GG S1 E5 Hope Sinks
The episode opens at a different school, and a student is being stared down by everyone he comes across. He’s shoved by another student, and rather than intervene, a teacher snaps photos to send to GG. The two students are having a go at it when a gun flies out of one of their backpacks, rightfully scaring the hell out of everyone in the vicinity. Speaking of having a go at it, Max and Rafa are in his office with the door WIDE open and are having a little romp. These two are really playing with fire! Outside of Constance, Julien has blown off her squad to sit with Zoya and Monet is appalled. Their table has been carefully selected. They can’t just sit anywhere! But she and Luna eventually plop down with Zoya, Julien, and Audrey to make plans for Halloween. (FYI, I told you this last week, but I bought a fall candle and am already planning my and my hairstylist’s Halloween displays. Let’s just say things have escalated. BRING ON FALL!). Jules wants to third wheel on Zobie’s Halloween plans, but upon hearing about the Hulaween party, she resigns to hanging out with her friends. They inform her that she also has to attend that party because the theme is “New York Legends” and if she considers herself one, she better be there. There’s a callback to the original GG when Luna describes the girls that won the year before, Pippa and Bianca, saying they’re too busy screwing each other’s boyfriends and pushing each other into fountains to have what Julien has. Sound like anyone you know?
LOLLLLLLL
The party has a costume contest, and the winner will be featured in some major online publications. This is a good opportunity for Zoya and Julien to prove they really are friendly. Zobie don’t have a couple’s costume yet, and this isn’t exactly surprising. She doesn’t seem like the type to be super into Halloween, and Obie definitely doesn’t. Audrey, who already has her and Aki’s costumes meticulously planned out, discusses their relationship with Julien. Without Max around, things seem fine? Obie walks up and shows the girls the most recent GG post about the firearm at the school of Julien’s main costume competitors, and while everyone is horrified, Julien’s like “wait you’re back on Instagram?” to Obie. NOW IS NOT THE TIME, JULIEN. The girls double down that she can’t let those other girls take the pity vote — she has to win. Obie doesn’t wanna dress up, but I bet if Zoya bats her eyelashes at him 0.08 times he’d do it. Max shows up and pulls a manipulative “you guys have been avoiding me” in order to deflect from his obvious absence. Surely no one knows what he’s been up to — or who — but they’re bound to at the rate he’s going. Julien mentions hitting up Dumbo Hall later and apparently not everyone is invited. Maybe Max is being iced out of the group for making them worry about his whereabouts. But he was having a hard time and dealing with it privately. Julien had a hard time and put her sister’s worst moment on blast for the entire school at her own freaking birthday party. IMO, that is way worse! Most of the group gets up from the table, leaving Max, Audrey, and Aki to themselves. Max is frustrated that they’re being so standoffish, and again throws out that he and Audrey slept together. Not sure if this is to make Audrey flustered or to rub it in Aki’s face. He says they can “rest easy now” and Aki’s trying to decipher the meaning. Max saunters away and as Rafa passes, he turns abruptly and follows him. Even if you don’t know they’re hooking up, this seems pretty obvious, right? Aki asks Audrey if she thinks Rafa is the one occupying Max’s time. But Audrey doesn’t care what he’s doing as long as he’s leaving them alone.
In the teacher’s lounge, the news is on and they’re discussing the gun scare GG reported on. The news anchor mentions Gossip Girl and what role sites like it can play in these events. Ms. Keller is having a real crisis of conscience because the student that brought the gun to school had been targeted in GG posts. She’s concerned that she created a platform for students to be bullied, and this is the obvious end result. Wendy and Jordan explain away that it was just a coincidence, and they actually helped the police identify the student, so aren’t they really heroes? (NO.) Keller doesn’t know if she feels comfortable with this anymore, and they sass her that because she’s finally decided to take her writing seriously, that she doesn’t want to do GG anymore. But she fears she’s opened Pandora’s Box, and what was supposed to just be a little experiment has now taken on the city of Manhattan. The consequences are more severe than she imagined, which is interesting considering she def got her friend fired a few episodes ago, but ok. Wendy and Jordan immediately get defensive. If Kate is overwhelmed, they can pick up the slack. But she insists that isn’t the issue. She thinks they should take a break, and they tell her this isn’t just her thing anymore. They have a say, too. Kate leaves the room, and if she’s the control freak I think she is, she’s changing the GG login on the way out the door, but we’ll see. Wendy calls Kate a dictator and this all feels very iffy.
