Plot

Finding themselves blackmailed by Frank Buckley, Nick and Dylan set out to dig up a secret on him that is equally damning; Sarah throws a pool party for the neighborhood women, but social politics threaten to spoil it; at Gates Academy, neither Brett nor Charlie is willing to give up on winning Andie's affection; and Devon tries internet dating, but her motives are anything but romantic.—ABC Publicity

"The Gates" - "Digging the Dirt" - August 8, 2010

Nick has nightmares that Sarah is in danger from Dylan and Frank Buckley.

Sarah is planning a pool party and hopes everyone gets along. Nick comes down to head out to work and reassures Sarah he's fine and isn't having nightmare problems even though she knows he is.

Dylan tells Claire go to Sarah's party and get along with Karen.

In the wake of Frank's video bombshell, Nick has Dylan meet him at a clandestine location. Nick proposes they dig up dirt on Frank to level the playing field. Nick thinks the Gates developer, W.R. Harrison, who died under murky circumstances, was killed by Buckley. Nick wants Dylan to dig around with his vampire sources as well as the Gates board of trustees. At first Dylan is reluctant. But Nick points out if they don't find something on Frank, his threat is hanging over their heads. Dylan says he's in.

Andie calls Dr. Peg from school about the nasty side effects from the pills. The doctor keeps telling her to take them but Andie says she doesn't know if she can handle it. She takes them anyway. Charlie finds Andie in the hall and asks why she's avoiding him. She says he wouldn't understand. He asks her to try him. She says she can't.

Devon is scrolling through online dating profiles when Nick enters her shop. He says he has questions about Frank. Devon pulls out a photo album that includes pics of W.R. Harrison, the Gates developer, he was a father figure to her. She introduced Harrison to Frank. Harrison was a big rich dude and Frank just a poor up and coming schemer. Frank and Harrison had a falling out, maybe because he knew about Frank and Vanessa's affair. Then Harrison died, Frank got everything he wanted, and Devon was out. She suspected Frank was behind it but figured noone would listen to the ravings of a scorned woman.

Sarah's pool party is in full swing. Claire says she's "sensitive" to sun" and can't go in the water. Sarah doesn't think, with their fancy swimsuits, any of the women are going in.

Dylan has dug up info on Buckley. Turns out he's underpaid for his position and it's all very proper. The lion's share of the profits of the Gates go not to Buckley but to the Gates' Trust. Nick wonders if it's not about money but a crime of passion, Frank killing Harrison out of anger.

Andie gets an F on a paper and the teacher asks to see her. Brett asks after Andie. She's twitchy but says she's fine and tells him to leave her alone.

Karen offers Claire some venison at the party, "bloody rare" like she likes it. Claire retorts that Karen is in a rare mood and asks if it's a full moon. Everybody gossips about the two bickering. Sarah tries to get Claire and Karen to get along, saying Karen is a good person. Claire says she'll be cordial only. Devon shows up much to Claire's chagrin. She leaves after Devon splashes her.

Nick goes to visit the Gates CFO to ask more about Harrison's demise. The CFO says Harrison threatened to shut down the Gates over whatever his problem with Frank was. Then Harrison died. Nick asks after Harrison's records and wil frm that year.

Andie flushes her pills down the toilet.

Back at the pool party Devon is talking up online dating and tells Karen to give it a whirl. Sarah thinks the whole party was a mistake and wishes everyone would get along. Devon says she's sweet and tells her Nick came in asking after Frank. Sarah says he must have his reasons and that they don't talk about his work. Karen overhears this, from quite a distance, and comes over to offer venison. Devon snarks at her and Karen hip-checks her into the pool. Sarah is sad and annoyed.

Nick and Dylan chew over the Harrison will information, a codicil was added a week before he died and it traces to a company that they have arrived at. The enter the office, it's night, and it is abandoned, except for a video screen. It's a shell company. Dylan says he's done this before himself. Since vamps never age they constantly have to change their identities and set up fake businesses to hold on to the fortunes they amass. So now they wonder if Harrison is actually a vampire and isn't dead but funneling money to himself.

Devon corresponds with her online potential man "beastlyboy." Sarah enters the shop with Devon's bowl from the party. She and Sarah share a cup of Devon's secret tea. They apologize to each other about the party. Sarah says she's never going to understand the Gates. Devon asks about Nick's investigation into Frank. Sarah tries to beg off. But the tea must be some kind of truth serum because Sarah spills all the news. Devon drops her off and when Sarah thanks her for the tea she tells her "forget all about it." Karen sees Devon dropping off Sarah. Devon calls "beastlyboy," his name is Henry.

