In just 13 episodes, The Carrie Diaries went through a whole school year. Now (finally), Carrie and her friends are graduating from Castlebury High. I've had just about enough of that place; we need to get to fabulous '80s Manhattan and fast. They run out of the halls of their high school in burgundy graduation robes, reflecting on how they "can't believe" all these things and they "really did it." There's no high like a graduation high.
They review their big plans: Carrie is going to start at Interview and live with Sebastian for a few weeks until she finds her own place. She's still not getting along with her dad. Walt is going to Pratt, also in the city. Mouse is going to Harvard, of course, while Maggie will be … 20 minutes away from her boyfriend Pete? Whatever. Whatever with Maggie.
After Mouse and West take pictures together as co-valedictorians, they awkwardly discuss their plans for the future. West is going to Princeton. They leave things on a stilted note. Things are equally unsettled between Carrie and Tom. Dorrit tells a very butthurt Tom to get over it but he won't. He tells Carrie she's ruining her future.
Carrie has packed up her room and eagerly awaits her future as a Working Girl. And she's ahead of her time, because that movie came out in 1988. She reads an article in the paper about Larissa and her plans for "the art world," and feels even better about working for her. She even says, "look at us, we're making it big in this crazy city," to Sebastian. Sebastian holds back a bit, saying passively that his life is leading him more toward California. Carrie says she figured and is hoping that they can take their trips together. She just doesn't get it.
Samantha, meanwhile, runs into that guy Elliot who is married but interested in her. He finds her at the racetrack because betting relaxes her. He says he needed to see her and Samantha reminds him that he's married. He says with Samantha sex is more than just a physical act and he has no explanation for it. She takes him in to bet on some horses.
Carrie arrives at work to a very shaken up office. A coworker advises her to keep her head down but she goes in and asks Larissa how she's doing anyway. Larissa announces that she's been fired. Her boss is mad that he wasn't mentioned in the newspaper article. Somehow, it is revealed that this means Carrie is fired, too.
Carrie goes immediately to the registrar at NYU to try to get back in, but the admissions guy tells her there's nothing she can do. I thought I knew how jobs and maybe colleges worked but clearly I have no idea because none of this is making sense to me. This crazy city! This guy advises Carrie to talk to the head of admissions to maybe get in for the Spring.
Samantha has sex with Elliot, who says he's in an open marriage but this is so much more than that for both of them. He tells her not to run away from him but Samantha says she'd prefer to take flight over fighting.
Maggie and Pete cherish their final three hours together before he has to get back on the bus. She wonders out loud at how they will be able to spend nights together because she'll be in a dorm at CCSU and she definitely can't stay in the barracks. He says not to worry about it because they have months to figure it out. He heads to the bathroom and Maggie searches for chapstick in his jacket pocket and finds a phone number for "Jess" on a napkin.
Carrie arrives back at Sebastian's apartment, crestfallen. She says she tried to call him but he didn't answer so she's just been wandering around hopelessly. Sebastian sees a silver lining and goes about suggesting they move to California together. He tries to sell her on the idea with "adventure" and "lots of material for your writing." Carrie is unsure.
It seems like her only option, though, so she and Samantha celebrate over Chinese food that she's going to Malibu. Samantha wants to go, too, a self-proclaimed nomad. Carrie hates moving and Samantha says it's because she holds on to too many things. She recommends being ready to run at any time. This is really about Elliot for her. She says she feels scared, excited, and vulnerable. Running and hiding also has an appeal for Carrie, who doesn't want to tell her dad she lost her job and is going to move.
Larissa and Harlan are out for a stroll, planning their wedding, when they run into Tom. Larissa lets it slip casually that she's not at Interview anymore and Tom is like, "huh?" And that's how he finds out Carrie lost her job.
Maggie meets Mouse, Donna, and Walt at the diner to discuss the ominous napkin. Donna thinks he's definitely cheating, Mouse suggests it could be a guy, which makes Maggie worry she's dating another gay guy and that's her thing. Walt assures her he doesn't get a gay vibe from Pete. Walt thinks Pete loves Maggie, but Donna thinks Maggie scared him off by being too clingy.
Tom shows up at Carrie's door with an angry look on his face. Carrie explains to him that she's decided to go to Malibu. Tom says he's done. He has no sympathy for her and won't support her. I'm not sure why he even bothered to visit. He says they can say their goodbyes after Larissa's wedding. Carrie finds herself walking over to Weaver's apartment to reach out to him in a really stunning outfit with a full, lace skirt.
Maggie decides to call Jess's number from the napkin rather than talking to Pete about it first. It is a woman's voice on the phone who says "don't be silly, of course I know Pete." When Walt asks her how well, she stutters and hangs up. The plot we don't care about thickens.
Back at the steps to Weaver's apartment building, Carrie shares that she's trying to imagine herself as Joan Didion, taking a break from the city to find the space to write. Weaver says he needs the crush of people to inspire him. Carrie admits she's worried because she's not good at change. She wants Weaver's honest opinion and can't talk to Sebastian about it because she doesn't want him to know she's having doubts. Weaver says she's talented wherever she is.
Dorrit and Tom eat waffles together for dinner and Dorrit tries to pick his brain a bit to get him to come around and be kinder to Carrie. Dorrit promised Carrie she'd be nice to their dad, but Tom is being "very difficult to love" right now. Tom admits that he thought he and Carrie had a deal and she broke his trust by going a different way. He's being a real old dog about it. Dorrit asks Tom why he expects Carrie to want the same things he does when he doesn't expect the same of her. Tom, ya burnt.
Mouse and West are given a valedictorian gift of nice encyclopedias, but it's only one set so they have to work out a compromise. Yikes. I guess Mouse had to do something in this episode.
Carrie and Sebastian finish packing up their apartment and get ready to go to Larissa's wedding. The apartment hasn't been rented out yet because Larissa hasn't decided to let go. Carrie is sad to be leaving the city. Sebastian tells her most of "our stuff" has arrived in California and Ollie is loving the beach. Run, girl, run! Carrie Bradshaw doesn't belong in California.
At Larissa and Harlan's wedding, which is at an airport terminal, Carrie and Sebastian meet up with Walt and Bennett. Bennett is wearing some traditional African costume, and tells them he's giving Larissa away and marrying them. He tells Carrie Larissa needs her to convince her to stop taking muscle relaxers. Tom greets Walt and Sebastian, and Walt excuses himself. Tom says it's not about any conflict between him and Sebastian, it's about Carrie. He's concerned that Carrie is just running away, not toward something.
Samantha runs into Elliot at the racetrack again and tells him to leave her alone and never come back. Elliot announces that he has left his wife for her, he told Sally that he's in love with Samantha. This whole situation is gratuitous. They kiss.
Harlan and Larissa exchange vows, sharing overly intimate details about their sex life. Larissa shares some thoughts on airports, pre-9/11 and pre-Love Actually. Her words about coming home strike both Carrie and Tom emotionally. Sebastian sees the doubt in Carrie's eyes.
Mouse and West argue over the encyclopedias, trying to split them evenly. A janitor asks them if they are still fighting and says they aren't acting like the best Castlebury has to offer. They agree that fighting over books is stupid. They agree that they're attracted to each other still and commence having sex on the encyclopedias.
Carrie approaches Sebastian after the ceremony and confirms what he already knew: she's not going to California. She says that even though there's nothing for her here, she has to stay and fight for her life. Sebastian agrees she needs to be in New York and not run away from her problems. He tells her he'll always love her and she cries into his lapel. Ah, first love. They say goodbye and it's the end for them.
Harlan tries to talk some sense into Tom, telling him at least Carrie isn't in rehab and opening up about being a lousy parent. He tells Tom to let Carrie know that she can run to him when things get rough. Tom steals Carrie for a dance and is kind to her for once. He says it's hard for him to believe that his daughter is all grown up and leaving. Carrie says she's not leaving after all, and explains her thinking to him. She says she's going to fight for the life that she wants in the city as a writer. She promises Tom she won't ask him for money and he won't have to worry about her. He assures her he will always worry about her because she's his daughter. It seems like things will be OK. Carrie winds up back in Larissa's giant apartment with just a suitcase and a piece of wall art. She opens up a typewriter, unaware of how insanely huge the apartment she gets to stay in is.
At the diner, Mouse and West agree that they don't want the encyclopedias and will donate them to the high school. They're glad that's how they'll say goodbye. At the Laundromat, Maggie frets with Pete, who is telling her how nice her soap smells. She snipes at him, then confronts him about Jess. As we might have guessed, Jess works at a jewelry store and the napkin was from her husband who Pete bunks with. He wrote it down so that Pete could "get something" for Maggie. Maggie demands to see the jewelry, still mad, and Pete gets down on one knee to propose. He says when you know you know, and Maggie doesn't really have many opportunities so she says yes.
Carrie calls Samantha and has her over to invite her to be her roommate because she can't afford the sublet on her own. They agree to live together and the whole gang meets up at a New York diner, where Carrie is waitressing, to toast cocktails only some of them can legally drink. But Carrie brought them the cocktails so I guess we know a place that doesn't card now!