“I’m not going to make any resolutions.  I’m just going to let the year surprise me.” –Jenna    

 

We find Jenna Hamilton (Ashley Rickards – or Sam, Brooke Davis’ first foster kid on One Tree Hill.) still blogging about her life (New post: New Year, New Jenna) and trying to come to terms with what we found out at the end of last season, that it was her mother, Lacey, who wrote her the heinous “care-frontation” letter.

Things are going well with Jake Rosati, they have been inseparable since the winter formal.  His Christmas gift to her arrived via email – an online official relationship status declaration.  She is nervous to accept his public request. On Christmas Day, Lacey gave her a diamond necklace with a card that said: This is who you are.”  Her father, embarrassingly, gave her a box of condoms.

It’s New Year’s Eve, Lacey is trying to get Jenna to talk to her.  Jenna has no interest.  Tamara is still infatuated with Ricky Schwartz.  As Jenna continues chronicling her life online, she is surprised when she gets an anonymous comment.  She quickly changes her blog’s status to private.

Jake, Jenna, Tamara, and Ming arrive at Matty McKibben’s (Beau Michoff – or Danny Bolen, Desperate Housewives.) New Year’s party where Matty and Jenna awkwardly (no pun intended) greet for the first time since the winter formal. Jenna confesses to Ming and Tamara that someone is reading her blog and made a comment.

Super Christian Lissa, Jake’s former girlfriend, is trying to repent for all of the horrible things she did to Jenna last year, and even though Jenna keeps telling her she forgives her, Lissa keeps coming back to apologize more.  Sadie Sexton, the class bully, is doing her own form of apologizing, by following Lissa around and telling her that she, Lissa, is forgiven for not helping Sadie sneak into the dance.  Lissa declares she no longer wants to be friends with Sadie, but Sadie is not taking no for an answer.

Matty and Jake talk about their winter breaks and Matty asks Jake if he and Jenna are together.  Jake says that they are not official yet.  Jenna gets a call on her cell phone from her wacky school counselor, Val, and while trying to get off the phone she runs into Matty in the garage. She takes this opportunity to ask for closure.  Matty admits to her that things aren’t closed and tells her that he wants another chance.  She tells him it is too late and she is with Jake now.  He responds that Jake said they were just hanging out, and that once Jake knows that he was with Jenna first, he will understand.  He asks Jenna to meet him at midnight.

Meanwhile, Jake is commiserating with Tamara and Ming about how Jenna has not accepted his online relationship request.  Tamara retorts that Ricky Schwartz has ignored her request for three months.  Jake tells her that she should ask him why, to which she answers that Ricky is spending NYE with his grandmother.  Jake has no choice but to point out that Ricky is across the room on the couch talking to a girl.

Fifteen minutes until midnight and Jenna realized that both Matty and Jake wanted an answer from her.  She escapes outside for some air and sees that Val is now at the party, crying in her car.  Jenna gets in and talks to her about getting stood up tonight, and as the story unravels, Jenna makes Val see that her past relationship is making her second guess the one she was in right now.  Jenna realizes this is true for herself too.

Jenna returns to the party where both Jake and Matty are waiting for her in different rooms.  Just like at the end of last season, it’s Jake who wins the kiss from Jenna.  (the countdown, the looking around the room, the anticipation of will they see each other at midnight, the confetti – all very Ryan / Marisssa The O.C. S01/Ep14, The Countdown, see comparison below.)

Matty is left to chatting with wicked Sadie as he continues to get drunk.  Sadie doesn’t want to talk about his thing with Jenna and admits to him that she has like him for months and she is glad he is finally feeling the rejection she has been feeling.  Matty kisses her.  They start to get it on, but Matty passes out mid- hook-up.

After the party, Jake and Jenna have a conversation about Jenna’s sexual past.  That she has one.  Jenna tells Jake that she was in love.  She gives Jake the chance out of the relationship, which he does not take.  Jenna accepts his online relationship request and turns her blog back to public status.  The episode ends with Jenna handing her mom a note on the same stationary her Lacey used, with one sentence: THIS IS WHO YOU ARE.

So what were everyone’s resolutions?

Tamara – This year, I’m not even going to say his name.  Ricky is dead to me. Shit, I just said Ricky.

Liz – This year, I’m going to let Jesus take the wheel, because I’m way too drunk to drive.

Clark – This year, I’m going to be on top, unless I am in a monogamous relationship.

Jake and Ryan even have the same shirt on:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not to be confused with Jake Ryan who prefers sweater vests.