Brett confronts Andie again in the hallway about her strange behavior and Charlie comes to her defense. The two boys start fighting and Brett wins with his super wolf strength. Brett blames Andie for making him crazy. She goes to hug the injured Charlie and the embrace causes the spidery vein on her back to spread over her shoulder and Brett sees it. She runs off.

Devon and Henry move quickly, seeing as they're already in bed. He wonders how he got so lucky. She says she picked him because he's different and that he can show his "true self" to her.

Nick and Dylan go to dig up Harrison's grave. Dylan can't believe they don't need a court order or something. The coffin has a body in it, blowing their vampire theory. They do determine he died of blunt force trauma, not falling down the stairs.

Dylan heads back to a quiet house and Clair confronts him, saying she smelled him when he came in the door. He says he can explain, that he's protecting the family. He spills about the Buckley blackmail. He tells her about his and Nick's plan to get leverage on Frank Buckley. Clair can't believe Dylan wants to fight the man who welcomed them to the Gates with open arms. She says he might want to heed his own advice about consequences he's always giving her.

A girl approaches Charlie and compliments his shiner. He told Sarah he ran into a door. He confesses to the girl, Andie's friend, that he's confused. She tells him not to give up.

Nick calls Dylan and Dylan begs off. Frank Buckley overhears the call and says maybe Dylan is the rational one and Nick is the one making a mistake. Nick says he won't put up with blackmail. Buckley says it's not blackmail, it's an intervention and Nick needs to know he's got a good thing and to wise up. Nick accuses Buckley of killing Harrison. Buckley tearily denies such a thing. Nick says even if that's true he wonders why Buckley doesn't want to see justice for the murder of his friend. Buckley says he does. Nick says he'll do it.

Henry and Devon bathe and she says she's been looking for someone like him for a long time, especially since she's been hurt. Henry says he knows how to make problems, like people who hurt her, go away. She says he can help by something he can "give." She pours a green liquid into the tub and he convulses and she says what she needs from him are his eyes and then she pushes his head under the water, drowning him.

Clair comes home to an empty house and red roses from Christian, which she heaves to the floor. She calls Christian and leaves him a message saying it all has to stop. The doorbell rings and it's Karen, who enters unbidden. She sees the broken flower vase and asks what happened. Clair asks her to leave. Karen wonders why they act like this with each other. Clair tells her to leave. Karen says she can't, Sarah's in trouble from drinking Devon's tea and they have to help her.

Nick studies crime scene photos of Harrison's fall on the stairs. He realizes something.

Karen and Clair bring Sarah over and she's so happy that they're all getting along. Clair says the girls have a confession to make. They ask about how long she's been drinking Devon's tea. She says since she arrived at the Gates. They tell her that things that seem too good be to true usually are.

Nick goes back to the Gates CFO and continues to make him believe he's after Buckley but it seems pretty clear that the CFO did it.

Andie walks home through the woods and looks nervous. Brett finds her and says he finally understands her. He says he "gets" that what's going on with her is because she's "different" and he understands being "different." He shows her his wolf eyes and says he's not human either and that she's not alone and never has to feel alone again. She shows him her big crazy succubus back vein and starts explaining it to him.

The CFO goes to the shell company office and out in his car Nick has him on the surveillance video. Buckley enters and confronts the CFO. Nick scrambles to get inside and we hear a gunshot. The CFO has shot Buckley. The then dumps a bunch of lighter fluid on Buckley and the office. Before he can light it, Nick enters and tells him to freeze. The CFO realizes Nick set him up. Nick tells Buckley "you're welcome."

As the medics are taking Buckley away he tells Nick he realizes he could've let him die and he would've been free. Nick says he knows that. Buckley says if Nick wants to leave the Gates he won't try to stop him.

Vanessa comes to visit Nick at the station. She wants to convince Nick to stay in the Gates. She says he's afraid of the Gates because of vampires. But Sarah and Clair are friends and Dylan helped him so maybe they're not monsters. She says maybe the Gates isn't a trap but a calling and it's where he's meant to be.

We get a montage as she speaks of Clair getting some blood out of the fridge, Sarah tossing away Devon's tea, Andie taking a walk with Brett. Nick says if the Gates is so great, why all the secrets? Vanessa says Frank is trying to protect her with the Gates. She's a vampire too. Everything Frank has done at the Gates he's done out of love to protect her.

Sarah goes and gets the tea out of the trash and fires up the teapot.

Devon continues to put her crazy facial mask together. Now it has eyes, thanks to Henry. She cuts her hand and rubs her blood across an old-timey map.