Steve arrives in Albuquerque and tracks down his grandfather, a diner owner. Al explains that his daughter gave up Steve because she was very young and wanted him to have a good home. He sadly reveals that Karen died in a car accident. Steve leaves flowers at her grave, and convinces an eccentric Santa-like charter pilot to fly him home for Christmas. Cindy is depressed about her first Christmas in Beverly Hills. She invites the kids' friends and their families for Christmas Eve dinner, but everyone has other plans. Brandon visits Emily in a psychiatric hospital, where she is doing very well. Brenda begins work at an upscale clothing store. She feels bad when her boss throws out a cheerful old man dressed as Santa Claus. She stops the police from harassing him and invites him over for dinner. Dylan goes to see his father in prison, and talks with the same Santa. Jackie is furious when Mel backs out of Christmas Eve plans because his estranged wife asked him to come over with David. Sam

Brenda and Donna have difficulty adjusting to life in France. Donna constantly complains about missing David, and Brenda soon begins to long for Dylan. They accidentally order brains at a restaurant, and Donna later spends an entire party eating pastries because she can't carry on a conversation in French. Andrea's boyfriend invites her to join him at the Republican Convention in Houston, where he is working for CNN. Brandon becomes jealous and kisses Andrea in an attempt to dissuade her from leaving. An outraged Andrea observes that Brandon is only interested in her because she has a boyfriend. Andrea decides to skip the convention because she is enjoying her work at the camp--especially with Cameron, a deaf boy whom she helped bring out of his shell. Jack goes up for parole, and asks Dylan to write a letter on his behalf. He reluctantly does this, but Jack's parole request is denied. Dylan and Kelly begin to flirt rather obviously.

Brenda, Donna, Kelly, Steve and David prepare to take the SAT. Brenda constantly argues with Kelly, and also gets into hot water with her parents when they learn that she has been smoking since the Paris trip. Beth Nielson, a young producer from the tabloid show Back Story, seeks Brenda's help in putting together a story about Beverly Hills teens. The piece is intended to correct misconceptions, but Beth's boss deems it boring. She re-edits the story in a way that makes it seem that Brenda insulted and spilled dirt about all her friends. Everyone stops talking to Brenda, but Beth (who has quit her job in a crisis of conscience) comes to her defense. Brandon is hesitant to ask out Nikki because she is just a sophomore. She gets on his nerves by following him everywhere, but they eventually kiss. Dylan decides to bypass the SAT to visit his father in prison. Jack warns Dylan to make provisions for his future, and convinces him to take the test at a nearby high school. A West Beverly grad

Brandon finds Jack Canner (the homeless vet he met at the beach club) rummaging through the dumpster behind the Peach Pit. He takes him home for Thanksgiving dinner, but Canner runs afoul of Jim, who accuses him of shirking his family responsibilities and hiding behind the flag. Brandon explains to Canner that Jim's father was a Marine; the two never spoke again after Jim refused to go to Vietnam. Canner helps repair a leaky roof, and Jim apologizes and urges him to reach out to his son. Jack McKay gets a furlough and spends Thanksgiving with Dylan. Jack insists on spending time with his girlfriend and gets on Dylan's case about dropping out. Jack's girlfriend, Christine, convinces Dylan to give his father another chance. Dylan returns to West Beverly and greets a surprised Brenda and Kelly with kisses. Steve and Samantha appear on a television show about celebrities, and Steve tells her on-camera that he has been expelled. Samantha stands up for Steve and gets his punishment reduced t

Jack is released from prison. He encourages Dylan to invite all his friends to a party, but only Kelly shows up. Dylan tells Kelly that he has chosen her over Brenda, and they kiss in the hotel pool. Dylan and Kelly take Brenda for a walk to inform her of Dylan's decision, and reveal their summer fling. She screams that she will never speak to them again. The financially destitute Jack wants to dissolve Dylan's trust so that he can have access to the money. Dylan goes along with it to show faith in his father. Jim fears that Jack is taking advantage of Dylan. Mel moves out of the Taylor house. David fears that he will no longer be a part of Erin's life, but Jackie invites him to stay with Kelly and her. Nat forgets to place a winning bet for Brandon; in lieu of cash, Brandon asks for his bookie's phone number.

Music: ""Come Go With Me"" by the Dell-Vikings (#4, 1957); ""The Right

Iris flies in from Hawaii, and Dylan and Jack try to soften her up to convince her to approve the dissolution of the trust. She is leery of Jack's motives, but elects not to stand in their way. Jack makes a clandestine phone call and promises someone that he will get the money. Brenda mopes around in her room and discards all mementos of Dylan. A visit from Iris convinces her to get past her pain, and she talks to Kelly at school. Steve helps David get a meeting with a record company. The record company executive threatens to call off the deal unless David fires Steve, and he agrees. Andrea is hesitant to attend a tea for future Yale students.

