The 25 Days of Christmas Episodes – Day 12 – The O.C. “The Best Chrismukkah Ever”
Ryan, sharing his first Christmas with the Cohens, is much less excited than Seth is. Holidays with his drunk, abusive parents weren’t really that much fun. And this particular season gets off to a rocky start when Marissa takes him to the mall and promptly gets busted for shoplifting. This was much more scandalous in these old days, before she was an alcoholic and Ryan was a cage fighter. Actually, she’s surreptitiously drinking in this very episode. But she’s not freaking out and tossing furniture into the pool, and that’s what’s important.
A lot of this episode is taken up with Marissa’s parents butting heads over how to punish her, as well as the Newport Heights land deal. Newport Heights was one of those things like the Esplanade on The Sopranos or Yankton on Deadwood: They talk about it a lot and it’s key to a lot of plots, but it’s never exactly clear what it is.
On the Chrismukkah front, Seth has both Anna and Summer competing for him, which is officially the point in the series when I could no longer relate to him. A blow-up at a Christmas party forces Seth to choose between the two, and when he decides to “be friends” with them both, they reject him. Meanwhile, Ryan gets stopped by the police while driving Marissa and her bottle of vodka home, but they just cite him for a broken tail light.
Unfortunately, the episode introduces Oliver, who would go on to cast his pallor of suck over a big chunk of the season. (And just why would you name a character after on of the most-reviled cast additions in TV history?) Other than that harbinger of doom, this is a fun episode that holds up pretty well. Sure, the Yarmuclaus don’t show up until next season, but it’s good nonetheless.
Best Line – Seth Cohen, on his hopes for a miracle: “I’ve got Jesus and Moses working on my side.”
Christmas Tropes
Trimming the tree – The episode opens with the Cohens bringing home their tree and decorating. Sadly, no hilarious decorating misadventures ensue.
Gifts – Seth gives both Anna and Summer the “Seth Cohen Starter Pack”, which includes CD’s, The Goonies, and The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Anna gives him a comic book she made herself about Seth’s adventures. Summer dresses up like Wonder Woman for him. If anybody’s shopping for me, that right there would be an awesome gift.
Reindeer Sweater – Seth starts off the episode in a reindeer sweater that is, frankly, pretty adorable.
A Christmas Miracle – Well, a Chrismukkah Miracle, I guess. The cops stop Ryan with an underage drunk girl and an open container, and all they mention is the tail light. Seth called it a miracle, and I tend to believe Seth.
Other Seasonal Holidays – The Big Two, Christmas and Hanukkah both get their props before merging into Chrismukkah.
Celebrity guest – Alan Dale was a recurring cast member at this point, but since he’s now a member of the Lost cast, he deserves mention.
Learning a lesson – It seems like it would be cool to make two girls fight over you, but it turns out to be problematic at best.
Cheer-o-meter Score: Ah, Chrismukkah. If we discount the appearance of Oliver, this episode is reasonably high in cheer with a Christmas gala and Seth’s infectious enthusiasm for his new holiday. I give it an 8.
