Elle approaches a coffee shop hoping to dodge Miles and Shannon as she knows they come there. Inside, she sees Donna working yet another side gig, but, Donna is doing well. After Elle feels at ease, she runs into not only both Miles and Shannon, but Kimberly. Kimberly notices obvious tension between Miles and Elle. It’s almost as if Elle has a crush.
When Elle gets home, she calls Maddie regarding the Cosmo internship. For the next essay, she has to describe herself in one word. That’s impossible for Elle Woods. She is everything: smart, caring, and charismatic. However, at school, Elle approaches her locker and sees four big black letters: “SLUT.” Is this how people see her? She is heartbroken.
The next day, Elle wears a modest turtleneck dress covering her entire body. Everybody questions this but Eva, who is too wrapped up in her upcoming housewarming party. She keeps bringing up the gay couple that she sees on her power walks. Elle doesn’t even bother telling her what’s going on as she is clearly occupied.
At school, Dustin continues to pressure Elle about exposing Principal Anderson. He has found new evidence on him, and they need more in order to get him fired. Elle remembers what Liz told her about him forging paperwork, but she wants to stay loyal to her friend. Elle then sees a flyer that says: Kimberly’s Pool Party. She sees that the handwriting is almost identical to the one on her locker. She puts two and two together, and hunts down Kimberly in the bathroom.
Kimberly is upfront with Elle and tells her that Shannon has been her best friend since kindergarten, and that she knows that she has a crush on Miles. Elle tells her that she’s never even kissed a boy. Kimberly goes soft for a minute, but goes back to her tough exterior. Kimberly tells her that she’s going to get evidence on Elle and Miles so Shannon will believe her. At home, Elle calls Maddie up and Maddie suggests that she fakes having a boyfriend so that everyone won’t find out about her crush on Miles. Elle thinks that this is genius.
The next day, Elle finds Liz at lunch. She tells her how much she likes her, but Liz doesn’t buy it. Then, someone calls Liz a nickname indicating that she’s a lesbian. This shocks Elle, but Liz tells her that it’s true. Liz leaves as Kimberly approaches. Before Kimberly can bully her, Elle says that she saved a seat for her boyfriend, Dustin. Dustin plays along as long as Elle helps him get more evidence on Principal Anderson. Elle agrees, but only if they get lawyers involved and stay under the radar.
Later, Elle and Eva attend a conference to get payment history on Principal Anderson. Leaving the conference, they find Dustin on top of Eva’s car. Shocked, Eva judges him, but Elle comes to his defense. She also tells her mom how she’s too preoccupied to worry about the bullying at school. Elle tells her she won’t be at the housewarming party as she is going to Kimberly’s party with Dustin.
The next day is the pool party. Elle dresses in a bright pink bikini, and she and Dustin arrive as a romantic couple. Kimberly immediately pokes fun at Elle, as she’s the only one exposed wearing a swimsuit. Everyone else is in full grunge clothing. Elle locks herself in Kimberly’s room. She then calls Liz but has to leave a voicemail.
In her message, she likes Liz because she doesn’t care what other people think, and is so fearless. Donna hears the voicemail and tells Liz that Elle could be a good friend. She has such a big heart and cares for other people. Liz goes to the party and finds Elle in Kimberly’s room. Liz sits Elle down and tells her that she is going to go out to the crowd, and not care what anybody thinks, with her by her side the whole time.
At the housewarming party, Eva isn’t doing too well either. People want bread and beer; not the fancy stuff that Eva prepared. She is so used to making a sophisticated presentation, but people don’t want that. She tells Wyatt to host. Wyatt gets out his guitar and plays the night away. Everyone has the time of their lives.
Back at Kimberly’s, Elle grabs a karaoke mic and sings “Just a Girl” by No Doubt. Everyone applauds her and they all dance with her chanting her name. Liz is super proud of her. Miles catches up with her to ask about her new relationship with Dustin. She of course lies to him so her crush doesn’t seem visible. Suddenly, Dustin is handing out flyers exposing Anderson! Feeling betrayed, Elle begs Dustin to stop. Liz overhears their conversation and tells Dustin that Elle is trying to protect her, and that she’s a true friend. They leave Kimberly’s together.
When Elle returns home, she finds only two guests in her house with her parents. It’s the gay couple that Eva rants about. They say that they live next door with their son. Their son enters the house, and it’s Miles. Elle is shocked. They acknowledge that they’re neighbors, but it’s visibly awkward. The episode ends with Elle writing the second essay to Cosmo. She refuses to describe herself in one word. She is everything in between. Elle and Shannon paint her locker pink over the word “SLUT.”
8/10