Goodbye to "The O.C.," word-that-rhymes-with-"witch"-that-they-won't-let-me-use-on-a-PG-site.

The pop culture phenomenon burned bright and fast in its four years on the air, morphing from hip, trend-setting teen drama and inheritor to the "90210" throne to over-the-hill has-been in near-record time. The tastes of young viewers are nothing if not fickle.

"The O.C." started and ended strong and had two lackluster seasons in between. Though most of the audience had abandoned the show, those who stuck around for the final season were treated to a blissfully Marissa (Mischa Barton)-free, reinvigorated series that found new creative blood in the relationship between Ryan (Ben McKenzie) and Taylor (Autumn Reeser) and a newly-socially conscious Summer (Rachel Bilson).

With a (merciful) return to the show's original, more upbeat theme song, creator Josh Schwartz wrote last night's series finale that sent the series off in light, fizzy style -- the show's best tone. It's not an earth-shattering, artful series finale (not a "St. Elsewhere" or "Newhart" of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" or "Six Feet Under"), but it does honor the show's history, its characters and the desires of its fans in terms of couplings.

Six months after an earthquake, the Cohens have to search for a new home, which takes them back to the house Sandy (Peter Gallagher) and Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) lived in in Berkeley, where Kirsten goes into labor and one of the current owners, half of a gay couple, turns out to be a midwife (the other is a wedding planner, which comes in handy later). Sophie Rose Cohen is born; Seth says she looks like "a squished meatball."

Seth (Adam Brody) and Summer have become obsessed with a new TV show called "Briefcase or No Briefcase," a nod to one-time competition, "Deal or No Deal." Summer's also amazed to read that "The Valley," the teen drama within "The O.C.'s" teen drama, got picked up for five more seasons.

"You know, those teen dramas run forever," Summer says in a bit of wishful thinking.

Julie Cooper Nichol Roberts (Melinda Clarke) is about to marry The Bullet, even though she's pregnant with Ryan's father's child. Kaitlin (Willa Holland) contrives to get her mom and Frank back together again. Summer gives Julie a locket with a picture of her dead daughter, Marissa, inside. Frank, Ryan's dad (Kevin Sorbo), interrupts the wedding via cell phone.

"Awww, that woman is like nailing Jell-O to the wall," The Bullet complains.

Julie frets ("Not now, Kaitlin, you're mom's trying to figure out who to marry") and ultimately chooses to stay single and enroll in college.

In the end, Seth and Summer go their separate ways so they can each grow independently. But a future flash forward shows them marrying eventually, suggests Ryan and Taylor remain connected and that Ryan took the lessons Sandy Cohen taught him to heart: He sees a wayward teen, not unlike himself when "The O.C." began, and, concerned, asks, "Hey kid, you need help?"

It's a conclusion that brings the show full circle, not a bad way to end.

'Anatomy' of predictability: Yes, Shonda Rhimes and company are sure doing different TV, if by different you mean the same plot used on "The Sopranos" last season when Tony almost died after getting shot by Uncle Junior (which at least had the virtue of being more of a shock and lacked having an executive producer bragging about the plot twist).

Needless to say, Meredith Grey did not die and didn't even suffer brain damage from being without oxygen for a prolonged period (then again, we are talking about Meredith, so if she did get brain damage, it would be hard to tell). Her mother did pass on but that was probably best for all concerned.

So Meredith lives, the ferry disaster is forgotten (except for Karev's patient) and I'm still out three hours of my life from this three-parter. Seriously.