Awkward Season 1 Finale Recap

Okay, there's two epic episodes to cover people, so no time for chit chat. This is a long post, so get ready to scroll:

The Least You Need to Know: Jenna and Tamara finally made up and, of course, Tamara did not author the carefrontation letter. And neither did Matty. Whew! Now that that’s cleared up, Jenna and Matty are home free. Right?

Part I:I Am Jenna Hamilton

EXT. Hamilton Home. Cute Dad is manning the BBQ and Matty’s helping out. Lacey’s trying desperately to vamp up Jenna whose not having it. Is Matty going to ask her to winter formal? Well, he asks what color dress she’s wearing. So, things are looking good. Then Cute Dad reminds Matty that if things get serious little Matty better be wearing a jimmy hat. It’s awkward.

At school, Jenna is reveling in her status as Matty’s girl. But everywhere she turns people are getting asked to the winter dance. Tamara and Ming are moaning about their datelessness. A remote-controlled truck zooms at them with a flag bearing an invite for Tamara. It’s from Resident D-bag Ricky Schwartz. She shouldn’t, but like every great train wreck, T can’t resist.

Why won’t Matty just come out and ask her already? And why’s he stashing a chinese takeout box in his locker? Hey, are you a limo girl? he asks. She demurs (but, come on, who isn’t when they’re 16?). Meanwhile, Sadist Sadie is super-pissed about coupledom in general and is determined to ruin everyone’s Winter Formal. Lissa is busy trying to stage a boy-fight over her between Jake and any guy in her ex’s line of sight. Too bad she doesn’t see that the real thing is unknowingly brewing between Jake and bestie Matty over Jenna.

Sweetheart Jake gives Jenna a CD with an invitation attached. It’s typically Jake-sweet. Oh. Awkward. She’s already going with someone else. But shouldn’t Jake know this since it’s his best friend?

On the track, Jake reveals his Jenna rejection to her supposed-boyfriend, who for whatever reason (lack of real conflict, perhaps? Just sayin’, writers…), doesn’t.say.anything.  For the love of John Hughes, man up, Matty!!

Jenna’s doing her weekly session with Crazycakes who comments on J’s upbeat appearance. She has a boyfriend, that’s why. Hey, so does Crazycakes. What a coinkydink! Sadie comes in, Jenna exits stage left. Crazycakes tells Sadie to stop with the grinching over winter formal, but then a phone call from new BF distracts her and Sadist Sadie swipes Jenna’s file. Dundundun.

Tamara is basking in the glow of her dance invite. Jenna brushes it off—it doesn’t matter that he hasn’t formally asked her, only that she and Matty are going together. (Oh, Jenna…) What’s this? Jenna has been nominated for Winter Formal Princess? No way. A boyfriend and redemption? It’s too good to be true! Lacey’s scream of excitement can be heard across town. She’s on her way to buy Jenna a dress right now. (They have a maid? WTH does Lacey do all day?)

But, it is too good to be true…Jenna picks up a ballot to vote and on the back is a copy of the carefrontation letter for everyone to see. I can feel Jenna hoping the ground will open up and swallow her right there. The bottom has been reached.

Not to worry, though, because Sweetheart Jake is there to console her. Except now she’s even more upset that Matty hasn’t told his own best friend they’re together. And then Matty tops that off by saying maybe they should just skip the dance altogether. Fine, whatever. Except it’s not fine. At all.

Tamara discovers she’s Ricky’s sloppy fourths when it comes to dance invitees. This has got to end. 

Crazycakes finally grows a pair and threatens to expel Sadie for exposing the carefrontation letter. Sadie dares her. Okay, maybe not expel, but no Winter Formal for the sadist. That’s final.

Tamara decides to put down the Ricky-crack pipe once and for all, and Jenna thinks maybe the same thing about Matty. He’s waiting in his truck for her after school. What’s in the Chinese take-out box, M? Doesn’t matter. Jenna’s had it with all the secrets. She really wants to go the dance, and she really wants him to go big with his invite—he was, b-but…but, nothing. He doesn’t even have the nads to tell his bestie about her. She calls him a pussy and that’s the end.

At home, Lacey’s bought a selection of peachy-pink dresses. Jenna doesn’t care, because a) only Lacey looks good in that color, and b) she no longer has a date.

Matty and Jake are gaming,  moaning their dual loserdom. Especially Jake, cause Jenna dissed him. Matty gets pissy, says Jenna’s not interested in Jake, but still says nothing about himself. Jake leaves. Matty opens the take-out box. Inside is a giant fortune cookie that he dashes to the ground. A super-sweet fortune invite for J-Town rolls out but it’s all too late now. (Y’all, I know he’s a dumbass, but I really LOVE Matty!)

Jenna’s blogging, crying. Tamara’s crying in a bathroom stall at school over Ricky. Stall next door, someone else is also crying. They bond in misery, except, shite, it’s Sadie. Ewww.

Matty and Jake are still on the outs next day at school. Lissa’s trying to make Jake jealous to no avail. Then when Jenna sees Matty talking to a group of girls, she makes like Lissa and agrees to go to the dance with Sweetheart Jake. 

