An original web series created by Tropers/{{Shrikecatcher}}, focused on the lives of HighSchool students living in the suburbs of UsefulNotes/LosAngeles. [[LiteraryAllusionTitle The title comes from]] Theatre/{{Rent}}, and [[RuleOfSymbolism refers to the three metaphorical "seasons" (autumn, winter and spring) of the relationship between the two leads]], Kent Thomas and Holly Snow. Since there is a fairly certain plan as to the progress of the series, tropes relating to the as-yet unwritten second and third seasons are featured below in spoiler tags. As it chronicles the high school experiences of many characters used in other stories, the series serves as a sort of prequel (or sequel) to those stories; among the sequel stories/series are ''Benefits'' (in which Rick and Kristen [[spoiler:get married]]); a {{Superhero}} series set in Chicago featuring Terra and her family; and a SpyDrama series in which the main character is an ActionGirlfriend to Kent.

Can be read [[http://www.fictionpress.com/u/631206/avesjohn here]].

Now that the author has turned the focus more to other stories, this series is bordering on DeadFic at this point (August 2015). However, since characters in this series are relevant to my larger 'verse (see above), I will still update character info and plot points as needed, even if the storylines themselves are never actually written down.
----
!! Tropes
* AboveTheInfluence: Jimmy subverts the trope when he takes advantage of a drunk Samara on the anniversary of her late sister's birthday in "The Performance."
%%* AdultsAreUseless
* AllGuysWantCheerleaders: Josh used to date Stacey before he met [[TheGhost Vanessa]], [[spoiler:and Kent falls for Jessie shortly after meeting her.]]
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: [[spoiler:Perhaps the reason so many of them are drawn to [[TheCasanova Milo]], including Samara, Nicole (Rivers), Holly, and Stacey.]]
* AllMenArePerverts: Lex insists that this is true in "The Switch," and [[TheBigGuy Melanie]] and [[TheSmartGuy Terra]] agree.
--> '''Terra''': "[[ImAManICantHelpIt It's not your fault.]]"
* AmicableExes: After having a short relationship in the first season and dealing with their unresolved feelings all through season two, this is what Kent and Holly eventually become in the third and final season.
* AmoralAttorney: Rebecca Clark, referred to Jimmy by Rod.
* AnalogyBackfire: In "The Censor":
--> '''Rusty''': "[[SarcasmMode Because sex is a classy thing, right?]] Sure, there's a smelly, messy exchange of bodily fluids going on, but it's like Film/PearlHarbor, you know? Everything is ''fucked up,'' but Creator/MichaelBay sure made it look incredible."
--> '''Claire''': "Did you seriously just compare sex to Film/PearlHarbor?"
--> '''Rusty''': "Well, Kate Beckinsale does have that effect on people."
* AnyoneCanDie: In rough chronological order: [[spoiler:Cameron, Scott, Skylar, Nicole Sullivan, Sam Greene, Sloane, Rusty, Rod, Gina, Jimmy.]]
* ArcNumber: [[Music/WeirdAlYankovic 27]]
* ArousedByTheirVoice: Rick's [[IllBeInMyBunk reaction]] to hearing Samara's voice on speaker phone in "The Birthday."
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In "The Collision":
--> '''Holly''': "Melanie won't apologize to Lex, [Claire] won't forgive Samara, I finish the mile five whole minutes after everyone else, I get blood on my shirt, and Rusty hasn't even shaved [[BeardOfSorrow his beard]] yet! Today ''sucks''."
* AutoErotica: Stacey and [[VeryPunchableMan Andrew]] in "The Distance". [[spoiler: Later, Rowan loses his virginity to Kristen in the back of her van.]]
* [[spoiler: BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: Subverted with Tina and later Sloane, both of whom get pregnant and have their lives ruined - or in Sloane's case, ended - because of it.]]
* [[spoiler: TheBabyTrap: One of Milo's conquests, Tina, tries using this in an effort to make him monogamous, but after the baby is born it is revealed that she was lying about who his father was, and in any case Milo continued being TheCasanova regardless.]]
* BelligerentSexualTension: Kent and Claire start out this way ([[BerserkButton much to Jimmy's chagrin]]), but it gradually stops as time moves on and they get to know each other.
* BetaCouple: Claire/Jimmy serve as a negative foil for Kent/Holly in the first season.
* BeautyBrainsAndBrawn: Lex, Melanie and Terra are the beauty, brawn and brains of Holly's friends from dance class.
* TheBet: [[spoiler: [[TheCasanova Milo]] bets Tom he can deflower the latter's cousin [[CelibateHero Carrie]] when she visits for an episode. Tom, who wouldn't ordinarily tolerate such an act, goes through with the bet because he knows his cousin - and he wins. And he gives Carrie the money.]]
* BetterAsFriends: Rusty went out on one date each with Holly and Claire in middle school, and that was the end of that. [[spoiler: At least for a little while.]]
* {{Blackmail}}: A favored method of Jimmy's, used several times over the course of the series.
* BigApplesauce: Samara's family is from New York. [[spoiler: In the third season, there is an episode in which she, Holly and Claire visit New York City over winter break. When the series ends, Samara moves on to NYU.]]
* BigFancyHouse: Surprisingly averted with Kent and his family.
