This Graph Depicts 'The O.C.'s Best Cliffhangers

The O.C. provided that brand of sun-soaked melodrama that we love, but with an extra dose of scandal, indie rock, and death. That's why, episode after episode, finale after finale, the show left us with a myriad of cliffhangers that had us on the edge of our seats. But not all cliffhangers are created equal, which is why it's time to take a quick look back at the intensity of The O.C. 's best cliffhangers over the series' run.

Season 1 was strong when setting the tone for the show, and it ended on a sad but not too dramatic note, with Seth sailing away from home and Ryan moving back to Chino to take care of his not-baby mama. And who can forget when Marissa, undergoing Baby's First Bender, ends up unconscious in a back alley in Tijuana?

Ultimately, nothing takes the cake on the cliffhanger scale quite like the iconic second season finale, "The Dearly Beloved." Forever immortalized in the highest legions of memes, we didn't know WHAT to make of Marissa shooting Ryan's scumbag brother. All we knew is that it was a legendary moment in television.

Here's a graph of The O.C.'s best cliffhangers, because, let's be honest, everything still makes your heart pound.

Images: CW (1), Giphy (1); Caroline Wurtzel/Bustle