The Night Moves

"The Night Moves"

"The Night Moves" is the 91st episode and the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of the FOX television series, The O.C.. It was first broadcast aired on Thursday, February 15, 2007.

Guest starring

Actor / actress	Character
Paula Trickey	Veronica Townsend
Kevin Sorbo	Frank Atwood

Plot

In the aftermath of the earthquake...

Ryan struggles to help Taylor out from a book case that fell on them. Ryan lifts it up & Taylor gets out, but the book case falls on Ryan (the sound of glass broken is heard). Ryan finds his cell phone, & feels blood coming from his chest. Ryan begins losing blood but doesn't tell Taylor.

Sandy checks on Kirsten. She can't reach either of the boys on her cell phone. Sandy tells her to keep trying & says they should Kirsten to a hospital. Kirsten says she's fine, it's just a bump on the head..."Mine. Not his or hers". Sandy begins to help everyone in need at the plaza.

Ryan calls Kirsten to say that he and Taylor are ok.

Julie and Kaitlin are stuck inside the ice cream shop on the pier. The worker obviously has a crush on Kaitlin since he dishes up her favorite ice cream without being told what it is. When they get him to look out of the store to assess their situation he tells them they are all alone on an island. The pier has broken loose.

Seth & Summer call Sandy & tell him they're okay as well. Seth wishes he could say the same for Ryan's car. Sandy tells them to go back home...but Seth receives a text from Ryan..."Need yr help. Pls come to Coopers. Don't tell Summer".

Sandy takes charge at the plaza, keeping everyone calm and encouraging everyone to stick together.

Seth & Summer arrive at the Cooper house. Taylor & Summer go to look for Pancakes. Ryan leaves with Seth...but lifts up his shirt & says "it's not that bad"...a big shard of glass is impaled in Ryan's chest...Seth replies..."Dude, it's BAD".

Seth & Ryan drive to the hospital. When they reach the Balboa Wetlands, the car gets a flat tire.

Julie & Kaitlin sing to each other to calm each other down & find out the employee, Gary, likes a girl in Newport, but he is too insecure to even ask her out. Julie & Kaitlin decide that since they have nothing better to do they might as well degeeify him.

Seth attempts to replace it & talks with Ryan to keep his conscious. "You may find this hard to believe, Ryan... but when I was younger, I used to be a bit of a worrier". Ryan replies, "You don't say". Seth continues, "To distract myself from worrying, I would sometimes make lists. It didn't matter what the lists were of, it could be anything. Every cereal I've ever eaten, or the names of every planet mentioned in Star Wars. Whatever". Ryan begins to worry, "You wanna make a list, Seth?" Seth replies, "Oh, yeah. Whatever. Sure, if you want to". We could start with everyone you've punched in the face...since moving to Newport. First would be Luke at Holly's beach house". Ryan continues it, "Yeah, & number two would be Luke". Seth continues, "Right, at the diner". Ryan continues, "Yeah, & again at the model home". Seth continues, "What about Holly's dad at the cotilion?" Ryan continues, "That was more of a tackle". Seth continues, "Which takes us back to Luke". Ryan continues, "Yeah. TJ".

Taylor & Summer continue looking for Pancakes. Taylor laments that Summer is showing more concern for her rabbit than Taylor's mom has shown for her. Suddenly, aftershocks begin. Sandy finds Kirsten who has fallen down stairs. Kirsten tells Sandy, "Something is not right". Sandy feels Kirsten's stomach & is overcome with fear.

Seth decides to look for help on foot. Ryan begs him not to. Seth says they can't just stay here, he doesn't even know where he is. Ryan replies, "Well, I'm going with you". Seth promises he'll come back as soon as he can. Ryan becomes scared, "What about the zombies?" Seth says that's a really good point & says they need to keep Ryan alert & on his feet. Ryan & Seth put their arms around each other & Seth continues the list. "--we were on Trey. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe we went from Trey... to a lengthy Volchok period". Ryan look at Seth, "Yeah. Hey, thanks for this". Seth shakes his head & continues, "Yeah. Now, unless you hit that Chili guy of Johnny. I know a lot of people were rooting for that". Ryan continues, "Well, I did punch Johnny's dad, or a bounty huntet who worked for him". Seth is surprised, "Johnny's dad wad a bounty hunter?" Ryan continues, "Oh, yeah. I never told you about that?"

Sandy & Kirsten arrive at the hospital. After unsuccessfully begging for help, Sandy becomes scared, "My wife would never complain. She'd never put her needs before anyone's else's. But I am not that proud, I am not that selfless. I am begging you, please, please, to give her & our baby priority". Richard Weitz, a sympathetic patient, lets Sandy have his place in line.