* {{Blackmail}}: Jimmy's usage of this (a ScarpiaUltimatum) on Claire and indirectly Kent in "The Twist," is arguably the turning point of the entire storyline.
* BlackComedy: [[KindlyVet Mark]] tries to cheer up a depressed Holly:
--> '''Mark''': "I euthanized a rabbit today."
--> ''(Beat. Holly is still depressed.)''
--> '''Mark''': "That usually works. This must be serious."
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Rick's [[KavorkaMan first]] three lovers: Iris, Mila and [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Cassie]]. Also, [[TheCasanova Milo]] claims to have once had four-way sex with just such an ensemble, and considers that night his greatest accomplishment.
%%* BoyMeetsGirl
* BreatherEpisode: "[[ValentinesDayEpisodes The Valentine]]," immediately following "[[WhamEpisode The Charm]]," is a LowerDeckEpisode focusing on the amusing antics of the younger kids. [[spoiler: Subverted at the end when we learn that Kent and Holly have just broken up.]]
* TheBroCode: [[spoiler: Mike supposedly violates this for dating Iris after her breakup with Rick, but it is Rick himself who really breaks the rules by sleeping with Mike's ex Cassie and taunting Mike with the video of it.]]
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: While Kent isn't unhappy to the point of constant brooding thanks to good friends like Tom, Holly nevertheless expands his horizons and generally makes him feel better about himself.
%%* BuffySpeak
* ButLiquorIsQuicker: [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl Stacey]] is mentioned as a frequent victim of this, and Jimmy uses this method to sleep with Samara on the anniversary of her late sister's birthday.
* BuxomBeautyStandard: When the gang is at a CoolestClubEver in "The Renewal," Jimmy suggests it will be easy to find their classmate [[HardDrinkingPartyGirl Stacey Milano]] because of her huge breasts. He tries using his hands to demonstrate their size, but this doesn't go so well.
--> '''Claire''': We're looking for Stacey Milano, not Creator/ChristinaHendricks.
* CaliforniaUniversity: Played realistically, with the gang separating to attend different universities across the state (or country) at series' end.
* CallBack: In "The Pinch," John (with Adam and Stacey) says "Mind if we join you?" before joining Holly and her friends for lunch for the first time, echoing Kent's "Mind if I join you?" from "The Crush".
* CallingTheOldManOut: Kent does this to Rod frequently, to little effect.
* CannotSpitItOut: In "The Noodles," when Kent first tries to tell Holly he likes her, it backfires...[[BlatantLies and he ends up telling her he likes Claire]] [[ShipTease instead.]] More severely, Claire's inability to tell Jimmy she loves him back is one the factors that helps drive him over the edge.
* [[spoiler:CatholicSchoolGirlsRule: Invoked by Holly and Jessie in the second Halloween episode, both of them vying for Kent's attention.]]
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: Discussed in "The Cross," when Jimmy and Claire are having phone sex.
--> '''Jimmy''': "...unlike you, I'm not ashamed of anything. If my parents were to catch me in my room right now with my pants down, listening to you, I'd tell 'em to fuck off."
* CelebCrush: Several characters have the benign type: Kent likes Creator/AlexisBledel, Holly likes Eric Bana, and Claire likes Creator/JohnnyDepp and Adam Brody.
%%* ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject
* CharacterFilibuster: Samara is prone to doing this almost OnceAnEpisode, much to the annoyance of everyone else, but other characters, particularly Claire and Kent, will engage in a sizable speech if someone pushes their buttons enough.
%%* ChekhovsGun
* ChekhovsGunman: Chad, who occasionally buys pot from Rusty, turns out to be [[spoiler:the real father of Tina's child.]] More importantly, Faith, who Jimmy sleeps with while still involved with Claire and later [[spoiler:frames for Skylar's murder, is released from prison nearly two years later when her innocence is proven and joins the others in taking down Jimmy.]]
* ClubStub: In "The Club," Kent's attempt at creating an on-campus nature club fails spectacularly when no one shows up but himself - and later, Claire, who's trying to [[ShipperOnDeck hook him up with Holly]] for the [[HighSchoolDance Homecoming Dance]]. Ultimately, the club shuts down after one meeting, and Holly ends up going to the dance alone.
* ClusterFBomb: In the name of realism.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Done by Jimmy to [[spoiler:Nicole Sullivan]] before killing her, [[DisproportionateRetribution simply because]] [[ShipperOnDeck she thinks]] that Kent and Claire look cute together.
--> '''[[spoiler:Nicole]]''': "I don't know anything!"
--> '''Jimmy''': "This isn't about what you know. It's about what you ''think''."
* ComingOutStory: Subverted with [[spoiler: Melanie]], whose coming out is subject to little more than mild shock from her friends, and is only a minor plot point in the associated episodes.
** Played straight with [[spoiler:[[TheCasanova Milo]], who confesses to Claire his occasional relationships with men after she steals his phone and talks to one of them.]]
* ComicallyMissingThePoint
* ConflictBall: Lampshaded by Rusty in "The Switch," when Holly and Claire agree to swap boyfriends for a day so each girl can lessen their suspicions about the other's boyfriend.
--> '''Jimmy''': "Why are we doing this at all?"
--> '''[[MetaGuy Rusty]]''': "For the contrived conflict. Why else?"
