Jackie is having a challenging season 3, and Cole’s decision made it worse. Honestly, it’s not entirely his fault. He may be the most popular guy in school, but he’s also the most insecure. Ever since he met Jackie, he’s been on the back foot, especially about his future.
He feels like a literal delinquent compared to Jackie’s achievements, and he'd rather see her hate him than risk her throwing her life away for romance. Once again, Cole has taken it upon himself to be the bad guy just so he can do right by Jackie.
Jackie encounters something eerie at her community space
By now, everyone in Silver Falls knows about Jackie and Cole’s breakup. That’s why Jackie shuts herself in the community space to focus all her energies on what matters most at the moment. Grace and Skylar accompany Jackie, but they're walking on eggshells when it comes to bringing up Cole.
However, Jackie assures them it's no big deal if they discuss Cole, but she’d rather do the job at hand than mope and waste her time. So, they put all their energies into painting when Jackie discovers a secret door at the back that leads them to a speakeasy.
Just then, the lights start to flicker, and Grace panics that they might have freed a ghost by opening the door. Jackie brushes her off and starts suggesting ideas for using the speakeasy for future activities. However, a Silver Falls resident later tells her that his grandfather used to tell him stories about the place and the rumored speakeasy.
The man tells Jackie there were rumors about gang members, jazz bands, and shootouts happening at the speakeasy, but they were always dismissed as old wives’ tales. Surprisingly, rather than scaring her out, the information only heightens Jackie’s excitement, but the same can’t be said for Grace.
She learns from the neighbor, who is supposed to be the president of the Silver Falls Historical Society, that there used to be a hostess named Rosalind who had a secret affair with a gangster named The Bug. They were supposed to meet at the speakeasy and flee to Vegas, but The Bug never showed up, and that broke Rosalind’s heart.
But what’s more interesting is that Rosalind also disappeared, rumored to be murdered by The Bug himself. This leads Grace to believe that the place is indeed haunted by Rosalind’s begrudged ghost. However, for obvious reasons, Jackie dismisses both Grace’s fears and the constantly flickering light by claiming it’s just old wiring.
Later, Elliot arrives to help out, but like everyone else, he’s also spooked about the lights, the broken window, and the eerie noises. Jackie also shuts him down, but Elliot feels as if there’s more to Jackie’s denial. Therefore, he inquires why she’s so adamant about believing that there isn’t a ghost in the speakeasy.
That’s when Jackie explains that when her parents and sister passed away, she sat alone in her apartment, wishing her deceased family would give her a sign. She waited a long time to feel or hear something; however, she got nothing but silence in return. That’s why she was reluctant to believe that a dead person’s spirit was haunting the place, because if it were true, then why wouldn’t her family respond to her?
Alex and Kiley get into an awkward situation
With all that’s been going on in his life, Alex finds some relief in the form of spending some quality time with his best friend. He and Kiley spend time together designing their game, but then Kiley points out that if he regrets it, Alex should get rid of the tattoo.
He agrees, and the two go to a tattoo parlor to laser off Alex’s 'H.' However, his session is interrupted when Kiley receives a call about her grandmother going missing. The two immediately head off to retrace her steps but are unable to locate her. Fortunately, Kiley’s grandmother comes back on her own, drunk, claiming she had wandered off to a bar on the eastside.
Kiley is relieved beyond words, but most of all, she feels extremely grateful to Alex for being there for her. It bugs her, and she even comes out and asks Alex why he keeps dropping everything to make her troubles go away.
The tension mounts as they gaze into each other’s eyes, and without a warning, they share a kiss. Then, inevitably, reality kicks in after a few seconds, and Alex apologizes for his impulsive behavior and leaves Kiley feeling guilty over breaking Dylan’s trust.
Cole slips back into old habits
We finally see, for the first time in season 3, the return of the typical Cole Walter. Although he got into UT and everyone couldn’t be prouder, he just can’t get over his blunder with Jackie. When word of his acceptance gets out, Dylan decides to throw a party in his honor.
Cole is reluctant at first to slip into old patterns of doing things halfway. He tries to focus on his studies, but everyone keeps trying to make him party, drink, or make out with them. He even refuses to street race when Dylan suggests taking the car out.
However, since he’s already in a fragile place, every little taunt and rumor feels like shrapnel to him. With every blunder, he keeps slipping closer to a classic Cole Walter meltdown. He even has a fight at a party with someone who accuses him of using Jackie to get into college and then breaking up with her when he was done.
Unfortunately, Grace's text asking him to help with the fuse box at the community center proves to be the last straw for him. Although he goes out of his way to help Jackie, she doesn’t appreciate his presence one bit. On the contrary, she ends up giving Cole the cold shoulder, inadvertently reminding him of the bad boy he used to be.
The confrontation throws him off, and as a classic Cole move, he rushes to do the most impulsive thing he can find. He agrees to a street race, but when they get there, Dylan realizes it's actually very dangerous and that Cole is doing it for all the wrong reasons. As usual, Cole doesn’t listen, and he drowns out the voice of reason with the screeching of the tires.
George and Katherine get a scare
In the quieter part of town, Katherine and George organize a scavenger hunt for the kids, but all the excitement ends up taking a toll on George, and he almost collapses. He secretly arranges a visit to the doctor, and they suggest he get a second opinion to rule out the danger of a mini-stroke.
When Katherine finds out, she becomes upset with George for hiding things from her. Although he gets the all-clear from the doctor, he feels guilty for worrying Katherine and explains how he doesn’t want his illness to be their new reality.
Katherine assures George that they have to have each other’s backs if they want to avoid hurting each other. A partnership works both ways, and it's better for her if she knows exactly what’s going on than to be shocked just like she was when George had his first stroke. The two share a sweet moment together, but it only feels like the calm before the storm.
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