As a class project, David and Clare plan to film a documentary about an eclectic group of roommates. When the subjects back out, David and Clare decide to impersonate them, with help from Steve, Donna, Kelly and Brandon. A number of incidents cause the group to break character. Steve becomes depressed after learning that Celeste is engaged (not to the high school sweetheart she chose over Steve, but to an airman she just met). David consoles Donna, who is still traumatized by the rape attempt, and they end up kissing. Clare witnesses this on a monitor and responds by making a pass at Steve. Kelly gets drunk from spiked watermelon. She finds out that Jackie and Mel are moving in together and launches into a tirade about cheating men. This prompts the group to conduct a discussion about lost loves, in which David admits that he still loves Donna. David and Clare get into a spat while editing the video and decide to break up. Andrea and Jesse briefly share bliss. She tries to confess her

Ray is unhappy that David has come to Portland. David panics when he discovers that his mother was fired, no longer lives at her last known address, and hasn't cashed her alimony checks for months. He turns to Donna for help, and Ray behaves like a total jerk. David and Donna cannot find Sheila at any of her favorite hangouts and learn that she was recently arrested. Donna misses Ray's concert; he explodes and shoves her against a wall in their hotel room. He later feels guilty and loans David his truck. Mel flies in from Los Angeles and tells David that Sheila has a long history of mental illness. They receive a tip that she is living on the streets and take her to the hospital. David realizes that Donna is happy with Ray and decides to back off. Dylan explores hypnotherapy in the hopes of understanding the main character in Charley's script. Valerie gets a tattoo.

Music: ""Fever"" by Peggy Lee (#8, 1958); ""Why"" and ""The Comfort of Strangers,"" performed by Jamie Walters

Steve and David organize a hip-hop night at the club to boost the sagging gate receipts. David asks Willie's nephew Juwan, a talented DJ, to join him onstage. Steve backs out of the event because he is nervous about Juwan's criminal record (as if he should be one to pass judgment). Valerie tries to dodge a grimy Australian metal band that claims to have been booked. Although his tour is ending, Ray is unsure about returning to Los Angeles. Valerie goes to Reno to re-hire him, and claims to have changed her ways. While Val is gone, the Aussies crash the hip-hop night and trash the After Dark. Juwan and his friends are prepared to fight them, but decide to keep their cool. David and Clare get back together. Dylan allows Molly to hypnotize him and regresses to a past life as a hobo.

Music: ""It's Your Thing"" by the Isley Brothers (#2, 1969); ""Here and Now"" by Letters to Cleo; ""1-2-Threz,"" per

While under hyponsis, Dylan recalls a past life as a gunslinger in the Wild West. He recognizes Kelly as the woman who convinced him to change his ways and become a family man. He later helped rescue a past love from hanging and was gunned down by the son of one of his victims. Dylan concludes that Kelly is his soulmate. He shows up on her doorstep when she returns from a trip to New York, and they share a passionate kiss. Brandon seeks re-election and is virtually unopposed. When the board of education mandates a tuition hike, Brandon is criticized for failing to look out for the students' interests. Alex Diaz runs for president as a write-in candidate and wins easily. Valerie concludes that Brandon is her perfect guy. Jim fears that his job is in jeopardy when his bosses hold meetings behind his back. Jesse is offered a teaching job at the Yale School of Law, but will only accept if Andrea's scholarship is reinstated.

Music: ""I Know"" by Dionne Farris