Sure TV moments stand the check of time, and that is actually the case for The O.C.‘s Season 2 finale. The scene at hand options Marissa (Mischa Barton) pulling the set off, with the bullet piercing by way of Trey’s (Logan Marshall-Inexperienced) again proper as Imogen Heap’s track, “Disguise and Search,” performs. This stunning cleaning soap opera-style second wasn’t simply impactful within the sequence, but in addition turned a popular culture staple. Just a few years later, it wasn’t solely remembered for its significance to the sequence, however due to its memeified fame as soon as the scene was parodied on Saturday Night Live.
‘SNL’ Made a Parody of ‘The O.C.’s Iconic Season 2 Finale
In line with Andy Samberg on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast, he, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer have been O.C. followers earlier than drawing inspiration from the sequence for the “Pricey Sister” SNL digital Brief. “Each episode, a lot loopy shit occurred on The O.C. It was peak cleaning soap opera storytelling, however in a extremely sexy teen means… we liked it. Nonetheless do.” Upon watching the scene for the primary time, he wasn’t simply fascinated by its dramatic attraction, but in addition by the best way the music set the tone for Trey’s gradual fall. He shared on the podcast that “Disguise and Search” was on repeat for him and his fellow comedians for fairly a while, and two years later, NBC was capable of clear it for broadcasting the sketch. Very similar to the way it performs out within the early-aughts sequence, “Pricey Sister” options gunshots in sync with Imogen Heap’s track.
The parody expands on its supply materials by following Bill Hader‘s character, Keith, writing a letter to his sister and getting shot by his pal, Dave (Samberg). This preliminary taking pictures results in a massacre, with Keith getting shot by Dave, Dave taking pictures their mutual pal Eric (Shia LaBeouf), all three of them killing Keith’s sister (Kristen Wiig), and the cops (performed by Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen) who arrive on the scene taking pictures one another.
As campy and unhinged as this sketch is, it amplifies the impact of The O.C.‘s scene had on popular culture. Every of those gunshots transfer in sluggish movement, with “mmm, whatcha say” sounding off concurrently the pulling of the set off. On the finish, when the cops shoot one another, the track is performed twice in an overlapping method, making “Pricey Sister” much more absurd. Though the sketch was made with out the intent of everybody greedy its direct O.C. reference, audiences have been capable of shortly draw the connection between the parody and the teen show’s original scene. Over time, “Disguise and Search” did not simply turn out to be linked to Josh Schwartz‘s hit sequence, but in addition for its popular culture relevance. In spite of everything, the track’s influence exceeded the SNL quick.
‘The O.C.’ Creators Repurposed the Tune for One other Memeified Scene in ‘Gossip Woman’
Along with creating The O.C., Schwartz and his producing associate Stephanie Savage joined forces to adapt Gossip Woman for the display. As a substitute of following Newport Seashore’s elite, the sequence targeted on youngsters rising up within the Higher East Aspect, carrying designer clothes and having their lives picked aside by a mysterious blogger. In Season 3, during a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the Van Der Woodsens, the tensions are by way of the roof when Serena (Blake Full of life) and Journey’s (Aaron Tveit) affair is divulged mid-meal, adopted by different surprising revelations from company on the eating desk.
Rufus (Matthew Settle) finds out that Lily (Kelly Rutherford) has lied about her whereabouts for months, Jenny (Taylor Momsen) calls out Eric (Connor Paolo) for sabotaging her at Cotillion, Blair (Leighton Meester) accuses her mother of being pregnant, and Vanessa (Jessica Szhor) criticizes the best way her mom has been making an attempt to meddle on different folks’s lives all through the entire Thanksgiving celebration. It is drama on prime of drama, with the icing on prime of the cake being a number of of the characters leaving the desk one after the opposite. Though the model that performs on this scene is Jason Derulo‘s “Watcha Say,” that includes the Imogen Heap pattern, it nonetheless holds the identical stage of depth that Schwartz captured in his first hit sequence.
It is protected to say that nobody, particularly Schwartz, knew that the occasions that relay in The O.C.‘s Season 2 finale would spark a wave of memes lengthy after it aired. From a hilarious SNL sketch that got here out two years later, to Gossip Woman‘s iconic Thanksgiving scene that was launched in 2009, The O.C.‘s affect and its exact utilization of Imogen Heap’s track have outlasted the present itself. What began as Marissa making an attempt to guard her boyfriend and get again at her abuser turned a popular culture staple and continues to be mentioned and shared to this present day.
