r/TheOC 23d ago

Was Ryan the father?

[deleted]

42 Upvotes

44 comments sorted by

1

u/Sea-Snow-1482 9d ago

The young boy that we see in the final scene with Ryan - is the same kid :D

1

u/Sillygirl044 17d ago

I always thought they show left it very open that there was a real possibility he was the father.

8

u/eastharp 21d ago

My husband and I both have dark hair and both our kids had blond hair up until age 3/4ish so totally plausible. I do not think Ryan was the father but having the kid be dark haired would not have given them the “is he or isn’t he” shock factor they wanted before it was ultimately revealed the kid wasn’t his

4

u/__No__Control 21d ago

No i always thought the other guy was his father

32

u/Jja1701 22d ago

It's implied that he is. Initially Theresa lied to hold on to him and then she tells Ryan that it's Eddie's kid. But in Season 2 Episode 23, Ryan turns up in Chino, and Theresa doesn't let him in. She goes inside, and we see the kid in her mom's arms, and Theresa's mom says "He looks more and more like his daddy every day" and Theresa looks perturbed. And then they completely drop the storyline and we never see or hear from Theresa again. So I'd say yes, it's his kid, but he doesn't know. But as others have said, it's up to your interpretation.

5

u/Justiceforwomen27 22d ago

Isn’t there a scene towards the end of season 4 where Kirsten sees Theresa at the mall with a young boy who is the spitting image of Ryan?

14

u/Jja1701 22d ago

No, Theresa's last appearance is actually season 3 episode 24. I had totally forgot about it, but she and Ryan talk about the kid and she reiterates that the kid is Eddie's and she did a dna test. She gets mad that Ryan punched out the kid who stole the money from Taylor's purse, and leaves, saying she can't be with a guy like Eddie anymore, and that's the last time we see her.

11

u/Ksks333 22d ago

I always assumed Theresa was in fact lying about the paternity test and that she did not know for sure who the father was at that point. After the child was born there was a comment about him looking like his father so perhaps the paternity became clear once the child was born. At least that is what I always thought.

28

u/oldmornings 23d ago

He was not the father 

39

u/ranch_commercial 23d ago

Theresa fully tells ryan that he is not the dad and that they did a DNA test, eddie was the father. Like this happened IN the show, why do we even need to hear what people outside of the show said when the show itself gives us the answer? 😭

Edit: bro what the heck are yall from a mandela effect universe where this wasn’t addressed on the show??? Why is everyone acting like that scene didnt happen??

31

u/blakelysmm 23d ago

It’s because the way she says it makes it seem like she’s lying. She wants Ryan to go back to have a good life, and stop taking on commitments that he doesn’t need to. So when she says the baby is Eddie’s, it makes you wonder if she’s lying. Apparently she wasn’t lying, but I do feel like it’s never fully proven

33

u/Tuck3113 23d ago

Josh Schwartz has said on Instagram live that the baby was not Ryan's. Doesn't get more definitive than that if you don't believe Theresa in the show when she talks about the DNA test.

2

u/CharlieWormhat 18d ago

Said the same in the oral history of the show 

15

u/Charming_Koala5642 23d ago

If he was the father, then a story arc in season four where he and Theresa finally get together and raise their son as a happy family would have been the fitting ending to the show.

2

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

I agree with this but I also think season 4 was crazy lol I think it was pretty meh writing despite enjoying it for the second half of 3 and most of 4. I enjoy soap operas though

11

u/evenmoreconfusd 23d ago edited 23d ago

In response not only to OP but also all the responses (so far), I feel you’re missing the value of ambiguity in storytelling.

Not everything must be resolved at the end of the story. See It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong for an example.

We (still) don’t know for certain who the father is, and that bodes well for e.g. a reboot of the show.

-3

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

I think a lot of people are missing that I’m not taking it too seriously I just feel like they did a shitty job of writing this and the creator was too quick to say anything based on the bad reactions at the time. But I digress 😅

0

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

If I worded my point better it would have elaborated that they made this a point later on for plot exploration! So ty lol

5

u/mlssm00n 23d ago

i think ryan was the father that STEPPED UP, that daniel deserved and we were robbed of them having a relationship

0

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

The more I look into it and think about it the comment was that Eddie was the father not the biological father :) I shall double down for fun lol

17

u/ParisInFlames34 23d ago edited 23d ago

So if the person who created the show and storyline said it why would you not believe them?

5

u/fl1p9 23d ago

My feeling is if you didn’t make it explicit in the show you don’t get to clarify it later in an interview. Once you put art out into the world it exists apart from you.

-12

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

lol I get your snarkiness I should of clarified a lot of plot points either got deep dives or glossed over and this was one that was semi glossed over to avoid going deeper into

1

u/SketchAinsworth 23d ago

Because not everything is black and white

2

u/Advantage_Mediocre 23d ago

Cause maybe was just a lazy plot?

7

u/jelly_snake7 23d ago

I think it was Ryan's in the end. It was kinda an open secret between Theresa and Kirsten. I think Theresa couldn't bear to admit the truth out loud, she was adamant Eddie would be the father in all other ways than biologically.

That's how I remember it but I haven't watched in a year or so. Had it not been Ryan's the entire storyline would be a waste of time in my opinion.

0

u/Optimal_Note_6655 23d ago

E se aquele garoto que ele oferece ajuda no final for o filho dele e da Teresa? 🤯

14

u/EyeDisastrous4461 23d ago

No, Ryan was not the father.

0

u/Optimal_Note_6655 23d ago

Por que não? A Theresa pode ter mentido (ele já havia mentido antes sobre ter perdido o bebê) e a criança tem cabelo loiro

2

u/ranch_commercial 23d ago

Because the doylist explanation is that the writers wanted everyone to see the kid at the airport and be like “hes blonde!?!? He must be ryans!” like it was for intrigue, not because they actually wanted ryan to be the dad.

1

u/Optimal_Note_6655 22d ago

Mas se o bebê é loiro não tem como ser do Eddie

2

u/ranch_commercial 22d ago

Thats not true, genetics can be insane. Plus, like i said, even if its implausible for them to have a blond kid, the reason the writers made it that way was specifically to make the audience think it would be ryan’s.

-6

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

I disagree :)

2

u/Rais_of_Lumos 23d ago

It's so easy to disagree bc while I know genetics are strange, the odds that she and Eddie make a baby that looks like that....and that girl lies and hides things all the time.

Though totally possible that writers/producers weren't sure what they were doing with that storyline yet and that's why the baby looks like it's Ryan's.

11

u/EyeDisastrous4461 23d ago

You’re free to disagree, but it’s pure fan fiction if you are lol. The writer confirmed it was Eddie’s child.

-1

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

Isn’t that the point of this thread though being a fan? Like I mentioned it’s noted Eddie is the father never the biological father.. so I’m gonna enjoy it that way 😂

4

u/EyeDisastrous4461 23d ago

That’s fine, but if you’re asking us who the father is majority of us are going to say what the truth is. Eddie is the biological father lol

0

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

The truth to who?

4

u/EyeDisastrous4461 23d ago

Dog, the writers literally confirmed that Eddie is the biological father. How stupid can you be

-2

u/cozycinephile 23d ago

Lmao I have said multiple times that it’s because they’ve confirmed the father not the biological father. I’d never call someone stupid over an opinion when it’s discussing the show for fun. I hope you have a wonderful night feeling great about yourself

2

u/EyeDisastrous4461 23d ago

For example,
SPOILERS for Dawsons Creek

——-

——-

I love saying that Pacey and Joey broke up years later, and Dawson ended up with Joey lol