We start the season finale (thank goodness) with Seth lying to his parents about NOT starting the fire and Volchok threatening to turn Ryan in if he doesn't help him elude the cops with some money. Meanwhile, the families come by across the board for graduation - Ryan's mother, Caitlin Cooper, a letter from Jimmy Cooper.
But, wait, Seth comes clean about the fire. Sandy understands and doesn't wanna ruin this big day. On the flip, really thin side, Marissa tells Summer about an offer from her father: hanging out/working for a year on one of his yachts in Hawaii. Naturally, she'd have to leave the following night. Then, it's graduation time ...
At the following reception, Caitlin announces that she's home for good, to basically take Marissa's place when she leaves for the big sail. In other gift news, Mrs. Atwood gives her son a fixed up car ... and Volchok/Kevin/the Surf Nazi tells Marissa about the other, stolen car. She offers to help Ry-Guy out by giving him the pearl necklace she had just received from her mom. Volchok, however, wants more than cash. He wants Marissa. Apparently, he's also never heard of payday loans.
Sandy, meanwhile, appears to have cleared Seth of charges while also contemplating a return to his public defending job. From there, the foursome somehow break into the old model home, which is abandoned, yet has a heated, full pool. They play and reminisice. Marissa cries as she prepares to leave, while Volchok hovers outside and then follows Ryan and Marissa to the airport.
It gets worse from there. He manages to actually bump them off the road and the car goes flipping over and over. Ryan carries a severely injured Marissa out and hold her in his arms. But it's too late, people. Marissa is dead. It was difficult to hear her final words over the cheers in the background, but they were rumored to be: "I'm so hungry."
"The Graduates" File: