Donna joins the C.U. News as a weather forecaster, incorporating fashion tips into her reports. She begins receiving anonymous, menacing phone calls. Clare sets up Kelly on a blind date with a guy who turns out to be a pompous windbag. Donna then tries to convince Kelly to go out with Evan Potter, a nice guy who operates the camera for the C.U. News. Kelly reluctantly agrees to a double date. Evan comforts Donna when her stalker leaves a threatening message on a videotape. While working late-night security detail as part of his probation, Steve has a run-in with the ""Phantom of C.U.,"" a homeless man who lives on campus and plays pranks on security guards. Steve catches the guy in the act and learns that he is C.U. senior Larry Lincoln. Larry lives in the basement of a school building and eats from the garbage because he cannot afford food or housing. Steve doesn't turn him in, and gives him money to get an apartment for the rest of the year.

Donna believes she has solved the mystery of her stalker's identity when she sees Garrett Slan, the man who tried to rape her, at the university. Donna's friends insist that she is mistaken, as Slan is in prison. Donna is cheered by a ""girls' night out"" with Kelly and Clare, until someone tries to run over her outside the After Dark. While sorting through her parents' unopened mail, Donna finds a notice that Slan has been released from prison. Brandon and Tracy spend the weekend at her family's ranch. Tracy is distracted by her horse, which has taken ill; and the presence of Sam, an ex-boyfriend who once asked her to marry him. Tracy rejects Sam's advances and has sex with Brandon in the barn. Steve and Dick team up to market T-shirts for sale at the After Dark's Super Bowl party.

Music: ""Knock on Wood"" by Eddie Floyd (#28, 1966); ""The Authority Song"" by John Cougar Mellencamp

Donna's request for a permanent restraining order against Slan is denied. He shows up in a classroom and tries to tell her something, but she runs out. David and Tom confront Slan, who claims that he was trying to warn Donna about her stalker. Donna discovers that someone has left a dead rat in her bedroom. Slan finally picks a fight with David at the Peach Pit After Dark so that the restraining order will be granted. He leaves town, but Donna receives more threatening phone calls. Kelly sets her sights on Tom. Valerie believes that Kelly is dating Tom to hurt her. Tracy accidentally tells Brandon that she loves him; he does not reciprocate. Brandon and Tom participate in a charity hockey game with NHL players. Brandon takes a cheap shot at Tom after watching Kelly kiss him before the game. Steve and Clare consider living together as they spend a weekend housesitting. David takes an interest in a young singer.

Music: ""Please Don't Go"" by KC and the Sunshine Band (#1, 1980)

Rusty, a technician at the TV station, quits in anger after the police question him about Donna. Evan admits his feelings for Donna and confesses that he is the stalker. When she tells Brandon and Tracy, he pulls a gun and holds the entire staff hostage. He holds Donna at gunpoint and forces Brandon and Tracy to put him on the air. He eventually lets the others leave, but Brandon refuses to leave Donna. Donna tricks Evan into putting his gun down by feigning an interest in him. She kisses him, then kicks the gun away as the SWAT team moves in to arrest him. Val threatens to fire Tom unless he stops seeing Kelly. She apologizes, but he quits anyway. Kelly claims that she is not acting out of spite. Steve and Clare try to keep their parents from dating, as they are afraid of being left behind. They finally apologize after realizing how selfishly they have acted.