* ConfusingMultipleNegatives: In "The Stickers," when Kent and Holly are discussing not being on any FriendingNetwork:
--> '''Holly''': "You know what? You should make sure not to look for me sometime! Then you can not add me as a friend and we can not see each other every time we don't log on!"
--> '''Kent''': "I'll be sure to not do that."
--> '''Holly''': "I know you won't."
%%* ContinuityNod
* CoolCar: Kent receives a Porsche for his 16th birthday from his parents, and although he accepts it, he ultimately plans on replacing it with something more suited to his lifestyle.
* CoolestClubEver: "The Renewal."
* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority: [[spoiler: Both subverted and played straight with Milo.]]
* CoughSnarkCough
* CountryMatters: Beginning in "The Switch," when Rod first calls Claire this for her overreaction to Kent's kissing of Holly (despite having not met either of the girls yet), the word is tossed around more frequently than it should, mostly in reference to this incident.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Claire and Jimmy begin to adopt this approach to their relationship in "The Parents," after Jimmy has [[ScarpiaUltimatum manipulated her]] into having sex with him. She's hoping for a LoveRedeems outcome, but instead, it gets worse. Kent and Holly are in a similar situation, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive his father]] convinced that just because [[MissingMom her mother]] cheated on her father, Holly will do the same to Kent.
* DaydreamSurprise: Most notably, Kent in "The Censor."
* DeepSouth: [[spoiler:Tina and her family come from Arkansas, hence their conservative morals.]]
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment
* UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}}: [[spoiler: Jessie's family hails from Detroit, where her father worked at a car dealership.]]
* DiamondsInTheBuff: Holly takes a picture of herself in the tub wearing only Kent's birthday gift for her (a turquoise necklace) in "The Distance." [[spoiler: This doesn't become important until much, much later.]]
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud?: In "The Collision":
--> [[spoiler: Melanie]]: I think I'm a lesbian. ''(everyone does a double take, and the girls sitting next to her scoot to the side)'' I just said that out loud, didn't I?
* DinnerAndAShow: [[spoiler:When the Thomases and the Hummels have Thanksgiving dinner for the first time together. Naturally, most of the conflict comes from Rod being a PoliticallyIncorrectVillain.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: In "The Sin," when Kent pulls Holly in for their FirstKiss, Claire immediately calls him a rapist and inadvertently (via [[CloudCuckoolander Rowan]]) ends up getting him sent to the office. The misunderstanding is cleared up, but not before [[PapaWolf Rod]] finds out and the trope is taken even further.
** [[spoiler: Rick joins this camp when he sleeps with Cassie and sends the video of it to her ex-boyfriend Mike in response to Mike beginning to date Rick's ex Iris.]]
* DistractedByTheSexy: Rusty and Claire both have moments of this in "The Distance," when they both spend the day with each other in their underwear to get back at [[{{Jerkass}} Jimmy]].
* DoubleMeaningTitle: Frequently (e.g., "The Treasure" refers both to the episode's [[LoveRedeems theme]] and to the [[Film/NationalTreasure movie]] the gang sees in it).
* [[DramaClub Drama Class]]: Holly, Claire, Rusty, Tom, and Samara are all in this class at school from the beginning; Kent and certain others join them in the later seasons.
%%* DramaticPause
%%* {{Dramedy}}
* DrugsAreBad: Averted with Rusty (a sympathetic drug dealer who provides marijuana to his friends), played straight with Jimmy, who begins taking harder drugs with his descent into villainy.
%%* DysfunctionJunction
* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: Rod isn't a fan of Jimmy being a murderer, but he helps the boy anyway since they both hate Claire.]]
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Said by various classmates of Kent and Claire, though both of them vehemently deny any such attraction.
* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: Averted with the main cast, played straight with several supporting characters.
* EveryoneLovesBlondes: At some point, almost every straight male character alludes to some degree of attraction to Samara. [[spoiler:Later, a similar situation occurs with Jade.]]
* EverybodyMustGetStoned: In "The Renewal."
%%* EveryoneOwnsAMac
* EvilGloating: Jimmy brags about cheating on Claire right after she finally tells him she loves him in "The Charm."
* FalseRapeAccusation: In "The Sin," Claire calls Kent a "rapist" when he kisses Holly by surprise. [[CloudCuckoolander Rowan]] overheard, and shortly afterward, Claire and Kent are pulled out of their history class and sent to the office for disciplining. There they settle their antagonism, but not before Rod learns about it, and he decides that Claire should be severely punished for what ''could'' have happened.
* FalseStart: How Kent and Holly's relationship begins.
* FanGirl: Several, primarily Mila (Literature/{{Twilight}}), Emily (Music/JustinBieber, [[KidCom KidComs]]) and Dana (Franchise/StarWars). However, only Emily's fandom could be considered shallow, with Mila scoffing at the more obsessed Literature/{{Twilight}} fans and Dana having inherited a deep-rooted family love of Franchise/StarWars.
* FinishingEachOthersSentences
* FirstNameBasis: The high school drama teachers, Roger and Diane Bowman, get this from their students due to the laid-back TrueCompanions nature of their class.
* FirstKiss: Kent and Holly share this in "The Sin".