At cross country practice, the guys are discussing Obie’s relationship woes with Zoya — if you can even call it a relationship. They hang out and eat dinner together, but nothing has been defined. He’s noticed a pattern shift from when they first met, and he isn’t sure what the deal is. Aki suggests that he’s just not used to not having any outside interference (AKA Julien and her minions), so maybe things being normal is actually weird? I’m sorry, do guys actually talk like this?
On the city bus, Zoya is bumped into by a teenager named Simon who’s being awfully inquisitive. He shows her his flip phone that he has “in case of emergencies” and it’s really interesting the transition that’s occurred — he’s so disconnected from the outside world (AKA Gossip Girl), and that’s how Zoya used to be…before this school and its social media obsessed students rotted her brain!!! He tells her he attends the school that had the gun scare on a scholarship, and that the kids that are aware of this can use that info to their advantage to flaunt their privilege (sound familiar???). He’s not surprised this has happened, commenting that Gossip Girl basically poured gasoline on a lit match and here we all are. He asks why she reads Gossip Girl, and she says she’s just doing what everyone else does. This is such a bummer! She used to be so independent, and this conversation proves she still isn’t back to her old self. He tells her she now knows one person who doesn’t buy into the noise. If everyone quit paying attention to GG, she would cease to exist. But these kids crave status, attention, popularity. There’s no way they can have that while ignoring her.
At Audrey’s house, her mom is making her dinner and even I know this is weird. Audrey tells her she’s not hungry but she’ll eat later. She’s gotta get ready for Dumbo Hall. Kiki drops a bomb on her that they have to sell their place and move back to her hometown because they are Broke with a capital B and Audrey is furious. She refuses to give up her life for her mom’s misfortunes. Audrey calls her mom selfish, which is interesting as she’s about as self-obsessed as they come, and she storms out of the kitchen.
The vibe at Dumbo Hall is definitely off. Audrey is lamenting her frustrations about a possible move and the end of her life as she knows it to her privileged group of friends that cannot relate whatsoever because they’ve literally never been without in their entire lives. Aki tries to rationalize with Audrey, but she freaks out about him “both sides”ing her. Obie is there, which is weird because he hates Dumbo Hall. Julien vents that no one seems to believe her relationship with Zoya is legitimate, and Monet and Luna insist it’s because she’s gone soft. If she wants people to listen to her, she has to remind them of the person they listened to in the first place. Uh oh. Already don’t like where this is going! Aki has been looking around — for Max, I’m assuming — this entire time. He doesn’t show. But Zoya does, and greets Obie with an awkward hug. They sit down next to Julien and he starts talking to Zoya about deforestation and it reminds me of when I’m home visiting my dad and he starts talking to me about which motors are good for pressure washers first thing in the morning and I’m just staring blankly like ????? She’s also looking around the room, maybe for this new guy? Although he doesn’t seem like the Dumbo Hall type. She starts to tell Obie about Simon. Obie puts his arm around her, and she brushes him off. She doesn’t want to do PDA in front of her sister/his ex. He can tell she’s distracted and ends the conversation. Aki pulls my signature move which is saying you have to pee so you can have a freaking moment to yourself and I don’t blame him one bit because WOW this is all so strange. Audrey asks Zoya how she convinced her dad to move to New York, and she explains that aside from the better educational opportunities, her dad grew up in the city. All she had to do was remind him of the parts he loved about it. Audrey excitedly hops back over to the other couch and gets on her phone. Simon walks in the door in a camouflage jacket. Is he trying to go undetected? Zoya gets up to grab a tea/potential new boyfriend. Aki is on his phone calling Max. I knew it! Except he’s calling his home phone, and Gideon AKA “Fancy Dad” answers. They tell Aki that they assumed Max had been staying with him to avoid witnessing the family’s unraveling.
