Awkward. - Recap: The Great Ball of China

“Guilt Trippin’” delivered the Awkward. moment we’ve all been waiting for… Matty McKibbin (Beau Mirchoff) busted a move. Come to think of it, he really broke it down by the end of episode seven thanks to a little help from the unstoppable dance machine known as Jake Rosati (Brett Davern). Matty’s refusal to cut loose and dance like nobody was watching had always been a symbol for us as viewers, a red flag cluing us in that something within Jenna Hamilton’s (Ashley Rickards) relationship with her dream boy was missing. I had always thought the show would write in a rival love interest, and maybe they still will (Collin?), but I’m enjoying the fact that they’re showing growth in Matty, who has continued to impress his girl, and the Awkward. audience, through Season 3. Let's see how many different ways I can refer to "dancing" before I get obnoxious.

MTV "Awkward."

The episode opened with a traditional ceremony Jenna had gone from loathing to loving all because she’d landed herself a boyfriend for the first time. An annual school dance was on the horizon, and Jenna was awaiting her embellished “Matty’s Girl” pin, adorably embarrassing her in the best way possible. Think Royal Wedding hats in the form of lavish chest pins known to cause boob bleeding if adorned in the incorrect fashion. Matty delivered, showing at aptitude for working with pipe clearners. Jenna, though, felt surprisingly bittersweet about the entire ordeal, recognizing that several of her female classmates would go uninvited to the dance, and a pin that made her feel amazing would dually take the wind out of some of her less fortunate peers’ sails.

Tamara (Jillian Rose Reed) didn’t understand Jenna’s conundrum in the slightest. She did her best to quash Jenna’s seemingly unnecessary pity. Still, Jenna couldn’t get her mind off of former friend Christy, who was noted by Val (Desi Lydic) to be a school bottom feeder. Val hinted at the girl being in a very dark place, a place Jenna might have ended up joining her in had she not been bestowed with many of Val’s pearls of wisdom over the course of two and a half seasons. Suddenly, Jenna got obsessive. Tamara let it slip to Jake that Jenna was having second thoughts, most likely because Matty would never dance with her anyway, and Jake subsequently handed the details off to his bestie. Matty was understanding, letting Jenna know that he was okay with her not wearing the pin, so long as she kept it. Jenna wasn’t satisfied with that, though. She would refuse to go to the dance all together, deciding to take a stand for the single ladies.

In the end, Jenna’s mom, Lacey (Nikki Deloach), would refuse to allow her daughter to hurt the boy she loved in favor of protecting strangers, reminding Jenna that girls who weren’t invited to the dance wouldn’t know whether she went or not. Jenna wouldn’t give in, so Lacey would take matters into her own hands, dialing Matty’s phone before tossing the cell back to Jenna to talk. Partly backed into a corner and, maybe, just a little convinced that she was indeed making a mistake, Jenna asked Matty to the dance after all.

Matty was confused, turning to Tamara and Jake for advice. Tamara, who’d been scolded by Jenna for yet again breaking “girl code” (MTV crossover power!) and running her mouth to Jake refused to speak again, but a torturous tickle session by the duo of bro besties got some information out of her. Unfortunately, none of it had anything to do with sad single girls. Instead, she just brought up the fact that Matty refused to dance. After kicking Tamara out for some “bro code” bonding time, Jake decided to help his bud out. Rosati’s one-man dance class was a hilarious spectacle, as was Matty’s initial attempt at doing anything resembling dancing. Jakes main piece of advice; it’s all in the face. Unless you're Jake, than it's all in the everything.

https://twitter.com/mollytarlov/status/337028971285868545

https://twitter.com/BDavv/status/337030924371886081

MTV "Awkward."

Ming (Jessica Lu) took up much of the spotlight this episode, and thankfully so. Her battles with the Asian Mafia, specifically Becca (Jessika Van), had come to a head. When Becca called in her favor, finally, Ming was pressured to join the dance committee in an attempt to rig the theme vote. Becca was dead set on seeing the “Great Ball of China” theme fail. “Tropic Like It’s Hot” would serve her needs better. Ming was unsure of Becca’s true desires. Was she on to Ming’s plan to double-cross her? Did she actually want the “Great Ball of China” theme to win the vote? Ming, fed up with Becca, turned to Sadie (Molly Tarlov) for advice on the inner workings of a manipulative bitch. When Sadie wants something done, she commands it directly. Sadie’s comment regarding Ming’s “androgynous” wardrobe was matched only by Ming’s travel brochure- esque speech selling an Old World China theme, right? The visions of the smoke of opium and foil chicken could not fail. “The Great Ball of China” would commence!

Tamara and Jenna arrived prior to Jake and Matty, who were practicing their killer dance routine. Meanwhile, Jenna was still fixated on loner Christy, who had shown up to the dance all by her lonesome. Jenna had caught glimpses of her throughout the day, throwing out her lunch, unable to eat, and writing in her “old school blog” all alone. Seeing her stand by herself in the middle of the dance floor gave Jenna second thoughts, again, surrounding going to the dance at all. While Jenna chased down Christy, Jake and Matty hit up Sadie’s food cart, which was rumored to carry alcoholic shots in soy sauce containers. Ming had been wrong. Becca manipulated her way to her ideal situation, paying for the Chinese decorations for next to nothing and pocketing the excess cash for a ski trip.

I asked a white bitch for Asian bitch advice!

Sadie, of course, wasn’t about to let it slip that the rumors regarding the alcohol were true, sipping away selfishly, leaving Matty to have to suck it up and dance without any liquid courage.

In the end, Jenna was wrong about Christy. In truth, she wasn’t a sad loner on the brink of suicide. Instead, she was a run-of-the-mill drug dealer looking to score some sales. Jenna hadn’t witnessed her trashing her bagged lunch. That was Christy making a drop! The DEA had been trailing the girl, arresting her just before she could hand Jenna a free sample. Jenna was free to boogie, and what a pleasant surprise, Matty had already warmed up. From the edge of the dance floor, Jenna caught a gander of Matty cutting a rug with the group of single girls who’d gone to the dance stag. Matty had a new fan club, and Jenna was ecstatic.

Because she never got the opportunity to dance with him inside, Jenna insisted that Matty show her some of his new moves in a personal dance display in the parking lot. Matty cut loose as Jenna blasted her car stereo. “Guilt Trippin’” closed with the two dancing together, like idiots, for the first time. Really, the only way to dance is to dance like a moron, if you ask me!

https://twitter.com/mollytarlov/status/337033303964151809

What did you think of Awkward. Season 3 Episode 7, “Guilt Trippin’”? Are you happy that Matty finally busted a move (or twenty) for Jenna? Do you share Sadie’s f***in’ love for the Asian Mafia? Are you glad the show is having Matty evolve into the guy Jenna needs?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Awkward. Season 3 Episode 7, “Guilt Trippin’! Hit the comments below or tweet me your reactions to Episode 7 @JoeTranch!