The Oc - Season 1 -

The moody hero with a golden heart. His struggle to adjust to a life without constant struggle, and his protective nature over those he loves, made him an instant anti-hero.

Modern television audiences accustomed to 8-to-10-episode streaming arcs are often stunned by the sheer velocity of The O.C. Season 1. Josh Schwartz and his writing room burned through plot points at a breakneck speed that most shows would stretch over three seasons. The OC - Season 1

Above all, Season 1 of The OC is a show about the performance of self. Everyone is playing a role: Julie the socialite, Jimmy the good guy, Marissa the damaged princess, Summer the superficial brat (until she reveals her intelligence), and even Seth the ironic outsider. The only characters who refuse to perform are Ryan, who is constitutionally incapable of artifice, and Sandy, who is too old and too principled to bother. The show’s defining visual motif is the “California” montage, set to the haunting Phantom Planet theme song—a series of sun-drenched images of beautiful people living beautiful lives. But the episodes themselves constantly subvert those images. The sun sets; the parties end; the drunk girls vomit in the driveway. The OC, in Schwartz’s vision, is a state of mind as much as a place: a beautiful prison where the only escape is through genuine human connection. The moody hero with a golden heart

Welcome to Paradise: Why The O.C. Season 1 is the Ultimate Teen Drama Masterpiece Season 1