The Best Episodes Written By J. j. philbin

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   9.6/10(133 votes)

   #1 - Tongue Tied

   S5:E59/23/2025

   Thwarted in their investigative podcast plans, Mabel and Oliver look for help from the Arconia support staff — as Charles dines with another suspect and gets caught up in "catching" more than he bargained for.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
2. 

   9.4/10(61 votes)

   #2 - The House Always...

   S5:E1010/28/2025

   With the clock ticking, the trio doubles down to bring "new" and "old" forces together to bring down a killer — ending in one explosive showdown and the reveals they've been chasing all season.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
3. 

   9.4/10(66 votes)

   #3 - My Best Friend's Wedding

   S4:E1010/29/2024

   The final answers to our season are revealed - but not before the trio faces mortal danger and an Arconia wedding.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
4. 

   9.4/10(69 votes)

   #4 - Adaptation

   S4:E59/24/2024

   The trio face off against a collection of individuals who deceive, manipulate, and threaten as second nature - a Hollywood cast & crew.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
5. 

   9.2/10(87 votes)

   #5 - The White Room

   S3:E48/22/2023

   Charles’s stage fright reaches unimaginable heights, involving a break from reality and multiple baby dolls. Mabel is confronted by a mysterious individual from her past with a pivotal proposal.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
6. 

   8.2/10(6 votes)

   #6 - Business Unfinished

   S1:E108/29/2003

   Daisy enlists George's help in fleecing a wealthy society matron's son, and Roxy faces her annual struggle to come to terms with her death.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
7. 

   8.0/10(6 votes)

   #7 - Reaping Havoc

   S1:E57/25/2003

   George realizes that even the undead need friends, but she loses one when a reaper decides to jump to the other side.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
8. 

   7.9/10(7 votes)

   #8 - The O.Sea

   S2:E235/12/2005

   Seth and Zach squabble over who should take Summer to the prom and who will meet George Lucas for dinner; Sandy takes drastic actions with a recovering Kirsten; Ryan starts to piece together what happened between Trey and Marissa, courtesy of Theresa; Julie's attempts to poison Caleb take a surprise turn.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
9. 

   7.7/10(7 votes)

   #9 - The Brothers Grim

   S2:E173/24/2005

   When Ryan's brother, Trey, gets out of jail and gives Ryan a call, the Cohens give him a warm welcome. Though, Ryan knows nothing good can come from it. Zach returns from his Italy trip and gives some news leaving Summer curious and Seth ... not really sure what to think. Meanwhile, after Julie admits her naked mistake to Kirsten, they both agree to get Caleb in on it for more help. Newport Living is officially launched.

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:N/A

   Writer:J. J. Philbin
10. 

    7.7/10(7 votes)

    #10 - The Cold Turkey

    S4:E311/9/2006

    It's Thanksgiving time. Volchok is back in town and Ryan seems eager to take revenge. At first Sandy and Kirsten try to talk him out of this but, then, Sandy makes Ryan face Volchok. Julie's behavior turns Kaitlin away and permanently jeopardizes her relationship with Dr. Roberts. Summer starts protesting against poverty issues and turns the Cohens' Thanksgiving dinner into a homelesses' refuge. It's clear she hasn't got over Marissa's death yet. Veronica kicks Taylor out as soon as she discovers her beloved daughter married a French man during her European trip.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
11. 

    7.6/10(7 votes)

    #11 - The Shape of Things to Come

    S3:E29/15/2005

    Social Chair Marissa tries to plan this year’s carnival but is having much difficulty due to a little pest named Taylor. Sandy is surprised to find Kirsten has been released from rehab but instead of informing him, she has been living with another woman named Charlotte who she met in rehab. Julie and Sandy meet with the Dean and Dr. Kim to discuss Ryan and Marissa’s future at Harbor High. Later Ryan and Marissa partake in a similar meeting. Elsewhere Jimmy meets a man and feels more than open to discuss his money problems with him.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
12. 

    7.6/10(7 votes)

    #12 - The Swells

    S3:E611/10/2005

    Marissa discovers something in Johnny that Ryan lacks and Charlotte convinces Julie and Kirsten to throw a charity event. After discovering fake IDs in Charlotte's purse, Julie confronts her.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
13. 

    7.6/10(7 votes)

    #13 - The Cliffhanger

    S3:E142/2/2006

    Sandy and Matt's hospital project hits a roadblock. Kirsten and Julie run into troubles of their own with their matchmaking business. Marissa confesses her feelings to Johnny. Summer finds out out about Seth.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
14. 

