TV Romances
All Of Marissa Cooper’s Love Interests on ‘The O.C.’, Ranked
May 19 marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most iconic television episodes ever: The O.C. Season 2 finale, “The Dearly Beloved.” If you tuned in live in 2005, you’ll know how utterly impossible it was to tear your eyes away from the screen as Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) shot Ryan Atwood’s (Ben McKenzie) brother, Trey (Logan Marshall-Green), while Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” was playing.
The shooting happened following an altercation between Ryan and Trey, which Ryan initiated after finding out that Trey tried to assault Marissa. Marissa walked in on the fight and, after failed attempts to pull the brothers off each other, picked up the gun that was abandoned amid the chaos.
Fans had to wait four months to find out Trey’s fate (he survived), but the incident changed Marissa’s life forever, putting her down a dark path that she never fully recovered from. As we look back on this groundbreaking TV moment, we’re also reminiscing about all of Marissa’s relationships on the show.
Scroll down for a ranking of Marissa’s love interests from worst to best!
7. Volchok
Well, Volchok (Cam Gigandet) is the man who (purposely) caused the car crash that ended up killing Marissa, so he automatically gets the lowest ranking.
Volchok was an absolutely terrible person, and Marissa was just about to get out from under his spell when he ran her and Ryan off the road in the Season 3 finale. Sure, he’s easy on the eyes, but that’s not enough to erase all of the trouble he got Marissa into, and, of course, the untimely fate he caused.
6. Oliver
Man, Oliver (Taylor Handley) was horrible. I was THIS close to putting Volchok ahead of him, that’s how hard it is for me to watch the Oliver episodes in Season 1.
Marissa and Oliver never actually got together romantically, but he sure tried, fully immersing himself into her life and barely giving her room to breathe. His obsession with breaking up Marissa and Ryan so he could be with her was sociopathic.
Yes, he had a lot of mental health issues that contributed to some of his behavior, but he proved time and time again that he was TROUBLE.
The one good thing he did was throw the New Year’s Eve party that resulted in Ryan arriving at the last second and sharing an epic kiss with Marissa at midnight. Iconic.
5. Johnny
Like Oliver, Johnny (Ryan Donowho) was obsessed with Marissa but didn’t let it get as out-of-control and stalker-y.
Marissa only saw Johnny as a friend, but that girl definitely gives mixed signals. I don’t really blame him for thinking there could be something more between them.
But, come on, dude … dating her sister?! Lame. I’m all for him trying to move on, but maybe outside the circle!
Johnny’s struggles eventually caught up with him when he drank too much and fell off a cliff, which ultimately triggered Marissa’s Season 3 spiral.
4. Luke
Considering Luke (Chris Carmack) cheated on Marissa and then began an affair with her MOM (Melinda Clarke) after they broke up, it’s shocking that he could possibly be this high on the list. But that’s less of a testament to him and more of a nod to how horrible the men Marissa dated were!
Luke did eventually redeem himself as a person, but as Marissa’s boyfriend, he was pretty terrible.
3. D.J.
Poor D.J. (Nicholas Gonzalez), he never stood a chance. Even though he really liked Marissa, she was just using him as a way to piss off her mom. No better way to get Julie Cooper riled up than by hooking up with the help, right?
Once Ryan came back to town, D.J. realized that he was never going to be Marissa’s actual first choice, even though she tried to convince him that she wanted to be with him. When Julie tried to pay D.J. off to leave, he knew the writing was on the wall, but he proved that he wasn’t doing it for the money by giving Marissa the check before making his exit.
2. Alex
I love Alex (Olivia Wilde) as a recurring character in Season 2 of The O.C. Usually when someone comes in and disrupts things for the main couple (in this case, Ryan and Marissa), they’re the worst, but Alex was the coolest! Her fling with Marissa was just what Marissa needed at that moment in time.
Alex came off as a “bad girl,” but there were layers to her that Marissa’s other exes didn’t have. I loved this relationship for exactly what it was. It was never meant to be long-term because, well, Ryan (duh), but it was fun while it lasted.
1. Ryan
Obviously, Ryan is the number one guy for Marissa. They were meant to be from the moment they met in the pilot, and they were finally back to a good place when Marissa died.
Nobody was ever there for Marissa like Ryan was, especially at such a difficult time in her life. She messed up … a LOT … but Ryan was always there to try and save her, even when they weren’t on good terms. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to save her life, but it was only fitting that she died in his arms.
Even though Ryan eventually moved on with Taylor (Autumn Reeser) after Marissa’s death, he always held a special place in his heart for her.
