're about to announce the names for the PacWest Surf Team. Johnny asks if they can talk about this later but Ryan tells them to talk to each other. He's done. Marissa starts to go after him, but Johnny tells her he'll go. Just as Johnny steps out, a car comes out of nowhere and hits him. He bounces off the hood, flies through the air, and lands in a heap. In the background we hear Johnny's name being announced.

Marissa, Ryan and Chili are camped out in the hospital waiting room. The doctor comes out and explains the situation - clean tear of the ACL. Some bone damage. He's going to require surgery. Chili wants to know when he'll surf again, but the doctor's more concerned with when he'll walk again.

Taylor shows up at Summer's house with a tee-shirt that reads "Providence College." Huh? It's got good Catholic values, the admissions standards are a little more... lax, and best of all, it's only 20 minutes from Brown. Summer wants to know why Taylor's being so nice. Taylor explains that, as pathetic as it sounds, Seth and Summer are her best friends-her only friends.

Back at the Cohens', Sandy, Kirsten and their college buddy Paul are reminiscing about the good old days as Seth and Ryan look on. Inside, Julie leaves another message on Kirsten's machine apologizing. Kirsten apologizes to their guest and takes off. Summer arrives and Seth excuses himself as well. Summer pulls out a couple of snow hats, pulls one over Seth's head and one over her own. Then she tells him she's going with him. She wants to see if they can make it work. Seth wants to know what made her change her mind. Taylor.

Marissa visits Johnny in the hospital and asks how he's feeling. Uh, pretty much like he just got hit by a car and pumped with drugs. Marissa asks what he's going to do. The obvious. He's going to have the surgery, go through rehab, and get back on his board. Things happen. What else are you going to do, give up?

Kirsten visits Julie at the trailer park and asks if she's ready to come up with some ideas for a business they can run together. She tells Julie that she realized why she didn't go through with the scam. She could be living in Charlotte's beautiful condo, but instead she's living here. Kirsten knows she did it for her. She asks Julie to let her do this in return.

Back at the Cohen's, Ryan is yawning through another Berkeley anecdote. Finally the conversation comes around to the future, and Ryan explains that he's not sure if he's ready for college. He finally has an amazing family and a beautiful place to live. He's not sure if he's ready to give all that up.

Seth pulls Sandy away from the dinner table and breaks the news. He's applying to Brown, not Berkeley. He needs to forge his own path. Sandy tells him he already has.

Then Marissa shows up, and calls Ryan away from the table. And then there was one. Marissa tells Ryan that she's ready to face her past and move forward-to college. Paul pops his head into the pool house to say goodbye and tells them he hopes they both apply to Berkeley. He thinks it'd be a good fit.

Music

*"Unsatisfied" by Nine Black Alps
*"Everyday" by dios malos
*"Open Invitation" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
*"N.Y.L.A" by The Talk
*"Yellow" by Petra Haden & Bill Frisell

Trivia

* This episode earned an "A-" on Television Without Pity, which makes this episode the best-graded episode of its season with "The Cliffhanger".
* In The OC's fourth season, episode The Metamorphosis, When Seth and Summer is watching an episode from the third season of The Valley, April can be heard talking to her crush about his broken leg and him not being able to ever kickbox again. This is a reference to this episode where Marissa is talking to Johnny about his broken leg and how he can never surf again.

External links

* [http://www.fox.com/oc/recaps/308.htm Recap from the official website]