In Defense of Marissa Cooper, The O.C.‘s Tragic Teen Heroine

Marissa Cooper receives an unwarranted amount of hate for someone who is literally just a teenage girl. As one of the most misunderstood characters in television history, fans have spent years criticizing Mischa Barton’s role in The O.C. for her melodramatic behavior, viewing her as a vacuum of self-destructive chaos. Whether it be in the form of unhinged Reddit posts discussing how annoying her character was, or being featured on listicles ranking the worst characters on television, it’s clear that Marissa was (and still is!) a topic of controversy.

The O.C. aired on Fox between 2003-2007, and follows the brooding Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) after being adopted by the Cohens, one of Newport Beach’s most prominent families. In Season 1, Marissa is introduced as Newport Beach’s resident It Girl; bright and bubbly, she’s the rich girl-next-door whose eyes twinkle with mischief and rebellion. She’s intrigued by Ryan’s air of mystery, and the two quickly form a connection that remains threaded throughout the show.

The duo serve as foils as their experiences parallel one another. Ryan’s past is one lacking in wealth and stability, leaving him isolated by his circumstances. When he’s offered a home with the Cohens, Ryan is able to thrive in an environment that provides him with unconditional support. This contrasts greatly with Marissa, who comes from a life of empty privilege yet experiences the same kind of loneliness. Unlike Ryan, she isn’t provided the same safety net that keeps her from spiraling downwards. Though she has a loving relationship with her father (Tate Donovan), it goes downhill when his shady financial decisions leave him constantly going in and out of Marissa’s life. Meanwhile her relationship with her mother, Julie (Melinda Clarke), is strained at best due to a number of reasons. This includes, but is not limited to: an affair with her daughter’s 16-year-old ex-boyfriend, an attempt at putting Marissa into a psychiatric ward following her overdose in Tijuana, trying to frame Ryan for attempted homicide, and so forth. Just listing these out makes Marissa’s unruly behavior all the more understandable. I mean, I would also throw furniture in a pool and scream in Julie Cooper’s face if she was putting me through all of this!

The O.C. desperately tried to paint Marissa as a lonely damsel in distress, when in reality she remains one of the kindest and most resilient characters on the show. Despite suffering from depression and isolation driven by her chaotic home life, Marissa continuously went out of her way for the people she cared about, even when she shouldn’t have. As much as she needed people to come in and save her, she was doing much of the saving, as well. Though some may criticize her actions as being that of naivete or even a savior complex, it was really more of an indication of her unwavering loyalty. When Ryan returns to Chino to tie up his brother’s loose ends, Marissa follows him in secret and provides him with the necessary getaway right in time. She embraces his past with open arms, wanting nothing more than to be a partner he can share his skeletons with.

Marissa’s good intentions were constantly being taken advantage of by troubled guys unable to distinguish her compassion as anything other than an advance of her romantic feelings. In Season 1, she continued to help the unstable Oliver Trask (Taylor Handley), even through his frustrating red flags, out of genuine concern for his well-being. She was manipulated into isolation as Oliver obsessively inserted himself into her life and threatened to kill himself with a gun if she tried to abandon him. In Season 2, we see Marissa accompany Ryan’s brother, Trey (Logan Marshall-Green) in finding a job, keeping him company while Ryan was out of town. Instead of being thanked for her friendliness, Trey, in a drug-induced state, misconstrues her kindness and attacks her when she rejects him. In Season 3, when her close friend Johnny (Ryan Donowho) breaks his leg, Marissa generously nurses him as she feels slightly guilty for his accident. Time after time again, she finds herself in a cycle of betrayal and blame when her kindness is misinterpreted by the people around her.