By Daniel Barron for AllPop

Things seem to be getting worse for the residents of Newport, and all this can mean is that things are getting better for the viewers! Don't you love television?

'The Game Plan' revolves around Ryan, Marissa, Seth and Summer painstakingly trying to figure out just where they want to go to school after this, their senior year. We start off the episode in the diner (don't look so surprised) as Ryan and Seth mull their college applications. It seems Seth is the only one happy about choosing a school and leaving Newport forever. No longer will he have to worry about seeing people with botox. He has a chance to move somewhere where it's cold and he can wear a sweater. Marissa, on the other hand, says she won't even attempt to get into college. She believes that she doesn't have a chance anywhere after she shot Trey last summer.
Back at the Cohen's, Sandy is super-busy with the Newport Group while poor Kirsten is going stir crazy at home, spending her days cooped up inside cooking. It's so quiet with no one around, she says, and Sandy tells her she better get used to a quiet house, what with the boys leaving for college next year.

At Newport Union, Chili is bigging up Johnny to Marissa. Johnny is set to take part in a big surfing event and Chili believes his rise to fame is about to begin. Marissa should be happy for her friend but is distracted by something.

At Newport High, Ryan, Seth and Summer see a guidance counselor about where they want to go and what they want to take in college. None of them really has any idea. Ryan is the first person in his family to even graduate college and is simply feeling overwhelmed. Seth wants to know what kind of attire he'll need on the east coast. Summer wants to join a sorority but doesn't want to learn greek. It looks like the gang has a lot more work to do.

Kirsten, meanwhile, is over at Julie's condo. She asks Julie what exactly happened with Charlotte and Julie says she ran off with her dad. The doorbell rings and Julie answers it and it's her landlady demanding she pay the $10,000 owed to her. Julie quickly gets rid of her before Kirsten can see who it is.

Back at school, Taylor confronts Summer and after seeing where both she and Seth plan on going to college (Summer, west coast, Seth, east coast), she tries to plant ideas into Summer's head about how they're going to do a long distance relationship. There's 'stormy weather ahead' as Taylor puts it. By the look on Summer's face, Taylor did a good job of giving her second thoughts.

Though Seth does indeed want to go far, far away from Newport, Sandy is convinced he'll be happy to go where Sandy went - Berkeley, in California. Sandy knows an old friend who now works at Berkeley - Paul Glass - and calls him up, hoping he can pull a few strings for his son.

Seth knows his dad wants him going to Berkeley, but doesn't have the heart to tell him that he would rather go somewhere on the east coast. Ryan asks him in the poolhouse why he doesn't go somewhere nearby and Seth says 'name me one good thing about Newport that isn't evil.' Ryan says 'I can give you two,' and Marissa and Summer walk in. Smooth guy, that Ryan.

Marissa later makes an appointment with a guidance counselor, after much pushing by both Ryan and Johnny. The counselor tells Marissa that she should write about her past and the problems she's had (regarding Trey mostly) because sometimes that's the best way to deal with the past - to bring it out in the open.

Back at Julie's condo, Kirsten shows up to find Julie with all her stuff packed up in a little U-Haul truck. Julie leaves quite abruptly and Kirsten decides to follow her. She knows Julie has been acting very strange lately and she wants some answers. Kirsten follows her all the way to a dumpy trailer park. The scene starts off being pretty funny but you almost have to feel a little sorry for Mrs. Cooper-Nichol as she steps into her rickety shack.

The drama involving colleges continues at Newport High. Summer goes to see a guidance counselor about checking out books for Brown University (the school in Rhode Island that Seth wants to attend) but unfortunately the book is already checked out ... to who, you ask? None other than Taylor, who says that when Summer visits Brown next year, Taylor and Seth will show her around. Summer looks even more defeated.

Marissa is at Summer's later that night on her laptop going over her college application. She gets to a question asking if she was ever expelled and she has several flashbacks involving Trey. She has another meltdown and knocks the laptop off the desk. It seems she may not be ready for college after all. She tells Summer the next day that she has changed her mind again and likely won't go to college. Summer thinks Johnny helped influence her, saying she may be going through too much right now and college may not be the best thing for her. Summer tells Seth, and Seth tells Ryan (we all know how the telephone line goes in the O.C. by now).

The next day is also the surfing competition and this is the only thing on Marissa's mind. She goes to the beach with Johnny and Chili and Johnny does a great job. As the three are waiting for the winners announcements, Ryan shows up, demanding to know why Marissa suddenly doesn't want to go to college again. Johnny sticks up for her and tells Ryan 'no offence, but maybe you don't understand what she's going through.' It's times like this when it would be great to see the old Ryan open a can of whoop-ass on the little punk, but Ryan just walks away, angry and frustrated. The judge is calling Johnny's name, and he's torn between catching up to Ryan and talking to him, and going to the podium. He finally runs toward Ryan and gets a face full of windshield as a car plows into him.

Later at the hospital, we find out that Johnny has a torn ACL, bone damage and will need surgery. His dreams of surfing are put on hold for quite a while, to say the least.

Back to the adults - Kirsten has lunch with Julie and tells her she knows about Julie living at the trailer park. She wants Julie to go into business with her, but later on during the conversation she finds out that Julie was going to steal the money from the charity dinner. Julie tries to explain that she stopped it from happening, but Kirsten just walks away.

Later at the Cohen's, Sandy has his Berkeley friend, Paul Glass, over for dinner to talk with Ryan and Seth. After dinner is interrupted twice (by Summer and Marissa, respectively), it looks like everything is solved for the couples. Summer had a talk earlier with Taylor, who gives up her chase for Seth because she sees how in love the two are and even suggests Summer apply to Providence, which is 20 minutes away from Brown in Rhode Island. Summer buys both her and Seth big, ridiculous woolen hats and in a great scene, the two don their new fashion items and Seth calls Summer his 'little snow angel.'

Meanwhile, Ryan and Marissa are talking in the poolhouse about still being unsure of what they want to do next year. Paul Glass overhears them talking and tells them they should both apply to Berkeley - so it seems that couple will likely be staying on the west coast. Summer points out, though, that Ryan and Seth are going to have to do the long-distance thing and the four of them have a laugh.

It looks like things wrapped up quite nicely this week, but we all know it's only a matter of time before the next car accident, bankruptcy or scandal. It's also almost time for Christmukkah!

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