It would appear our beloved Torres brothers have a problem: Whenever one of them likes a girl, the other somehow ends up involved! For reference, please see: Bianca, Fiona.
We all have our patterns. I once dated a series of people who all had two-syllable androgynous names that ended in an E sound, but at least they didn’t also have histories with my sister. Until now, I never realized this was something for which to be grateful.
When the episode opens, Drew is practicing his ultimate fighting with some of the guys, but they’re interrupted by a group of girls, Katie included, looking to use the school gym, and Katie acts flirty with Drew. Oh dear.
At home, Adam finds Drew working out on his way to play video games. He’s excited that his brother has found an activity that interests him so much — that is, until he realizes Drew’s doing it to learn how to protect himself from the guys who beat him up.
Drew tries to convince Adam to strap on the gloves and fight him, but Adam insists he likes his violence virtual.
Katie confronts Drew about the ultimate fighting, using the excuse of an article she’s writing for the student newspaper about violence and youth culture. “And maybe I’m a little curious about you,” she admits.
And I’m a little curious about you, Katie. I’m guessing she doesn’t know they’re siblings, but I’m also guessing Degrassi isn’t bursting at the seams with multiple Torres families, and Katie seems like a smart enough cookie.
Drew talks to her for the article on the condition of anonymity, but the article reveals enough details that the school locks up the practice room to prevent unauthorized workouts anyway. Too bad that plan didn’t, uh, work out for him.
That night, Drew is up late making friends with his punching bag. Adam comes downstairs looking all adorable in his pajamas to warn Drew that he’s going to wake up their parents with all that racket.
Drew complains about not being about to practice at school anymore because of Katie’s article, and Adam asks him “who talked to Lois Lane.” Drew admits to being an idiot — he talked to her because he liked her and was thinking of asking her out.
And, wow, so many emotions just ran across Adam’s face. I count surprise and betrayal and protectiveness and jealousy and anger and a whole bucket load of others that eventually culminate in concern.
When Drew continues, explaining how damaged he feels after the gang incident, Adam’s protective brotherly instincts rear their head over any hurt he might also being feeling about Katie.
“You figure out how to fix yourself first,” he tells his brother. “Look, if Katie wants you to open up to her, that’s got to be worth a try, right?” Seeing her as a chance for his brother to work through his PTSD, Adam encourages Drew to talk to her.
Taking Adam’s advice, Drew offers to be the sports writer for the newspaper. A freak-out during a staff meeting, however, sends him running from that extracurricular.
When Katie confronts him, he finally admits to his nightmares. “Being scared is weak,” he tells her, to which she responds, “Everybody’s scared of something.” Looking conflicted, he suddenly kisses her, followed by yet another freak out, before storming out of the room and telling her not to follow.
Katie is not one to take commands, though. She finds Drew at an underground fighting ring, in a re-match of a fight he previously lost. Fueled by anger and adrenaline, he beats the guy in the match, but then continues to beat him up senselessly afterward. Katie rushes into the rink to pull him away.
Drew’s annoyed because he told her not to come, but she tells him simply, “Guess you can’t tell me what to do.” So if I told her to change her name to fit the Bianca/Fiona pattern of three syllables, starting in an E sound and ending in an A, she probably wouldn’t do it, huh? Shame, I like a good pattern.
Regardless, I can’t figure out what I think of Katie, of whether I trust her. I do love that she’s strong and does what she wants, but she hasn’t exactly made herself the most welcoming presence in the Degrassi halls.
She offers to show Drew another way of fighting and defending himself — tae kwon do. Taking her up on it, he thanks her for not giving up on him. There still time for that, she playfully assures him, but he promises he won’t make it easy for her to give up on him anymore.
She takes him down easily with her tae kwon do skills. “It’s not my first rodeo,” she explains to him. “Don’t mess with me.” Strong and potentially vindictive: certainly not my idea of someone I’d want to mess with. Drew, she’s all yours.
At Fiona’s loft, she and Holly J are trying on dresses for prom. Holly J doesn’t know if she wants to go, though — between the dialysis and the adoption news, she’s had her hands full this season. Plus, she doesn’t have $20,000 for Dawn’s kidney.
“Yes, you do,” Fiona says. She’ll give it to her as a “prom gift.” Damn, the perks of rich friends. In fact, she already arranged for her lawyer to transfer the money. Her lawyer, who just happens to be calling to inform them that it’s illegal to buy an organ.
With this setback, Fiona makes sure Holly J knows she’s allowed to be mad at Dawn and tells her to hang onto hope.
Another prospective prom dress later — this one looks better on Holly J, so Fiona bequeaths it to her — Holly J explains that at least she’s getting to know Dawn better now that there’s not a kidney exchange hanging in the air. In fact, she just has to show Fiona Dawn’s high school prom dress!
Upon seeing a picture of it online, Fiona immediately decides she wants it for prom. She’ll even buy it off Dawn for, say, $20,000. You know, cause it’s vintage and sentimental and all. Holly J tries to turn it down, but Fiona insists she has the cash. Yes, the cash. Uh, Fiona? This still sounds pretty sketchy and illegal to me.
Dawn accepts, however, so Holly J breaks the news of the forthcoming transplant to her adoptive mother at dialysis, conveniently leaving out the exchange of money involved. Fiona, meanwhile, arrives at the hospital, acting appropriately surprised by the donation news, to show off the vintage dress she just picked up for prom.
Fiona’s also still serving as the director for the school play, and she’s peeved that Eli didn’t give her a heads up about all the changes he was making in the ending of the script. Eli manages to sweet-talk her, though, with how amazing it would be if they can pull it off for the performance the next night.
All the changes are pushing the non-medicated Creepy McCreeperson to his breaking point, so Fiona tells everyone to take five and pulls Eli aside to ask why he’s yelling at the cast. She determines it’s time to get a teacher involved.
As such, Eli and Imogen present a scene for the drama teacher. While Fiona tries to lobby that there have been so many changes that the play can’t possibly still succeed, Eli argues that the new unhappy ending is a writer’s catharsis, which would make him look like Shakespeare and help him win the lottery while dancing like a chicken. Or something.
Fiona doesn’t get it, but the teacher is won over by his charming McCreepster ways. Fiona begrudgingly tells Eli that he can do whatever he wants, as long as she doesn’t end up being “responsible for a play that bombs.” Get out while you can then, Fiona.
Sure enough, Imogen goes missing 10 minutes before the start of the play, and Eli tries to back out as well. Fiona refuses to let him, however, and says that she’ll play Imogen’s role alongside Eli — she knows the lines well enough, aside from the new ending. Just to be safe, she takes her script on stage with her.
Turns out, the scripted ending doesn’t matter too much. Eli breaks from the script and goes off on some angsty, Shakespeare-and-lottery-chicken-dance-inspired soliloquy, after which he falls to the ground and lights the script on fire.
Fiona desperately calls for the lights to fade upon the jilted Romeo, and the audience roars its approval. If he can get this kind of response for that hot mess, maybe I should try lighting things I write on fire, too. Though I don’t exactly have a Fiona to help me up for the curtain call.
What did you think of Adam’s support for Drew this week? And how about Fiona’s “gift” for Holly J or her tolerance of Eli’s play-changing ways? It’s the penultimate week, so catch up on TeenNick.com and tune in for four more episodes of the summer season, Monday thru Thursday on TeenNick.
