The O.C.: Lots of Surprise Twists for the FOX Drama

As fans of The O.C. know all too well, FOX pulled the plug on the Newport Beach drama on Thursday. An overwhelming majority of readers of this site want to see The O.C. continue and it’s certainly still possible for the new CW network to pick it up for the fifth season. Until that happens, series creator Josh Schwartz is planning for the end — and wants to make it a memorable one.

With only seven episodes left to air (FOX ordered just 16 episodes this year), there’s still time for plenty of surprises and trademark drama. In an interview with TV Guide’s king of scoop Michael Ausiello, Josh gave some clues of what we can expect and his thoughts on the possibility of a fifth season.

In the coming weeks, fans can look forward to a pregnancy, an unexpected love-triangle, some more animals in peril, a fight over a certain lady’s love, and even some hallucinatory dreams. In addition Josh says, “there’s going to be some surprises for the Cohen family, and some really big decisions for everybody to make. The finale is going to deliver real closure to these characters. It’s going to be the finale we had always planned to do.”

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When asked if these plot twists were going to have to be rushed for the finale, Josh replied “No, we were planning for this. We’ve had all season to plan for this and deliver the season we really wanted. And FOX has been good about letting us creatively deliver what we wanted to do.” With hints like that, fans will hardly be able to wait.

Fans shouldn’t however look for a return of the dearly-departed Marissa Cooper (played by Mischa Barton, who has several upcoming films in 2007). Josh says that he feels that the show has made its peace with Marissa’s storyline and that the rest of the season is about the current characters moving into the future.

Though The O.C. creator wouldn’t give away many details, one thing is for sure, the Taylor (Autumn Reeser) and Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) relationship will be an important part of the final episodes. Their relationship will certainly hit a few bumps along the way but they’re headed toward a satisfying ending. Fans who’ve watched Ryan grow and mature for four seasons shouldn’t be disappointed with the outcome.

Oh, and what about the series possibly moving to the CW? There’s still a chance but is it likely? Josh said, “I don’t want to ever say never. But at this moment? No. Secretly, I would love a Julie-Kaitlin anti-Gilmore Girls show.” Sounds like an interesting combo. Will the fans who can’t get enough of The O.C. get their wish? Stay tuned!