12x25/26 I Want It That Way—RECAP

With an episode title being a Backstreet Boys song I expected nothing short of it being an Alli sub-plot even before the sub plots came out since Mindy is a self-proclaimed Backstreet Boys super fan.

The episode begins as Alli is toiling over her double coarse load turning down a photo of her and Dave that’s sitting on her desk as her parents come into her room arguing about who should tell Alli some kind of news. Jenna yawns commenting it’s early but the Bhandari’s say it’s never too early for a Surprise. Alli’s been working so hard to graduate early that her parents want to make her life a bit easy.

She pulls up to school with a new car and Clare is excited and comments about all the places that they can go…. Like art galleries and museums. Jenna comments that they should go to places a bit funner but Alli has no time for fun whether it be Jenna’s brand or Clare’s. Clare asks if she’s still going to the Jay-Z concert that she planned to go with along with Clare, Eli, and Dave and yea the thought that Eli is a Jay-Z fan still boggles my mind too. Jenna offers to takes Dave’s ticket however Alli still wants to go with him….that is if she can afford the time off.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Alli approached Dave who is shocked she’s still talking to him and she shows him the tickets. He asks if it’ll be uncomfortable considering the lingering feelings and how she’s all work and no play now. He asks if she wants to meet her at the Dot for dinner. She can’t because she’s got to tutor since she needs to put in community service hours to graduate….but she has a car now so if she finishes an essay during lunch she can rearrange the rest of her study schedule and pencil him in an hour…. It’s a date.

Tristan approaches Eli saying how he heard he was shooting a movie and wants in. Eli breaks it to Tristan that while he’s a great actor he’s just not the type that Eli is looking for and it’s not cause he’s gay either. He just doesn’t think Tristan can keep up with a physically demanding plot.

Fiona and Imogen are at the mall and Fiona is nervous as this is her first time really spending time with Natalie and she’s nervous. When it comes out that Laura is back in New York under house arrest for tax evasion and she’s living alone with a male roommate Natalie gets all judgy and concerned and promptly says that it’s getting late forcing Imogen to leave.

Alli’s tutoring Campbell in Science however he’s having trouble remembering the elements. Alli suggests he uses a mnemonic device.  Alli needs to go however Campbell is freaking because he has a huge test the following day and begs Alli to stay. She does shooting Dave a text that she’ll be late.

Tristan, Tori, and Maya head to yoga club cause Tristan wants to train and get in shape to prove Eli wrong. His face lights up when he notices Fab the hottie stage hand from the play is also a part of the cast. At this point it looks like the French Teacher is the faculty adviser of the club. Anyway Tristan seems to be struggling.

Fiona asks if Natalie said anything about Dinner however first Imogen avoids her and then she starts rambling on about how Natalie is disapproving of her bedroom renovations. She finally admits how Natalie would prefer that Imogen didn’t hang out at the loft. Fiona’s upset because she really wants to have Natalie like her even though Imogen doesn’t even like Natalie.

Alli apologizes to Dave for being late because Campbell is really struggling. Dave however is upset and he’s not playing her games. He walks out and leaves a tearful Alli with his bill. Dallas comes over asking if Alli is going to eat all the wings that were left herself. Alli tells Dallas how she thought her whole senior year would be fun fun fun however it’s all work work work. She can’t believe she’s venting to the guy that crashed and trashed her BFF’s birthday either. She tells him that she needs to leave and work on a project however Dallas refuses to let her go home without having some kind of fun and has her hop the fence with him to head into the LA Complex Public pool where he goes sometimes to clear his head. He strips down to his boxers and she strips down to her undergarments.

Tristan is ranting about how he sucked at Yoga and he embarrassed himself in front of Fab. He thinks he’s fat and that’s why he sucks at Yoga and why Eli doesn’t think he’s star quality. Maya suggests retail therapy since they are at the mall while Tori bluntly says to go on a diet which is what he plans on doing.

Bianca and Drew are having date night at the loft when Fiona interrupts and starts ranting on about Natalie. Drew comments reminding Fiona of the rules. She then freaks out that she’s interrupting their sexy time however the rule Drew was referring to was to not talk about moms. They tell them it’s okay that Fiona doesn’t have a rapport with Natalie cause it’s not like Bianca has a rapport with Audra….anymore that is. Though Bianca admits she misses being on mama Torres’s good side.

