The new "O Season"

Warning: This story contains spoilers for the season premiere of "The OC."

On Thursday evening, thousands of OC fanatics geared up for the premiere of the third season of the popular show, fondly remembering every episode last season from start to finish. "The OC" is a drama about teens and families who live in Orange County, California, and are forced to deal with the dramas of alcoholism, drug addiction, adultery and the overall issues of living a wealthy life. However, if you missed the last couple of episodes or are new to the show, here's a brief recap on what has happened so far.

Previously, on "The O.C."

The story line begins two years ago when the Cohen family, a wealthy family who live in Orange County, adopts Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie), a kid who's a little rough around the edges. Ryan meets Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), a well-off sophomore in the neighborhood, and is immediately drawn to her. Meanwhile, Ryan befriends Seth Cohen (Adam Brody), who harbors a lifelong crush on Marissa's best friend Summer (Rachel Bilson).

At the end of the second season, the problems occur when Ryan's brother, Trey (Logan Marshall-Green), is released from jail and becomes a huge danger to the OC community, eventually attempting to rape Marissa. Ryan finds out and immediately heads to Trey's house to pick a fight, while Seth and Summer call Marissa to warn her of the problems that are about to ensue. The trio chases Ryan to Trey's apartment, where they find Trey about to kill his brother. In a desperate move, Marissa takes Trey's gun and shoots him to save Ryan's life.

And the saga continues

With the disarray that the last season bestowed on Orange County, this season premiere worked quite a little miracle to get the neighborhood back in order. In fact, the producers were working so hard to captivate new viewers they seemed to fit two shows worth of drama and events into just one hour. The show starts off with Marissa and Summer in the exact place they were the first episode of the second season, lying on beach chairs at Marissa's house and talking about the events of their ending summer; a very ironic situation and a good transition into the new season. The two reveal that Trey is in a coma and may not live. Marissa and Summer discuss the legal triangle between Marissa, Ryan and Trey. Although Marissa, Ryan, Seth and Summer had all told the District Attorneys that Marissa shot Trey to save Ryan's life, the DA's aren't eager to believe them. Instead, they suspect that Ryan shot his brother and Marissa is covering up for him because of his previous criminal record.

This situation is not unrealistic, but it didn't add much to the plot, especially because it was clear that Ryan wouldn't go to jail during the first episode of the season. Marissa and Ryan wait on Trey's recovery to unveil the real truth to the police, but an Orange County socialite steps in the middle of the drama and adds a twist to the plot, ensuring more drama for both the Cohen and Cooper families.

Is "The OC" a must see?

The start of the third season lived up to its high expectations. The show did a good job of tying together everything from the last season, but still introduced red herrings and new characters that will captivate viewers all season. The show is also jam packed with drama. Although it wasn't disheartening like the second season, the episode did have a dark side to it, which certainly sets it apart from the norms of other TV shows.
The sole downside to the season premiere was the rushed sense of the show, an inevitable issue when resolving, recapping and repairing a summer-long conflict in just one episode. Otherwise, the characters were as witty as usual and added funny lines to an otherwise serious episode.

The first episode certainly satisfied the viewers' summer-long desire for America's favorite Orange County buddies.