3x16 Take On Me Recap

This episode is standout to me and not soly because it’s a homage to the seminal 80’s classic The Breakfast Club but because of its format shift. Instead of an A-B plot like every other episode has had this is more a bottle episode with one central plotline the Saturday Detention that Sean received in This Charming Man and Jimmy and Toby received in Accidents Will Happen Part 1.

The episode opens as THE BASKETCASE Ellie is entering the school. Soon she along with the other players CRIMINAL Sean ATHLETE Jimmy NERD Toby and PRINCESS Hazel are in the cafeteria where Raditch is giving them the rules of what they can’t (everything) and can (homework) do for the duration of their service. He’s the eyes and ears of the school and as Sean leaves he burps behind his back and yes he heard that.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

The clock starts to tick as Sean begins to bounce a tennis ball against the wall knocking a ceiling tile onto Ellie’s bag. The bag and its contents are fine and soon Jimmy and Toby work to re hang the tile despite the fact Toby has a fear of heights. In doing this they make a noise which causes Raditch to place them on separate ends of the room.

The clock is ticking slowly and Hazel is complaining as she’d be anywhere but there. Sean teases her saying that Paige needs her to lick her boots clean and then asks why the Princess is there anyway…..he’s there eight weeks for anti-social behavior. Ellie notes that she skipped class while Jimmy and Toby bring up the computer hacking plot from Accidents Will Happen part one which is convenient for those who hadn’t seen that episode you know due to the whole being banned in the US for years thing. Once again Hazel is asked but she takes the bathroom pass and promptly walks away catching the principal doing aerobics in the gym as she passes by.

Everyone is bored as more time passes and Ellie suggests playing truth or dare where Hazel says truth and obviously is asked again. Hazel changes to dare and is dared to kiss Toby.

Simpson meanwhile has returned to campus after his leave of absence due to chemo.

Toby can’t wait to tell JT about the kiss however Hazel tells him he can’t say anything….what happens in detention stays in detention (besides isn’t Toby still with Kendra so why would he be gloating about making out with another girl). They talk about how Hazel has a reputation as being a popular girl and that’s why she doesn’t want to say what she did. Sean however coaxes her and soon she says she got caught surfing porn because she clicked on a link in a spam message because she was curious. They continue to mess around playing when Simpson arrives and asks what’s going on. They tell him its detention.

Ellie and Sean share lunch and Sean asks about the rubber band Ellie’s been snapping on her wrist. She says it’s therapeutic because of….you know. Sean says he knows the rumors and she explains she does it because it’s a controlled pain. She then asks about the rumors surrounding him and he admits to stealing things. The moment is short lived as Raditch comes in and sends them to different rooms.

Ellie is listening to the recording she made of Sean’s confession however she’s bored. Sneaking out of the room she’s been sitting in she goes to Hazel and breaks the other girl out of her classroom and soon they break the boys out too. They go down to the basement and soon ride up on the maintenance elevator and climb to the roof. Jimmy finds a necklace and gives it to Hazel and they kiss and I want to scream FINALLY as even though they are not end game this ship has been ship teased FOREVER. Sean comments about why Ellie always has her bag and he tells her it’s a psycho girl thing…emphasis on psycho. She’s not scared by him and he’s not freaked by her and soon she’s showing him her scars and holding his hand.

Simpson is commenting about the crackdown Raditch was making with the Saturday Detentions. He claims it’s to discipline and control the kids. Simpson says discipline he gets but control….now granted it wasn’t 100% his choice as I’m sure the school board was heavily involved but what about when he first became principal with the metal detectors and yearlong uniform policy that seems controlling to me. Anyway he tells Raditch it’s the first Saturday since he started chemo that he feels alive.

The kids head back to the room as Ratitch finds the keys on the ground. He groups them together asking who took them and saying if no one fesses up they will get three more weeks. Toby fesses up and isn’t disciplined in fact they all get dismissed. Ellie goes to get her disposable camera to take a picture for posterity when her tape player goes off playing a recording of she and Sean on the roof. Sean as well as the others feel betrayed and Sean steps on the tape.

On Monday Hazel says hi to Toby in passing and Jimmy says hi to Sean. Ellie then goes to Sean and apologizes for recording and gives him the tape with the confession and they smile at one another and share a moment like the roof.