While Kaitlin & Julie stay in the ice cream shop, the employee who is stuck with them fakes an asthma attack & kisses Kaitlin while she is trying to give him CPR. When he explains that he just didn't want the night to end, Frank arrives & says the pier is fine. The employee had lied just to be there with Kaitlin, who is actually the girl he likes. Kaitlin tells the ice cream employee that when the shop is back on its feet, she'll come stop by. Gary says she'll get a Gold Metal Ribbon on the house.

Seth & Ryan, who is on the verge of passing out & bleeding to death, continues the list. "In your opinion, who is a better food-industry server, I guess? Chloe, the magical waitress from Albuquerqe... or Donnie, the angry bus boy who shot Luke?" Ryan replies, "I'd go with Chloe on that one". Seth continues, "Okay, desert island: Sadie, the tough-as-nails-yet-soulful jewelry maker... or Lindsay, my grandfather's illegitimate love child". Ryan isn't doing well, "I can't, Seth. Go on. Just go. We need help, man. I need help. Just lay me down, okay?" Seth goes to look for help on foot, while Ryan begins to pass out.

Taylor and Summer load up a flare gun as they afraid someone is breaking into the house. Zombies perhaps? They run into someone in the kitchen, panic ensues and Taylor fires the flare gun before realizing that it's her mom. They find Pancakes and Taylor's mom, Veronica, who has walked all the way from Emerald Bay only to get shot in the foot by Taylor's flare gun. They connect a wagon, with Veronica in it, to a bike and take Pancakes and Veronica to the hospital.

Sandy and Kirsten are forced to wait for test results, not knowing if the baby is going to all right or not. Sandy anxiously tries to get answers from the doctor, but she isn't able to reassure him.

Seth finds Darryl along the beach and makes a trade for his shopping cart. "It has a flat tire and possibly a broken axle. But it's $70,000 car, and it's all yours in exchange for the cart".

Kaitlin relaxes her animosity toward Frank & apologizes for her attempts to thwart their relationship. Kaitlin asks Frank if he ever considered cutting his hair. They spot Seth running past them with a shopping cart & they pull over.

Taylor apologizes to Veronica & says she really loves her. "I love you, too", Veronica says. Taylor says she's never heard her say that before. Veronica came to Julie's to find Talyor. Taylor & Veronica hug.

A fresh Ryan wakes up in the hospital & Seth says they're now blood brothers. Ryan tells Seth, "That's weird. All of a sudden, I have this strange urge...to listen to Death Cab & read comic books". Seth replies, "Really". Ryan assures him, "No, I'm kidding". Seth says that's too bad, because with a good body switch comedy we could have squeezed another year out of this. (An obvious nod to the fact that the show was nearing the end of its run.) Ryan thanks Seth for his help.

Sandy & Kirsten enter Ryan's room, the baby is okay, which is revealed to be a girl. Veronica & Pancakes have matching casts. The girls are fine, and Frank brought Ryan to the hospital. A montage shows a fresh start for the families.

When the Cohens return to their own drive way, they are happy to be back. Kirsten happily remarks, "I can't wait to take a hot shower with hot water we don't have". Ryan remarks, "--I'll settle for sleeping in my own bed. --Or sleeping anywhere". Sandy remarks, "I'll fire up the girll. We'll get the camp stove going. It'll be fun. When they walk in, they are overcome with shock. The Cohen house is destroyed.

Trivia

• The 91 on the cake at the ice cream shop is a reference to this being the 91st episode.
• The song "Night Moves", which is sung by Julie and Kaitlin in this episode, is Julie and Luke's song. It was played all the time during their little romance in the first season.
• There's a little mistake when Seth is about to change the tire, first he is just starting to unscrew the tire to the car and just seconds after a tire is behind Seth and he is still taking off the flat tire.
• Julie asks Gary while they're trapped in the ice cream store if he even likes Bob Seger, along the seasons it is repeated that Julie Cooper-Nichol likes to hear this singer. The first comment about his was in The Shower in the first season.

Music

Artist / band	Title	Scene
Fredo Viola	"The Sad Song"	A recap of the last episode.
Radiohead	"Like Spinning Plates"	The first time this song is heard is at the beginning of the episode as the characters are dealing with the initial aftermath of the earthquake. It is played a second time as Seth and Ryan are walking down the street trying to stay focused by naming their friends from the past.
Rock Kills Kid	"I Turn My Camera On"	Seth rides Summer on his bicycle handlebars, on their way to the Cooper's house.
Sufjan Stevens	"The Incarnation"	This song plays first as Taylor and Summer look for Pancakes. It is played again while Sandy talks to a Doctor, and Seth looks for help.
Silversun Pickups	"Rusted Wheel"	Seth and Ryan are driving and get a flat tire.
Bloc Party	"Kreuzberg"	The end of the episode. Everyone is together and thankful.

External links

• Recap from the official website