The tension-filled episode begins in the Cohen kitchen on the eve of Valentine's Day. Seth confesses to Ryan that his feelings for Summer are stronger than ever. Sandy is adorning the entire room with roses in an effort to patch things up with Kirsten... who promptly shreds the first dozen with the aid of the garbage disposal. Flustered and angry, she confronts her husband about Rebecca, and he replies that he lied to protect her - because he had to.
Ryan surprises Lindsay at home with a rose of his own, urging her to take a break from their break. Lindsay and Kirsten visit the rejuvenated Caleb as he is about to be discharged from the hospital. Caleb and his youngest daughter return to his mansion to do some Mad Libs (really), where Julie shocks everyone by arriving home early from France. Across town, Sandy moves Rebecca into a posh local hotel, then steps down as her legal counsel. Once he explains this, he and Kirsten are going strong again. Shortly thereafter, Sandy is discussing his decision on the pier with Rebecca's father, Max. As Sandy runs off to get Max some tea, the professor passes away silently on a bench.
After confiding in Alex about the sudden return of her mother, Marissa also hints at deeper feelings for her alluring love interest. Alex does not do Valentine's Day, she says, but agrees that the two should go on a serious date soon. In San Diego, the aspiring comic book team finds out that its meeting has been delayed until the following day, and that the company is putting them up in a hotel. Specifically, two adjoining rooms - the lovebirds in one and the neurotic Seth in the other. Back in Newport, Ryan (whose earlier efforts to apologize were rebuffed) challenges Caleb to a game of pool. If he wins, the old man accepts him as Lindsay's boyfriend. A loss, and Ryan makes himself scarce. It's on.
Jealous, sleep-deprived and over-caffeinated, Seth implodes at the meeting. The three are turned down in spite of the comic's potential, told by the executive to come back when they are "finished with high school." Dejected, Seth takes a bus back to Newport, while Summer and Zach decide to stay another night in the hotel. There, Summer provocatively tells Zach that they should make the most of this opportunity. Before they do anything, though, he says there is something she should know... Next week, apparently. Elsewhere, Julie is making a pitch of her own to Marissa - to get on her stepfather's good side, and fast. For money.In a class move, Ryan bests Caleb in pool, then steps aside for he and Lindsay to enjoy quality time. And now the five minutes we have been waiting for, and don't know why. With her father gone, Rebecca makes the decision to go back underground. Sandy postpones his Valentine's dinner date with Kirsten to say goodbye to his first love. At the hotel, he and Rebecca say goodbye - with a kiss - before Sandy utters the simple, but memorable line, "I'm going to go. But I think you should stay." Having stood Kirsten up, he returns home to have a door shut in his face. Intense, and the drama isn't over as Marissa meets Alex at an empty Bait Shop. Saying that the tide is turning (in the figurative sense, presumably), they make their way to the beach. As the screen fades to black, the two share a passionate embrace on the sand. Across the nation, 18-25 year old males exchange high-fives.
NOTE: This week's Episode Guide was ghost-written by Stephen Marsi, a colleague and longtime friend of Matthew Richenthal. Matthew will be viewing tonight's episode later, thanks to a modern invention known as "TiVo," and participating in this week's Round Table discussion as per usual. However, at the time the episode aired live, he was participating in a basketball game. Mr. Marsi was asked to fill in so this week's Guide could be posted on schedule. This is but one example of the lengths to which we will go for O.C. fans.
"The Lonely Hearts Club" File: