Ryan has a difficult stay in a Juvenile Hall prison for the arson charge. Seth makes Kirsten aware of his anger over Ryan's situation, and Kirsten makes a compromise to bail Ryan out of jail to stay with them, temporary. Later, Ryan's mother, Dawn, makes a surprise visit to Newport, and things don't go quite as she and Ryan may have planned due to her constant drinking. Meanwhile, the monetary secret involving Julie, Jimmy, Kirsten and Sandy comes to a head when Sandy finds out of Jimmy's financial problems about the money investments he lost and unwisely 'borrowed' without permission from his clients bank accounts to cover it up and lost that money too, and of Kristen's lending their money to help Jimmy which brings out more jealousy in Sandy for he's aware of Kristen and Jimmy's romantic past.
This episode contains examples of:
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Summer about Ryan "He got in a fight and burned a house down over you. That's hot."
- Ethnic Menial Labor: The hispanic maid- also the only POC in this episode besides the juvenile delinquents who threaten Ryan. Kind of lampshaded when Sandy 'threatens' to find a new delinquent to foster- "maybe a black kid, or an Asian kid."
- Exact Eavesdropping: Julie trashtalks Sandy two feet away from Sandy. Sandy responds with a short Disappointed in You speech.
- Good Luck Charm: Summer keeps Seth around at the Casino party to bring her good luck at the tables. She even calls him her "Rabbit's Foot."
- Improvised Weapon: Ryan is threatened in juvie with a plastic fork.
- Parental Abandonment: Ryan's mom, Dawn, comes back only to leave again.
- Socialite: The ladies who gather in Kristen's home to discuss the charity function. Julie is the Rich Bitch of the group.
- Stacy's Mom: Summer about Marissa's dad, saying that maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing if he saw her in her underwear.
- The Alcoholic: Dawn.
- Delinquents: Ryan is this in the eyes of the community. His fellows in juvie are this played straight.
- Uptown Girl: Marissa posits that her and Ryan would be a mistake, as they are "from two different worlds."
