9x07/08 Beat It—RECAP

I hope this recap lives up to your expectations (and mine) because when I first did it I accidentally deleted my clipboard in the process of copying this from word to this site and so I have to re-re watch this one. On the plus side the episode isn’t a weak one but on the minus side it is a two parter so it’s twice the length. Since I’ve already seen it within the past 24 hours I can tell you ahead of time that this is an ABC two parter instead of an AB/AC one with plots centering around Riley, The Niners, and Anya…..

The episode opens at the pool (cause you know that here at Degrassi they got a hidden one LOL but seriously the outside facade shots for this pool are not the norm) Riley along with Chantey, Blue, and a few random characters (including one Mark ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald but I think he’s played by a different actor) are taking lifeguard classes with some college student named Sam. Sam is telling Riley how he’s an athlete too and being a lifeguard last summer really helped him with his speed in the sports field.  Sam then practices mouth to mouth on a dummy and Riley gets really into it and he ends up getting a boner. Jumping into the water to hide it he tells them that he’s fine though everyone laughs at him.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

The boys, Chantey and Fiona are sitting at the picnic tables. Riley is talking about all hanging at the beach sometime. Fiona soon mentions how she forgot her lunch and asks if Riley will show her what’s edible. He mentions how he’s a human garbage disposal and she comments how he was a growing boy. It’s pointed out by the guys that Riley was growing all right….in the penile region when Sam was doing mouth to mouth. Riley comments that he was just thinking of his girlfriend. Speaking of Fiona, the boys want to know if they’ve done the nasty yet. Fiona says no cause Riley’s a perfect gentleman and respects her wanting to wait…..

Sav tells Anya how Studz (the episode goes back and forth canning them this and the bands new name of Janie and the Studs)’s first unplugged show at the Dot and she has to come. She can’t, she’s told them she has a thing Monday evenings. Sav asks her to skip ‘self-defense class’ just once to be there. Leia comments how she wishes she could take the class with Anya so she doesn’t have to head the same songs on a loop alone.

Riley and Peter are paired up for wrestling in PE. Riley wants to ask Peter a girl question…how to convince Fiona to sleep with her. Peter comments that he must have those confused thoughts purged from his system. Riley nods saying he just needed the right girl. Peter comments that if she wants to wait to respect that.

The JV basketball team is playing and apparently Dave who wasn’t around last season when tryouts/the team began is now magically on it. As Jenna, and Clare are cheering the boys on he comments how envious of KC being the star and having a cute girlfriend. Dave is pulled in and he asks KC for tips….let the game come to you.

The boys are in the pool while the girls are with the dummy. The boys comment about how they wish they were the dummy and Riley asks them what girl is hotter. Yes he’s with Fiona but this is strictly hypothetical. Fitz says Chantey though she’s way out of his league while Riley then goes to ask Sam who he thinks is hotter, Chantey or someday player named Katie not to be confused with the series regular introduced in season eleven who’d be a Sophomore in cannon at present. Blue comments how Riley shouldn’t be prying and Riley asks if it’s because the girls are students and he’s the teacher. It’s not that…. Sam is gay. Riley comments that he’s missing out and Fitz comments says Mr. I’m waiting and that if Fiona was his girl he’d rock her world.

Dave catches the ball and ends up making the winning shot.

Out in the woods Anya is having her ‘Self Defense Class’ I say this in quotations as she’s really outside LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) along with Miss Dawes. She breaks character telling her how she feels more herself when she’s playing her role then when she’s in the real world. Someone then tells them about a threat to their kingdom and the game is back on.

Dave is talking to KC and comments that now all he needs is a hot girlfriend like Jenna by his side. KC asks if he should put in a good word but Dave says he’ll do it.

Fiona’s at Riley’s looking at his trophies, she asks what some unlabeled ones are and Riley who’s put on some smooth R&B song says they are for kissing then forcefully makes out with her. She pulls back saying what is he doing. They hardly touched since dating and now he’s acting like some horn dog. She went out with him because she didn’t like the physical stuff and that was the appeal of dating him and if she thought for a second he was straight they wouldn’t have been together. He’s furious at her comment and kicks her out.

The following day, the boys are asking if Riley hooked up with Fiona and he tells them no….he tried but she was a frigid ice queen and it didn’t go far. Sam comments how he’s doing an aquatic leadership booth at the club fair and asks if the boys are going. Riley wasn’t going to go but the boys comment hot single girls go to fairs and so Riley plans to dump Fiona and get a hot new girl.