Though back in her room she wonders was it the right move? Her heart is hurt. There’s a knock at her door. It’s Matty. He’s come to declare his love. Smoochies ensue—except then it’s Jake on top. Oh, shite. And they want to share her? And Tamara, too?? Suddenly this is all getting very menage… because it’s a dream. She wakes. Tamara’s there, reading the misconnections ads online. Wait? Could this one be from Ricky?

Jenna wonders: is Destiny chance or choice? Tamara says chance. And if that’s so, did Jenna just screw up her destiny with Matty by choosing Jake. (I’m getting anxious, this is too many shades of Ben and Noel)

Part 2:Fateful

Hair up or down? Jenna’s getting done up for the dance. Tamara really wants to go, but she has no date, so J tells her to come with her and Jake, cause they’re going as friends. (Uh, does Jake know this?)

Matty’s playing poker with his big bro and friends. Why so glum, Matty? They tell him to get off his ass and go take his girl to the dance. About time.

Yikes! Jenna looks like the bride of Frankenstein with bouffant hair. And her dress is awful. The only thing that can fix this is wearing her Nanna’s dress, Lacey declares. It’s super early 60s cute.  Lacey wore it to her own prom. There’s a sweet mommy and me moment that makes me tear up. Jenna asks if she thinks her mom and dad would have chosen each other if it hadn’t been for getting knocked-up. Lacey says there really was never a choice. Awww.

The girls arrive. Ming is taking a girl? Her parents would only let her go if she was going with a “girl”-friend. Whatever. Ding-dong. Squee!! It’s Matty in a tux with a corsage…except Jenna just left and…I swear to god I’m about to have a coronary at this point!

At the dance, Crazycakes and her BF (on the DL) are chaperoning. Jake is hilarious with his Jenna+friends posse. Dorky pix are taken, except the one of them together.

Sadie is trying to sneak in through a bathroom window with accomplice Lissa. But Jenna interrupts. Uh, oh. Crazyeyes/Jenna showdown?  Nope. Lissa concedes to Jenna, and then closes the bathroom window on Sadist Sadie. Gotcha, yatch!

Dancing commences. Wait, Ricky Schwartz did write the misconnection. Confesses Tamara is the only one for him. She forgives (is that crack smoke I smell?).

Slow dance. It’s nice. Jake’s nice. Jenna goes for the smooch, pulls away…there’s Matty. The look on his face…he’s heartbroken. (Sniff. So am I.) Hey, bestie, Jake says. Where’s your date? He effed up, Matty admits. She’s with some other guy, he says, looking at Jenna. Maybe it’s not too late, Jake questions. Is it? He pleads with his big, sad puppy eyes. Head (Jake) or heart (Matty), Jenna? She takes Jake’s hand and I die a little inside, and so does Matty.

Sadie has snuck her way into the formal. Nu, uh, says Crazycakes, and Carrie’s her ass with a bowl of punch. Gay guy wins formal princess, and Matty wins prince, but  too dejected to claim it, he slips out the door with last forlorn glance at Jenna.

Jake and Jenna, and Tamara and Ricky are the last ones dancing. Wanna hit the after party? Nah. Jake and Jenna go home. There’s more kissing. And a note—her parent’s are out for the evening. She invites Jake inside (gah!) but then reneges (whew!). She wants to take this slowly and enjoy the things she’s missed, like holding hands--and it would all be perfect if she wasn’t wishing so hard I can hear it that he was Matty and not Jake.

She opens the front door and sets off the alarm, which (luckily) kills the mood. Jake gets a goodbye peck, and then she has to call her parents cause she can’t remember the code. Wait, it’s probably in the junk drawer. Along with a box of stationery that’s an exact match for the carefrontation letter and OMG! Lacey wrote the letter!!!!

Best Quotes: Cheesetastic! Welcome to Karmageddon, b-tch!

Best Matty/Jenna Moment: Looking forward to it in Season 2.

Y'all, this may be the only episode all season I don’t watch at least 20 times. I know this is supposed to be all about Jenna learning to accept herself, but we all know it's the love triangle that keeps us up till 2 am. And the facts are these:

1. The only reason to have her end up with Jake at the end of Season 1 is to drag out the love triangle for Season 2;
2. If she was supposed to be with Jake, she would have ended up with Matty now—it’s a classic writer’s trick for a story series (take note, Tracy Deebs! Mark 4evah!);
3. Jenna has found herself, now Matty needs to; which will be interesting to watch, plus now he gets to be the pursuer. Can't wait. 
4. Jenna will not sleep with Jake because in a romance the heroine can only sleep with the boy she’s meant to end up with otherwise she becomes unsympathetic as a character (Felicity/Noel notwithstanding because that was a lame last ditch effort by the writers for ratings); and finally,
5. Very few guys make it out of the friend zone, and while Jake is a total Sweetheart, I don’t think he has what it takes to overcome the Matty fantasy for Jenna. The heart wants what the heart wants…and I’ll hold onto that thought till next season. Hurry up 2012!!