Giving the soap opera performance of a lifetime, AMIRIGHT?
They also tell Aki that Max’s dad moved out, which is way too much personal information to unload on a teenager. My parents went through multiple divorces, and I can’t imagine them telling any of my friends about them lol. Gideon tells a very sympathetic Aki that if he talks to Max, his dad has moved out and he’s safe to return back. Interesting that they don’t share that information with him directly? Don’t they care where their kid is? Zoya approaches Simon and says she didn’t expect to see him there. I thought she was about to follow it with “because you’re poor” but I guess her wretched “friends” haven’t rubbed off on her that much, thank god! He says he was meeting his cousin who exclusively hangs out at members-only establishments, and they bond over the fact that their family members are a bunch of well off, disconnected from reality as- I’ll just stop right there. He asks if he can give Zoya his number, and after some persuading she agrees. Audrey and Aki reconvene with the others on the couch and she's telling them about her grand plan to stay in Manhattan but no one cares. All eyes are on Zoya and the mystery guy. She eventually rejoins the group and talk resumes of couples Halloween costumes. Obie is confused why Zoya doesn't want to couple up with him, but she reminds him that he wasn’t into dressing up and if they still end up together at the end of this episode I will not understand. This is the third episode in a row where they’ve been off, and there are only 5 episodes so far lol. Pippa and Bianca, the popular girls from the school with the gun scare, show up and don’t exactly get a warm reception from the group. Actually, to the shock of literally everyone, it is Zoya who puts them in their place. Even Monet looks impressed!
Zoya’s picked up a few tricks since ditching Buffalo! The girls minus Audrey trot off to the bar where Zoya looks pretty comfortable, and a post comes through from GG that sends Obie reeling. Photos of Z with Simon are on blast to the whole city, and Aki thinks he should be worried.
Also surprised? Ms. Keller, who did not author the post. She asked the others to hit the pause button, but they’re hurtling on full steam ahead without her. Control Freak Kate is LOSING IT and video chats Jordan immediately so he can feel her visceral rage.
UH OHHHHH. Can’t say I didn’t see this coming! The other teachers don’t follow her command and very much want to keep the account active. There are too many good tips not to! Zoya’s dad calls and interrupts the video chat, and completely caught off guard (again), she forgets to mute the conversation with Jordan. Mr. Lott asks Keller to take more of a role in Zoya’s life by means of after school tutoring/being her future step mom? (JK please god no). Jordan slaps his forehead, bites his nails, and waves his arms throughout the convo before Keller remembers that he’s there and ends the chat. She agrees and Jordan is thrilled she’s got a connection to the inside.
The next day at school, Aki is keeping an eye on Max and cockblocks his AM rendezvous with Rafa. He initially states that it could ruin Rafa’s career — which someone as self-centered as Max hardly cares about — but then appeals to him that something like this could follow him around forever. Max says Aki is bothered because now that he’s left him alone, maybe he realizes that he doesn’t want him to and threatens him with retaliation if he doesn’t keep his secret. Max walks away and Rafa is eyeing Aki, likely because he realized Max didn’t follow him and is wondering what’s going on. Although, I’m guessing he has an idea now
🙊🙊🙊🙊🙊
In the courtyard, Zoya is sitting with Julien, Monet, and Luna trying to come up with a prize-worthy couples’ Halloween costume, and Simon comes up in conversation. Luna snatched Zoya’s phone and has tracked him down on Instagram, but his profile is private. Sad! Julien asks about Obie, and Zoya just doesn’t seem into him anymore, which she quickly proves when she spots him heading towards their table and basically runs away. He asks Jules what’s going on, and other than the mystery boy’s name, she gives him nothing. Frustrated, he gets up and makes a phone call asking for a favor.
