Laguna Beach fans, I'll confess, there was one burning question that bothered me throughout the episode. How many times Nick would suck up to Cameron? Nah, too easy. How the 'popular' crowd would react to Tessa's date with one of their own? No, but it did relate to Tessa's new man. Why does Derek look like he's 40?
Phew. With that out of the way, we can get down to business. This week's show started out with Tessa's narrative recounting the break up of bad liar Kyndra and uhhhh, Tyler. She also mentions that she's pumped for her date with one of the popular kids, Derek. She and BGF (Best Guy Friend) Chase talk about said date and rockstar Chase gives his blessing.
Tessa thanks him and says she's glad she has his approval, telling him it means a lot to her. Chase confesses that in the past, a few of the guys she has had crushes on were 'duds.' I've got to assume he's talking about Cameron, and if so, way to call it like it is, Chase! Every girl deserves a BGF who would do the same.
Jessica and her friend Emily meet up and we get another taste of the Laguna Beach lifestyle. Emily asks, "How was Europe?" and gets such a measly response; you would have thought she had asked Jessica how her trip to the mall was. Jessica glossed over Europe, saying it was fun, and concentrated on Cameron's hookup with Kyndra. Go figure, word travels fast in Laguna Beach…Jessica tells Emily she is having dinner with Cameron that evening to talk about it and rattles off a string of insults towards Kyndra, saying she creates drama in her life to raise her self esteem.
Meanwhile, Cameron and Nick hang out. Cameron tells his buddy that Jessica wants to talk, and complains about how she's always suspicious that he has cheated. Nick points out that Jessica has a right to worry, because Cameron is a 'mac daddy.'
Elsewhere, Tessa gets ready for her date with Derek. Rocky assists with her makeup and soothes her as Tessa stresses. Derek the 40 year old picks her up and they head off in search of sushi. Derek takes her to a place he frequents, and they are seated. The pair starts talking about their friends, and Derek observes Tessa does not hang around with his female friends, who include Kyndra and Cami. Tessa tells him about how they basically ditched her after her illness, and Derek asks the question we've all been dying to know: "What happened with that?"
The answer is disappointingly boring, but I'm convinced there's more to it than that. A vague description of an allergic reaction that put Tessa in the hospital for three weeks just can't be the thing MTV has been holding out on us for nine weeks. Or can it? Either way, when Derek hears about how the girls abandoned poor, sick, Tessa, he tells her that she's a strong girl.
Cameron and Jessica also go out to dinner. Jessica keeps bringing up Cameron's fidelity, and Cameron doesn't fight the accusations, professing that he's been completely honest. Then he tells Jessica she always needs to be in a fight, and she insists that it's not fun for her. But Cameron totally calls her out, saying "Let's flirt about the girls I hook up with." Jessica, of course, denies it, but Cameron tells her she always starts fights and then talks in her flirty voice. After talking in her flirty voice for a while, Jessica gives up, saying "We're over it!"
Tessa and Derek continue to eat their sushi. Tess gushes over it, and Derek asks when they are going to come back. Tessa says soon, and thanks him for taking her out. He tells her the night is not over yet and invites her back to his place.
At Cameron's house, Nick wants the 411 on the Jessica situation. Cameron says he just doesn't feel the way he used to and wants her to meet other people. Nick agrees, saying Cameron doesn't want to lead her on. (Question: what has he been doing the entire season, then?)
Jessica also discusses the relationship with her friend Dianni. She talks about how Cameron isn't in love with her anymore, and says they're meeting at the park. "Everything always happens at the park," observes Dianni wryly.
Tessa and Rocky walk the beach and talk about Tessa's date. She says she likes him, and Rocky is excited for her best friend.
Kyndra and Cami contemplate the possibility of Tessa and Rocky hanging out with the boys they think they own (seriously, check out a recap from earlier on this season-they actually said that). They laugh it off and decide Tessa and Derek will never happen.
Derek is hosting a barbeque, but Tessa is late. The girls (Kyndra, Cami, & crew) make it clear they do not approve. The second she joins the group, Kyndra says, "This is boring," and Cami tries to be funny, saying "We come, we eat, we conquer." The guys tease them as they rudely exit, barely acknowledging Tessa. The guys turn their attention to her, but their interactions are awkward. Fortunately, Rocky gets there too, and at least Tessa has someone to talk to. They tell Tessa she looks super uncomfortable and make 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' jokes. Then they leave the girls alone, and Rocky tells Tessa it was their loss. She asks if Tessa is okay, and Tessa says she doesn't like being with Derek's friends, because she knows they "rag on him for having a girlfriend who's, like…weird." Rocky assures her she has nothing to worry about, and tells her, "This is the beginning of a huge adventure…"
Somehow, I doubt that, if only because of the episode's ominous title, "First Date, Last Date."
Still, I'll be tuning in next week to catch more Laguna Beach Season 3, where it looks like trouble in paradise for Rocky and her boyfriend Alex!
Elyse is a senior at Case Western Reserve University. This summer, she is working in psychology labs and continuing to feed her
massive pop culture addiction. In her spare time, Elyse enjoys reading, acting, and swimming, and would probably spontaneously
combust if she were not able to check her email every seven minutes or so. Speaking of which, you can e-mail her at ElyseM@RealityTVCalendar.com
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