Beldon’s Pond – Boathouse
Casey, Hannah, Steffi, and Arthur are hanging out in the boathouse, waiting for the rest of their friends to show up. Steffi takes the opportunity to twist the knife a little, pointing out to Casey that neither Ally nor Cooper has arrived yet, suggesting that they might be together.
Rescott House – Ally’s Room
Ally is engaged in the eternal struggle: getting a pair of jeans zipped up.
Tout le Monde – Bar
Leo finds Clay drinking alone and decides to come over and taunt him.
Roadside Bar – Parking Lot
Ava and Dinah Lee pull up and promptly try to make a break from Harold. Dinah Lee politely suggests that Harold go into the bar and make new friends. When he fails to get the hint, Ava spells things out a little more clearly and thinks that the problem has been solved, but Harold just latches right back onto them.
Tout le Monde – Bar
Leo continues to needle Clay, who is brimming with barely concealed rage. Leo lets it drop that Dinah Lee has gone off with Ava, which surprises Clay.
Roadside Bar
Dinah Lee wants to dance, but Ava just wants a cup of coffee. Damn Ava, you know how to show a girl a good time. But, then again, the bar is as brightly lit as an office during the daytime, so I can understand why she’s not in the mood.
Ironically, it’s Harold who gets Ava in the party spirit when he comes over with some drinks. Ava raises a toast to Leo: “I’m here and you’re there. Do you miss me? I don’t care. Here’s hoping you lose your looks and then your hair.” Immediately on drinking, Ava gets a devilish look on her face and suddenly she’s in the mood to take Dinah Lee dancing.
Tout le Monde – Bar
Leo tells Clay about Ava’s spending spree, which finally gives Clay something to be amused about.
Roadside Bar
A very drunk Ava uses Leo’s card to buy everyone drinks and then decides to dance with Harold, spinning him around violently and then sending him crashing into a pinball machine. Harold, who has been complaining about his heart condition, promptly passes out.
Beldon’s Pond – Boathouse
Casey, Hannah, Steffi, and Arthur are discussing Jeremy’s assignment when Ally finally arrives. Cooper arrives immediately after her, making it look like they’ve come together. “It’s not what it looks like,” Ally tells Casey, but he feigns disinterest.
While they debate the meaning of the assignment, Cooper tells them that there’s only one dare worth taking: falling in love.
Beldon’s Pond – Boathouse
Hannah wants to change the subject away from love and Cooper – who, let’s remember, cheated on her and got someone else pregnant – passive aggressively snits about her unwillingness to examine her feelings and take an actual risk by making herself vulnerable.
Arthur begins to have a panic attack and admits that all this talk of daring in love has triggered thoughts of a woman he has a crush on. Everyone thinks it’s adorable that Arthur’s got it bad for someone and he confesses that the woman in question is Trisha. Arthur feels very badly about this: “She’s an adult! She’s married! Not to mention her husband is my best friend and advisor!”
Cooper takes Arthur aside to talk one on one and Ally tries once again to talk to Casey about why she showed up with Cooper. “Just because we’re not getting married doesn’t mean we have to be enemies,” she tells him, while he glowers and ties her reluctance to marry him to Giff’s mental health issues. As the conversation carries on, Casey gets angry and calls Ally a “deadbeat pregnant mama” and she storms out. When Casey decides to go after her, Steffi stops him.
Roadside Bar
Dinah Lee and Ava try to get Harold to wake up. “Maybe he just has a concussion,” Ava suggests, only for Dinah Lee to point out that people can die from that.
Harold wakes up and Ava immediately goes back to being mean to him. The locals start muttering among themselves, with the leader pronouncing that Ava and Dinah Lee are trouble and tossing in a bit of homophobia by adding, “It ain’t right gals dancing.”
“City gals,” his buddy puts in.
Harold tries to stand up for Ava and Dinah Lee, but Ava continues to be nasty to him and tells him that he needs to leave her and Dinah Lee alone. “I’ll kill him,” Ava tells Dinah Lee in reference to Harold.
Outside, Harold wanders back to the car.
Beldon’s Pond – Boathouse
Cooper decides to call an end to the evening’s meeting and tells everyone that Jeremy needs to give them a syllabus like he’s an actual university professor. Hannah snits that Cooper just doesn’t get Jeremy’s teaching style because he’s used to everything being handed to him “on a silver platter.” Guess what, kids? You’re both right! Jeremy is a bad teach and Cooper is an entitled brat.
Hannah leaves, followed by Cooper, leaving Steffi and Casey alone. She promptly manipulates him into zipping up her jacket for her and then challenges him to prove that he’s not like his father by “getting over a girl who you know doesn’t want you” and suggesting that he ask someone else out.
Rescott House – Ally’s Room
Ally is unhappy when she gets home and finds her mother, Bonnie, waiting for her in her room. Ally jumps to the conclusion that Bonnie is there to bring her home, but Bonnie points out that she’s a grown woman and will make her own choices.
Ally fills Bonnie in on her anxieties about Casey and that he’d end up hating her if they got married. When Bonnie asks why she thinks that, Ally brings things back around to Bonnie and John’s marriage and how it fell apart. Bonnie tries to reassure Ally that they didn’t regret having her, but is forced to admit that she and John didn’t really love each other, which makes Ally think things are different for her and Casey. “Casey and I really love each other. This means we have a chance.”
Better get back to that boathouse before it’s too late, Ally…
Tout le Monde – Bar
Leo and Clay continue to talk about their problems with Ava and Dinah Lee, respectively, and Leo darkly comments that the police are about to catch up with Ava.
Roadside Bar – Parking Lot
Ava and Dinah Lee sing and dance their way to the car and find Harold passed out in the back. Ava is determined to kick him out and leave him behind, but when she tries to physically remove him, she realizes that he’s dead.
Episode Cast:
- Leo Burnell – James Carroll
- Dinah Lee Mayberry – Jessica Collins
- Hannah Mayberry – Rebecca Gayheart
- Steffi Brewster – Amelia Heinle
- Clay Alden – Dennis Parlato
- Ava Rescott – Lisa Peluso
- Casey Bowman – Paul Anthony Stewart
- Cooper Alden – Michael Weatherly
- Ally Rescott – Laura Wright
- Arthur Davis – Keith Grumet
- Bonnie Rescott – Lisby Larson
- Harold “the Possum” Waxman – Floyd Vivino
Loving (1983-1995) 