Alli and Dallas are swimming despite how Alli has a bunch of assignments because she’s fast tracking and plans to graduate a year earlier. Dallas rolls his eyes saying how he’s slow tracking and plans to be a second, maybe even a third year senior….cause I assume that in being an elite athlete he either was taken a minimalized class load hence not having enough credits and/or his grades are at the bare minimum to qualify for athletics and so he knows he’ll never make it collegiately so he’s milking High School for all it’s worth cause he knows this is his peak. From what he says next though I’d lean to the former cause he admits he used to be on drugs (presumably Adderall) in order to do everything. Alli teases for him to hook her up before leaving because she really needs to get her History Project done. She picks her things up and the Jay-Z tickets fall out. Dallas comments about them and offers to pay her double what they are worth however she just gives it to him….not like Dave is going to go anymore.

The following morning Jenna wakes Alli up as she overslept and missed her alarm. She is now behind on her English readings, never made worksheets for Campbell and forget about that History Project. She regrets taking a night off and Jenna teases about how things worked out for her and Dave. Alli admits things are done with him and she was with Dallas but she plans on it not going any further than the one night because she’s far too busy. Alli looks at her schedule and sighs

Fiona goes to the hospital to talk to Natalie. She tells him she’s a good person and that she and Imogen are a good fit and she wants to prove to her that she’s a good person. Natalie takes Fiona’s cell number and says when things cool at the hospital perhaps the three of them can go shopping.

Tori and Maya ask how Tristan is and he was all wallowing but he’s seen the light. He’s planning on doing a cleanse as that’s what all the celebrities are doing. Tori is so in while Maya protests saying these fad crash diets aren’t healthy in the long run. Tristan says how it’s not a Diet it’s a Cleanse and that Maya is a stick and she doesn’t have to worry about losing weight…. This will work and everything will be sunshine and unicorns.

Alli almost runs over Mr.P as she heads into school late. She begs for an extension and he caves giving her a day. Alli sighs saying she needs more hours in the day to get things done and Jenna teases that she could always give up sleeping. This prompts Alli to call Dallas to ask for a favor.

Tori and Tristan vlog their cleanse. They plan to loose seven pounds in seven days drinking only a cocktail of water, brown sugar, and oil of oregano. Tori tells him maybe this is a bad idea and that there is much more to life then wanting to be in Eli’s stupid movie. It’s not about the movie…at least not just that….Tristan wants love and if he can’t love himself then nobody will.

Dallas meets up with Alli asking if it’s a booty call and she says no. She was serious about wanting the pills cause that one night has caused an insane backlog of homework for her to do and there aren’t enough hours in the day. Dallas is hesitant but in the end says he knows a guy….TBC

Alli’s in class letting out a yawn as she takes a pill. Soon she’s hit in the head by a paper plane and turns around to see Campbell and Dallas walking toward her. Campbell got a C+ on his test thanks to Alli and she smiles saying next time it’ll be even better. Dallas comments drinks are on him at the Jay-Z show as a thank you for helping his boy out as Clare rolls her eyes commenting that she hopes Dallas’s seats are far from them. She then realizes Alli gave Dallas the fourth ticket and rolls her eyes at the fact that in one breath Alli had no time for boys thus pushing Dave away and now she’s consorting with the guy that caused a brawl at her party and trashed her brother’s garden. Alli says that Dallas isn’t that bad but Clare doesn’t care….the damage is done and she wants Alli to uninvited him.

I KNOW I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH

Marisol is going over the played out Prom Theme suggestions when Alli crashes the committee meeting to talk to Dallas. She tells him he can’t go to the concert with him because she doesn’t want to spend what’s left of her Senior Year fighting with her BFF. Dallas however doesn’t want to give it up and comments about how erratic she is and asks if she’s still on the pills cause it’s been a week and she promised it would only be a one or two day thing. Marisol tells her to leave unless she wants to join the committee. Like Alli has no time.

Tristan met goal and lost seven pounds in seven days and Tori is glad commenting how she couldn’t even last a day on the cleanse. Tori gives Tristan a new shirt size medium and asks if he’s going back to yoga. He plans to but first he wants someone on one time with Fab. Fab comments on how tone Tristan is and he says he’s in training for the movie and they agree to a session.

Imogen is working in the art class when Fiona asks to guess what they are doing during lunch. Imogen makes a few guesses when Fiona says that they are hanging with Natalie which apparently they’ve been doing allot off screen since the afternoon Fiona visited the hospital and Imogen is getting annoyed by spending every waking moment with her mom being a third wheel. Fiona promises they can have couple time next time.

