The episode opens in Dr. Nell’s (Stephen Fry) office where Mia Polanco (Sophie Wilde) monologues about how every aspect of her life has been carefully monitored for the past seven months. She claims everything comes down to the next five minutes. Nell confirms that Mia’s paperwork is in order and she’s been briefed on her medication before sending her back to the dormitory to finish packing. She spends several minutes gathering and studying photos of friends when her father, Rick (Alex Hassell), arrives and asks if she’s ready to go. Once alone, Mia continues packing while memories from the discharge meeting with Dr. Nell flood through her mind.

Riding through town with Rick, Mia reflects on how different things look. Rick assures her that, Viv (Vivienne Acheampong) really wanted to be there. A disbelieving Mia asks about Alex (Sam Reuben), who is supposedly looking forward to her return. Mia inadvertently spoils his surprise party when she says all she wants to do is lie in her bed and spend some time alone. She turns down his offer to cancel the party. Arriving home, Mia has a much-welcome reunion with her grandmother and brother, but the late arrival of Viv makes things awkward. Things spiral further and Mia finds herself locked in the bathroom when the grandmother offers a huge slice of coconut cake. Mia attempts to use a mental exercise to calm herself while listening to the family argue. Rejoining them she thanks her gran but blames her lack of appetite on the medication. Rick urges her to go lie down. In her room, she finds comfort in her old food lists, although she claims to now know that documenting her eating habits wasn’t healthy.

The next morning at breakfast, Mia discovers much hasn’t changed as Viv attempts to rush off to meet with a new client. Rick does manage to get her to sit long enough to express the enormity of Mia being on her own for the first time in seven months. Mia sarcastically jokes that she’d be better off with a cup and string when Rick presents her with a new flip phone (only intended for emergencies).

Mia enjoys the sun and freedom of walking to school with Alex until they encounter Cameron in the middle of lighting a cigarette (Harry Cadby). Alex pushes ahead to give the two some privacy but tells Mia he’ll be close by. Mia introduces him to the audience as her first real friend. She claims to even have thought of him as her best friend at one time. After a quick reunion, his claims to have missed her appear to rub her the wrong way as she resumes walking without a response. He apologizes as he chases her down, but Mia doesn’t get a chance to respond thanks to the arrival of Becca (Lauryn Ajufo) and Will (Noah Thomas). Mia introduces Becca to the audience as a Mensa (someone with an incredibly high IQ) and Will as her wife. After boarding the bus together, Mia learns that they no longer hang out at the skate park and her friends have all had sexual experiences, Cameron more than the others. Will is sleeping with his boss and Becca describes her experience as religious. Becca warns against overloading Mia with gossip on her first day back, but they continue amongst themselves as the bus makes its way to school.

At school, Mia is shocked to learn that her friends now have friends and cliques of their own. The most shocking is Becca’s new relationship with Jonah (Kiran Krishnakumar) because Mia claims they used to hate him. When asked, Becca attributes the new friendship to Jonah getting the good weed. Becca apologizes for not revealing the loss of her virginity. Mia claims it to be okay and says she understands that Becca was only trying to protect her. Things only get more awkward for Mia in class as she accidentally steals a popular kid’s seat and Miss Lambert (Amy Trigg) makes a huge show of her return.

Mia collects her prearranged lunch she explains to the audience why avoiding triggers is one of the first lessons an addict learns in AA. She continues to point out how hard that is when your trigger is something you actually need. For her, she says it’s not just the food, but the guilt after eating that affects her. Shortly after joining her friends, Alison (Niamh McCormack) arrives and makes things awkward by asking what being in a mental hospital is like. Although Will manages to change the topic, it doesn’t last long. When Alison asks about Theo’s (Robert Akodoto) party on Friday, Mia realizes her friends have been hiding the event from her. She also claims to understand that she needs to forget trying to get back to her old self and adapt to someone new. She decides to start the moment she spots Theo across the cafeteria. She awkwardly bumps into him on her approach but manages to get an invitation to the party.

Later in her room, makes a bucket list until Becca arrives to help her prepare for the party. Mia stresses over learning to kiss while Becca assures her it’s not that hard. Before they practice on each other, Becca encourages her to simply try to mimic what her partner does. Once dressed, the girls get past Viv and Rick in the kitchen with little resistance, although Rick does mention them being a bit dressed up for the movies.

Mia and Becca join Will and Cameron outside the party, so they can enter together. Mia struggles at the refreshment table with how easy it is for others to just eat and drink whatever they want without thinking about it. Alison joins her and asks if she’s drinking. When Mia claims she is, Alison pours three shots. Mia’s shocked when she learns all three are for her. She quickly downs them more as an attempt to prove she’s normal, but it appears it makes Becca nervous.

Later that evening, Mia finds herself tipsy trying to have a conversation with Paul (Dee Ahluwalia). Tired of waiting in the bathroom line, she relieves herself in the bushes where she sees Will doing the same. He says they make a classy pair. She attempts to brush past him but he cuts her off before apologizing for ignoring her during treatment. Back inside, Mia believes people drink because it helps them fit in. Her bliss of dancing is interrupted by Carli (Jessie Mae Alonzo). Finding her in a drunken stupor, Theo escorts her away from the dance floor. She embarrasses herself by trying to kiss him before throwing up until she eventually faints. She wakes to learn that someone has called an ambulance.

Mia is given the all-clear and a lecture about the dangers of excessive underage drinking before joining her friends in the lobby. There, she makes them promise not to tell her parents and shares her bucket list with them. They are touched by her desire to impress them and prove she’s normal, so they offer to help her with the list.

 

Everything Now Review

I know this is just another raunchy teen drama packed with social and political agendas, but I enjoyed it. I must say it’s not quite as woke as one might think it would be. The show does an incredibly good job of rationing the eating disorder with the typical woes of teenage life. In fact, it feels that way with all the agendas the show pushes. I was very impressed with the teen actors as well. Kudos to the entire creative team, but we’ll have to see how it goes from here. I would give this episode a 6.6 out of 10.

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