Seth Cohen

Seth Cohen
Adam Brody as Seth Cohen
First appearance	Premiere (episode 1.01)
Created by	Josh Schwartz
Portrayed by	Adam Brody
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Manager of a Comic book store
Family	Kirsten Cohen (mother) Sandy Cohen (father) Ryan Atwood (adoptive brother) Caleb Nichol (grand-father) (deceased)
Spouse	Summer Roberts (girlfriend) Anna Stern (ex-girlfriend) Alex Kelly (ex-girlfriend)

Seth Ezekiel Cohen is a fictional character on FOX series The O.C. He is played by Adam Brody.

Introduction

Template:Spoiler In the show, Seth is an 18-year-old who lives in Newport Beach in Orange County (O.C.), California. Seth is Jewish on his father's side, and connects and identifies with his father's religious and cultural background (though he embraces the 'mutual' holiday of Chrismukkah). Seth is a very comical and sarcastic character, and enjoys constantly making dry, witty jokes about the situations around him. He is a bit of a nerd and likes comic books, science fiction, video games, and old movies.

Seth is the son of Sandy Cohen (played by Peter Gallagher) and of Kirsten Cohen (Kelly Rowan). He was befriended at the start of the series by Ryan Atwood (Benjamin McKenzie) and has enjoyed a rise in popularity.

Girlfriends

Summer Roberts

Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) and Seth had barely spoken, seeing as Summer was a part of the popular crowd and Seth was certainly not. Seth had a huge crush on her anyways, and saw that she was more than the shallow girl she appeared to be. Their first romantic encounter was when Summer asked Seth to take her to his grandfather's birthday party, both aware that Summer's intentions were only to use Seth to meet older, cute guys. When Seth grew annoyed with the way Summer was treating him, he stood up to her and reminded her that none of those guys really knew her, noting the way she fed a squirrel who always got picked on (to which Summer responded, "I hated that mean squirell!") and was scared of what other people would think of her sixth grade poem. Seth began to recite said poem to her, but was interrupted when Summer gave him his first kiss. The pair seemed to grow closer after, despite Summer's denial of their poolside kiss and even liking him, and traveled to Mexico together and then Seth comforted Summer after her best friend Marissa Cooper's overdose. She quickly shut him down for a date after seeing a few cheerleaders eyeing the pair. School began thereafter, and Summer grew jealous of Seth's friend Anna Stern, whom he shared many interests with. Summer finally admitted she liked Seth on a boat benefit, but their relationship was far from becoming uncomplicated. After Seth dated both Summer and Anna, usually to the girls' dismay, he was forced to make a choice on his favorite holiday, Chrismukkah. He chose neither, but ended up dating Anna quickly thereafter when she showed up at his house on New Year's Eve, Summer being left alone to kiss a boy but stopped because "you're not Seth Cohen". Summer found out about the new relationship and pretended to be okay with it, but was clearly not. She tried to sabotage the relationship on a golf trip, and attempted to date another boy (unintentionally making Seth jealous) but dumped him quickly. After the three spent time together, Anna dumped Seth, realizing she wasn't the girl he wanted. Seth knew this as well and confessed his true feelings to Summer. The pair then lost their virginities to each other, although it was anything but ideal. They worked past this and became a couple, although Summer still wanted it to be secret from anyone at school. Seth refused to put up with this, and declared his love for her atop a kissing booth in front of the school. Summer stood up there with him and kissed him, finally unafraid. Seth and Summer's relationship continued happily until Seth's best and pretty much only friend Ryan Atwood announced he'd be returning to his neighborhood, Chino. Seth couldn't face the idea of becoming a loner again and sailed away for the summer, leaving his girlfriend with only a note. Once he returned, Summer had moved on with Zach Stevens. After accepting the fact that it was over, Seth started dating Alex Kelly although it was sometimes obvious the pair were still in love. The tension came to a breaking point when Zach, Summer and Seth went on a trip to sell their comic book. Seth subtly admitted his feelings about Summer. She was about to leave on a trip to Italy with Zach a few weeks after, but Seth begged for her to be with him. She couldn't deny her feelings and left Zach for Seth at the airport, sealing the new relationship with a rainy kiss in the style of Spiderman. Zach was an obstacle for the couple again but ultimately gave Summer up at Prom, and Seth swooped in to once again tell the school how he loved Summer when she was named Prom Queen. The second season ended with a stable relationship and Summer comforting Seth over his mother's drinking. They stayed together, dealing with the aftermath of the shooting and started to apply for colleges together. They decided on Brown University, Seth's dream college. Summer said she wouldn't attend if Seth didn't, and after he didn't get in, he told her her didn't want to go anymore in order for her to not miss out on such a good experience. This lead to their break up, which ended after Seth confessed the whole truth about Brown with guidance from his visiting ex, Anna. Seth surprised Summer in the season finale with his acceptance to RISD for the spring semester and meant that there would just be a few months for them to be apart. The couple ended high school happily, and had sunny outlooks to what the future held for them. But things may be difficult as Marissa Cooper has died and Seth will be in Newport still while Summer is at college.

Anna Stern

Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong) was Seth's first girlfriend, who he met during a cotillion dance practice. They started dating after Seth deciding in her favour during a contest for his affection between her and Summer Roberts. They had a lot in common such as listening to Death Cab for Cutie, graphic novels, and sailing. Their relationship was short lived as they broke up when Seth made it obvious that he truly wanted Summer instead and had made the wrong choice. Anna had felt that there was no chemistry between them as lovers. Anna believes their ideal relationship is to be friends.

Alex Kelly

Alex Kelly worked in a club in Newport Beach, had divorced her parents and rented her own flat. She portrayed a tough image, which made Seth believe she was out of his league. Alex, however, found Seth's innocence appealing and the pair started dating shortly after he got a job working in the same club as her. The relation was short lived however. Alex, who was bisexual, dumped Seth for Marissa Cooper.

Miscellaneous

• At the end of the first season Seth, apparently feeling depressed after Ryan Atwood decides to return to Chino, left Newport Beach on a sailboat. In the second season premiere, it was revealed that after sailing to Santa Barbara, he apparently ran out of Twinkies, freaked out, sold his catamaran, and took a Greyhound to Luke's house in Portland where he stayed during the summer until Ryan convinced him to go home to Newport.

• Seth Cohen is prime time television's poster boy for Indie music. The "Seth Cohen Starter Kit", which contains The Goonies DVD, a copy of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and albums by Death Cab For Cutie, Bright Eyes, and The Shins, says a lot about his tastes and pop culture sensibilities. He likens his friendship with Ryan to Kavalier and Clay. He's also a big geek for comic books, citing Brian Michael Bendis as one of the greatest comic book writers of all time.