Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys
Cal and Derek are discussing Derek’s new job, which is going great. However, they quickly realize that their relationship is not as perfect as they thought it would be. They start to argue about everything and eventually break up.
Despite his affection for Derek, Cal ends up hooking up with a girl called Marsha. Derek also gets a girl of his own, leading to the four getting along like a house on fire.
The thing is, the relationship these two have together is palpable and as they head out together to a bar one night, their dancing beautifully paves way for hugging and a kiss.
Cal and his partner have been struggling for some time now, with the lyrics to the song in the background hinting at what’s to come. The couple embraces as they know that their relationship will eventually be torn apart. ..
After Cal learns that Marsha is pregnant, he feels immense sadness and pain. He hangs up the phone and starts crying uncontrollably. ..
In the past, we open our timeline with Rue dancing about her room and the house. Gia is actually sitting on her laptop in the living room and sees her. Realizing she’s high, Gia calls her out for it and the pair inevitably fight.
The thing is, this is all a ruse. The reason she’s been taking drugs less is because she’s been using weed instead. This has convinced her classmates that her drug use has stopped, when in reality it’s just shifted to another form. ..
Jules begins to doubt that Elliot has truly been interested in being friends with him since the beginning. He is interrogated by the police and seems to be more interested in extracting information from him than anything else. Jules begins to believe that Elliot may have something more on his mind, and may not be just a friend after all.
Lexie’s backstory is being explored more in this episode. She was frozen during the Fezco and Cal situation because she’s an observer and has been doing it all her life. In order to get her feelings down, she’s taken to writing.
Cassie is a character who puts a lot of effort into getting ready for school every day. She tries her best to grab Nate’s attention, but she eventually does. Cassie is wearing the same outfit as Maddy, which makes her stand out from the other students.
The next day, Lexie’s writing manifests itself into a play of Oklahoma, which everyone believes Cassie is auditioning for, given her outfit.
The girls in the bathroom are discussing Cassie, and one of them says something that leaves the other three women in the bathroom staring at her. The girl says she’s in love with Nate Jacobs, but she doesn’t say anything else. In her head, she’s thinking about how perfect it would be if he were here with her, and she stays quiet.
Maddy and Cassie continue to be at odds, with Maddy accusing Cassie of being a liar andCassie accusing Maddy of being a thief. The dynamic between the two continues to simmer though, with the former playing the best friend and the latter’s secret lover.
Nate, however, is haunted by the disk. This is a big part of his motivation of course, and he decides to try and get it back from Fezco. Now, unbeknownst to him but obvious to us as the audience, Fezco doesn’t have the disk. Still, Nate arrives and receives a shotgun held up to his face for his troubles. ..
Nate’s dad is covered in blood and Fezco reveals that he doesn’t know about the disk or Jules sleeping with Nate. Fezco says he doesn’t know about the disk because he was too busy bashed across the forehead by Nate.
Nate walks away from the Fezco party knowing that Fezco is telling the truth. He also has leverage against Fezco given the Jules situation. Nate promises not to let Fezco mess with Jules or Rue in the future. As he steps out of the party, he heads home.
Lori has a deal with a dealer on New Year’s Eve. She shows up with a jacket and a big pitch, as if it’s a proper interview.
Rue plans to sell drugs on a large scale at her school, but that also comes with its own risks. Despite mentioning three girls who can help her, Rue is under pressure to succeed. If Rue fails, Lori promises to kidnap her and worse. No pressure then! ..
Nate was supposed to meet up with Cassie for their usual booty call, but he didn’t show up. Instead, he messaged her to tell her that something came up and showed up at Maddy’s door while she was babysitting. ..
The Episode Review
The opening section of this article is well written. It dives back through time and tells the story of Cal Jacobs, a man with conflicting feelings and a need to be loved. The ebb and flow of the story is well done, making it easy to follow.
Cal’s affection for Derek seems to have never been reciprocated, and his comment to his wife – “Oh what I wouldn’t give to be back in high school” – is a direct nod toward his time with Derek. However, Cal learns his son has been lying and the disk is with someone somewhere, but he doesn’t know who.
When this explodes, it will be interesting to see just what the consequences are.
The drama between Jules/Elliot/Rue continues to play out over the year. The gang just sorta hang out and while that may be true to real life, it does feel a little at odds when you compare it to the extreme stakes when it comes to Cassie/Maddy/Nate.
When the latter blows up and the truth is unveiled, I’m pretty sure we’re going to see a nasty and vicious fight between the two. ..
This episode feels more creative, bouncy and genuinely interesting than last episode which seemed to be juggling way too much. Thankfully this return to form is joined by a palpable energy that looks set to explode at any moment.