Dave calls Jenna to him after class and tries to ask her out. He stops reading from a pre-written script and then starts talking about their assignment. He then asks her to the fair and at first she says she’s going to skip and go home early but when she hears Clare and KC are going her mind soon changes.

Anya is working out a solution to her problem and Leia comments about how she hated it last night. Anya asks if Sav even noticed she was gone. Leia says he was in a mood and we don’t know if it means he was pissed or just too lost in the music to notice, regardless Leia once again asks if she can come to class with Anya. Sav shows up commenting how the only fighting they need to be worrying about is against the band’s groupies and he asks Anya what her deal is lately. Leia comments how it seems the boys are married to the band. Married that’s it, Leia’s a genius and Anya soon smiles asking her if she has a long dress as she’s officially invited to the ‘class’.

Riley wants more advice, how to break up with a girl. Peter comments that you can’t just break up with a girl for not wanting to sleep with them. Riley asks if sex isn’t the whole point of girls and Peter brings up how his girls routinely move to other continents (see the CW) Riley then goes to Fiona asking if she wants to go to the fair with him. She says she’s surprised that he’d want to hang out with an ice queen and she’s over it and him.

At the fair Jenna’s impressed because her old school would just throw a bake sale. Jenna then excuses herself to go to the bathroom taking Clare along too. When the boys are alone Dave comments how well things are going noting how KC’s plate has two forks while the plate Jenna handed him to finish only has one….they are sharing cutlery on the first date they are so an item. Dave asks him how to seal the deal and KC says same as basketball; let the game come to him.

Sam beckons Riley to knock him into the dunk tank but Riley ignores him. He heads instead to Fitz telling him how he has four tickets left and wants to know if the other boy wants to join him at ring toss. Fitz has plans to get his new girl cotton candy. Riley nods asking where Blue is but he too is flirting. Sam comes over saying how they have a big exam tomorrow and asks if Riley wants to go over spine board placement and comments how they are like the only ones not paired up…not so fast, Riley goes to Chantey.

Leia goes to LARP with Anya and thinks it’s so surreal and that if the boys saw it they’d laugh their heads off. She sees Dawes and soon finds out how their teacher is queen while Anya is a princess. Anya then tells the guild how she’s got the idea to marry the prince of the other realm and it’ll make her Empress. Leia is in shock and Anya comments its well worth standing up the boys.

Riley wins Chantey a bear and Chantey then asks if he likes roller coasters and that perhaps they could hit up the amusement park sometimes. Riley then kisses her and she freaks. They hardly know one another and she doesn’t want to be with someone who jumps from girl to girl. Sam asks Chantey if she’s okay and then tells Riley better off next time. Riley then dunks him and storms off.

KC meanwhile wins Clare a stuffed panther and Dave asks if he can buy one. The girl apologizes saying they are closing down the booth and Jenna suggests KC try’s the basket toss. Dave comments one way or another he’ll win his girlfriend a prize…though this is the first time Jenna’s heard of this.

Sam is talking to Riley and tells him how he reminds him of himself. Riley comments what GAY then sucker punches Sam….TBC

Part two opens up the next day. Johnny and Bruce comment about how they’ve heard about his fight and it’s gone viral. Riley then sees Fiona and tells him that they should try again. She asks him if it’s better to be a gay basher then to be gay and he tells her maybe. Miss H then calls him into the office.

I KNOW I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH

Miss H introduces Riley to the head of the LGBT club and says that what he did was a hate crime. He’s suspended for the day and has to write an essay on nonviolent conflict resolution. The girl comments how the club has sensitivity training for homophobia however Riley says he’ll pass.

Anya, Leia, and Dawes are talking about LARPING when Sav walks into the room. He asks if those photos are from Halloween and Anya says yes but Leia tells him the truth. Sav comments how isn’t that kind of stuff just for sci fi dorks and Anya tells him no it’s not and how she likes doing it while he does his stupid band stuff. Sav is put off by her calling the band stupid but the conversation is stalled as the bell rings.

Jenna asks Clare where they are having lunch. She tells her that KC always saves her a spot in the Café (Jenna’s been at the school for weeks now wouldn’t she of known this?) The girls head into the café where KC is waiting along with Dave. Jenna rolls her eyes at Dave’s presence as Clare comments how nice he is and how great it is they hit it off at the fair and are now a couple. Jenna tells her they aren’t a couple that Dave somehow got it into his mind that they were dating but they so aren’t. She wants to be friends with a guy before they date like with KC….er she means like Clare was before KC before they dated. A Power Squad girl that’s not Anya or Chantey tells Clare and Jenna they are looking for new members and allot of the players girlfriends are on the squad. It’s mentioned Dave was the one to send her over and Jenna tells her she’s interested. Clare then asks what she plans to do with Dave. Jenna simply comments she’s thinking about trying out.