Audrey is home trying to pull off a stunt to prevent her mother from ruining both of their lives forever when Aki calls. He was supposed to be there to assist her, but he’s on a mission of his own: preventing Max from destroying his life. Kiki and Max are really on a collision course these days. Aki follows Rafa to a gay bar, and things do NOT go very well. Aki tries to ask Rafa to stay away from Max. Initially, Rafa denies their relationship, but after Aki threatens to expose them in a Gossip Girl post, Rafa flips the switch on Aki and says he’ll get him expelled from school if he tries to pull anything. BIG YIKES. I don’t really think Rafa would actually be able to pull off saying he had to recruit Max to get Aki to leave him alone. Surely there’s a process for these sort of incidents? But he exclaims, “Hey, man, don’t touch me!” in the bar and people turn around who he claims would all be witnesses to Aki’s “misconduct.” He tells Aki to leave the adults to make their own decisions, but Max isn’t an adult! He’s 17, and while that is the age of consent, he’s legally considered a minor. Also, Rafa definitely can’t be in a relationship with a student.
Back at Audrey’s apartment, she’s putting the finishing touches on her mom’s surprise dinner party when the doorbell rings and I panic because I expect my dog’s to freak out but I have headphones in for once thank GOD. At first, I was worried Kiki might not actually be friends with these people, but she says they’ve just lost touch. Audrey is here to help them rediscover their friendship and hopefully her mother’s will to keep them homed in the city and not in a cornfield in Connecticut or something.
Ms. Keller and Zoya are rounding out their first tutoring session, and Keller shares that she’s been distracting herself by focusing on another project that she’s good at (ruining teenagers’ lives across Manhattan) and teaching instead of pushing through the insecurities of pursuing a career as a writer. Zoya says she could use some of her fearlessness and divulges that the call she ignored was from a boy she met that is more similar to her than Obie. Kate encourages her to return the call and probably tiptoes after her down the hallway. Idk, the scene changes. As much as I hate that they’ll likely break up, I get it. She was attracted to Obie because he was kind of the only nice guy in her world. But now that the newness has worn off, the reality is he used to be Julien’s. Everything in Zoya’s life is Julien’s, and she wants something separate. Something that is uniquely hers. It makes sense.
Back at Audrey’s apartment, dinner has ended and just as soon as Kiki shuts the door on her last guest, she is lighting into Audrey. She’s furious Audrey would put her through the torture of explaining her failed marriage/clothing line/life to her former friends for hours on end. In Audrey’s defense — yes, it was a selfish move, but it was also thoughtful. Kiki clearly needs a friend. And a shower. Audrey threatens to call her dad and alert him that Kiki is putting the apartment on the market. Kiki fires back and eventually drops an F bomb at her own daughter. This is bad bad bad.
The tutoring session is over, and Mr. Lott is walking Ms. Keller out. He’s excited about her submission to The Paris Review and says he would love to read it. She says, “I’m honestly just hoping they can tell me if I have a shred of talent or if I’m a crazy person for thinking that I do.” This is probably the most relatable thing her character has said thus far. Maybe because I live in a city that thrives on creative talent, but I’m just saying I get it! Mr. Lott says…
This isn’t sexual at all BUT IT FEELS LIKE IT. Anyways this nice piano music starts playing and I’m like nonononononono please don’t let them be in a relationship and then he puts his email in her phone and invites her over to hand out candy and I’m like NONONONONONONO. He hands back her phone and before she can respond, she starts receiving alerts about a GG post involving Zoya and Simon that she did not approve. Panicking, she makes up a lie about a “grading incident” and bolts out of the door.
Obie gets the notification of the post and is visibly upset, although he’s not been very proactive the multiple opportunities he’s had today to have a DTR with Zoya, so I’m not sure how bad I feel? Also, why is he always alone at home? Where the hell are his parents?
