Back at The Big House, Ryan eats cereal as Seth whines about where he was last night; Seth covered for him, but Ryan shouldn't be doing this! Ryan claims that he just feel asleep, but Seth heard about "some scary guy that showed up at school." As they talk, the kitchen is swarmed by a zillion black-clad caterers -- or possibly English graduate students. Ryan attempts to change the subject, and asks whether Seth talked to Anna. Seth tells him not to change the subject, and then pauses and mutters, "I'm powerless not to talk about it." He says he tried, and Anna gave him a list of reasons why she's leaving town. Ryan's all, "You didn't make the cut, did you?" Seth argues that she's lying, and says he just wants her to know that she shouldn't be doing this because of him. Ryan proposes that Seth just tell her, and Seth's all, "Just tell her, huh? Simple. Honest. Direct. No wonder I never considered it." Seth says he'll do it tonight, but only after he has some champagne first. He says, "A little veritas in vino. Know what I mean?" to which Ryan's all, "Hardly ever." Hee.

Theresa emerges from the shower to answer a knock at the door. And while a white plastic chip clip is an acceptable means of displaying her utter Chino-ness, a scrunchy would have been a better choice. It's Marissa and her bangs, which have miraculously returned. Marissa says, "There's a party tonight," and it's like I've been sucked back twenty-five years to a time when Blair was at once embarrassed by Cousin Geri and jealous of her popularity with the gang. Because it's as if the line has been voiced over, for no explicable reason, by Geri Jewell. Marissa adds that she thought Theresa might want to go, and Theresa laments that she didn't bring any of her nice clothes with her. Marissa suddenly produces a garment bag, raises it in the air, and wriggles it around in front of Theresa's face.

At the party, Caleb gets his twinkle lights after all. Sadly, they're hanging from trees as decoration, and not in the preferred location Kirsten would have liked to shove them. Sandy answers his cell phone and greets "Joel," telling him that now is a perfect time. Meanwhile, Caleb and Kirsten are having an uncomfortable photo shoot together; he tells her to smile, and she snits that she's smiling on the inside. She should be, because she looks fine in that dress. Grey is her color. Grey doesn't really sound like it would be anyone's color, but it works for Kelly Rowan. Seth watches his father pass by, and picks up a glass of champagne from a glass directly in Kirsten's line of sight, which shows either a really bad lapse of editing or the agitated mental state Seth is in to risk getting caught from Kirsten. Sandy, meanwhile, continues to weave through the party; in case we didn't get that he's talking to the lumber supplier/plaintiff in Uncle Sean's case, he pointedly calls him "Mr. McEwan." He announces that they've reached a deal, with which Caleb will be pleased, and also that people do what they must. That can't be good.