An Ode to Seth Cohen on the 13th Anniversary of The O.C.

He too suffered the occasional existential teen crisis, as indicated by the time he told Summer, “I’m fine. I’m just having an allergic reaction to the universe.” Was that not all of us back then, too? Except instead of vocalizing these sentiments you just put on The O.C. Mix 5 soundtrack and cried a bunch of teenager tears to a shiz ton of Imogen Heap. Cohen had just enough angst to be brooding and deep, but he wasn’t dangerous or dramatic like Ryan, Trey or moody Marissa.

He was the kind of guy your dad would approve of, but also question whether or not he could protect you from a bear attack on a camping trip. As the founding father of Chrismukkah, Seth Cohen taught us that for a short time out of the year, you could get along with your family and friends, no matter how effed up they were. Sure he was awkward, quirky, and at times clueless, but at the heart of it, he knew what he wanted, and he went after it. Cohen taught his fans to do the same, even if that meant making a fool out of yourself in the process. 

Making a fool out of yourself required him to be vocal and passionate, and that he was. You dreamed of asking out your crushes (and have your crushes ask you) out the way he went after Summer. He fessed up to being a dork, liking comic books, and listening to emo music. Not only did you want to date him, you could relate to him! He appealed to your inner outcast and gave us closeted weirdos the hope we were looking for. His love for Summer made you feel like one day we could find a man who appreciated our denim skirt, bandana and hoop earrings too. Thank you, Seth Cohen, for being the ultimate super-crush of our misguided youth. 

Summer said it best…