The Cohen’s house is seen at nighttime. Everything
starts to shake and rumble, with windows busting, etc. Then, the screen
flashes to, “72 hours earlier…”
Summer asks Taylor what she can get her for her birthday, since she and Ryan
are throwing her a party. Taylor tells her that she just wants Ryan to tell
her that he loves her and wants her to come to Berkeley with him. She is
worried about going to a different school than Ryan and that ending things.
The two grab coffees together and spot a newspaper, which says that a major
earthquake is about to hit. The girls scoff at the idea, and Taylor says
that since it never actually happens when predicted, she kind of wishes that
it would.
Ryan comes out of the pool house the next morning and finds Taylor waiting
with breakfast. She thanks him again for throwing her a birthday party, and
begins to hint at wanting him to ask her to come to Berkeley. Ryan doesn’t
take the hint, and when he asks her what she is talking about, Taylor says
that she is just feeling sentimental about her birthday.
Kaitlin is grossed out when she comes in the kitchen to find Julie and Frank
making out. She throws some insults Frank’s way, and says that Frank might
as well move in with all the conjugal visits he is making. Frank laughs her
off, but Julie is very angry. Frank leaves to go to a job interview, and as
Julie walks him out she tells Kaitlin that they will talk later. Kaitlin
looks at Frank’s bag as if she is about to begin snooping.
Kirsten goes to a prenatal yoga class and is greeted by Holly, who just
found out that she is pregnant. Holly introduces her to two friends, and all
three girls seem to be preoccupied with their bodies and not letting their
fitness go. Kirsten seems very uncomfortable with their immaturity.
Summer goes to visit Ryan at work on her way to pick Seth up for a date.
Ryan tells her about his gift he is giving Taylor—a collection of poems.
Summer says that while his gift sounds romantic, nothing is more romantic
than telling a girl that you love them. Ryan asks Summer if Taylor said
something to her or if she is expecting to hear that soon. Summer says no,
but she is not a good liar.
Kaitlin meets Frank at a restaurant, and Frank asks Kaitlin to give him a
chance. She accuses him of being boring, but Frank insists that he makes
Julie happy. Kaitlin says that that is only the case because he is sleeping
with Julie. When Frank continues to plead with Kaitlin, she (sort of) agrees
to give him a chance.
Julie finds Frank’s bag in the kitchen and sees some magazines sticking out.
She grabs them and finds out that they are clown porn.
Summer and Seth hang out at their date. They are at an art and movie exhibit
sponsored by GEORGE. All the movies are about saving the planet and
environmental causes, and Seth is less than impressed by them as film work.
Summer challenges him to make an environmental film that is better.
Kirsten visits Sandy at work. She is discouraged from her prenatal yoga
class, and she tells Sandy that the people in Newport are horrible. She
wonders if they can really raise another child around these people. Sandy
says that they have always managed just fine. He tells her that a friend,
Jason Spitz, has invited them over for dinner the next night, and they
should go to restore Kirsten’s faith in humanity. She agrees.
Ryan and Taylor watch a movie, and Taylor laments that the main character is
never going to tell his girlfriend how he feels. Ryan takes the hint, but
chickens out before he can tell Taylor that he loves her. Taylor is hurt.
The next morning, Summer and Taylor chat about Taylor and Ryan’s
relationship. Taylor tells her that she is writing a letter to Berkeley
declining their scholarship offer. Summer is surprised that Taylor is giving
up, and she suggests “loosening up Ryan’s tongue” a little. Summer says that
she should take Taylor to the wine cellar to demonstrate what she means.
Sandy watches Seth setting up a video camera outside and wonders what he is
doing. Ryan joins him in the kitchen, and Sandy chats with him about his
problems with Taylor. Ryan says that he is scared, and not sure yet how he
feels for Taylor. Sandy encourages him to tell her how much he cares for
her, even if he can’t tell her yet that he loves her.
Ryan goes outside and finds out about Summer’s challenge to Seth as Seth
films his art film. Seth also informs Ryan that Taylor called and wants him
to join her for dinner.
Julie confronts Frank about the clown porn. Frank tells her that it isn’t
his, and it dawns on Julie that Kaitlin set him up. She begins to get angry,
but Frank says that it will be good for Kaitlin to see that she can’t faze
him, and that things will blow over. Kaitlin overhears this, and she seems
upset.
Summer and Seth watch Seth’s film that he made of the Cohen’s pool. Summer
is less than impressed—especially when she finds out that the film is six
hours long! She tells Seth that he needs to make a film of something that
engages him in the world. She says that it is important to her.
Sandy and Kirsten meet Jason and his wife, Carrie, for dinner. They are
surprised to find out that Carrie is every bit as shallow as all the other
Newport women. They ask Carrie if she was raised in Newport, and she says
yes.
Taylor serves Ryan a romantic dinner and fills his wine glass to the rim in
an attempt to get him drunk. Ryan tries to talk to her about their
relationship from the start, but she insists that they hold off on serious
conversations until after dinner.
Things go from bad to worse on the Cohen’s double date with the Spitzs.
Carrie talks about getting drunk (even when she was pregnant) and does not
seem to respect Kirsten’s having been an alcoholic. The Cohens are alarmed
to find out that the Spitzs have their baby sitting with the nanny at a
nearby table, especially when Carrie calls the baby a “thing.” The Cohens
quickly skip out, but not before Carrie offers Kirsten baby advice any time.
After the Cohens leave, Carried remarks about what losers they are.
