By Daniel Barron for AllPop

If you weren't too impressed with the decidedly undramatic direction the first two episodes were going, we hope you're sitting down when you watch Episode 3 (why you'd be standing up to watch it, we don't know).

The show begins with Ryan, Marissa, Seth and Summer chilling in the Diner, wondering what's going to happen this year with both Ryan and Marissa kicked out of high school.
According to Summer, it's going to be freshman year all over again for Seth without Ryan protecting him from the polo players of Newport High. Seth himself isn't looking forward to having his 'ass cheeks being duct-taped together all year.' Ryan and Marissa leave and Seth and Summer contemplate if those two will be able to survive everything they've been through and still stay a couple. They've been through a lot, but nothing like this.

Back at the Cohen household, Sandy is still showing cracks in his rock-solid demeanour. He's trying to keep the Newport Group afloat now that Caleb has died and Kirsten is in rehab, along with taking care of his family and trying to help Ryan and Marissa get back into school. Ryan walks in and Sandy suggests that they stop seeing each other ... he's not telling Ryan they should break up; just that they should maybe take a break from each other while Ryan tries to get himself out of the hole he's dug for himself. The ever-wise Sandy says that Ryan should maybe start thinking about himself because his love for Marissa is putting him into a lot of trouble (Ryan punching the Dean at the end of last episode being a perfect example). Ryan doesn't even consider staying away from Marissa.

On the flip side of things at the Cooper residence, Julie suggests that Marissa go to her sister's boarding school, where no one knows her or anything about her past. Not surprisingly, Marissa says 'no way' to this, so Julie (not putting up much of a fight) tells her that's okay, but only on one condition - she has to stop seeing Ryan. Also not surprisingly, Marissa doesn't consider this.

In his first (but completely inevitable) appearance of the episode, Dean Hess shows up in front of Seth and Summer and tells them he needs them to help out with the school play - and it would be in their best interests to help. And who is the director and writer of the play? None other than Ms. Taylor Townsend. Seth and Summer now officially have no interest whatsoever in helping out but get a stern warning from the Dean that if they don't, there will be trouble, so the two grudgingly agree to help out.

Back on Jimmy's boat, we see him and Julie sharing a passionate kiss and Jimmy reveals he wants them to get married soon - as in, less-than-week soon! Julie is at first shocked to hear this, but then thinks "tasteful, understated...I like it!" So they set the wedding for the coming Saturday - the day after the reading of Caleb's will. They already make plans to go to Hawaii for the honeymoon. Talk of going to Hawaii for a little vacation quickly escalates into the two considering moving there - forever! But how serious are they?...

Sandy shows up to visit Kirsten at Charlotte's cottage. Charlotte leaves the room to give the two some privacy and Sandy tells Kirsten that Caleb's will is being read on Friday and that he'd like her to be there. Kirsten isn't sure she wants to be there but she'll think about it. As the two hug, Sandy glances up and sees a door close. Was Charlotte eavesdropping?

Ryan and Marissa are sharing some 'alone' time in her room when Julie comes calling. Ryan rushes outside and listens as Julie tells Marissa about her plan with Jimmy to move the Coopers to Hawaii. Marissa is horrified by the idea of leaving her home but Julie isn't going to budge like she did with her boarding school idea. She leaves the room and Ryan and Marissa share a wordless moment looking at each other.

Later on, Summer tells Marissa that she doesn't want her to go, but Marissa confesses that deep down, she actually wouldn't mind going to Hawaii if it meant keeping her family together - something we doubt she would have said in the past two seasons.

When then visit the dock, where Jimmy's 'business' friend visits Jimmy and tells him this is his last chance to pay him back. Jimmy, who knows about the will being read on Friday, isn't worried at all and tells his friend that he'll get all of his money in full.

Back at the Cohen's, Ryan brings Sandy two things - a toasted bagel with cream cheese and one heck of a request. He asks Sandy if Marissa can move in with the Cohens instead of her moving to Hawaii. Sandy tells Ryan he has a lot of nerve asking that. Ryan knows this, and Sandy knows all the possible problems that could arise, but actually considers it. Ryan leaves the room to give Sandy some time to mull it over.

Meanwhile, Kirsten tells Charlotte that she is going to go to the will reading. Charlotte doesn't everything she can to try and convince Kirsten not to go but Kirsten is sure this is what she wants to do. Charlotte seems intent on stalling Kirsten's progress.

Ryan goes to Marissa to tell her that she may be able to stay with the Cohens, and Marissa shocks him when she says that she is actually going to go with her family. Ryan isn't angry and knows that if this is what Marissa wants to do, he won't stand in her way. Instead, Ryan plans a special night for them so they can say goodbye.

Friday rolls around and Sandy, Kirsten, Julie and Jimmy (the latter two smiling ear-to-ear) sit down with the lawyer to read Caleb's will. He tells the four of them that originally Caleb was going to split all of his money equally between his two daughters and his wife. They're ecstatic until the lawyer tells them that when Caleb died, he was completely broke, thanks to mortgages, back taxes and borrowing money. He had nothing. All he left was a single note for Kirsten. Julie and Jimmy (Jimmy especially!) are in absolute shock.

Kirsten is terrified to open the letter, thinking that the note says something horrible. The note was written the day before Caleb died, right after Kirsten told him he would die alone. She drives away, stops at a liquor store and picks up a bottle of vodka and rents a room at a shady motel.

We find Charlotte being visited by a woman who tells her that the cheque she used to rent the cottage (it's not owned by Charlotte's father!) never cleared. The woman tells Charlotte that she can pay her for the two weeks she already lived there, and leave immediately. Charlotte says she just has to find a cheque. She goes to her room, grabs some clothes (and one of Kirsten's pictures of the Cohens!) and sneaks out without paying any money.

Ryan brings Marissa to the beach and surprises her with a romantic hut built complete with tiki torches. We find out the two have never slept together but with Marissa leaving, tonight is the night they consummate their ... er, relationship.

Jimmy is also spending some time by the water, but he's definitely not having quite as much fun as Marissa. His friend finds out he doesn't have the money he promised, so Jimmy has the snot kicked out of him at the pier by some large men. He calls Marissa in the morning and tells her to meet him at his boat. Bruised and bloody, he tells her he has to leave Newport. Marissa hugs him and says that if he has to leave, she understands, but she doesn't ever want him coming back. It's just too hard for her to keep saying goodbye.

Jimmy gives her Julie's ring, which Marissa gives to Julie later on as Julie waits at the wedding hall. Mother and daughter share a hug and Marissa assures her they'll get through this "just like we always do."

That same day, Kirsten comes home from the motel and tells Sandy she never had a drop of alcohol. The Cohens are once again a family and as they sit in the kitchen, they muse that Ryan and Marissa are out of school, Caleb died with no money, Seth has two months of detention (as he stole the tiki torches from school for Ryan's surprise and the Dean found out) and Jimmy is once again gone. 'That's the great thing about Newport," Sandy says, "nothing ever happens."

And we're sure a whole lot more 'nothing' will continue next week as we wait to see what the Dean has up his sleeve for the kids and where exactly Charlotte left to go with the picture of the Cohens.

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