Awkward. - Premiere Recap: Heinous Wallflower to Hideous Skank

Episode 11 of Season 3 of Awkward., "Surprise!" saw Jenna Hamilton (Ashley Rickards) deciding between living a lie with Matty McKibben (Beau Mirchoff) and living with her tongue comfortably placed somewhere in Collin's (Nolan Funk) mouth. Meanwhile, Ming's (Jessica Lu) power as head of the Asian Mafia went straight to her pretty blonde head, and Tamara's (Jillian Rose Reed) secret vault (As in, her brain's jar of secrets) reached its breaking point. Sadie Saxton (Molly Tarlov) was there for about thirty seconds of screen time that made my life feel brighter, and remember Jake (Brett Davern)? What are they doing to you Jake? More Jake. Jake, hi. Here is my Recap and Review of Season 3 Episode 11 of Awkward. "Surprise!"

So, Episode 11, the Season 3b premiere, was pretty simple to break down. Jenna and Collin attempted to squash the residual feelings following their unfortunate make-out that closed the Season 3a spring finale but to no avail. The chemistry is there, everybody, and whether you like Matty better or not, the fact of the matter is that love triangles normally have very simple solutions that nobody wants to face. It never mattered if you preferred Jacob over Edward, that girl Kristen Stewart played liked Edward better. (I hate myself for typing that. I'm going to hate myself more for posting this on the internet.) Period. Matty vs. Jake was one thing. Jenna was clearly torn a bit there. Here, it's like Matty is some burden for her to deal with and Collin is the best answer possible.

MTV "Awkward."

Tamara, aware of Jenna's past indiscretion, was peeved to catch the two new lovebirds sucking face in the school parking lot. They'd continue to do so all over campus, in broad sight of, well, everyone save for the people who'd ever want to tell Matty, the most coveted dude in school, that his girlfriend was over him. While Sadie never actually uncovered any factual proof, or Jenna would be ruined by now and Awkward. would be cancelled, she did make sure to rip Jenna a new one in creative writing class. Aah, the genesis of "heinous wallflower to hideous skank." Sadie, what did I do all summer long without you? I was probably, like, grilling or thinking about going to the beach. I'm welcome.

MTV "Awkward."

Of course, Jenna's birthday was upon us all during Episode 11, and by Friday, she'd either have dodged a surprise party in favor of a night alone in the house, or she'd end up smack in the middle of the worst possible scenario you can imagine. Go ahead and take a stab at it, folks! Jenna's mother, Lacey (Nikki DeLoach), had failed at throwing her daughter a surprise party for years, slipping up and squealing the secret every single time. We were treated to a great montage of Lacey's surprise party screw-ups, by the way. Remember when Jenna's mom was the worst? This is so much better! This year, Lacey enlisted Val (Desi Lydic) for help in distracting Jenna while she threw together some festivities. Tamara, burdened with the guilt of harboring Jenna's lies, inevitably burst, sacrificing one secret, the secret of the party, to save another. Jenna, privy to the truth, would later, quite easily, coax her mother into ruining her own plans. Jenna was off scot-free, and her parents would agree to her birthday wish… She'd get the house all to herself!

MTV "Awkward."

Meanwhile, Ming's relationship with Fred Wu came to a head during the premiere. Ming has been taking full advantage of the Asian Mafia, ordering up everything from cappuccinos to fire drills in mere seconds via their convenient group text messaging service. Fred, fearing that his lover had been corrupted by her abuse of the incomparable Asian power, gave Ming an ultimatum; leave the Mafia or he'd leave her for good. In the end, Fred's love for Ming prevailed, and the ultimatum ended up trashed in favor of Wu keeping his mouth shut and appreciating all of the wonderful gifts Ming would bestow upon him. If he'd never ask, he'd never need to know. Free sweatshirt! Who had to die to pay for that sweatshirt?

MTV "Awkward."

https://twitter.com/Beau_Mirchoff/status/392890610798964736

Jenna's perpetual torment in putting off the inevitable, telling Matty the truth, was made even worse by Matty's enlisting of Collin to help him swing the perfect birthday gift for his girlfriend. Collin, friend of the photographer Jenna had so fondly admired the night of his party, would manage to finagle Matty the shot of Jenna the artist had captured that evening. Jenna, upon opening the gift against the lockers, was overcome with emotion and guilt.

Collin, in an effort to nip things in the bud himself, had decided to cut things off with Jenna whether she liked it or not. Jenna, sideswiped by the concept that the boy could possibly make this moral decision, suddenly realized her true dilemma. She wasn't relieved at all. Instead, she was disappointed.

MTV "Awkward."

She returned home for her birthday, only to find that Collin had a change of heart. Offering up his own gift, Jenna decided to take advantage of her empty house and her new friend by inviting him inside. Of course, in typical fashion, the two were lip-locked within seconds, stumbling through the front door to find that, unfortunately, Lacey had, for the first time, pulled off a surprise party.

Hi, Jake!

What did you think of Awkward. Season 3 Episode 11, the Fall Premiere, "Surprise!"? Team Collin or Team Matty? Is Team Jake still in existence, or has that ship sailed forever? Did your heart grow from experiencing the fall debut of Sadie Saxton? Do you like Ming's new look? Surprise parties… yay or nay? Is Season 3b off to a good start?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Awkward. Season 3 Episode 11, the Fall Premiere, "Surprise!"