The OC: The Day After Tomorrow (episode 20)

I'll admit, I've been slacking with the recaps. This show was on a few weeks ago, but this is what I can remember.

Ryan and Sadie are still hot and heavy, but Ryan is having visions of college, and Sadie has been kind of avoiding the bigger questions: what are they gonna do next year?

Marissa continues in her downward spiral with doing of the coke and screwing of the Volchok. She's shirking her school responsibilities (not providing food to the college acceptance sweatshirt bonfire, waking up Julie and Doctor Neil when Volchok's hog drops her off at the mansion in the morning...y'know, standard stuff)

The acceptance letters all come at the same time...woo hoo! In a fun filled montage, Ryan gets accepted to Berkeley, Marissa does too, as does Seth (who applied just 'cause his dad made him) and Summer gets into Brown! Ryan--smiles (for once), Summer--squeals, Marissa--looks cheerful, then frowns, THEN tosses her letter in the trash. But the most shocking is Seth who DOES NOT GET INTO BROWN!!! NNNOOOOOO!!!! Everyone (except Marissa) convenes later. Summer gives Seth the good news and Seth, for reasons I cannot explain, lies to Summer and says he got into Brown too. This can't end well.

Seth immediately gets on the phone and tries to plead that he wants to get in because...wait for it, people...His girlfriend got in! After the admissions people stopped laughing at him, I'm sure they hung up.

Julie finds Marissa's letter in the trash, and they have a talk. She doesn't want Marissa to give up on herself, which means kicking Volchok to the curb. Marissa won't listen, and storms out. Again.

Sadie and Ryan try to work things out. Sadie and Ryan plan to get a place together at Berkeley, the plans don't go over well with The Cohens. Sadie thinks maybe it's a bad idea, but Ryan feels "like I'm myself" with Sadie. But after the plans become somewhat real (Sadie finds a place for them in Berkeley), Ryan thinks he should be exploring college by himself, and experiencing things without a townie girlfriend.

Seth finally comes clean that he didn't get into Brown...to RYAN. Ryan tells him to come clean with Summer about it, but he doesn't want her to give up going to such a great school because of his inability to get in. Maybe it's a good thing?

They all go to the sweatshirt bonfire. Even Marissa comes to her senses and goes. It's all very awkward, Marissa doesn't think she fits in anymore with this pro-college crowd, Seth didn't get into Brown, Summer and Seth are fighting, and Ryan broke up with Sadie.

At the end of the episode, Seth tells Summer that Brown suddenly "isn't the right school for him" but Summer should go without him. I think they just broke up, folks!

*As an aside, I think the writers are incredibly lazy if this whole "Seth not getting into Brown then lying about it" is very believeable. That's all Seth has talked about all season! It's a cheap way to create conflict. If the writers were smart, they would have had Seth get into Brown, and Summer getting denied. Then he would have had to realize he loved Summer and couldn't be without her, so he would go to Berkeley, or something. Because his childhood dreams and priorites have changed! He's growing up! At least it would have been more logical. But believeability isn't why I watch this show.

Oh yeah, Sandy is still dealing with the boring subplot with the hospital. Now Doctor Griffin is bribing Sandy with more development work if he keeps quiet about the supposed kickbacks. Kirsten becomes very concerned that Sandy is turning into her father. And rightly so. I think they've messed with his character so much I'm not sure what he's about anymore.