Alli is still popping her pills as she sits at her desk doing homework and eyeing her tickets. She wakes Jenna up because she needs help with getting her ticket back. It’s two AM and Jenna tells her to go to sleep however instead she drives over to the Torres’s to talk to Dallas. Dallas asks if THIS is a booty call however she says no she just needs the ticket and again she says she can’t lose Clare like she lost Dave. Dallas says she’s crazy and maybe he needs to talk to Clare about her. Alli decides that yes he must talk to Clare in the form of a Rap-pology.

Tori and Maya plan a I succeeded in my weight loss mission lunch and Tristan rolls his eyes saying he toiled long and hard to lose the weight he’s not going to just put it back on instantly. He’s still on the cleanse and his date with Fab is that afternoon. Both girls have perfect boyfriends and he’s never been on a real date. Maya pleads for him to eat her yogurt and he asks if it’s no fat. She doesn’t know and he reluctantly eats it.

Fiona and Imogen are shopping over lunch with Natalie however Imogen is annoyed that Fiona and her mom are hitting it off so nicely. She comments how Fiona has her own mom so why is she lombing onto Natalie.

Clare meets up with Alli and Dallas and Dallas gives his rap apology to apologize for the party and the garden. Clare accepts the apology and says he can come however Alli soon goes all ‘Clint Eastwood’ and starts yelling to an empty chair however to her it’s not empty as she hallucinates that Dave is sitting there. Alli heads to her car to grab the pills and she’s freaking out….she can’t be messing up her brain on god knows what if she’s going to be going to MIT for a research scholarship. Dallas comments that the pills aren’t causing her to see things her loss of sleep is.  Alli trashes the pills and promises to get sleep.

Owen comments about his brother being in the gym and Tristan points out how he’s been on a diet for a week and lost a whole seven pounds. Owen calls him out saying the rapid weight loss is dangerous but Tristan doesn’t care he’s got a date and needs to burn off the yogurt.

Fiona skypes with Laura who comments how they haven’t spoken since her last visit. Fiona says she misses her and being reminded that she’s so far away makes it that much harder and she just needs a mom especially today. She tells Laura about how Imogen feels threatened because she and Natalie are getting along and Laura comments how that it’s probably how you first felt when she and Holly J got close and to just give Imogen and Natalie some space.

Alli is just finishing up an assignment before heading off to the show. Her dad conveniently comments how she’s the only one insured to drive the car and says how much he and her mom are proud at how she’s grown from the boy crazy girl of yore to the studious girl who is graduating a year early that she is now. Jenna suggests Alli take a nap before the show but she comments if she lets herself sleep she’ll never wish to wake up and she’s not sleeping through her one night off.

Fiona takes Imogen to the mall because she has a surprise. She has Imogen open her eyes and Natalie is there with blueprints. Fiona has told Natalie about how she did an excellent job on the sets of the play and so Natalie thought she’d let Imogen in on the renovations. It turns out she wasn’t ignoring Imogen’s two cents because she thought Imogen was a burden she just didn’t want to burden Imogen with having to worry about the project. Fiona then comments that she has a bus to catch because she’s spending the weekend with her mom.

Tristan shows up on his Yoga date however he soon starts to feel a loss of breath as he collapses to the ground.

Alli is driving to the show with Dallas and can’t wait to celebrate her night off. Dallas asks if she’s doing okay and she says she is however she nods off at the wheel and ends up swerving and rear ending a parked car.

Tristan is at the hospital and Owen informs him that he had a minor heart attack and yells at him about what he did and how it could be much worse. Owen offers to help him set up a proper diet and work out plan and tells Tristan he needs to eat. Tristan takes a bite and rolls his eyes saying it tastes like feet. Owen comments that it’s no excuse but then takes a bite and agrees with him.

Mr. Bhandari asks what happened and Alli says how she fell asleep at the wheel and she tells her dad how she just wanted to have some fun and how she’s so burnt out. She admits that she hasn’t been sleeping because she’s been taking pills. Her dad thought she was better than that and she breaks down saying how good this program is and how it’s a once and a lifetime thing but she wonders if she made the right choice in deciding to fast track. She wonders if she should just go back and not graduate early. Her dad says they can talk later she just needs to sleep.