The Tides – Living Room
Stacey comes to see Trucker and she’s brought along a guest: an architect to help find the hidden room. Stacey reveals that not only is the man an architect himself, but he’s the son of the architect who designed The Tides. Stacey shows Trucker the original floor plans, which clearly show an attic room and a staircase. “Ready to unveil this mystery?” Stacey asks.
Corinth Towers – Hallway/Penthouse
Clay, as Trucker, comes to pick up Dinah Lee and Hannah. While Hannah is still getting ready, Dinah Lee tells Clay that she’s having second thoughts about going through with his plan because she doesn’t want to keep lying to Hannah.
New York – Diner
Carly and Michael are having sundaes and expositioning about what they’ve been up to since moving to New York. She asks if he’s made any friends at his new school and when he says that he hasn’t, she assures him that it will just take a little time. He asks if she has made any friends and she responds, “You’re my friend.” Lady. No.
Carly changes the subject and tells Michael that she was thinking that for spring break they might head to a beach location and he gets excited, thinking that Paul will join them. She quickly shuts that down, telling him that Paul needs to be with Ava, and Michael suggests that Ava come on the trip, too. Carly tells him that won’t be possible and he’s so disappointed that he doesn’t even want to finish his sundae. He tells her that the two of them living in New York is “so weird” and he doesn’t like it.
Then he spots Flynn on the other side of the room.
Penthouse
Dinah Lee and Clay argue about whether they can pull off the ruse for Hannah’s sake. She tells him that she appreciates the efforts that he’s making, but wonders how he’s paying for the penthouse, limos, and clothes. He tells her not to worry about it, but she is worried, not just about his bank account, or about lying to Hannah, but about having to come back to reality once Hannah is gone and all these luxury items suddenly disappear.
She wants to tell Hannah everything and get it over with, but he urges her to keep up the fantasy right now, promising that in a year’s time all of her dreams will have come true and the lies will become the reality. “The next time she comes back to town, you really will be rich.” She gets right to the point: “It’s more than the money, alright? It hurts me to pretend that Trucker’s my boyfriend.”
Hannah comes downstairs and Clay tells her that she looks “like a Princess on her way to the ball.” Dinah Lee tells Hannah that she should sit down so they can talk, but she doesn’t want to wrinkle her dress, which she tells “Trucker” is the “nicest thing [she’s] ever had.” However, she does pick up that something is wrong and before Dinah Lee can confirm it, Clay steps in to tell her that there’s a slight change in plans for their evening.
New York – Diner
Flynn’s date has to leave because the hospital she works at has just beeped her to call her in. After seeing her off, he walks over to Carly and Michael’s table. “Small world, huh?” Carly says. When Flynn says that he’s been working at the hospital across the street, Michael says that’s the hospital where he sees his doctor. Flynn asks how that’s going and Carly says the doctor is optimistic, and then reveals that she and Michael have moved to New York. Michael asks about Flynn’s “chick” and he asks Carly about Paul and Carly makes it sound like she has little to do with Paul anymore. “I don’t miss anything in Corinth,” she says. Flynn wonders if she knows of a good babysitter and suggests that they could go on a date later.
The Tides – Upstairs Hallway
The architect finds the spot where he thinks the stairs are located and Trucker starts moving stuff so that they can investigate. Stacey wonders if the architect’s father had any records of sealing off the staircase and he speculates that the Aldens might have hired someone else to do that.
The architect says his goodbyes and heads out and Stacey suggests to Trucker that they take apart the wall. Trucker tells her to slow down, reminding her that Isabelle doesn’t even want him in the house, let alone taking down walls. “She could show up at any minute,” he reminds her. She tells him that she’ll take full responsibility if they’re caught and pleads with him to help her. He relents and offers to go and get a sledgehammer from his shop.
After he leaves, she starts knocking on the wall and finally hits it hard enough to hurt her hand.