Music: ""Losing My Religion"" by R.E.M.; ""Kansas City"" by Wilbert Harrison (#1, 1959); ""Action Speaks Louder Than Words"" by Tara Kemp (from the 90210 soundtrack); ""So You Want to Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star"" by

Jack and Dylan begin living on a yacht, where they are constantly kept under surveillance. Jim does not want to dissolve the trust, but finally gives his approval so that Dylan can have a new life with his father. Christine accepts Jack's marriage proposal. Dylan and Kelly sleep together. Jack tries to confess something to Dylan, but a man interrupts them and warns Jack that he is breaking their deal. A bomb is attached to Jack's car during the night. Dylan receives a phone call from Kelly just as he is about to move the car, so Jack agrees to do it. As Dylan hangs up, he turns to see the car explode. Jackie tells Kelly and David that she has to sell the house. She receives an offer, but decides to hold out for a while.

Music: ""All the Way to Heaven"" by Jody Watley; ""Tutti Frutti"" by Little Richard (#17, 1956); ""Take Me Out to the Ballg

At graduation, the friends reminisce about their high-school days and look ahead to college.

Dylan experiences a number of bizarre dreams as he fights for his life. He has recurring nightmares about trying to save Erica from a speeding train as Suzanne, Kevin and his dealer attempt to kill him. A medical student takes a special interest in Dylan's condition; she describes the nightmares as a battle for his soul. Dylan takes a turn for the worse, but recovers following an inspiring conversation with his father. He awakes with his mother at his bedside. Steve and Brandon lead the KEG house team in a flag football tournament. They are distracted by news of Dylan's accident, and Steve bristles when his father appoints himself the unofficial coach. Steve makes a bid to take over the Peach Pit After Dark.

Music: ""Doctor My Eyes"" by Jackson Browne (#8, 1972); ""Spirits in the Material World"" by The Police (#11, 1982)

During news coverage of an emergency landing at a Los Angeles airport, Dylan and Steve observe that one of the passengers looks exactly like Dylan's late father. Dylan, with some prompting from conspiracy theorist Steve, becomes convinced that his father is still alive. He grows even more suspicious after discovering that the storage locker with Jack's belongings has been ransacked. He goes to see Christine Pettit at the FBI and demands some answers. She agrees to investigate, but insists that the whole thing is just a coincidence. Although she urges Dylan to let it go, Kelly obtains a passenger list from the airline. Dylan notices that one of the passengers is named Eddie Waitkus. He explains to Steve that Waitkus was the real-life inspiration for ""The Natural,"" a story that was a favorite of baseball fanatics Dylan and Jack. Waitkus disappeared, only to suddenly resurface several years later. Dylan emphatically declares that Jack is alive.

Kelly and Matt help Dylan search for his father. They learn that Eddie Waitkus lives in Tolleson, Arizona; and Kelly obtains his address. Dylan sees that Jack has a happy life with a wife and young son, and decides not to approach him. Jack shows up at Dylan's hotel room. Donna insists on looking after Noah as he recovers from his injuries. Noah tries to rekindle their relationship, but Donna has moved on. Camille becomes jealous of the closeness between David and Donna. Although David and Donna try to establish some boundaries, neither seems very happy about it. Steve's brother Ryan comes to visit for spring break. He is a pre-med major at Amherst. Ryan goes drinking at clubs with Steve every night, lies around like a pig all day, and mouths off to Janet. Janet opines that Ryan is trying to live up to Steve's reputation. Ryan reveals that he wound up on academic probation because of his constant partying, and dropped out of school. Kelly starts her own public relations firm.

Dylan orders his father to leave. He is angry with Kelly for going against his wishes by contacting Jack. Dylan storms out of another meeting with his father after learning that Jack told his wife everything else about his past without mentioning Dylan's existence. Jack decides to leave the Witness Protection program and move his family to Los Angeles. They believe that his testimony is long forgotten and that private security can protect them. Christine warns Dylan that two of Jack's enemies have discovered that he is alive and are planning on revenge. Dylan convinces Jack to stay in the program, and cannot bring himself to leave with him. A New York radio station offers David a job. David turns down the offer because he doesn't want to leave Donna. Kelly suspects that Donna is jealous of Camille. Donna denies this, but later confesses to Kelly that she is still in love with David. Steve becomes concerned when Noah gives Ryan a job at the After Dark.