* FlyoverCountry: Josh and Mila lived in Oklahoma City before moving to UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, and Jimmy spent the early years of his life in Lincoln, Nebraska.
* ForcefulKiss: Although the kiss Kent plants on Holly in "The Sin" isn't really forceful, it's treated as such by Claire, who [[DisproportionateRetribution calls Kent a rapist for it]].
* {{Foreshadowing}}
* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler:Faith is framed and imprisoned for Skylar's murder.]]
* FreudianSlip: How Kent finally admits his crush on Holly in "The Censor".
--> '''Kent''': "Melanie, when I told you that I liked Holly, did you believe me?"
--> '''Melanie''': "You didn't tell me you liked Holly. You told me you liked ''Claire''."
--> '''Kent''': "[[OhCrap Oh, no]]."
--> '''Melanie''': "FreudianSlip?"
--> '''Kent''': "[[BlatantLies No]]."
* TheFunInFuneral: In "The Pinch," Samara brings a CD player to the church to play [[Music/{{Muse}} "Supermassive Black Hole"]] after her speech. Relevant to the ceremony, in that [[spoiler:it was her and Cameron's song]], but still jarring.
--> "Dude," some random male student in the crowd remarked, "this funeral rocks."
* GarageBand: Two examples: Holly and Josh's acoustic duo, and Tom, Oriel, and Kristen's ensemble.
* TheGhost: Several characters are handled this way before eventually appearing, such as Oriel, Rosalyn and Vanessa.
%%* GilliganCut: Frequently.
* GirlOfTheWeek: Once [[TheCasanova Milo]] enters the picture, they start to appear.
%%* GirlOnGirlIsHot
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Sloane and Nicole: they start out on a more or less even plane, but due to Jimmy's [[CorruptTheCutie influences]] Sloane falls down the social ladder hard and fast, while Nicole remains unscathed.
* [[spoiler:GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Inverted: Claire aborts her baby while Sloane brings hers to term. Played straight with Tina, who comes from a religious upbringing, albeit one she rejects, and finds the idea morally objectionable.]]
* GoshDangItToHeck: Rusty makes it his goal to get Kent out of a mild case of this in "The Censor."
* HairRaisingHare: Holly is pathologically terrified of rabbits as a result of her father telling her stories of the damage they've done in his native Australia.
%%* HalloweenEpisode: "The Sin"
* HappilyMarried: Marcus and Sandra (Rusty's parents).
* HappyMarriageCharade: Rod and Gina. [[spoiler: They finally divorce at the end of season two, when it comes to light that Rod has had another kid (Tyler) through one of his affairs.]]
* HandOrObjectUnderwear: In "The Distance," when his mother walks in [[ItMakesSenseInContext on him naked and Claire in her underwear]], Rusty is using his VideoGame/GuitarHero guitar in this way.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Rick and Kristen in ''Benefits'', set several years after the end of this series; Terra; Dana and Carrie. And others, eventually.
%%* HighSchool
%%* HighSchoolDance
* HormoneAddledTeenager: In "The Stickers," Kent, Holly, Claire and Rusty make a pact to stop talking about sex until one of them actually loses their virginity, in an attempt to subvert the trope. It goes about as well as you'd expect.
--> '''[[ChivalrousPervert Rusty]]''': "This is a stupid pact."
%%* HypocriticalHumor
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Every episode is titled "The ____".
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: [[spoiler:Upon discovering that Holly is dating [[TheCasanova Milo]], both Kent and John separately say this to her new boyfriend. After things [[NearRapeExperience end badly]] between them, John delivers on the promise.]]
* ImaginaryLoveTriangle: Jimmy imagines one between himself, Claire and Kent, and this is what eventually drives him insane.
* ImGoingToDisneyWorld: In "The Charm":
--> '''Holly''': "So, Jimmy, now that you've just played Cupid, what do you plan to do next?"
--> '''Jimmy''': "''I'm going to Disneyland!''"
* IncomingHam
* IncompatibleOrientation: [[spoiler:Jessie and Claire.]]
* IncrediblyLamePun
* InformedJudaism: Samara.
* InsistentTerminology: Kent insists that Holly be referred to as "beautiful" and not "hot," [[CantActPervertedTowardALoveInterest because it sounds classier]].
* InstantHumiliationJustAddYouTube: In "The Noodles," Rusty records himself and Samara watching [[ShockSite 2Girls1Cup]] and posts it online. HilarityEnsues. Later, in "The Cross," ex-boyfriend Cameron wants to get back at her in a similar way, by hijacking the school news feed. Jimmy [[MurderIsTheBestSolution has other plans]].
* InsultToRocks: In "The Club":
--> '''Claire''': "Samara, does Music/{{Nickelback}} suck?"
--> '''Samara''': "Oh, ''yes''. I'm not even going to waste my breath expanding on the thought. They ''suck''."
--> '''Claire''': "Straight from the horse's mouth. They suck, Jimmy!"
--> '''Jimmy''': "Let's not insult the horse by comparing it to Samara."
--> '''Samara''': "I'm going to kill you in your sleep."
* IResembleThatRemark:
--> '''Kent''': "Milo, I think you have a gambling problem."
--> '''Milo''': "Five bucks says I don't."