In Julien’s closet that is the size of my bedroom *cries in poor* Luna is whipping up the girls’ Hulaween ensembles when the GG post comes through. Monet tells Julien to like the post to signal her support. Jules is on the fence, but once she gives in, the post is gone. We see Ms. Keller tell the other teachers if they don't stop, she will make them. She temporarily deactivates the account. If she had just changed the password earlier, we wouldn’t be in this mess!!! Will he respond the way every other teenager has in this episode and threaten to ruin Kate’s life if she doesn’t let them share in the triumph of social warfare against their pupils? Also, if he and Wendy are able to login and post to GG from their phones, wouldn’t they have the login info for GG to be able to reactivate the account??
The gang is outside the Hulaween party waiting to enter, and Obie shows up in a non-approved costume. He decided to do things his way and dress as Frank Sinatra instead of Jay-Z. Let’s be real, he would not make a convincing Jay-Z for SEVERAL reasons. Upon entering the venue, the girls realize that everyone is in the exact same costume as Zoya and Julien (which is essentially social suicide for a bunch of teenagers). Pippa and Bianca (who honestly sound like monsters based on their names) waltz over dressed as GG’s legendary icons, Blair and Serena (THEY COULD NEVER) and claim that they killed Gossip Girl. Julien is nearly hyperventilating as Luna rushes the girls out of there before anyone else can see them. This is a code red!!!!! Billy Porter performs a dazzling cover of “I Put a Spell on You.” and gah, no one does Halloween like New York. I did an internship program in the city for one of my fall semesters of college, and a girl in our group got us smuggled into the Perez Hilton Halloween party which was a pretty big deal at the time until we later realized he ruined a lot of peoples’ lives and was actually kind of a jerk. Whoops.
Audrey is complaining to Aki about how she doesn’t know what to do because she doesn’t want to leave New York, and Aki doesn’t acknowledge anything she’s saying and tells her he’ll be right back. He approaches Max and tells him that Rafa is a bad guy. Audrey watches on, hurt that her boyfriend is more concerned with protecting Max instead of her. Max tells Aki that Rafa has no one, and he wants to fill that void. He walks off and Audrey, who’s been waiting rather impatiently this whole time, gets frustrated and storms off to find the others. In a random unoccupied room, Julien switches the game plan up and tells Obie she needs his clothes. Audrey goes on a rant that she might have to give up her life in the city, and no one acknowledges her. She grabs a bottle of wine that she begins drinking from the bottle (UH OH) and disappears. Luna rushes Julien and Zoya over to crash Pippa and Bianca’s photo op dressed as Dan and Chuck, and we get this:
IT ISN’T THE SAME 😩
Here, this will whet your palate. Yes, I watched it several times.
Unfhgasdkjf;lasdjf 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵
Luna, who I’m not hating as a blonde, appears to be going soft because she thinks Julien and Zoya are cute and Monet’s just pissed she can’t add Julien winning a costume contest to her resume. Zoya spots Simon and can’t get to him fast enough. She says GG posted a pic of the two of them together and it broke the site. She’s toast. Simon, who had no prior knowledge of the photo and doesn’t appear bothered by it, wonders why Zoya talks about Gossip Girl incessantly if she’s not that interested in her. Nearby, Obie watches on as Aki asks him if he knows random things about Rafa. He’s obsessed with finding dirt on him so he can prove to Max he isn’t who he think he is. But Max isn't exactly squeaky clean, so I don’t think this is going to accomplish much. He messages Rafa that he’s a liar. This feels very…juvenile.
At a bar…somewhere…Jordan has asked Ms. Keller to meet him there to discuss the future of Gossip Girl and he’s acting so hyped up, I honestly think he’s on drugs or something. But apparently, the only drug he’s on is the truth because he spills his guts and tells Kate that he has feelings for her. She hits him with this classic:
Guys, I’m gonna do you a solid. if you hear this, run. It’s about to get bad LOL. Jordan doesn’t want Gossip Girl to be over. He thinks it’s forced good conversations, and he insists its existence is of vital importance. She says she’s going to a friend’s house to hand out candy, and he offers to tag along but she declines. Also, he says he comes to that bar every single night, and is he okay because WOOF. Aki approaches Max and Rafa who are in public together for the first time, and they aren’t even trying to play it safe! Aki shows Max some photos of Rafa with his family, Rafa explains it away, and they both leave Aki solo in that god awful wig.