Penthouse
Clay and Dinah Lee tell Hannah that they aren’t going out, but then Clay pulls the rug out from under Dinah Lee by revealing that he’s arranged for them to have a catered meal in the penthouse, along with some music. Hannah is very impressed, and so is Dinah Lee – particularly when Clay reveals that he’s ordered her favorite orange soda.
While Hannah is looking around at everything, Clay puts his arms around Dinah Lee and asks if she still wants to pull the plug on everything. “This is getting way out of hand,” she tells him. A beat later the music starts and Clay invites Dinah Lee to dance. She accepts and the two are sharing some very warm looks. “Don’t they make a great couple?” Hannah asks Arthur. “More than they know,” he replies.
Arthur decides to leave and Hannah asks him to take her with him because she wants to give Dinah Lee and “Trucker” some time alone. As Arthur and Hannah walk out, Clay and Dinah Lee are so focused on each other that they don’t even notice.
Penthouse
Clay and Dinah Lee are still dancing away, now to a different song. She asks him why he’s doing all of this for her and he tells her that he’s enjoying it. He suddenly notices that Hannah is missing and when she realizes that Hannah is gone, she worries that Hannah will somehow learn the truth while she’s out.
Trucker’s Shop
Arthur gets Hannah a soda and she asks if he brings all his dates to the shop. He admits that he doesn’t have many dates, but she finds that hard to believe because he’s such a nice guy. I have to admit, I didn’t always care for Hannah as a character, but I always liked the Hannah/Arthur friendship. It’s a shame the show never actually went for trying them as a romantic pairing.
Hannah admits that she doesn’t go on many dates herself, and he finds that difficult to believe and describes her as seeming “so worldly.” “Me?” she asks incredulously. She wonders why, if he’s just the chauffeur, he helped organize the dinner, and he explains that he’s sort of an “all around” helper to Mr. Alden. She wonders who “Mr. Alden” is and he corrects himself that he meant “Mr. McKenzie.” When he tells her that, in addition to working for Mr. McKenzie and working at the shop, he’s also in school, she wonders how he has enough time for all of that.
She tells him that she’s never been on a motorcycle and he offers to take her for a ride, but she doesn’t think Dinah Lee would approve – then wonders if Dinah Lee ever rides Trucker’s motorcycle. “Uh… sure,” Arthur says. That being the case, Hannah decides that she’ll ask Trucker to take her for a ride sometime, but he tells her that she shouldn’t do that and claims that Trucker’s bike is in the shop.
She wonders if Dinah Lee and “Trucker” have realized they’re gone and when he remarks about them being so in love with each other that they probably haven’t noticed, she wonders if he really thinks they’re in love because she’s observed that they aren’t very physically affectionate with each other. He suggests that they might just not be into PDA, but she tells him that sometimes she gets the feeling that “Trucker makes my sister crazy,” then says that what’s really weird is that the Trucker she’s started to get to know doesn’t bear much resemblance to the guy Dinah Lee described in her letters. Arthur starts to panic, but Hannah has come to the conclusion that “Trucker” is Dinah Lee’s soulmate.
At that moment, the real Trucker walks in and Arthur greets him by name as he asks what he’s doing there. Trucker asks if Arthur has seen the sledgehammer and Hannah is taken aback that his name is Trucker.
The Tides – Living Room/Upstairs Hallway
Stacey has found a crowbar and heads back up the stairs, unaware that someone is watching her from the porch. Upstairs, Stacey starts beating the wall with the crowbar, while the person on the porch breaks in.
Episode Cast:
- Dinah Lee Mayberry – Jessica Collins
- Hannah Mayberry – Rebecca Gayheart
- Michael – Alexander Kniffin
- Clay Alden – Larkin Malloy
- Flynn Riley – Keith Pruitt
- Carly Rescott – Colleen Quinn
- Stacey Donovan Forbes – Lauren-Marie Taylor
- Trucker McKenzie – Robert Tyler
- Arthur Davis – Keith Grumet
- John Neale – Kip Niven
Loving (1983-1995) 