* IUhYouToo: When Jimmy tells Claire he loves her, her decision to not tell him the same until she feels it is one of many things that helps to drive them apart. When Holly tells Kent she loves him over the phone while he's in New Jersey, he chooses not to respond until he gets back to California.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Subverted, with only one named student (Jeff Barnes) going to an Ivy League ([[BigApplesauce Columbia]]); additionally, the Hummel parents are both Dartmouth graduates. However, at series' end Terra leaves for Northwestern and Samara for NYU, so prestigious schools are certainly represented.
* JockDadNerdSon: Rod and Kent.
* {{Joisey}}: Kent's parents are originally from here, and that's where the rest of his family lives, including his godparents, Aunt Theresa and Uncle Calvin, who specifically reside in Pemberton, part of the UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} metro area.
* JustFriends: Josh and Holly; John and Stacey; Kent and Rosalyn.
* KeepingSecretsSucks: The entire premise of "The Twist."
* LampshadeHanging: Rampant.
* LandDownUnder: Mark is originally from Melbourne, and his daughter Holly sometimes speaks in the accent.
* [[spoiler:LawOfInverseFertility: Tina experiences both kinds within a year. In 2008, she becomes pregnant after having sex with Milo, but this was not the intention (and the child isn't his). In 2009, while married to the father of her child, she has sex with Milo again, as she hopes to have his baby. Naturally, she can't get pregnant despite much effort.]]
* [[spoiler:LawOfInversePaternity: Played straight with Tina, who hopes Milo is the father of her child, but he isn't. It's more complicated with Sloane, who hopes her child is Rick's and strongly implies that it is, but because of this Jimmy kills her and tries to do the same to the newborn.]]
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In "The Renewal":
--> '''Tom''': "...I know this is our lives and not some TV writer's script, but does anyone else think the whole 'Person A cheating on Person B' storyline is starting to get ridiculous here?"
* LetsWaitAwhile: Kent and Holly are this way while dating, and so are Claire and Jimmy, although as part of his growing antagonism towards Kent, Jimmy becomes less patient as time goes by, enough to invoke a ScarpiaUltimatum to get Claire to finally sleep with him.
* LingerieScene
* LivingLieDetector: Samara shows traits of one. Most notably, when Jimmy makes a SuspiciouslySpecificDenial of any infidelity in "The Renewal," [[TheNicknamer she]] changes his nickname from "Time Bomb" to "The Big Bang."
* LiteraryAllusionTitle: From Theatre/{{Rent}}.
* TheLoinsSleepTonight: Initially happens to a depressed Scott, which indirectly leads to Sloane cheating on him with Jimmy. [[spoiler:Two years later, the same thing happens to a drug-addicted Jimmy, once again leading to Sloane cheating, this time with Rick.]]
* LongDistanceRelationship: Tom and Oriel, who live an hour apart in La Crescenta and Long Beach, respectively. [[spoiler:Later, Melanie and Kristen.]]
* UsefulNotes/LosAngeles: Specifically, set in the Glendale area, at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley.
* LowerDeckEpisode: Several.
* LoveDodecahedron: Discussed in "The Renewal," before any cheating has even been revealed, as a result of Samara continually suggesting that this is what's going on.
--> '''Jimmy''': "''Nobody's cheating on anybody!''"
* LoveMakesYouDumb: Lampshaded by Holly in "The Renewal":
--> '''Holly''': "The lot of us, we're all pretty dumb."
--> '''John''': "Now why would you go and say something like that?"
--> '''Holly''': "We're teenagers, and we're in love."
--> '''John''': "Point taken."
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Jimmy, insofar as his relationship with Claire can be called "love".
* LoveRedeems: This is what Claire attempts with Jimmy in "The Treasure."
* LysistrataGambit: As mentioned above, Claire attempts this in "The Treasure" to get Jimmy to improve his ways. It doesn't work.
* MaamShock: In "The Sin":
--> '''Claire''': "Are you messing with Texas?"
--> '''Rusty''': "No, ma'am."
--> '''Claire''': "Did you just call me ''ma'am''?"
--> '''Rusty''': "[[HypocriticalHumor No, ma'am.]]"
* MaliciousSlander: Claire calls Kent a "[[FalseRapeAccusation rapist]]" in "The Sin" after he surprises Holly with their first kiss. Thanks to [[CloudCuckoolander Rowan]], this simple overreaction gets she and him both sent to the office, at which point they settle their antagonism, but not before Rod finds out and Claire goes home with a new enemy. Months later, Jimmy and Rod [[VillainTeamUp team up]] based on their mutual hatred of Claire.
* TheMall: In "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Mall]]."
* MayDecemberRomance: [[spoiler: Milo and Sally (Tina's mother), later Rod and Ashley.]]
* MidSeasonTwist: In "The Mall" (episode 7), Kent is hit by a car and he (informally) begins a relationship with Holly. It becomes [[FirstKiss formal]] in the very next episode, "The Sin."
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Suggested by Jimmy to Cameron about Samara in "The Renewal."
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Jimmy's ultimate plan for Kent. [[spoiler:But first, he kills Scott to ensure that he will have Sloane all to himself.]]
* MustHaveCaffeine
* MyGirlIsASlut: Jimmy coerces Sloane into sleeping with Skylar so the latter can finally lose his virginity and so Jimmy [[spoiler:can have an alibi for murdering Cameron that night]], by saying ''he'' was with her that night.
* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Rusty in "The Distance."
* NarrativeProfanityFilter: In "The Treasure," we're told that Jimmy insults Claire's mother quite loudly when she won't give him a ride home with the other kids after [[Film/NationalTreasure the movie]].
--> '''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Rowan]]''': ''(speaking into his cell phone)'' "No, Dad, that wasn't me."
* [[spoiler: NearRapeExperience: Milo, when Holly rejects his advances.]]
* {{Nephewism}}: [[spoiler:Milo.]]
* NewTransferStudent: John, [[spoiler:Milo and Jessie]] enter the cast this way.
* NiceGuysFinishLast: Kent invokes this trope as justification to not bother talking to Holly when she appears on the bus with him and Tom in "The Mall". Luckily, Tom convinces him otherwise.
* [[spoiler: NoBisexuals: Averted and discussed.]]
* NoodleIncident: The circumstances surrounding Kent and Holly's breakup; Stacey's "lesbian incident"; that time Milo brought a supermodel home for a tryst; and others.
* NWordPrivileges: [[spoiler:Pam, apparently.]]
* OffscreenBreakup: Kent and Holly at the end of the "The Valentine." Becomes a serious NoodleIncident for both sides.
* OneSteveLimit: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. There are two people named some variation of Sam, but one ([[AlphaBitch Samara]]) is a student and main character, while the other ([[FriendOnTheForce Sam Greene]]) is an adult and only occasional supporting character. In addition, there are also two minor supporting characters named Nicole: the first, Nicole Sullivan, is a classmate of the main cast members, while the second, Nicole Rivers, is the older sister of another classmate, Sloane. [[spoiler:The trope is played straight after Nicole Sullivan and then Sam Greene are killed by Jimmy.]]
* OperationJealousy: Attempted in "The Noodles," when Holly recruits [[JustFriends Josh]] in order to help Kent [[CanNotSpitItOut say what he meant to say before.]]
* OstentatiousSecret: In the beginning, Kent openly admits to Holly and her friends that he's hiding [[SecretlyWealthy something]] from them, and will tell them when he's ready. Then Claire finds out what it is in "The Twist," [[SecretKeeper he only allows her to tell one person]], and she picks [[ScarpiaUltimatum the wrong one]]. Kent finally opens up after that to avoid further misfortune for anyone else.
* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: In "The Treasure":
--> '''Kent''': ''(after being asked for his opinion on Film/NationalTreasure 2)'' "I for one think there are much better Creator/JerryBruckheimer-produced movies starring Creator/NicolasCage and Ed Harris out there. Those movies are called ''Film/TheRock''."
* PokeThePoodle: In "The Counselor", John and Holly sneak into an R-rated movie (Film/{{Doomsday}}) for their first date.
* PrecisionFStrike
* [[spoiler:ThePunishmentIsTheCrime: Kent's response when Milo confesses to his NearRapeExperience with Holly.]]
* PutOnABus: Josh, Stacey and the other students in the class of 2009 ([[spoiler:Milo excepted]]), as they head off to their respective colleges.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: After Jimmy cons Claire into having sex with him, everyone treats him differently, as they should.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech
* RedOniBlueOni: Claire is red, Holly is blue. A literal example occurs in "The Charm," with these as the girls' respective dress colors.
* RuleOfThree
* RunningGag
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Kent and Holly have elements of this.
* ScarpiaUltimatum: Done by Jimmy to Claire in "The Twist," when she reveals to him the then-secret of Kent's wealth and he threatens to tell everyone or else. They both end up losing their virginity.
* SchoolPlay: As most of the cast are in or eventually join the high school drama classes, this is inevitable.
* SecretRelationship: [[spoiler:Kent and Claire towards the end of the second season. It's borderline romantic, but not entirely a secret: their parents know, and so does Jessie.]]
* SeinfeldianConversation
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Kent and Jimmy, respectively. Rusty bridges the gap between them.
* SexualKarma: [[spoiler:Jimmy's drug addiction eventually leads to erectile dysfunction that results in Sloane leaving him after two years together.]]
* SexWithTheEx: [[spoiler:Josh and Stacey after they are left by [[TheGhost Vanessa]] and [[PutOnABus Adam]], respectively.]]
* ShapedLikeItself: When Kent first visits Humboldt County:
--> '''Kent''': "What smells like weed?"
--> '''Dana''': "Probably the weed."
* ShirtlessScene
* [[spoiler:ShotgunWedding: Subverted; when Tina becomes pregnant with what seems to be Milo's child, both her conservative family and Milo want to be sure that the baby is in fact his before getting married. These suspicions prove correct, and Milo gets off scot-free while Tina ends up marrying the real father.]]
* ShoutOut: Plenty. Several character names: ([[Film/{{Titanic 1997}} Jack Dawson]], Creator/NicoleSullivan, [[Series/TheXFiles Mark Snow]], Creator/VeronicaTaylor). Holly's parakeets are named [[WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain Pinky and Brain]], Kent's golden retrievers are [[CoolCar Beamer and Shelby]], and his own parakeets are WesternAnimation/ChipAndDale.
