Marissa Cooper was a tragic character.
Ryan Atwood had a tragic past.
And as a couple, there was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other.
Fox
Mmm, whatcha say we relive that moment?
From its pilot,The O.C.used music as a guide.
I used to write a lot that way the song helped determine the scene.
Fox
How it would all play out, we continued to discuss throughout the year.
And he’s dating Lindsay and Lindsay’s kind of the nerd."
We were always aware of what people were saying about us at the time.
And that was our answer to that moment.
And to protect the man she loved, Marissa shot Trey.
With the pull of the trigger, a musical moment was born.
Working onThe O.C.was very much about music, songs that fit the mood of things.
SCHWARTZ:The fight was more violent than what we had done in previous episodes.
You needed to feel like anything could happen Trey could kill Ryan, Ryan could kill Trey.
Ben [McKenzie] and Logan [Marshall-Green] both wanted to push it, as well.
But it was always Marissa pulling the trigger, and it was always “Hide and Seek.”
That was the beginning of the trajectory to a darker key in of storytelling.
Trey was as responsible for Ryan’s journey and for the show as anyone.
Trey loved his brother, but he was obviously a messed up individual.
We really felt Trey was Dark Ryan.
The only real debate the writers had about the scene was which characters should be involved.
SCHWARTZ:The biggest thing I remember debating was Seth and Summer arriving at the end of the scene.
It was a very well-designed sequence.
SCHWARTZ:It was dark and we’d never done anything like it before.
It was so great.
But you never know how it’s going to play and how it’s going to be received.
SCHWARTZ:Ben and I were promoting the show overseas [when it aired].
That’s when I was like, I guess this scene worked, eliciting that kind of reaction.
Between that and anSNLparody, that’s the test.
That’s the ultimate tribute, are you kidding?
