Keep The Sponsors Happy – The show begins with the wildcard commentator (Jasmine Anders) announcing the Subtropix Wildcard Trials.  Marion Sousa (Joao Marinho) rides a wave. Bodhi Mercer (Savannah La Rain) and Poppy Tenanui (Lilliana Bowrey) take time for a selfie on the boardwalk.

Turning to his competitors, Marion promises to be gentle. Molly Novak (Danielle Horvat) approaches Bodhi to pay her a compliment. She informs her of having an opening the new campaign after a girl dropped out. She asks if she has modeled for their agency. Shaking her head, Bodhi turns to give Poppy a quick glance. Molly tells her that they will get her in an hour.

Bodhi streams Nikki Van Dijk (plays herself) surfing on her cellphone. Summer Torres (Sky Katz) describes Nikki as “awesome.” Poppy admits it is unbelievable Bodhi is going to work with her. Bodhi tells Poppy it is strange that she wasn’t chosen. Reminding her that there was only one opening, Poppy assures her that she has been prepared forever. Bodhi invites Summer to shoot some of her content. Ari Gibson (Kai Lewins) sarcastically warns her that Summer could ruin her career by blowing up the shoot. Marion suggests he accompany her as there may be a possibility they can shoot together. Bodhi agrees to speak with Molly about it. Marion asks aren’t they the next Jack and Alana. Poppy looks over at a sullen Ari.

Bodhi checks out the wardrobe when she overhears the makeup artist tells Nikki her hair is “incredible.” When Molly approaches Summer, she identifies herself as “Torres Management” for Bodhi. Summer assures her that managing 100K social media followers is a lot of work. Bodhi reminds Summer that she has zero followers. Summer assures her that Russian hackers will take care of it.

Bodhi tells Nikki that they are now besties. Nikki agrees, saying they have known each other for a long time. During the shoot, Marion gives them a head’s up before jumping into the water. Bodhi isn’t happy with what she sees. He approaches Molly to identify himself. She scolds him for interfering with the shoot.

Poppy checks out an image of Nikki and Bodhi on her phone. She asks Ari if he would like to review their surfing footage at her house if they get through the next round. Accepting her offer, he warns her that his odds are really low.

Bodhi apologizes to Molly about Marion’s stunt. Molly assures her they achieved what they set out to do with the shoot. Summer assures her that it will be all right. Marion reminds her that she gave him the okay to come. When she leaves to take a call, Summer says it is nice when she is not the one who gets in trouble.

Bodhi drops groceries off at her dad’s house. Matthias Mercer (Bert LaBonte) complains about being stressed out because he’s double-booked. She suggests canceling one his jobs. He admits to thinking about it but feared losing another client. When she offers to help, he reminds her of the surfing trials. She assures him that she can handle it.

Ari joins Bodhi and Poppy in the quarter-finals tomorrow.

Poppy and Ari review their surfing footage. Bodhi boasts about Bodhi’s looks, profile, and boyfriend. Ignoring her comment, he points out an error in his surfing footage. She shows him how to avoid making the same mistake before they kiss.  They immediately stop when her brothers bust through the door. She demands to know what they are doing there. Prawnie Tetanui (Cantona Stewart) hesitantly says he left his wallet. He and Manu Tetanui (Chris Alosio) rush back out the door.

Abbie Gibson (Adrienne Pickering) and Summer discuss her mom, Margo Torres (Kate Beahan). When Abbie admits to missing Margo, Summer asks why. She reminds Abbie of Margo dumping her “delinquent daughter” on her while she explores foreign lands. Abbie claims to be proud of Margo’s accomplishments and finds her inspirational. Summer assures her that if Margo was a better person, she might be more inspirational.

Ari and Marion compete in the quarter-finals. As Poppy cheers him on, Manu teasingly says her boyfriend might get through the quarter-finals. She denies Ari is her boyfriend. Manu warns her that boys are a distraction. She questions the rule that excludes boys. Prawnie asks Marion where Bodhi is at. He informs them that she is on Farely Street doing something for her dad. Poppy suggests he go pick her up.

Summer arrives at Farely Street to be greeted by Matthias. As she rushes upstairs to Bodhi, his every attempt at stopping her fails. She scolds Matthias for keeping Bodhi from competing in the quarter-finals. He tells Bodhi that she said the competition wasn’t until later. Bodhi assures Summer that she will never beat Poppy.

Poppy gets through the quarter-finals without Bodhi. Summer tells Bodhi that she worries about others more than herself. She offers to speak with Molly about what happened. Bodhi warns her about Molly being upset over the stunt Marion pulled. Refusing to listen, she approaches Molly to apologize. Molly tells Bodhi that they support committed surfers. Bodhi swears she wants it. Summer says she doesn’t believe Bodhi should be punished for having a complicated home life. She doesn’t give up until Molly agrees to give her a second chance.

Bodhi informs Manu and Poppy of Molly’s decision to put her in the sponsor trials. She explains to Poppy that it wouldn’t be right to refuse the offer. Poppy says it is understandable because Molly believes she is a star.

Bodhi competes in the sponsor trials while Poppy watches. She looks over to see an excited Ari.

Poppy primps in the front of a mirror.

Ari wins the boy’s finals. Poppy meets him as he emerges from the water. She assures him that it is okay if he just wants to be friends. He expresses his relief, saying they have been surfing buddies for a long time. She suggests he celebrate his win. He watches as she walks away.

Poppy and Bodhi are a few feet apart when Marion approaches. He is streaming himself talking about the competition. Bodhi questions why he never came for her when she was working for her dad. He tells her the competition doesn’t seem important to her lately. She asks if that is why he interfered with her photoshoot. He accuses her of snubbing him after inviting him to the photo shoot. When she breaks up with him, he doesn’t agree to be friends.

Poppy and Bodhi compete in the finals as the episode comes to an end.

 

Surviving Summer Review

As the surfing competition winds down, a heartbroken Poppy is left alone to sort out her feelings. In the meantime, Bodhi decides it is to let Marion go, so she can finally concentrate on herself. Summer is just having fun.

The show touches on various typical adolescent issues. The teens are faced with decisions that could impact their lives forever. The young actors are exceptionally talented. They express a variety of emotions to give their characters clarity.

The episode deserves a 6.8. Get more Surviving Summer recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking on the link.