** In "The Noodles":

--> '''Kent''': "What are you talking about? You and Oriel are inseparable! You ''never'' fight!"
--> '''Tom'''': "[[Franchise/StarWars Only a Sith deals in absolutes.]]"

** In "The Club":
--> '''Claire''': "Where are Holly and Jimmy?"
--> '''Rusty''': "In the club."
--> '''Claire''': "What are they doing there?"
--> '''Rusty''': "[[Music/FiftyCent They're into having sex, they ain't into makin' love.]]"
--> '''Claire''': "Do me a favor, Rusty, and [[BrickJoke don't ever quote 50 Cent around me ever again.]]"
--> '''Rusty''': "[[AllLoveIsUnrequited So come give me a hug.]]"

--> '''Kent''': "[[Literature/{{Carrie}} You're not going to dump a bucket of pig's blood on ''my'' head.]]"

** In "The Mall":
--> '''Holly''': "Look at what they ''do'' have. The new Music/BritneySpears and the new Music/BackstreetBoys. But no Music/{{Eagles}}. What is this, [[TheNineties 1999]]?"
--> '''Kent''': "[[Music/{{Prince}} I sure don't feel like partying.]]"

** In "The Parents":
--> '''Mark''': "Holly's no gold digger."
--> '''Rod''': "[[Music/KanyeWest But she ain't messing with no broke--]]"
--> '''Holly''': "[[CurseCutShort I ''know'' I am.]]... [[NotWithThemForTheMoney But I don't care. And neither does Kent.]]"

** In "The Cross":
--> '''Holly''': "''Good news, everyone!''" ({{Beat}})
--> '''Jimmy''': "So just tell us already, [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Farnsworth.]]"

** In "The Birthday":
--> '''Kent''': "''Twenty-seven''?"
--> '''Holly''': "It's [[ArcNumber just a number]], Kent. Also, I think you might be reaching a bit here."
--> '''Kent''': "Yeah, I know but [[Music/WeirdAlYankovic Weird Al's]] my favorite artist, which makes ''that'' my favorite number, which means I'm going to notice it ''everywhere''."
--> '''Tom''': "[[Film/TheNumber23 Just be careful not to turn into a psychotic Jim Carrey when you do.]]"

--> '''Jimmy''': "Am I wrong?"
--> '''Rusty''': "No."
--> '''Jimmy''': "Am I wrong?"
--> '''Rusty''': "You're not wrong, Jimmy, you're just an ''asshole''."
--> '''Claire''': "I know you're both shamelessly competing for my affections, but I sure appreciate that you can work together to make [[Film/TheBigLebowski Big Lebowski]] references when you argue."

** In "The Treasure":
--> '''Samara''': "Hey, I get it. [[Film/FightClub First rule of cheating: you don't talk about cheating]]."
* ShoutOutThemeNaming: "The Charm" introduces both [[Literature/TheBible Adam Vegerano and Eve Rowland]]. Likewise, "The Counselor" introduces two different types of counselors: guidance counselor Sherry ''Lewis'' (mother of [[TheGhost Vanessa]]) and AmoralAttorney Rebecca ''Clark''.
* ShowWithinAShow: In addition to the several student plays featuring the heroes, there's also ''The Swanson Princess,'' a fictional Creator/DisneyChannel show watched fervently by Emily.
* SiblingTriangle: Scott ends up in a brief one between his girlfriend, Sloane, and her older sister, Nicole, after they engage in ThreeWaySex per [[MagnificentBastard Jimmy's]] suggestion. Besides the {{Squick}} factor both sisters admit to, it becomes worse when Jimmy's plan to sleep with a disgruntled Sloane afterward comes to fruition.
* SidetrackedByTheAnalogy: In "The Dance," while Samara, Jack, and Cameron are watching Stacey grind up against Adam:
--> '''Jack''': "WesternAnimation/VeggieTales, [[TheNicknamer Samara]]?"
--> '''Samara''': "[Adam's] last name is Vegerano. And right now, I'll bet he's got a great big banana just waiting to--"
--> '''Jack''': "Aren't bananas fruits?"
--> '''Samara''': "''I wasn't finished!''"
* SleepCute: [[spoiler:Kent and Claire have such a moment towards the end of the second season. Gina even photographs the two of them together expressly because they look so cute together.]]
* SleepsWithEveryoneButYou: Invoked. Kristen would gladly sleep with [[spoiler:Melanie]], but [[spoiler:Melanie]] won't go for it unless Kristen actually attempts to make it a monogamous relationship. Cue the CharacterDevelopment for Kristen.
* SomethingElseAlsoRises
* SorryImGay: [[spoiler:Jade says this to rebuff the advances of all the men that flirt with her. It [[MistakenForGay backfires]] when she ends up being asked out by [[LipstickLesbian Melanie]], and she has to clear things up during the date.]]
* SpellMyNameWithAThe: Jimmy, aka "The Big Bang."
* SpitTake
* StatusQuoIsGod: Lampshaded by Kent at the beginning of the third season.
* AStormIsComing
* SweetHomeAlabama: Mike spent his earliest years in Huntsville before his family moved to California; Cassie was much the same, except she came from Memphis, Tennessee.
