Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen | |
---|---|
Presbyterianism)[1] | |
Residence | Berkeley, California Formerly: Newport Beach, California |
Kirsten Cohen (maiden name Nichol) is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Kelly Rowan. Kirsten is the wife of Sandy Cohen, mother to Seth Cohen, and the adoptive mother of Ryan Atwood. Originally portrayed as being unwelcoming towards Ryan in the Cohen household, she began to develop feelings for the brooding teenager, going on to accept him as a central member of her family.
Characterization
Background
Kirsten Nichol was born in
She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in art history. During her college years, she met her future husband, Sanford "Sandy" Cohen, on a campaign for the 1984 presidential elections. Kirsten states that when they fell in love, she "lived in a mail truck and stank of patchouli". They married, and Kirsten gave birth to a son, Seth. In the season 2 episode "The O.Sea", they celebrated their twentieth anniversary and Sandy serenades her with the song "Don't Give Up on Me".
Shortly after Kirsten began her family, her mother became ill with ovarian cancer. This prompted the Cohens to move back to Newport. She joined her father at The Newport Group, becoming the workaholic she was introduced as at the beginning of the show.
Personality
In contrast to her husband, who campaigned for
Kirsten may appear to be shallow and materialistic like her fellow "Newpsies" but it becomes evident that she is not one of them, and prefers to occupy herself with her work and family; she is often seen grousing privately about the other wives' gossipy attitude prior to parties and social gatherings, which she attends only because of her family's social standing. She is generous, sympathetic, and fiercely protective of her family, including Ryan, to the point where she extended her kindness to his biological mother Dawn and ex-girlfriend Theresa. When any member of her family is threatened, her headstrong and manipulative side comes out; during Season 2, she confronts her father for calling Ryan an "inland street thug" and threatens to cut off her ties with him if he does not agree to go to a dinner with her, Ryan, and Lindsay, Caleb's newfound illegitimate daughter.[1] She once told Sandy, "There isn't anything I wouldn't do for my family."[5] When her family and sister Hailey confronted her about her drinking problem at the end of Season 2, it was the boys who managed to convince her to go to rehab.
A running gag in Kirsten's story arc is her lack of talent in the kitchen. During Ryan's first thanksgiving in Newport, Sandy and the boys "made a pact" to keep her out of the kitchen.[6] However, her absence was keenly felt when she was in rehab for her alcohol problem at the beginning of season 3 as the household descends into disarray, evidenced by the messy kitchen and empty refrigerator.
Kirsten's motherly instincts contrasts with those of the other "Newpsies" such as
Character arc
Season 1
Kirsten is introduced when she meets troubled teen Ryan Atwood for the first time. Ryan was her husband's client, whom he brought home with him because he had nowhere else to stay after being thrown out of the house by his mother. Under the impression that Ryan is going to stay only until Sandy is able to contact Child Services, she reluctantly allows him to stay in the pool house.
Later, Kirsten meets
Although Kirsten has a mostly stable marriage compared to the other main characters, her close friendship with next-door neighbor and ex-boyfriend
In the first-season finale, Kirsten hints to
Season 2
The problems begin for Kirsten during the second season when she fears that her husband is cheating on her with an old girlfriend,
Towards the end of the season, Kirsten crashes her car while driving drunk. She is in the middle of an emotional conversation with Sandy, who tells her to pull over, when she drops her phone on the center console. Kirsten reaches over to pick up her phone but doesn't see that she is approaching an intersection. A truck runs over her car.
Kirsten survives the accident with minor bruises and a few broken fingers. She convinces Sandy that she's swearing off alcohol after the scare of the accident, but Sandy finds a bottle of vodka in her purse. He is confronting her when Julie calls to inform the Cohens that Caleb died of a heart attack. Stricken, Kirsten walks away from Sandy with the bottle of vodka and is seen drinking throughout the evening.
Following an intervention staged by her worried family, she checks into a rehabilitation program for alcohol abuse after her father's funeral. She was initially resistant and defensive but agrees after seeing a distraught Seth and hearing the usually reticent Ryan talk about how his alcoholic biological mother refused to seek help.
Season 3
At Suriak Rehab, she meets
Over the course of the season, Kirsten and her husband find themselves amidst conflict due to his decision to take over The Newport Group. Long hours make Kirsten concerned that Sandy is turning out to be a workaholic, but it is Sandy becoming like her father, getting into illegal deals and crossing the line often, that worries her the most. This causes her to relapse, yet the problem is settled when Sandy decides to quit the job at the end of the season.
Season 4
Kirsten and Sandy go to Mexico to rescue Seth and Ryan after their sons go to Mexico in search of
Kirsten attempts to garner a silent partner for NewMatch in
A family crisis appears again when
On the night of Kirsten's fortieth birthday, Kirsten finds out that she is pregnant. This causes her to remember the abortion she had before going to college. She finally comes clean to Sandy about the abortion.
In the series finale, the Cohen home is destroyed in an earthquake. Sandy and Kirsten reluctantly begin house-hunting. After hearing their parents reminiscing, Seth and Ryan fly to Berkeley to find their old house, but the current owners are unwilling to sell. Sandy and Kirsten soon visit. While there, Kirsten asks the owners if she can use their bathroom. Her water breaks, and she gives birth to her daughter in the house in Berkeley. Her daughter is named Sophie Rose Cohen, after Sandy's and her own mother. This and number of ensuing events in the house convinces the current owners to sell the house to the Cohens.
References
- ^ a b "The Second Chance". The O.C.. Season 2. Episode 11. February 3, 2005. Fox.
- ^ "The Dearly Beloved". The O.C.. Season 2. Episode 24. May 19, 2005. Fox.
- ^ "The Distance". The O.C.. Season 2. Episode 1. November 4, 2004. Fox.
- ^ "The Family Ties". The O.C.. Season 2. Episode 7. January 6, 2005. Fox.
- ^ "The Debut". The O.C.. Season 1. Episode 4. August 26, 2003. Fox.
- ^ "The Homecoming". The O.C.. Season 1. Episode 11. November 19, 2003. Fox.
- ^ "The Gamble". The O.C.. Season 1. Episode 3. August 19, 2003. Fox.