The O.C.
The O.C.was one of the defining stripling appearance of the 2000s , but it never really retrieve from Marissa ’s shocking death , which feel out of place and made audience wonder , " Why does Marssa die inThe O.C. " After two charming and exciting seasons , the show preface new characters and reformulate many of the most important arc , include the romance between Ryan ( Ben McKenzie ) and Marissa ( Mischa Barton ) . The two went through a lot inThe O.C.Ryan was desert by his family and coerce to settle his trigger-happy past with a new realness under the Cohens ' roof . Meanwhile , Marissa ’s abusive parent never give much attention to her drop genial health .
Mischa Barton wanted to leaveThe O.C. , and the writers made the drastic determination to kill off Marissa just to shake up the story , resulting in low-pitched ratings and , consequently , the close of the show . Marissa pass away in the season 3 finale just when she ’s plant to stay a year forth with her father in Greece . That led to Ryan finding the unexampled love interest , Taylor Townsend , in season 4 , a composition decision that ultimately bankrupt what madeThe O.C. so great and destroyed Ryan ’s lineament , as he questionably moved on from Marissa so quickly . It ’s unknowable how things would have been dissimilar if Marissa made it to the aerodrome , but her death does set up an interesting time of year 4 arc .
Related : Why The O.C. Was Cancelled After Season 4
Kevin Volchok Kills Marissa In A Car Crash
Kevin Volchok ( Cam Gigandet ) is a uncoiled - up opponent in time of year 3 , and he ’s the resolution to " why does Marissa die onThe O.C. , " yet he ’s a captivating fibre . or else of acting like he ’s complete evil , he shows his sensitive side after Johnny ’s dying , which fetch Marissa and him together , trigger off a friendship and , finally , a cursory love story . Tensions spark when Marissa catches Volchok cheating on her . Then Ryan gets require in a felony Vokchok direct , taking their feud to a dangerous degree and leading to Marissa ’s decease in time of year 3 , episode 25 , " The Graduates . "
Tate Donovan leftthe cast ofThe O.C.before the oddment of the show ’s third season , but Marissa is set to visit his fibre in Greece on the night she dies . Ryan is drive her to the airport when a boozy Volchok intercept them on the route , demanding that Marissa verbalize to him . He repeatedly rams his car into Ryan ’s dangerously . When Ryan refuses to pull over , Volchok drive his rival ’s car off the route , causing it to crash into a ditch . Ryan get pocket-size injuries , but Marissa become flat in his arm as the railcar explodes into piece in the background .
Marissa’s Death Sets Up The Best Season 4 Arc
Though Marissa dies , O.C. was partially in effect for it . Marissa ’s controversial end changesThe O.C.forever , and although the show ’s final season is nemine contradicente reckon as the faint , the Ryan versus Volchok spark is the high point of the net episodes . Ryan struggles to cope with Marissa ’s dying and turn back into the wild , impulsive person hewas inThe O.C.season 1 , urgently trying to give chase Volchok and precise revenge on him . The show indirectly hints at an infelicitous ending for Ryan , which would make mother wit , but his face - off with Volchok ends up being a powerful , realistic confrontation .
Like Ryan , Volchok is break through blaze after Marissa choke ; he also loved her and never meant her harm , but fury and alcohol corrupted his idea . Ryan acknowledges he ’s not the only one go through by guiltiness , letting Volchok go . Volchok is arrested , but viewers never see his test . The shameful face - off is a turning point in time in Ryan ’s arc and offers an opportunity for the two to finally move on . While it ’s clearMarissa took a part of Ryan ’s soulwith her , the character finds redemption by not stooping to Volchok ’s story . Most importantly , Ryan hear how to forgive ; he lose the love of his liveliness but keeps his humanity .
Marissa’s OC Death May Have Been Because Of Tension Behind The Scenes
Years after the MarissaOCdeath , Barton had always kept quiet about her show exit and what she thought about being killed off . There had always been rumors about behind - the - scenes number , which show creator Josh Schwartz ( sort of ) denied ( viaThe Daily Beast ) . When asked about the MarissaOCdeath and if it was because Barton asked to leave the show , Schwartz deny it and even explained that most of the young actors were bored with the show .
Schwartz explained , " It was born out of a number of issue : Creative , cast chemistry , evaluation … Mischa did n’t want off the show any more than any of the other kid want off the show . It was a complicated interpersonal chemistry with the mould … but she sure enough was n’t actively seeking to leave the show . " Barton seemed to back up this claim in an interview withE Online , stating that she was generate motion picture offer , andThe O.C.producers gave her a couple of options . The thespian noted :
They kind of gave me an choice . The producers were like , ' Do you want your chore and to sail off into the sundown and potentially you could come back in the future in some bizarre TV scenario or we can stamp out your fibre off and you could go on with your calling that you want and what you want to do ? '
The producers allowed her to leave by writing the MarissaOCdeath because she was more concerned in pursuing a motion picture vocation , as Barton tot up , " I was getting offering from braggy motion picture at the time and having to plough them down . " However , the doer was still observably candid about on - set drama during the audience , and she did n’t name anything about the want of interpersonal chemistry with the other actors , centre only on the movie part she was being offered .
How Mischa Barton Looks Back On Marissa’s Death In The OC Now
However , despite the on - put dramatic event and lack of interpersonal chemistry with the other doer that Barton might or might not have had , she still has doting memories of the MarissaOCdeath . Barton joined Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke ’s podcast , Welcome to The O.C. , Bitches , to rewatch the episode where Marissa conk ( viaEntertainment Weekly ) . Though Barton introduce the rewatch by telling Bilson and Clarke , " I recollect I ’ve probably only seen it once in my life history , " that did n’t keep her from gravel teary-eyed - eyed . Barton remembers back to when it was being shot and that she demanded the scene be as dramatic as possible , explain , " I was like , ' More blood , more rake . ' "
The thespian append , " It was going to butt on on being , like , a video death and I really want it to be super dramatic … so that she went out with a bang . " When it comes to Barton ’s actual feelings about the MarrisaOCdeath out of doors of her memory of dash the sequence , the actor enjoy the scene . Though fan of the character were totally disappointed by the episode at the time , Barton has some poignant idea aboutThe O.C.Marissa last almost two tenner later . Barton explained , " It ’s the culmination of their whole love tarradiddle . That middle part is really painful when she enquire him to say with her . "
