AWKWARD. Recap: ‘Another One Bites the Dust’

Ah, it was only a matter of time until Jake found out about Jenna and Matty, right. And, AWKWARD. fans, did you predict it would eventually be Sadie who spilled the beans? I can’t say I was surprised, but even as it happened, I was groaning with the ironic dread.

Of course, it’s also clear now why, plot-wise, Jenna was sort of dragging her feet regarding Jake. And OF COURSE Matty now actually probably likes Courtney. And OF COURSE Jenna has declared her love for Jake.  Because it would just be too easy for the entire love triangle to play out nicely instead of going up in flames.

The new question is how long will Jake go without confronting Matty and Jenna? My guess is not long, considering the scathing look on his face at the end of the episode. I’m still Team Matty (and I LOVED the conversation he had with Jenna about how they are happy for one another, even if it still stings a little), but I have to say that I’m really excited for Jake to get feisty and more aggressive. It will be interesting (read: awesome) to see who he is more angry with — Jenna or Matty.

While Jenna thinks her love life is starting to work out, she knows everything else in her life is insanity. With Lacey’s friend Allie’s wedding, Jenna has been relegated to “Flower Bitch” and has to wear a hideous bright pink, puffed sleeves and skirted gown that makes her look like the Miss Havisham of TODDLERS AND TIARIES rejects. Sidenote: I think she pulled her cell phone out of a pocket on the dress…which, if so, is the only redeeming factor in that dress.

The show has veered away from having episodes centered at the high school, and this was another example of that. With the wedding as the main plot, the writers had to find ways to work Tamara, Sadie and Val in — whether they did that in realistic ways is up for debate. I’ll buy that Tamara was hanging around with Jenna and got roped in to helping. And the “Sadie is the niece of the groom” storyline is fishy, but at least they’ve been consistent with it. Of course, we have never actually seen this groom, so I think that story will only play out for another episode, tops. Having Val fill in as a spare bridesmaid worked because technically it’s in character for her to be completely free and willing to do anything, but it also works annoyingly, because where her character started out (in season one) as used sparingly and for humor, now it’s just tossed in anywhere…which makes it less funny, in my opinion. What do you think? Is Val’s character overused or does it make sense to use her whenever needed like this?

While Allie stresses and prepares for her wedding, Lacey deals with the fact that while her husband, Kevin, declined with regrets, her first boyfriend ever, Ben (played by fan favorite Kristoffer Polaha!) is coming to the wedding and still has unresolved feelings for her. Lacey shows her immature side by getting caught up in the anticipation of seeing Ben again. I thought it was really interesting when Tamara called Ben Lacey’s “Matty,” which then pushed Jenna to want to commit more to Jake — as if the fact that Lacey went from Ben to Kevin in life meant she should be with Jake, since he came after her first love. I definitely want to see more Kevin on the show, so I hope he’s back soon. But I also don’t mind Ben and I can see him sticking around a bit. His comment that he wished he’d worked harder to fight for Lacey back in their high school days also reminded me of Matty…so that will be an interesting parallel, if the show decides to go that route.

I started the recap by talking about how the episode ended, but I don’t want to end this without talking about how awesome it was for Jake to stand up to Sadie on Tamara’s behalf. The Sadie/Ricky storyline is just…strange, but also somehow fits, so we have to hand it to the show for that.

What did you think of this episode? Were you surprised that Sadie let the cat out of the bag? How long will Jake sit on the information he knows? Did you like Ben? And how do you feel about Sadie and Ricky? There is a lot to discuss, and the comments are open!