* TakeThat: Creator/MichaelBay, Music/{{Nickelback}}, and Literature/{{Twilight}} are frequent targets, though fans of each exist in-universe with varying amounts of sympathy.
* [[spoiler:TeenPregnancy: Claire, who aborts Rusty's baby with Kent's financial assistance, and Sloane, who carries Rick's to term before Jimmy kills her. Also, Tina, who lies about [[TheCasanova Milo]] being the father.]]
* ThanksgivingEpisode: In the first season, Holly and Kent meet each others' families and Claire opens up to her own about her flawed relationship with Jimmy in "The Parents," set on this holiday. In the third season, [[spoiler: the Thomases and the Hummels spend the holiday together, following the earlier reveal that Kent and Lex share a half-sibling in Tyler due to Rod's infidelity years ago.]]
* TheirFirstTime: Jimmy and Claire consummate their relationship in "The Twist," with bad results. [[spoiler: Kent and Holly attempt to lose their virginity in "The Charm," but the consequences of Jimmy's revelations earlier prevent them from thinking clearly and they are unable to continue.]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Subverted. [[TheGhost Vanessa's]] mother Sherry is a counselor at the high school, to everyone with a last name starting with P through T - meaning Kent, Holly, and Samara are all among her assigned students.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Invoked in "The Renewal," when Jimmy and Cameron are discussing solutions to the latter's frustration with ex-girlfriend Samara:
--> '''Cameron''': "And you don't think [[MurderIsTheBestSolution this]] is ''overkill''?"
--> '''Jimmy''': "There's no such thing as overkill. There's just ''kill''."
--> '''Cameron''': "[[DisproportionateRetribution All she did was use me for sex!]]"
* ThirteenIsUnlucky: In "The Birthday," Tom remarks on the fact that Kent (December 14) and Holly's (December 27) births are separated by only thirteen days.
--> '''Kent''': "Since when are you [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness triskaidekaphobic]]?"
* AThreesomeIsHot: Subverted. We don't see it, but when Jimmy suggests this to Scott as a solution to his [[TheLoinsSleepTonight problem]], it ends up [[SiblingTriangle ruining]] Scott's relationship with Sloane (although it does fix the original problem). Of course, this was the plan from the start, enabling Jimmy to sleep with Sloane in the aftermath. After they break up, Samara and others invoke the idea that [[CursedWithAwesome we're supposed to feel sorry for him about this]].
** Played straight with [[TheCasanova Milo]], for whom this has happened on more than one occasion.
* TeenDrama
* TemptingFate
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Claire is the tomboy, Holly is the girly girl.
* TrueLoveIsBoring: Lampshaded by Claire in "The Performance":
--> '''Claire''': "The world can always use more happy couples."
--> '''Jimmy''': "So, how are Kent and Holly?"
--> '''Claire''': "They're happy, so, not much to tell."
* TurnOfTheMillennium: Set from fall 2007 (when Kent and Holly first meet) to summer 2010 (shortly before they head off to college).
* TwoGamersOnACouch: Rusty and Claire act this way in "The Distance," the twist being that they're both [[NakedPeopleAreFunny lacking in clothing]].
* TwoGirlsAndAGuy: Holly, Claire and Rusty.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Rick, Mike and Iris.
* TwoTeacherSchool: Averted.
* TWordEuphemism: Insisted by Kent when discussing with his classmates his father's use of [[CountryMatters a certain word]] in reference to Claire.
* [[UptownGirl Uptown Boy]]: Kent's relationships with Holly, [[spoiler:Jessie, and Claire.]]
* ValentinesDayEpisodes: One per season, starting with "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Valentine]]."
* VaporWear: Stacey in "The Renewal."
* VeryPunchableMan: Andrew in "The Renewal," who exists solely to have sex with Stacey before getting punched out by John. [[spoiler: Until he returns in a few later episodes.]]
--> '''Jimmy''': "Sweet, I get to punch somebody." ''(except he doesn't)''
* VillainTeamUp: Jimmy and Rod, starting in "The Charm," when the former comes to the latter based on a shared desire for revenge against Claire.
* VisitByDivorcedDad: Claire gets one in, naturally, "The Parents."
* VivaLasVegas: Lex's older sister Brooke attends UNLV and works as a stripper to pay her dues there.
* WaxingLyrical
* WhamEpisode: "The Charm," the mid-season finale of Autumn, in which, [[spoiler: after Claire finally tells Jimmy she loves him, he immediately rejects her and gloats about his affairs with three other girls, two of whom are at the dance that night with other dates. Shortly afterward, Jimmy begins his secret collaboration with Rod.]]
* [[spoiler: WhosYourDaddy: Sloane's baby is either Rick or Jimmy's, implied to be the former's. Likewise, Tina's is purportedly Milo's, but when a paternity test reveals he isn't, she finally confesses to the identity of the real father.]]
* WholePlotReference: One episode later in the series is a retelling of ''Film/TheHangover''; naturally, [[TheAlcoholic Stacey]] is involved.
* WorldOfSnark
* WrongNameOutburst: In "The Twist," Jimmy claims to the others that [[CallingYourOrgasms Claire shouted Kent's name instead of his in the moment]]; Claire insists she was just mumbling incoherently. Needless to say, this combined with [[ScarpiaUltimatum what instigated the sex]] helps to drive a wedge between them.