Some people remember where they were when Diana died. Others remember where they were when for 9/11. I remember exactly where I was when Marissa Cooper was killed off The O.C.
It was an earth-shattering moment for any The O.C stan, a seismic cultural event; one of the most heartbreaking deaths in TV history. I didn’t get out of bed for a day (although I was a hungover fresher at uni, so that wasn’t too out of the ordinary).
And now, 20 years since the show premiered, actors Rachel Bilson and Mischa Barton (who played Summer and Marissa on the show) have given us nostalgia-hungry millennials a true gift. Yesterday they rewatched the death scene together and all started crying. Incredibly, Mischa said ‘I think I've probably only seen it once in my life.’
She joined her former co-stars Rachel and Melinda Clarke on their podcast ‘Welcome To The OC Bitches’, where they break down episodes of the series, which ran for four seasons from 2003 to 2007.
‘I don't particularly want to, but I will,’ Marissa says of rewatching her character's death. 'I don't remember the actual death moment, so I'll guess I'll watch it to say I've seen it again.'
Rachel reassures her that she won't be alone, ‘I feel you. I'm with you. I don't want to. It is so hard to watch.’
Tears streamed down all the women’s faces as Ryan cradles Marissa in his arms on screen, after they were driven off the road and he drags an unconscious Marissa out of the car and lays her on the pavement. The car explodes in the background and Ryan tells her he’s going to get help. But she asks him to stay with her as she lies there, dying in his arms to the sound of Imogen Heap's version of "Hallelujah." No, you're crying.
‘Poor Marissa. She really, really goes through it,’ Mischa says. ‘Oh no, I'm getting really sad too. You can't cry, Rachel!’
‘It's the culmination of their whole love story. That middle part is really painful when she asks him to say with her.
'It was going to border on being, like, a TV death and I really wanted it to be super dramatic and as realistic as you can get for The O.C. so that she went out with a bang,' Mischa adds.
She says she didn't remember the fire, though: 'I guess because I'm playing dead.'
You didn’t remember it, Mischa? Some of us haven’t been able to listen to Imogen Heap since.