Elle and Eva get home after a mother-daughter day of mani pedis and there is a voicemail on their answering machine. It’s Cosmo magazine letting Elle know that she is a finalist for the internship program. All she has to do is submit a video of herself showcasing who she is as a person. Eva is shocked to hear this as Elle kept it from her. However, Eva doesn’t mind going back to LA to be a chaperone for her daughter. The duo get to work. 

Elle calls Maddie and tells her about the video. Maddie then lets her know that Elle isn’t going to be on the Homecoming committee this year, even though she did everything she could. However, this puts an idea into Elle’s brain. Because her current high school doesn’t have a Homecoming, she decides to put one on herself. This will also be what her video is about. Elle presents her ideas to the student body, two of which include Kimberly and Shannon. Shannon lets her know that the only good sports team they have is cross country, so that will have to take place rather than traditional football. Kimberly volunteers to do the pep rally. This shocks Elle, but she decides to trust her. 

In the bathroom later that day, Shannon lets Elle know that she broke up with Miles! This shocks Elle, but she hides her obvious crush on Miles from Shannon. She wants to keep the friendship. She also lets Shannon know that she and Dustin are done. Speaking of Dustin, he goes straight to Liz to ask her for permission to keep exposing principal Anderson. He is making so many shady budget decisions that are affecting students negatively. Liz gives him the okay.

Elle and Eva have a camera crew ready at all times filming her video. It’s finally time for the pep rally and everyone marches into the gym expecting the whole school there with decorations filling the space. However, when Elle and the cross country team get into the gym, nobody is there. Kimberly did this on purpose. Shannon is very disappointed in her, and Elle is hurt. Shannon decides to cheer Elle up.

Shannon encourages Elle that she can accomplish anything she puts her mind to. She is a very positive light, and she shouldn’t let Kimberly diminish it. Elle gets to work. Elle has Liz hand out flyers and be the DJ. Donna makes her famous brownies for concessions. She asks Wyatt to be the medic. Eva is editing the video together, but they still have a lot to film.      

The big day comes with the camera crew ready. Everything is set up nicely on the  field, and everyone is genuinely having a good time. Then, Elle and the rest of the cheer team give a stellar performance right as the cross country runners head toward the finish line Miles comes in first place. All the parents and even Principal Anderson are there with big smiles on their faces. Eva gets offered a job by Dean Wilson, the candidate running for mayor, after he sees how good she is with people and a camera crew. She declines as she is under the impression that she and Elle are going back to LA. 

After everything wraps up, Shannon gives Elle the biggest hug and lets her know that they have enough money to put on a winter formal. Elle is excited. She then goes to clean up more areas and asks Miles for help.  It begins to rain and Miles gives Elle his jacket. They have a sweet conversation, until Eva comes with the camera crew to record a very vulnerable state. Elle gets furious at Eva and tells her that maybe she doesn’t want to leave Seattle. Maybe it’s changing her for the better. Elle marches home in the rain. 

Elle gets to her house and she’s soaking wet. She sees Miles getting out of his car. She runs up to Miles and kisses him. They have a moment before they both head home. Elle obviously regrets her decision and is prepared to tell Shannon the next day at school. She notices that everyone is acting strange. Liz tells Elle that Shannon’s mom was in a car accident and died. Cut to black.

This episode had so much going on for all of the characters. Elle and Shannon’s friendship began to grow as Shannon showed her the metaphor of Seattle. The relationship between Elle and Eva got rocky, but it was bound to happen as Elle adjusts  and finds her people. Miles’s feelings for Elle were very apparent in this episode, and he just betrayed Shannon. The twist at the end with Shannon’s mom was absolutely heartbreaking and unexpected, as we just saw Robin a couple of episodes prior. Every character truly went through a pivotal point in their arc this episode. 

8/10