After the date
Seth is thrilled that he and Ryan's romantic lives seem to be working
out, and what better way to celebrate than by taking their new sweeties
to the Party of the Week? Alas, he spoke too soon - Lindsay fears that
going out with Ryan would just lead to awkwardness as lab partners, so
she breaks up with him before even going out. Alex tells Seth that the
kiss was fun, but just a kiss. She demonstrates by kissing the beer delivery
guy and the female bartender. Seth is shocked. Marissa decides she can't
take DJ, as her mom will be a chaperone. Julie is none to pleased to walk
in on DJ and Marissa making out, and warns DJ to stay away from her daughter.
Zach is distressed that Summer still seems obsessed with Seth (in the
"I think she doth protest to much" fashion.) He tries to get reassurance
from Ryan that Seth is over Summer. "He wants to be," Ryan replies.
Legal matters
Caleb is still avoiding Sandy and refusing to return phone calls. He decides
to track down this mysterious Renee Wheeler that Caleb is supposedly bribing
when she's not protected by her attorney. This is ethically dicey, so
Kirsten warns against it, but Sandy says he has no choice. After more
stonewalling from Renee, Sandy confronts Caleb - he's figured out they
had an affair, and he's guessing they had a kid. Caleb denies it, but
Sandy knows he's right.
Complications
Ryan helps Marissa wrangle a giant penguin to decorate the dance. Lindsay
sees them playing around and has second thoughts. Since they're both dateless,
Marissa asks Ryan to go to the dance with her -strictly as friends. Lindsay
tells Ryan she'd love to go to the dance with him, but it's too late.
Seth asks Summer for romantic advice, which she grudgingly decides to
give. Alex is playing him hot and cold, she says, so it's his turn to
play hard to get. Zach spies them talking and decides he can't take it
- Summer should just go to the dance with Seth since she's so obsessed
with him. Summer is shocked. Seth tries being Mr. Iceman to Alex, and
announces he doesn't have time for his job anymore. Alex lets him go without
a fight. That's not the way Seth wanted it to work out.
Dance away
Seth wants to skip the dance, but his parents convince him by threatening
to watch kung-fu movies with him. He tags along with Ryan to Marissa's
house - where Marissa is convincing Summer to tag along with her. There's
some steely silence in the car until Ryan spills the beans about Alex's
girl-kiss. Once there, Ryan and Marissa dance awkwardly. Julie is thrilled
- next to "the yard boy," Ryan looks quite acceptable. Ryan asks Marissa
if DJ isn't there because it's not his thing, or because Marissa is ashamed
of him. When DJ arrives to pick Marissa up, Ryan donates his jacket and
tie so DJ can go into the dance. Julie tries to put the smackdown on them,
but Jimmy intercepts her and convinces her to let them be. They remenise
about when they were married, then Julie kisses Jimmy. Seth eventually
convinces Summer to dance with him, and quizzes her about why Zach isn't
there. He's jealous, she replies. Zach is, at that moment, at the Bait
Shop drinking a Yoohoo and lamenting that his girl is into someone else.
Alex convinces him to fight for the one he loves, then feels guilty when
Zach reveals his rival is Seth. Zach goes back and punches Seth - then
apologizes profusely. I guess he's really not a fighter. Alex arrives
and Summer grudgingly backs off.
The aftermath
Ryan goes over to Lindsay's house, telling her he likes her and he's not
going to give up. Lindsay sends him away, but finally thinks the better
of it and goes to Casa Cohen. They finally kiss, then play video games.
Alex tries to toughen Seth up by sparring with him, and they end up making
out too. Zach apologizes for freaking out, and Summer apologizes back.
If he still wants her, he's still her boyfriend.
Family matters
Renee goes to Casa Cohen to talk to Sandy. Kirsten is suspicious. Sandy
tries to convince Renee to go to the DA with the truth - once he knows
why Caleb is giving Renee money, he'll drop the charges. Before she can
respond, they're interrupted by Ryan and Lindsay. "Mom," Lindsay says.
"What are you doing here?"
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After a quick recap of the miraculous turn-around of the previous night’s double-date debacle, Seth decide it’s time for him and Ryan to take things to the next level… meaning asking Alex and Lindsay to Harbor’s big winter dance, the SnO.C. Meanwhile, Marissa decides not to ask D.J. to the dance because Julie is on the planning committee and doesn’t know about him yet.
Sandy tries to get hold of Caleb but he’s not returning calls. He and Kirsten ponder what Caleb could possibly have done that he’d rather go to jail than admit to? Unless, Sandy suggests, life with Julie Cooper is tougher than he had anticipated.