Ryan carries a completely drunk Taylor into her bedroom. She admits that she
wanted to get Ryan drunk so that he would admit to loving her. Ryan laughs,
but then he tells Taylor that he does love her. She is surprised, and tells
him that she loves him too. The two hug, and Taylor casually mentions that
she got into Berkeley and now they can go together. She then passes out
asleep. Ryan is shocked.
Seth videotapes Ryan for his new art film—an expose on the emotions of Ryan.
Ryan talks to Seth and his camera about the gift that he got Taylor, and he
admits that he has told Taylor that he loves her.
Taylor tells Summer about her date with Ryan. She tells Summer that Ryan
told her that he loves her—she thinks so, anyways.
Ryan tells Seth (and his camera) that Taylor applied to Berkeley without
telling him, and now he is wondering if they should slow down their
relationship a little bit.
Taylor continues to wonder if Ryan actually said that he loves her. Summer
suggests that she tell Ryan she loves him after she opens his gift, and if
he said it last night, he will say it again. Taylor says that the plan is
genius, but there’s just one more thing…
Seth tells Ryan that since it is Taylor’s birthday, she will be interpreting
everything Ryan says. Seth wonders if Ryan should give Taylor the poems,
since it sends a clear message that he wants to be with her forever.
Summer and Taylor wonder if Taylor mentioned anything to Ryan about
Berkeley. Julie comes in and tells Taylor that she dropped off her letter to
Berkeley for the mailman to get. Taylor panics and runs outside just in time
to stop the mailman and beg to get the letter back. At first he is
resistant, but after Taylor gives a moving speech about her relationship
with Ryan, he agrees.
Frank visits Ryan and asks for his advice for how to win over Kaitlin. Ryan
tells him to just be patient. Frank and Ryan begin talking about Taylor, and
Frank calls Ryan romantic when Ryan tells him what he got Taylor for her
birthday. Ryan remarks that it’s not that romantic (seemingly getting cold
feet).
Summer and Taylor come to Taylor’s party, and Taylor is amazed at how nice
it looks. She thanks Ryan for setting everything up, and there is some
tension between them. Ryan excuses himself to get Taylor a drink.
Seth films everything going on at the party.
Also at the party, Sandy notices that Kirsten seems mopey. He suggests that
they could move. Kirsten says that she does not want to move, because she
wants for Ryan and Seth to be able to return home to that house when they
are grown up and gone.
Taylor opens her gifts. She gets to Ryan’s, and he begins to protest at her
opening it in front of everybody since it is personal. She opens it anyway,
and finds that it is… a dictionary. She is upset, and everyone else tries to
play it off as if it is a good gift.
Julie goes to the bathroom and notices that a poster has been put up of
Frank’s mug shot with a statement, “THIS GUY LOVES CLOWN PORN!” Julie rips
the paper off the wall.
Summer and Kirsten chat together about Seth. Summer says that she wants Seth
to get excited about something, because he seems a little lost. Seth
overhears, and seems impacted by what she has said.
Julie finds Kaitlin putting up more posters. She snatches them away and
confronts Kaitlin. Kaitlin tells her that in the past year they have lost
Jimmy, Marissa, Neil, and Gordon—what makes her think Frank will be any
different? Kaitlin says that Frank is not family, and the two of them are.
Frank comes outside and tells them that the cake is about to be cut. Julie
asks Kaitlin to excuse them, and Kaitlin heads back inside.
Taylor tries to comfort herself when Ryan comes up and apologizes. He says
that he meant what he said about loving her, but he is not so sure about
them going to college together. He says that it is a big step. Taylor says
that she applied to Berkeley before she and Ryan got together, and she
wonders out loud if Ryan would have said that he loved her if he had known.
He thinks about it, and when he doesn’t reply, Taylor runs back to the
party. Everyone is waiting with the cake, and when they prompt Taylor to
blow out her candles, she can’t do it. Excusing herself, Taylor runs from
the party.
Sandy tells Ryan that he and Kirsten will wrap everything up at the party so
that Ryan can go take care of things. Ryan begins to head out, but he spots
Kaitlin and goes to talk to her. She points out Frank and Julie arguing, and
says that while she had nothing against Frank, she doesn’t want to rush into
another family, because this one wouldn’t last long either. Ryan says that
you can never know, as he and the Cohens are proof. Kaitlin wishes that
there were a way you could tell. After Frank leaves, Julie calls Kaitlin to
come talk to her. Before Kaitlin leaves, she tells Ryan that if he does not
confess his love to Taylor, he’s an idiot. Julie agrees.
Summer is horrified when Seth shows her his video where he captured her
telling Kirsten that she wants him to be passionate about something. Seth
tells Summer that he gets it, and he wonders if he could be a film critic,
since he is so passionate about movies and discussing what’s wrong with
them. The two head off to go rent a movie.
Julie tells Kaitlin that she and Frank have decided to slow things down so
that she can devote more time to Kaitlin right now. She says that Frank is
not going away permanently.
Taylor watches Korean movies and talks to a psychic on the phone. Ryan comes
over and gives her her real birthday gift. He tells her that he loves her
and is willing to put everything out on the table to be with her. The two
kiss. Suddenly, things begin to shake, and the two look around, confused.
Kaitlin and Julie eat ice cream together on the pier when they notice the
shaking too. Julie says that it is an earthquake, and the two run back into
the ice cream shop.
Ryan and Taylor take cover on Taylor’s bedroom floor, Seth and Summer take
cover in Seth’s car, and Kirsten and Sandy take cover in the middle of the
pier. Taylor’s bookshelf falls over, almost hitting her and Ryan. A
telephone pole falls over, almost hitting Seth and Summer. Lots of things
almost hit Sandy and Kirsten.
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