Wait for It – As the episode opens, Margot Torres (Kate Beahan) disappointedly wakes up to find Summer Torres (Sky Katz) in her bed. She vows to not do it again. Later, an injured Wren Radic (Annabel Wolfe) joins Honey Gibson (Asmara Feik) and Ari Gibson (Kai Lewins) in their kitchen. Ari asks about her injured ankle which she is resting before the impending surfing competition. Summer and Margot are arguing about a party when they enter the room. Margot attributes Wren’s injured ankle to Summer’s backyard gymnastics. Wren assures them that she will live. Margot blames Summer’s barbecue stunt for their being banned from the booking site. Summer complains to Honey about Margot forcing her to return to the United States. Abbie Gibson (Adrienne Pickering) offers to clean up the junk room but Margot refuses. Summer argumentatively reminds Margot of her promise to stay until Nationals. Honey urges Abbie to do something because Summer is her mentor when Elo Radic (Olympia Valance) pulls up outside.
Hearing Margot and Summer arguing, Ari barges into the room claiming to have seen Summer picking up at throughout the party. He adds that she kept the children out of the house. Summer boasts of Ari not liking him. Margot asks about Wren who is at the surfing competition. Summer offers to prove her commitment to surfing. Reminding her that never participated in any surfing competitions in the US, Margot asks if she is familiar with the rules. Summer claims Ari is going to go over the rules with her. Ari reluctantly backs her up. She agrees to return to the States if she doesn’t win a heat in today’s competition. Margot says it is her last chance.
Marlon Sousa (Joao Gabriel Marinho) retrieves his board when Poppy Tetanul (Lilliana Bowrey) says it seemed he was into at the party. She reminds him of his seeing Bodhi Mercer (Savannah La Rain). He claims their relationship ended ages ago. She says with everything going on, a serious relationship may be too much for her to handle. He questions if she and Griff Temple (Mitchell Hardaker) are serious. She says it was nothing but a “blip” before assuring him that it would never work between them. He asks if she likes him but she refuses to answer before leaving to help Manu Tetanui (Chris Alosio).
Bodhi is removing her earrings when Tuscany Bray (Emmanuelle Mattana) interrupts to say they look “good.” Tuscany questions if she takes all her dates to the surf shop. Bodhi asks if it is a date. Inside, Tuscany pulls back the dressing room curtain to reveal Bodhi’s Subtropix poster. Bodhi voices concern about getting overlooked because she doesn’t look like the average surfer. Tuscany suggests being open with Subtropix. Bodhi worries they will laugh. Tuscany says in that case, Subtropix shouldn’t be her sponsor.
After a word of advice, Ari and Summer hit the waves. Walking toward the shore, Summer apologizes to Ari for ghosting him. He assures her that he would not have tried to talk her out of being a “legit surfer.” She jokingly asks if he forgives her for breaking his heart. The commentator, Ruben (Tim Hawken) says the tension is obvious as the Blu Gravity Talent Search begins. As Tuscany is being interviewed by a Blu Gravity surf journalist (Alexandra Jones), Bohdi discusses their relationship with Summer and Poppy. Wren chimes in about their relationship. Marlon watches Griff hug Poppy from behind. Poppy asks him to not touch her. He assures her that he is only being friendly. Elo Radic (Olympia Valance) urges the surfers to take advantage of every opportunity because the big sponsors are in attendance.
Under-18 Boys Heat 1 kicks off with Levins from Cronulla. Griff and Marlon wait while Bax Radic surfs the waves. Elsewhere, Molly Novak (Danielle Horvat) tells Bodhi that she is considering her and Poppy for a Byron shoot. Bodhi expresses her desire to get some “action shots” for social media. She fills Molly in on where she is in her surfing career. Molly says the only way Subtropix will promote her as a performer is to improve her competition results. Bodhi assures her that there will be results.
Loopy (Jane Allsop) tells Ari that Blu Gravity’s roster in Victoria is currently “stacked.” Wren asks if she is willing to risk losing Ari, the best junior surfer in the state, to another sponsor. Elsewhere, Baxter Radic (Josh Macqueen) explains what it feels like to be pressured while waiting on the right wave. She denies feeling pressure. He warns that losing means she is heading back to the States before offering her a surfboard which she refuses.
Poppy fails to win the heat. Manu Tetanui (Chris Alosio) promises to review the tape with her later. She scolds Marlon for piling all that stuff on her earlier. He suggests she is trying too hard to focus before saying she is “amazing.” She stomps away.
Elo claims she and Tuscany were friends until she started talking about Wren behind her back. Wren says when confronted, Tuscany didn’t respond. She Elo urges Bodhi to focus on the competition. Later, Bodhi and Tuscany prepare to compete. Overhearing Ari urging Wren to consider setting out the tournament, Summer says injured surfers compete all the time. Wren assures them that her ankle is only sore. Elo reminds her that she said it was better. Summer tells her to compete but not mess herself up, the team needs her to surf well at Nationals.
Tuscany and Bodhi compete with Tuscany coming out on top. Bodhi tells Tuscany about her impending photo shoot before suggesting they get together again. Tuscany admits to having a girlfriend. In the background, Ruben announces Wren is setting out due to injury. Summer, Klasky (Bella Wilson), and two other girls wait for the right wave. During a wave, Summer crashes after a fin breaks off her surfboard. A short distance away, Wren smiles at Baxter who demands she never ask him for another favor. Racing past Margot discussing a job in Seattle with Flo on the phone, Summer gives her board to Poppy to repair the fix. She confronts Margot about her promise to Flo. Margot expresses the need to keep employers on the hook. Summer accuses Margot of having no faith in her. A Blu Gravity journalist and photographer film their argument. Margot says her memories of Shorehaven are not happy ones. Summer explains how surfing motivates her to get out of bed in the morning before vowing to never return to the US. Poppy returns her mended board. Summer makes a plea to sponsor prospects.
Summer joins the heat with minutes left on the clock. The judges score her performance an 8.2. Baxter says nice. Wren slaps his arm. Summer celebrates with her friends. Molly invites Summer to join Subtropix’s Byron Bay photo shoot next week. Summer accepts the offer. Robin convinces Wren to take Summer under her wing as the episode ends.
Surviving Summer Review
The show is bland for the most part. The personal issues, carried over the first season, are the same except for the people involved. The surfing tournament isn’t enough to hold my attention. The story needs more oomph and deeper drama.
The cinematography and lighting are good. The acting is decent. The Surf Coast Shire region is the ideal backdrop for the show.
The episode deserves a 5.5. Get more Surviving Summer recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our onsite advertising builds online awareness, click the link to learn more.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