Riley shows up for the test even though he’s suspended from the day. Sam tells him he was cut from the class due to his temper and Riley is pissed because that was going to be his summer job. He goes home to work on the paper but flips out as he begins ripping up posters and smashing trophies. He then starts to look up ‘How to Cure Gay’ websites cause yes they are a thing.

Kwan tells the class that a fantasy fiction assignment is due on Friday. Leia comments why write it when you can live it as Anya shakes her head. She wonders if perhaps Sav was right and this is all stupid. She goes to shoot an apology text to him however before she does she gets a message saying they accepted her marriage proposal and she totally is back into the LAPR game…if Sav loves her he’ll understand.

Peter and Riley are wrestling again and Riley tells him that there is a cure out there for his confusion he found it online.

Dave asks Jenna to a movie and she asks if they can make it a double with Clare and KC but Dave wants it to be just the two of them in a dark theater.

Riley goes to meet with Gerry Hallowell (no not the spice girl) about trying to cure his gay thoughts through therapy. Gerry gives him literature and that they can talk about a councliling plan when he’s read it.

He goes up to Fiona yet again apologizing to her. He tells her he’s getting help and asks if he can be his real girlfriend once he’s cured. She tells him he can’t cure homosexuality. He begs to differ there was a website and an office and everything. Fiona comments how Riley hates himself and he yells back to her TOO BAD YOU CAN’T CURE BITCH!!!! She doesn’t want him to talk to her anymore and walks off.

Riley goes back to Gerry saying fix him, cure him, he’ll do anything. Gerry asks if he’s read the material he’d given him. There is no magic pill it takes extensive therapy around the ballpark of two grand to start and it’s not covered by insurance. Riley tells him thanks but no thanks he can cure himself on his own. He leaves the office and calls Peter to meet him for a boy’s night.

Anya asks If Sav is mixing music and he admits he’s been spying on her double life. It’s crazy but she looks cute. She starts to think he accepts it and so she’s about to tell him about the marriage when he asks but why does she want to hang with those weirdoes. She asks why he’s in a band and he tells her how empowering it is being a rock god. She tells him how LARPing is empowering to her. He tells her she’s important to him. She comments that he’s been busy with the band and she just wants something to do with her free time too.

Dave is rambling on about plans for their date but Jenna puts the breaks on him. She tells him she likes him just not like that…she likes someone else…it doesn’t matter who. He comments how the guys think he’s cool and the girls think he’s dateable cause of Jenna and she tells him she can help him with his reputation.

Peter and Riley go on a flirting spree at the Breakroom.

Jenna tells the girls Dave dumped her which keeps his reputation in check. KC comments Dave’s lucky that he had a one sided crush on a girl as cool as her. Clare tells Jenna she’ll find the right guy someday and she nods eyeing KC…Clare can tell her relationship with KC is numbered.

Riley soon pulls out a flask of vodka and starts drinking.

Anya is working on her wedding dress with Dawes and Sav comes into the room. Dawes excuses herself and Sav starts apologizing for making fun of her. He then asks what the dress is and she tells her how it’s her wedding dress….she’s trying to explain herself when Danny shows up to get Sav for band practice. It’s the only night Spinner had off and Sav soon asks Anya if she wants to watch. Um NO…Anya has a sunrise wedding to prep for and at this rate it may be her only one.

Riley continues to get drunk at the pool hall and soon ends up in the men’s room where Sam is. He tells him no peeking and Sam soon gives Riley a hit. The two soon fight and Riley breaks down telling him to kick his ass he deserves it because he’s not normal. Sam tells him he gets it. Riley comments how he just doesn’t want anyone to know and Sam tells him he doesn’t have to come out till he’s ready but he needs to cut it with the self-hate crap.

Anya has her wedding and Sav shows up as a royal minstrel to show his support to her.

Peter sees Riley walking out of the councilor’s office. He tells Peter he’s signed up for anger management. He also tells Peter there is a new memo and Peter is the first person he’s telling…he’s gay but it’s between the two of them because he’s not coming out in High School (or at least not this episode cause the credits roll)