Ryan asks Lindsay to the dance but she’s decided she just wants to be friends. She’s thinking ahead to the inevitable awkwardness when they break up but still have to see each other in class. Ryan’s confused, “We haven’t even gone out yet.”
D.J. gives Marissa a surprise call at school and asks if she’s free for lunch… and it turns out by “lunch” he means, a make-out session in Marissa’s bedroom. “Lunch” is going well… until Julie Cooper comes home and discovers them in bed. “The yard Guy?!” Julie tells Marissa she’s grounded and D.J. he’s fired.
Sandy shows up at Kirsten’s office. Not only was his motion for a continuance been denied but the trial has been fast-tracked. They’ve got 2 weeks. Sandy tells Kirsten that Renee Wheeler, the woman from the City Councilman’s office whom Caleb’s allegedly been bribing, didn’t say a word at the deposition. Sandy suggests that maybe it’s time for him to talk to her without her lawyer. nbspKirsten reminds him that that’s unethical. True, but desperate times… Ok, but Kirsten doesn’t want him getting into trouble over this. “Uh, a little late for that, Honey.”
Zach is planning to ask Summer to the dance but first he wants Ryan’s opinion on where she stands with Seth. Ryan assures him that Seth is completely over Summer. Completely? Well, pretty much… well, he wants to be. Meanwhile Seth shows up for work at The Bait Shop expecting to carry on where he and Alex left off the night before… but no, when Alex says let’s get to work, she’s really talking about work. Seth invites Alex to the SnO.C. but she tells him he must’ve gotten the wrong impression the other night because… “You and me, it’s not happening.” Seth doesn’t understand, she kissed him. Uh-huh and it was fun, but it didn’t mean anything. What? To demonstrate her point, Alex kisses Homer, the soda guy, on the lips, then Mandy, the waitress. See, it’s just a kiss.
At school, Ryan runs into Marissa carrying decorations for the dance. nbspHe offers to help and she hands off the giant stuffed penguin. Ryan and Marissa engage in a moment of penguin-fun in the quad, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Lindsay. Seth passes by Lindsay looking at Ryan and Marissa and casually mentions that it’s not too late to ask Ryan to the SnO.C. But he’s going to think I’m crazy. “You’re a girl, he expects it.”
Inside the party planning office, Ryan and Marissa discuss their shared dateless-ness for the dance. nbspMarissa suggests they go together, as friends of course. Uh… Ryan hesitates while Marissa finalizes the plan, “Great, so see you at seven.”
Seth runs into Summer and solicits her girl-advice. They duck into the coffee house and Summer explains that Alex is playing him hot and cold. He’s been too hot (no, not that kind of “hot”) and now it’s time for him to cool down. “You need to go ice-man on her ass.” Zach spots them looking like they’re enjoying each other’s company a little too much, and takes off.
Sandy surprises Renee Wheeler in the parking lot. He asks if she’s hiding something but she claims there’s nothing going on between her and Caleb. Really? Sandy wants to know why they’re both willing to risk going to jail for nothing?
Lindsay finds Ryan in the coffeehouse and announces that she would, in fact, like to go to the dance with him. You would? Yes, she would. Now he has to explain that he’s kind of going with someone else but only because she said no. Right, of course, well, it turns out Lindsay doesn’t like dances after all.
Summer and Zach meet at their lockers and Zach tells her something’s come up and it turns out he can’t go to the dance. Huh? He tells her she ought to ask Cohen. He’s pretty sure he won’t say no.
But Seth, meanwhile, is at The Bait Shop trying out for the role of “Ice Man.” Alex puts him to work and he follows orders without a word… except, oh yeah, there is one thing he wants to discuss with her – he quits. She can’t believe he’s quitting because she wouldn’t make out with him in the store room. Nope, he’s just busy with classes, homework, the dance, etc. Ok, fine. Alex hands him some cash and he breezes out… almost. He slows down, starts to turn back (keep going Seth, you can do it) but continues on down the road.
Ryan is decked out for the dance and Seth is… still on the couch in sweats? Ryan invites Seth to join him and Marissa, since they’re just going as friends. Seth can’t believe his life is so lame that he can’t even be third wheel to an actual relationship. No thanks. Then Sandy and Kirsten snuggle up with him on the couch and proceed to barrage him with questions about the Kung Fu movie he’s watching. That does the trick. Seth tells Ryan to wait up while he changes. Ryan congratulates Sandy and Kirsten. Sandy smiles proudly, “Never underestimate a parent’s ability to mortify his child.”
