Ryan shows up at the beach, and shows all the dumb water polo players how to put the wooden horse's head on his neck, not his ass, while Marissa looks all gooey-eyed and full of admiration.

Later on, at the Pep Rally (or the Land of Teenage Pagan Rituals, as I like to call it), the cheerleaders are doing their war dance as Marissa and Ryan look proudly on their anatomically-correct horse. Then Alex shows up with two henchmen. They proceed to shove Ryan, with Marissa looking on in horror, urging them to stop, but her screams stop not just the bullies, but the cheerleaders, too. Once they cheerleaders are back to stomping and screaming, Alex and Marissa go off to talk, while Ryan quips that he likes one of the guy's wrist cuffs. Hee.

MARISSA: You want to tell me what the hell is going on?
ALEX: I just want to talk.
MARISSA: You want to talk?! Why don't you tell me why you brought two skeezy ex-cons to my school bonfire?
ALEX: I'm sorry if I interrupted your bonfire! It just seems that's all you ever do lately!
MARISSA: Well I didn't realize moving in with you meant giving up my life!
ALEX: I didn't ask you to give up your life! All I ever wanted was to be apart of it!
MARISSA: Well this (points to the horse) is my life, okay?! That's it. So what do you think?
ALEX: (they sit down) I think..this is your life. And I don't fit in. Pep rallies, cheerleaders... boys.
MARISSA: Nothing happened with Ryan.
ALEX: (tearful) Yeah, not yet, but what do you give it, a week? A month?
MARISSA: (also tearful) I really wanted this to work between us. (Alex nods) Look, I'm sorry if I hurt you.
ALEX: (smiling) I'm sorry, that I brought two skeezy ex-cons to your bonfire. (Marissa laughs)

Marissa asks Alex what she's going to do now, and she says that she might move back home, go back to school--apparently it looks nice, from a distance. Alex looks like she's about to cry, while Marissa has already allowed tears to flow freely down her cheeks. They stare at each other intently, and then get up and hug. Alex lets her face slip when she hugs Marissa, and a wave of emotion swamps her features, as she looks to be on the verge of violent sobs. Marissa looks equally as upset, yet it is Olivia Wilde's painful expression and almost-nuzzling of Mischa Barton's shoulder that really carries the scene, and nearly makes you forget all of the crap in the rest of the episode.

As they break apart, Alex puts up a front, and jokingly tells Marissa she's going to miss the human pyramid. They laugh, and walk back to Ryan, who is still keeping the bodyguards at by, and Alex apologizes to him, saying "it was never about you" (to which he graciously says "I know"). As Alex turns around to leave, Marissa smiles morosely, and Alex gives her a kind, knowing smile, and leaves.

Seth and Summer arrive in time to see Ryan with his arm around Marissa, lighting the fire, and then they all leave.

Next Week on the OC: Alex is gone, so there are no more recaps from me--that is, unless you are interested in Ryan's brother Trey, or Caleb beating up Lance with his own special henchmen. (please don't be interested, in either.)

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