Kimberly prepares herself to meet the honor board for cheating at the Economics test. Ryan is fired from the Catullan, but Bela feels that she is done with the club's culture and decides to leave. Whitney struggles to find the courage to tell her affair with Dalton to her mother, who has come to Essex for a brief visit. Leighton feels guilty of her messy breakup with Alicia.
Tropes featured in this episode:
- Amicable Exes:
- Kimberly and Nico, eventually. Nico allows her to take the papers and exams from Theta as a way to make amends.
- Averted with Leighton and Alicia. While she isn't exactly mad, Alicia doesn't let Leighton into her room, and Leighton cries herself to sleep the night after.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Canaan to Senator Chase when he lies about having sex with her daughter.
- Bookends: There are a couple of nods towards the first episode.
- The girls once again have a Fashion-Shop Fashion Show at their dorm room.
- Both the first and last episode have scenes set at a Wild Teen Party held by Theta Pi Delta.
- Bela has a run-in with Eric on the college grounds. While in the first episode, their meeting ends awkwardly and sours her perception of the Catullan, this time they have a friendly chat about their future now that Bela has quit the Catullan, and it ends with them wishing luck to each other.
- Kimberly again finds Leighton sulking out on her bed. In the first episode, it's mostly to establish the latter's ego, because she's depressed that her old friends are dumping her, and ends with her shooing away Kimberly. In this episode, it's a character growth moment as Leighton realizes just how she screwed up the things with Alicia, and finally comes out about her sexual orientation to a friend, ending with her and Kimberly hugging.
- Cliffhanger: Kimberly is not expelled, but Essex cut her scholarship, meaning she has to pay her tuition if she wants to stay. Roll credits.
- Coming-Out Story: Leighton finally admits to Kimberly that she's a lesbian, who's surprised but completely accepting and comforts her over how difficult it was.
- Interrupted Intimacy: Senator Chase interrupts Canaan and Whitney having sex when she comes to inquire about Dalton's young mistress, initially not suspecting her own daughter.
- Parents as People: Whitney struggles to tell the truth about the sex scandal to her mom because she fears she will be castigated for it. When the truth is revealed, Mrs. Chase says that she blames herself for being so strict to Whitney that she thought she had to hide things from her own mother.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Bela decides to quit the Catullan because she can't stand the sexist attitudes that plague it. During the Anything But Clothes party later on, she learns that Evangeline and Jo have followed her out, as well.
- Secret-Keeper: Leighton comes out to Kimberly, but isn't ready to do the same to Bela and Whitney.
- Start My Own: Bela, Evangeline, and Jo decide to create a female-only comedy group following their exit from the Catullan.
- Taking You with Me: Kimberly plans to steal the exams and papers from Nico's fraternity so she can expose the cheating culture at Theta. She's surprised when he lets her do it, mainly to make amends regarding their breakup.