Meanwhile Summer, who has also been rendered dateless, gets ready at Marissa’s house. She’s fine with going solo. Really. Marissa convinces her to go with her and Ryan anyway. Ok, at least she won’t have to deal with Cohen thinking she’s going alone. Speaking of… Ryan and Seth arrive to pick them up. Seth looks around the room, “Uh, where’s Zach?”
At the dance, Julie is thrilled to see Marissa and Ryan dancing together. Suddenly Ryan is looking a lot like Prince Charming to her.
At the Cohen house, Sandy finally has Caleb in front of him. He tells Caleb that Renee Wheeler confided to him about the affair. Then he observes that sixteen years is an awfully long time to be paying someone palimony unless there was a child involved. Was there a child? Caleb admits he made a mistake. Ok, a big mistake. Sandy tells Caleb that first thing Monday morning he and Renee are going to the D.A.’s office and telling them everything. Caleb says sorry, but he doesn’t think so.
D.J. shows up at the dance and Ryan offers up his coat and tie. Inside, Seth and Summer are dancing. Seth asks why Zach isn’t here. Summer says he saw them talking and guesses he was jealous. Just then Zach shows up and sees them dancing. Summer is happy he showed up but Zach isn’t happy she and Cohen are dancing together. He thought maybe she still needed a date. “Stupid, huh?” Then Zach tells them that he finally gets it, they’re just one of those couples. “Even when you’re not being a couple you’ll always be a couple. You’re Joanie and Chachi, Luke and Leia” Seth reminds him that Luke and Leah were brother and sister. “Yeah, well, may the force be with you,” and he’s gone.
Ryan shows up at Lindsay’s house. She answers the door in reading glasses and Freud slippers. Ryan tells her he really wanted to go to the dance with her then asks if she’s free to go out now. nbspLindsay tells him it’s just not going to work. Why? “You’re this tough kid from Chino who lives in some rich family’s pool house with an ex-girlfriend who’s maybe the most intimidating beautiful girl in the history of high school.” Ryan tells her he’s not giving up.
Caleb solicits Renee Wheeler to his office. She asks if he’s really willing to go to jail to protect this secret. He explains that it’s not the secret he’s trying to protect, it’s his family. This would devastate his daughter. “What about Mine? Ours?” Caleb offers to arrange for her and her daughter to leave the country. Just temporarily, until this blows over. nbspRenee leaves the office instead.
Zach drops by The Bait Shop after leaving the dance. He orders a Yoo-hoo from Alex, who asks why he’s not at the “SnO.C. winter wank-off.” He explains that the girl he’s dating is still in love with her ex-boyfriend and she’s at the dance with him. Alex quickly gets the picture, “Well, if she didn’t love you before than this display of courage and dedication should definitely do the trick.” He’s not sure what to do. “Be a man, put down your chocolate soda and fight for her.” Zach suddenly puffs up with courage. Hey, he can take on Seth Cohen. Did you say Seth Cohen?
Julie spots Marissa dancing with D.J. and makes a bee-line towards them… but she’s derailed by Jimmy who reminds her that when they were kids his parents threatened to cut him off if he didn’t break up with her. Wait a minute, you never told me that. Julie asks what he said. “I told them to go to hell. I told them I was in love with you.” Julie reminisces about the old days, “Well, I was easy to love back then. nbspI was beautiful and… much nicer.” Jimmy smiles, “Jules, c’mon. You’re still beautiful and we both know you were never nice.” Julie is suddenly overcome by a desire to kiss Jimmy… and she does. And he does…
Seth and Summer are stranded at the dance since Ryan took off with the car and Marissa and D.J. are off making out. They sit on a bench outside commenting on how well they’ve done for themselves. Suddenly Zach pulls up and Summer and Seth jump up to greet him. Seth reaches out his hand and Zach punches him in the face. Oh my God! Zach starts profusely apologizing as Alex races to Seth’s side and takes him back to the club. Summer explains to Zach that “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just… Cohen.”
Back at The Bait Shop, Alex tries to teach Seth how to defend himself in a fight, but they end up making out instead.
Then Lindsay shows up at Ryan’s door but she won’t shut up, until he kisses her.
Then Renee Wheeler shows up at Sandy’s door. They go out back to talk about the case and suddenly Ryan and Lindsay come bounding out of the pool house, giggling… then Lindsay sees Renee, “Mom, what are you doing here?” Suddenly no one has an answer.
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