Schwartz says the
second half will build to a graduation finale, which he hasn't written
yet. He's on episode 16 of 25, making it "76 by the end"
of this season, he says, sounding a little weary. "Graduating
from high school is such a seminal moment for kids and parents.
It's something we knew we wanted to mine and explore."
The second
half of the season, which resumes in January after Thursday's
"Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkka" episode, could be
more of a fan-pleaser:
Anna, a much
beloved character from Season 1 played by Samaire Armstrong,
will return.
Marissa will return to Harbor
Kaitlin, Marissa's little sister,
finally enters the story after being "at boarding school"
for Seasons 1 and 2. She is played by Willa Holland, 14, a model
who grew up in London and L.A. and is the stepdaughter of director
Brian De Palma.
Sadie Campbell, a new character
played by Nikki Reed, will be a love interest for Ryan in a
four-episode stint.
A spring
episode will show the kids visiting campuses. Schwartz says he just
returned from a college in North Carolina where he was pleased to
find out that parties are not allowed to start on Thursdays until
9:01 p.m. — after the preview scenes for next week's episode
of The O.C., he says.
Having the core characters head out of town
to college "presents creative challenges," Schwartz admits.
But they will not unrealistically be kept in Orange County just
for the sake of continuity.
"We have a game plan in terms of how we'll
tackle that," he says, "and it will not involve 'OCU.'
"
