The events of this episode take place on June 26th, 1993, 1994, and 1995.
The Wallises organize their yearly garden party.
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In 1993, Kate and her mother Joy run into Cindy and Jeanette at step class. Cindy offers to spend some time together, which Joy refuses. During the family's preparations for the party, Kate hears her stepfather Rod talk on the phone with an ex of his and thinks he might be cheating on her mother.
The party starts. Martin is among the guests, while Jamie, Ben, and Jeanette's brother Derek work as waiters. Ben pops into a local convenience store where Jeanette, Mallory, and Vince are buying balloons to throw at the guests as a prank, and strikes up a friendly conversation with them, advising them to use shaving cream instead. At the party, after angering Joy with her suspicions, Kate follows Rod as he slips away with his ex, only to find out he is merely planning a surprise cruise with Joy. When she tries talking to Joy again, she coldly rebuffs her. After Joy makes a speech welcoming Martin to Skylin, Jeanette and her friends attack the party with balloons before running away on their bikes, though in a hurry, Mallory and Jeanette accidentally switch bikes. Jeanette locks eyes with Kate, who is slipping away from the party with a bottle of champagne in hand, for a moment before riding off.
Upset with her mother, Kate gets drunk on champagne by herself and is found by their gardener Scott Jones, who returns her home. Later, while going down for a glass of water, she sees that her mother has an affair with Scott. She runs away from the house and is found by Martin.
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In 1994, Kate, fresh off her rescue, is overcome with apathy, upset with Jamie and unable to relate to Renée and Tennille, incredulous that all of them would replace her with Jeanette, as well as angry with her mother for something she said before her disappearance and unwilling to talk to the police. Ben asks Jamie to talk to Jeanette. Later, Kate sees a message from Ben on Jamie's pager setting up his meeting with Jeanette, but doesn't tell him.
Derek comes to the party to work as a waiter, but gets kicked out. Kate stays in her room, at her computer, where she finds a chatroom for kidnapping victims. Later, Jamie meets up with Jeanette, who claims her innocence, blaming Kate's accusations on her trauma, while Kate herself watches the conversation from afar. Jamie and Jeanette kiss, prompting Kate to run to the police station, where she formally accuses Jeanette of failing to report on her whereabouts, presenting Jeanette's necklace as evidence of her having been at Martin's.
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In 1995, Kate became grungy and rebellious. She also stopped going to therapy, preferring one-on-one chats with the chat user "Berenice4", to whom she admits she might've not be completely honest about the story of her kidnapping. Ben is getting deposed by Jeanette's lawyer where they refer to something bad having happened to him a year ago, for which Jeanette would be indirectly responsible. Later, the news report on Jeanette's impending lawsuit against Kate for defamation.
Tropes Used:
- Chekhov's Gun: Kate seeing Jeanette ride away on Mallory's bike plays an important part in the finale.
- Gilligan Cut: In 1994, Kate claims to not have known Martin at all. Cut to 1993, where he introduces himself to her.
- Rube Goldberg Device: Ben compares the chain of events leading to a yet-undisclosed incident to a Rube Goldberg device, which Jeanette apparently started.
- Southern Belle: Joy Wallis fits the bill.