Luna learns that Monet actually sold the girls out on their Halloween costumes, and Julien is (the only one) in shock. Monet will do whatever it takes to succeed, and Julien doesn’t consider herself to be that kind of person anymore. But Monet refuses to grow with her after all of the hours she’s put into building up Julien’s brand. So she goes elsewhere…to Pippa and Bianca. Luna stays put and Julien wishes Monet the best. I hope this isn’t their way of getting rid of Monet’s character because I think she’s an amazing actress! She’s just difficult to watch sometimes because she is so good at being so mean haha. You kind of expect Julien to blow up in this moment, but she doesn’t. Our girl’s growing up! She and Luna go off in search of Audrey, who has been a little neglected during the evening’s festivities.
Obie approaches a woman who is NELLY YUKI!!! If you’re new here, she’s a cast member from the original series. Apparently she was the woman Obie contacted because he escorts her to Zoya, who he claims is a big fan of the magazine (I was like ????). They approach Zoya and Simon, who, after flipping the script and asking if she’s Gossip Girl, attempts to usher her outside for some fresh air. I thought he was trying to keep her away from Obie, but apparently Simon isn’t who he says he is. He’s actually a researcher for New York Magazine AND Nelly’s employee. She doesn’t look too pleased.
Max is at the bar when a guy dressed as someone I don’t recognize because I’m old apparently basically tells him that he knows he’s with Rafa. Max denies it, but the guy’s like, “I know those freckles, I used to trace them with my tongue” and I BLUSHED LOLOLOL. Do people say things like this????? Anyways, the guy tells Max that Rafa is into school-age boys, and if Rafa takes him to his parents’ house — the family that apparently hates him — Max will know he’s in. Despite his mouth being sewn shut, Max isn’t one to hold his tongue, so you know he is about to snap.
Back across the bar, Nelly is pissed that Simon is impersonating a student. Simon claims he had a hunch Zoya was GG, and he was trying to get to the bottom of it. Zoya asks how Obie knew, and he says his family is founding members of Dumbo Hall (the place he hates so much), and the front desk told him that Simon was there to see a someone from Conde Nast. Obie contacted him, and he discovered Simon’s real name and ulterior motives. Poor Zoya is deflated. Finally, the one time she isn’t caught in one of her sister’s traps, and then some stranger lays one out for her. Nelly is annoyed with Simon for potentially ruining his reputation over a story, annoyed with Obie for using her to get his “girlfriend” back, and yeah she’s probably never going to pop up on this show again lol. I’m kind of impressed. I didn’t think Obie had it in him! But also, he put in an awful lot of effort when he could have just had a discussion with Zoya to figure out her intentions. Don’t tell me he’s becoming one of “those” kids, too! Obie and Zoya have a fight and a Phoebe Bridgers song starts playing which is a major clue that this relationship is OVER.
Aki finds Audrey, and she is wasted. We haven’t seen much of her this evening, so she’s likely been drinking her sorrows away. She relates to her mom because she feels abandoned by the people that matter to her most, and it sucks.
If this series doesn’t end with him going to college to become a therapist I will lose it.
Audrey’s mom calls, and she answers and immediately begins apologizing. But it isn’t her mom, it’s a doctor from the emergency room, and it is not looking good.
Max and Rafa are having a private conversation where he admits that he only lied about his parents go get Max to talk to his dad. And yes, he’s hooked up with students previously, but they were all of age. Upon realizing that he’s a participant in a fantasy he no longer wants to be wrapped up in, he is disenchanted. His friends are at the end of the hall, obviously in distress. Rafa tries to tell Max that they don’t care about him like he does, but Max hurries off after them and leaves Rafa solo.
