The Cohen residence is looking a lot like a bachelor pad… after a late night pizza binge. Sandy offers up stale cereal and sour milk for breakfast. Ok, how ‘bout a little humus and sesame beef?
Julie rings the doorbell and Sandy can’t believe she’d show her face after what she tried to do to Ryan. Julie claims she was just trying to keep her family afloat. Yeah, by using Ryan as a raft. She tells Sandy that he can lecture her later but right now they’ve got bigger problems. The parents at Harbor School are protesting. They’ve circulated a petition and filed a motion to have Marissa and Ryan expelled.
The gang meets for breakfast at the diner before registering for Senior Year at Harbor! With Summer cheerleading, they declare this year to be the “best year ever!”
Sandy and Julie meet with Dr. Kim, the principle of Harbor School. Dr. Kim tells them that as much as she’d like to see Ryan and Marissa graduate from Harbor, the decision is out of her hands. The board has decided to bring in an expert – Jack Hess, “Dean of Discipline.” Jack enters and Sandy and Julie tell him they’re anxious to talk about the kids… but apparently that won’t be necessary. Jack’s read their files and talked to the arresting officers. He’s got a Masters in Education, taught six years in east coast boarding schools, and he’d like to think he knows what he’s doing. So would Sandy because these kids want to go to college. Jack makes it clear that he’s not there to make everybody happy. He’ll give them his decision by the end of the day.
Jimmy meets a business partner for drinks. Apparently Jimmy tried to sell the guy a boat but blew his deposit on some crazy stock venture. And now the guy wants his money back. Jimmy tries to convince him that Caleb’s will is going to be read any day now and he’ll get his money.
At school, Summer escorts Marissa to her carnival planning committee and they come face-to-face with Taylor Townsend, the perky blonde who’s trying to takeover Marissa’s Social Chair position.
Back at the bachelor pad, Seth and Ryan clean out the many mysterious take-out cartons in the fridge. Meaning Ryan does the work and Seth does the talking. Seth asks Ryan if he’s talked with Marissa about the night of the shooting. No, they’re just putting it behind them and moving on. Seth’s skeptical. He warns Ryan that if they don’t deal with it, it’ll eventually come between them.
At the rehab center, Kirsten’s packing her bags when her new friend Charlotte stops by and warns her about the perils of going home too soon. She speaks from experience and this time she’s making a pit-stop at a cabin in Lake Arrowhead. She invites Kirsten to come along.
Sandy gets a call from the dean. Good news for Ryan, not so good for Marissa. Ryan gets to stay but Marissa’s getting kicked out.
Sandy visits Kirsten and is excited when he sees her bags are packed. Not so excited when he learns that she’s going to Arrowhead with Charlotte instead of coming home. Kirsten tells him she doesn’t know exactly when she’ll be home; she only knows that when she does come home, she wants it to be for good.
Jimmy’s looking for alternative schools for Marissa on line but Julie’s got another plan. Not surprisingly involving somebody else’s money. She wants to make a fat donation to the Harbor School… something along the lines of a hundred grand. And since Caleb’s money is still tied up, she’s going to need Jimmy to write a check. Um, how’s he going to come up with that kind of cash when he can barely come up with enough for the drink he’s probably wishing he had right now.
Back at school, Taylor Townsend feigns sympathy for Marissa’s predicament, then quickly proclaims herself the new Social Chair. Not so fast… Summer arrives and throws her own name in the hat. Taylor is quick to point out that Summer has no experience with this or any extracurricular activities for that matter, except maybe shopping.
Kirsten and Charlotte arrive at her charming cabin in Arrowhead but Kirsten can’t help but feel like she’s disappointed Sandy yet again. Charlotte suggests that she invite him up for dinner.
Ryan pays Dr. Kim a visit and begs for a chance to explain what really happened. But Dr. Kim explains that the board had an exhaustive debate and came to what she thinks is a fair decision. It’s out of her hands. His only shot is to discuss the matter with the new dean.
Jimmy shows up for another meeting with the businessman. No, he doesn’t have the money, and, by the way, he needs to borrow a hundred grand. You’re kidding, right? Uh, no.
Ryan and Marissa meet with the new dean and attempt to tell their side of the story. But Dean Hess doesn’t see how this concerns Ryan. Despite his best efforts, Ryan’s still a student at Harbor. Hess turns his attention to Marissa and asks her to tell him why he’s wrong about her. He may be new to Newport but he’s already discovered how much people like to talk, especially about her. Shoplifting, alcohol abuse, an overdose in Tijuana. Marissa tries to convince him that the shooting was different, but he assures her it’s never different. A troubled kid gets a hold of a gun and it always ends badly. She shot a kid and he doesn’t hear a hint of remorse. That’s because she doesn’t have any. She’s proud of what she did and she’d do it again. The dean hopes she gets a good look at Harbor on her way out, because she’s never setting foot in this school again.
Jimmy hands Julie a check for a hundred grand but it doesn’t look like they’re going to need it after all. Marissa had a talk with the dean and dug a hole no amount of money could dig her out of. Jimmy goes to take the check back but Julie has other plans for it – apparently she’s behind on her payments to the gardener, the pool man, the landscaper, etc.
Seth accompanies Summer to the carnival planning meeting and they quickly usurp Taylor’s power by winning over the committee with their fabulous party ideas -- a chocolate fountain, mini burgers, and a hybrid giveaway rather than the gas-guzzling SUV from Taylor’s father’s dealership.
Sandy arrives at the cabin and is greeted by Charlotte. Kirsten’s in the kitchen preparing dinner. What? Unsupervised? Charlotte explains it’s part of her therapy. Sandy makes it clear that he thinks the best therapy for Kirsten would be to be home with her family.
Ryan stops by Marissa’s and tries to convince her to go to the carnival. And about school, that’s not over either. If they can submit the evidence that proves her innocence, the board’s going to have to admit she shouldn’t be punished. But Marissa doesn’t want to fight it anymore. And she doesn’t need him to help her or protect her. Not now and not then. Oh, so this whole thing is my fault? And then the elephant in the room finally gets its due.
At dinner, over a bottle or two of Dom Perignon, Jimmy presents Julie with her old engagement ring and proposes for the second time. She accepts for the second time.
Ryan finds Marissa at her special lifeguard station and apologizes. He’d always worried that he was going to screw things up for the Cohen’s but it turns out he’s screwed things up for her instead. Marissa assures Ryan that she’s not going to let getting kicked out of Harbor ruin her life.
Meanwhile, at the cabin, Kirsten finds a tearful Charlotte down by the lake with a bottle of whiskey. She hasn’t opened it yet, but she might. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do without Kirsten. She can see how much Kirsten misses Sandy and knows she’ll be leaving soon. Kirsten promises she’s not going anywhere until Charlotte tells her she’s ready. Kirsten heads back up to the cabin with the unopened bottle and Charlotte pulls a flask out of her bathrobe pocket and takes a long swig.
Marissa and Ryan show up at the carnival and are taking a sentimental ride on the Ferris wheel when Dean Hess shows up, a smug Taylor Townsend beside him. He abruptly stops the ride and demands that Marissa leave immediately. Ryan is quick to point out that they’re not on school property but the dean isn’t listening. He grabs Marissa by the arm and begins to drag her out. Ryan yells at him to take his hands off her but when he doesn’t, Ryan hauls off and punches him in the face. The dean gets up off the ground with a bloody nose and a grin. Apparently he thought he was going to have to work much harder to get Ryan expelled but Ryan did it all on his own. If either of them ever step foot on school property again, he’ll call the police.