    7.5/10(24 votes)

    #14 - Naked

    S1:E411/1/2011

    Jess accidentally walks in on Nick naked, sending his self-confidence to an all-time low - just after an attractive co-worker agrees to go out on a date with him. Meanwhile, Winston becomes obsessed with learning pop-culture references online.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
15. 

    7.5/10(8 votes)

    #15 - The College Try

    S3:E224/20/2006

    Graduation is just weeks away and Ryan, Seth, Summer and Marissa leave Newport to attend their respective pre-frosh orientations at UC Berkeley and Brown. While dropping the boys off at the airport, Kirsten is surprised to see Theresa and her all-too-familiar-looking baby boy. While visiting Brown, Seth runs into Anna on the quad and they instantly connect. Could this be the end of Summer and Seth? Meanwhile, Kirsten and Sandy attend a hospital benefit where Kirsten vents her frustrations and falls back into an old habit.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
16. 

    7.5/10(24 votes)

    #16 - Kindred

    S2:E310/8/2007

    Suresh finds an undiscovered Isaac Mendez painting that shows someone's death; Maya frees Alejandro from a Mexican jail; in the past Hiro discovers something new about Kensei; and Niki and Micah leave Las Vegas to get away from their past. Claire and West take a little trip.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
17. 

    7.4/10(17 votes)

    #17 - First Date

    S2:E214/4/2013

    Jess and Nick, who are caught between friendship and something more, try to break out of relationship-limbo by going on a First Date. Once Schmidt and Winston realize a full-on Jess/Nick romance might be happening, they swoop in to try to sabotage the date.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
18. 

    7.4/10(9 votes)

    #18 - The New Era

    S2:E412/2/2004

    It's a new era in Newport Beach. Kirsten and Julie try and work together at The Newport Group, while Sandy tries to find out what Caleb is hiding. Seth and Ryan go on a double date with Lindsay and Alex, but it ends differently than the four of them might have expected.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
19. 

    7.4/10(8 votes)

    #19 - The Shower

    S1:E254/21/2004

    Marissa plots to ruin her mother's happiness by inviting someone from her mother's past to the wedding shower, while Sandy attempts to hide Theresa's return to the O.C. from Ryan. When Ryan discovers Sandy's lies and Theresa's reasons for coming back, he puts himself in a dangerous situation. In the meantime, Seth's unimpressive first meeting with Summer's father leaves their relationship in doubt.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
20. 

    7.3/10(19 votes)

    #20 - Fancyman (1)

    S1:E173/20/2012

    Jess reluctantly dates the wealthy father of one of her students. Meanwhile, Nick attempts to buy a new cell phone and Schmidt and Winston get ultra-competitive playing bar trivia.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
21. 

    7.2/10(16 votes)

    #21 - The Last Wedding

    S4:E19/16/2014

    At the last wedding of the summer, the gang makes a pact: Each of them will get lucky by night's end. Jess sets her sights on the best man, who also has caught the eye of a beautiful scientist. Meanwhile, Schmidt and Nick get an indecent proposal. Winston recovers from his police academy training, and Coach panics when he realizes he already has hooked up with every woman at the party.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
22. 

    7.2/10(8 votes)

    #22 - The Ex-Factor

    S2:E91/20/2005

    Seth is thrown when Alex's ex arrives in town for a visit, and is even more thrown when he finds out who it is. Julie has a plan to try and save The Newport Group, which to everyone's surprise, might actually work. Lindsay sticks out when she joins Summer and Marissa for a girls night out; meanwhile, Ryan, Seth and Zach contemplate playing it safe on a guys' night in. But nothing ever goes as planned.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
23. 

    7.2/10(9 votes)

    #23 - The Case of the Franks

    S4:E132/1/2007

    Seth and Summer come upon a fortune teller whose prediction makes the two question whether they are truly meant for each other. Ryan gets back in touch with his father (with a little help from Taylor). When the two teens discover a love connection between Frank and Julie despite her pending engagement, a Valentine's competition is sparked between "Team Bullit" and "Team Frank". Meanwhile, with a new baby on the way, Kirsten finds herself dwelling on an old secret involving Jimmy Cooper.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
24. 

    7.1/10(18 votes)

    #24 - Fluffer

    S2:E310/2/2012

    Jess and Nick examine their friendship. Elsewhere, Schmidt hopes to impress an attractive Republican by pretending to be one of Mitt Romney's sons.

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin
25. 

    7.1/10(18 votes)

    #25 - Cabin

    S2:E121/8/2013

    Jess and Sam go on a weekend getaway with Nick and Angie. But this might not be the trip they expected when Jess starts to party and trouble begins. Could jealousy get in the way of a good time?

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:N/A

    Writer:J. J. Philbin