Mr. Lott is handing out candy, and of course he’s dressed as a hippie. Ms. Keller is probably there dressed as another cliche costume. I’m guessing flapper? Idk. Okay she isn’t actually in costume. Also, literally everyone tie-dyed shirts in quarantine. I’m sure Mr. Lott would’ve had a matching one for her to wear, even though I would have super hated that. He tells her he loved her piece, and really lays on the google eyes. She says she wonders if what she’s been doing is more impactful than writing, and he says, “teaching?” and she’s like “oh yeah, that!” *EYEROLL* She excuses herself to the restroom and I’m just grateful she isn’t making out with Zoya’s dad. She begins crafting another GG post that starts with something like “if you thought I was gone, you’re wrong” and I feel like this is the 2nd or 3rd time she’s pulled this already. It’s like stay or go — PICK ONE. She says that she’s turning off comments because her voice is the only voice that matters, and she’s trying to force her viewers to have necessary conversations. Jordan reads on with approval. The gang is huddled together hugging in the hospital waiting room. Max exits the elevator and Audrey waves him over. They accept him into the fold. Keller receives an email that her submission has been rejected by The Paris Review, and we’ll never know if her writing career would’ve taken off because she’ll probably give up and devote her life to this nonsense. She asks Zoya’s dad if he wants to go to a nearby diner. Julien discovers that all of GG’s previous posts have been deleted, and Max wonders if this means a clean slate for her and them. Obie, who’s never much cared for social media, says he “hopes so.” The doctor approaches and I thought he was going to say Kiki kicked the bucket, but she’s ok! She does, however, have a long road to recovery. Audrey looks back towards the group (who has absolutely zero reaction) and then to the doctor. She says she isn’t going anywhere, and I wonder if this is a metaphor for not leaving New York or if she’s showing support for her mom. I guess it could be both? And that’s the end of the episode!
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
This kind of felt like a filler episode. But those are necessary to build up to the more dynamic episodes, which, from the looks of the preview, might be as early as next week!
FAVORITE MOMENT
All of the sweet sister moments between Zoya and Julien.
FAVORITE OUTFIT
Obsessed with Nelly Yuki’s Hulaween party outfit. That rainbow fuzzy coat is LIFE.
BEST LINE
When Zoya goes off on Pippa and Bianca. Audrey’s face is incredible.
FAVORITE CAST MEMBER
Simon. He played his part really well, and I almost joked earlier that he’s one of the few characters that actually looks the age of a high school student, and then he was supposed to be in his 20s! I’m bummed they didn’t drag his story out into a few more episodes.
FUN FACT
We’re officially halfway through the season!
BIGGEST QUESTION
What will become of Monet and Luna now that Monet’s given up on managing Julien’s brand? Will they remain friends? Will she coerce Luna to play for the other team? Would Julien be furious? Okay, that was several questions.
BIGGEST BUMMER
THE WRITERS for escalating Rafa and Max’s relationship. I know, I know. I got suckered into the excitement of it all because their chemistry was just electric, but in reality, the student/teacher relationship trope is overplayed (any “Pretty Little Liars” fans in the house??). And, because Rafa is a gay man, hooking up with his student fuels a harmful stereotype that members of the LGBTQ community shouldn’t hold leadership positions because they will “prey on” children. That is absolutely false, and for all the “wokeness” the characters project, this seems like a miss. If they built this scenario up until it was Max’s last week of school or something, I would feel differently. But especially with the knowledge that students are his “type”…All I have to say is this aint it.
PREDICTIONS
I predicted this a few episodes ago, but Zoya’s dad and Ms. Keller start hanging out more, but they try to do it behind Zoya’s back so as not to upset her. Jordan finds out, and he isn’t happy about it. Rafa doesn’t want to let Max go so easily. Zobie break up for real? They’ve been hinting at it multiple episodes. Audrey has to live with her dad and her stepmom while her mom gets her health/life sorted out.
