Jamie said the right thing to Lisa.
Felicia and Wallingford squabbled. Wally suggested they keep an eye on Cass a little. Cass appeared and started in drinking very sociably. He said it brought back memories of the Northwoods Inn. (Felicia: Was that the one we caught on fire or the one we blew up? Cass: Yes.) A letter fell out of his pocket. He said "oh, no" when he read it.
Amanda has determination. She has a plan which will probably unsettle Mac. Her parents opposed her. Amanda proposed she get a job at Cory like a normal person, without trading on the Cory name. Rachel liked it. Then Amanda made it plain she did not intend to go to college.
The letter was a vast sum of money from the insurance. Everyone was too high-minded to bring filthy lucre into Kathleen's death. Wally spoke against airplanes.
Lisa was enchantingly shy, I suppose. She threatened a flannel nightgown when he teased her. Jamie took her pulse and diagnosed love. She went to change. Jamie put "The Rose" on the stereo.
Amanda and Rachel quarreled. Amanda sees herself as the future of Cory publishing, and thinks experience is worth more than a college education. Amanda threatened to get a job at another publishing company for her experience. She offered to be disowned if she was not to be allowed to live her life as she sees fit. Rachel has a thing about the Cory image (I don't see how it applies).
Cass appeared to see Chad and take an instant dislike to him. (I suppose MJ is with Chad, because Cass asked Wally if he had had anything to do with MJ's cancelling the wedding (Adam cancelled it, but same concept) and it's not normal to leap to that kind of conclusion. Of course, in a city where paternity can be proved photographically . . . ) Wally told him to ask her. Chad lured MJ over to the piano and played. Cass approached MJ and chatted nicely. MJ sang ("when I'm alone with only dreams of you that won't come true what'll I do?") She fled abruptly. Cass went after her, having prevented Chad.
Jamie toasted Lisa. She asked him to make love to her. From the silence, one concludes he obliged. He loves and she loves.
Amanda asked Rachel for room to fail. Rachel told her she could fail at college. Amanda said she wouldn't, she'd just go on and on getting straight A's. (I thought college was supposed to come as a shock to people like her.) She can't go because she thinks about publishing all the time. She would rather work with people who have attained the goals to which those in college aspire than waste time with people who are still aspiring. I don't approve and neither does Rachel. Amanda accused her of wanting her to go to college to meet an acceptable man and marry him and define herself through him as Rachel does with Mac. (We totally neglected to mention that Rachel is a serious sculptor under her own name.) There was a nice little feminist statement that Amanda would not accept that, but I don't think going to college is synonymous with living your life through your husband. (Can you tell Amanda rubs me the wrong way? Can you tell her performance is REALLY BAD here?) Amanda made to walk out on Rachel. Rachel told her she [Amanda] owed her [Rachel] an apology.
Cass and MJ brooded on a pier or something. He said perhaps he should have left her alone with Chad, who was obviously crazy about her. She denied it. He asked if Chad had caused the rift with Adam and she said it was all her. He backed off. She said she should accept more blame for the things wrong in her life. He pretty much said he had her best interests at heart and comforted her. He dropped his letter again. She picked it up. He offered her the money. She told him to forget it. They talked about the McKinnons' first dog, Jeremy. Kathleen used to play hide-and-seek with him and it upset him dreadfully to think he'd lost her. One time he found her on the other side of a fence and smashed into a closed gate at full tilt. She revived him with prayer. Cass burst into tears and sobbed because he'd let Kathleen down. She was as trusting as Jeremy and HE DIDN'T OPEN THE GATE.
Amanda apologised. She told Rachel she didn't doubt that she loved Mac but for her a beggar was as good as a king. Rachel said she thought the kind of man she'd meet in college would be more compatible and asked her nicely to attend. Amanda refused. Rachel refused to approve. Amanda left. Mac came back, proudly paternal. Rachel feels Amanda disapproves of her.
Cass returned to Chad, having taken MJ home. He made threatening noises. Chad left. Cass offered Wally the Kathleen money and insisted he take it. Cass left. Wally noticed that Cass had signed his middle name Jeremy. He shrugged, neglected to mention Cadwallader, and went home. Felicia and Mitch chatted and went home.
Mac told Rachel they couldn't force Amanda to go to college, but figures Amanda will come around. Mac told Rachel Amanda was talking through her hat about the men dependence. Rachel is very independent. (He brought up the art, too.)
Jamie chuckled. Silence. Lisa told him she'd never felt this close to anyone. He gave her something to open. A music box? Another right thing.