The episode starts off ominously for our favorite new couple, Ryan and Taylor, as Ryan is taking a break from setting up Chrismukkah decorations and chatting with Kirsten about the invite list to the special Chrismukkah dinner tonight. By the way, what exactly are Chrismukkah Decorations? Circumcised Reindeer? Santa in a yarmulke? Anyway, Kristen tells Ryan that he should invite Taylor over for dinner, but Ryan, as he mumbled in last week's Best. Episode. Ever., he isn't ready for a girlfriend. And if Chrismukkah Eve dinner doesn't send the girlfriend message, he doesn't know what does. Kirsten tells Ryan to get the sand out of his vagina and just invite Taylor over, which Ryan says he's going to. Unfortunately, Kirsten is stolen away by her "ham guy", and Ryan peruses the mail to find a letter from beyond the grave. Return Address:
Marissa Cooper
Cloud 293283
Heaven

Over at Julie's, Kaitlin is complaining about having to go to Julie's white trash family's Christmas festivities in Riverside. Julie correctly notes that they don't have many family choices, so watching Aunt Cindy do whip-its under the mistletoe is as good as it's going to get. Enter Taylor, complete with her gift for non-boyfriend Ryan: A George Foreman grill, because Ryan "obviously" likes his meat lean. I love Taylor. Julie wonders if Taylor is going to be spending the holiday with her mother, but Taylor explains that she was informed via mass e-mail that Veronica Townsend would be in Mexico for Christmas with her new boyfriend. No matter, Taylor has every intention of going to the Cohens' for Christmas, just as soon as Ryan invites her.

Taylor heads over to see Ryan as he is setting up the dreidel on top the outdoor Christmas tree. Oy! Ryan is still in shock over the letter he found from Marissa (which is still unopened), but Taylor just thinks that Ryan is playing the I'm not ready for a girlfriend card. Kudos to Taylor for noting that the only muscles Ryan has yet to develop are those in his mouth. Taylor starts to invite herself over but Ryan squashes it. This enrages Taylor, reminding me that enraged Taylor is my favorite kind of Taylor. She climbs the ladder to meet Ryan on the roof, and they start to fight over the gift that Taylor is trying to give to Ryan. Ryan doesn't want the Foreman, but Taylor insists on him having it since she accepted his gift of rejection. This leads to a pushing match that ends with both Ryan and Taylor on the ground; hand in hand, momentarily unconscious. They wake up, and Taylor storms out. But something funny happened. Everything's changed! You're not in Chino anymore!

Here's where things get pretty tricky for the dutiful recapper, as it's kind of hard to explain an alternate reality within a show, like The O.C. Basically, I'm going to get my geek on, and just say that while in the Newport we know and love, Ryan and Taylor are in a coma, in Bizarro Newport no one has any idea who Taylor or Ryan are.

It starts with Ryan walking around the house, and getting yelled at by Ice Queen Kirsten, who doesn't know who he is. He finally says something about Seth, and Kristen sends Ryan to the comic book shop where Seth currently is.

At the mall, Ryan runs into Julie, who is doing some kind of weird public service announcement, trying to help the homeless. Julie, sweet? Something must be amiss. She also doesn't recognize Ryan, and calls him a street urchin. I love it!