Suck It Up – As the episode opens, a police constable (Warwick Sadler) opens the police cruiser for Summer Torres (Sky Katz). At the Gibson house, the officer warns Margot Torres (Kate Beahan) of future charges. Abbie Gibson (Adrienne Pickering) says Thommo Gibson (Dustin Claire) is acquainted with the owner before agreeing to board up the window in the morning. Margot orders Summer to help Abbie since she won’t be going to Nationals. Honey Gibson (Asmara Feik) argues that Summer cannot miss Nationals. She asks if they know anyone who doesn’t want to hit Wren Radic (Annabel Wolfe) in the face with a rock. Summer admits to wishing it was a brick. Margot threatens to send her to boarding school in Florida. Once alone, Ari Gibson (Kai Lewins) reminds her that she traveled halfway across the world to compete at Nationals. She informs him of her decision to return to New York permanently.

Manu Tetanui (Chris Alosio) tells Poppy Tetanui (Lilliana Bowrey) that getting intoxicated is not a good way to prepare for Nationals. She admits to feeling pressure when Elo Radic (Olympia Valance) arrives to pick her up. He says Marlon Sousa (Joao Gabriel Marinho) is a “good Kid” and he likes her a lot. He gives her what appears to be a goat figurine for good luck.

After viewing CCTV footage from the surf shop, Margot tells Summer that Poppy is lucky to have her as a friend. Abbie asks if Poppy busted the window. Summer assures them that it is meant for Poppy to go to Nationals. Margot claims to have dropped out of the tour because of a boy who didn’t want a baby. Summer asks if she is referring to her dad. Margot urges her to let no one stop her from surfing. She says her friends believe she deserves to be at Nationals.

Tuscany Bray (Emmanuelle Mattana) and her teammates heckle the Victoria team. Baxter Radic (Josh Macqueen) warns Ari that they sense his fear. Tuscany walks away when she sees Bodhi Mercer (Savannah La Rain). Subtropix billboard features Bodhi’s bikini shot. Bodhi questions why Subtropix didn’t utilize her surf shot. Wren describes her as looking “hot.” Inside, Griff Temple (Mitchelle Hardaker) claims to have heard Ari and Wren got it on last night when Wren approaches. Ari asks if she said anything to anyone about last night. She admits to telling Bodhi before assuring him that they are jealous.

Sandy welcomes the surfing teams to Bundjalung country. Summer informs her teammates that she couldn’t miss the biggest competition of the year. Poppy apologizes to her about last night. Summer assures her that it is all right before they embrace. Commentators (Jasmine Anders, Sheena Reyes) announce the upcoming Under 18’s Pair Event. Elo informs the team that she picked Griff and Baxter for the Boys’ Pair and Poppy and Wren for the Girls’ Pair. Summer reminds her that she paired her and Wren at training. Elo says she has proven to be unreliable. Baxter points out that Summer is there now. Wren admits to being okay with Poppy. Bodhi says Summer’s backhand is better, so she deserves to go.

Poppy and Rosie Reed go head-to-head but Rosie comes out on top. Summer confronts Tuscany about leading Bodhi on while she had a girlfriend. Ari tells Bodhi that Summer is messing with Tuscany. Tuscany assures her that it didn’t happen that way. Summer suggests she isn’t used to being called out. Wren and Tuscany go head-to-head until Tuscany crashes. Bodhi tells Summer that she doesn’t need her help when dealing with Tuscany. Wren scores a 7.5, eliminating the Queensland Women’s Pairs.

Elo promises to forgive Baxter if he puts a score on the board. Summer says that was “inspiring.” Baxter says Elo knows how well he responds to “guilt trips.” She says since the fire in Queensland, he has been doing Elo and Wren’s bidding. She suggests forgiving himself. Later, the commentator announces Griff’s 6.2 score as Baxter joins his competitors in the water. He rides a wave until crashing. On the shore, Wren tells Ari that Baxter is unreliable. Ari urges her to take it easy on Baxter. She accuses him of making her feel bad about herself before her final. He reminds her that she is the team captain. She stresses out when her Blu Gravity wax goes missing. Ari offers her his but she refuses to use it. At the hotel, Ari searches through Wren’s things for the wax when Marlon approaches. Marlon tells him that Poppy called him “just a sub” while she was intoxicated. Ari questions if telling Wren that he loved her was the right decision.

Elo announces that Bodhi will step in for Poppy. Bodhi reminds her that Poppy’s performance was “great.” Elo says if they want to win, they need to play smart. Alone, Bodhi apologizes to Poppy about what she said at camp. Poppy attributes her being rude to her fear of losing Bodhi to Wren. Bodhi vows to always be there for her. Poppy questions if her throwing a rock at Wren’s face was an overreaction. Stunned, Bodhi says Summer took the blame. Poppy says Summer is a good friend.

Bodhi is standing at the tagline when Dice (Charlie Clausen) and Molly Novak (Danielle Horvat) approach. Molly says her bikini is selling out. Bodhi questions why Subtropix didn’t use her surf shots. Molly suggests her bikini shots were better. Bodhi reminds her that she wants to be promoted as a surfer. He says it doesn’t matter because she looks great. Bodhi voices concern about being viewed as a “token Black girl.” She claims to have been too afraid to call him out for being a “racist.” Molly says it isn’t the right time before she and Dice walk away. Ari tells Summer that he is glad she came back. She vows to be happy for him. Bodhi’s teammates celebrate her win.

Summer apologizes to Tuscany for what she said earlier. Tuscany admits to liking Bodhi before denying she has a girlfriend. She says Bodhi’s relationship with Wren would have been problematic for her. She claims Wren treated her differently when she started beating her. Tuscany accuses Wren of doing something to her surfboard during a competition and outing her to her sponsor. Summer suggests she was happy when Queensland dropped Baxter and the Radics moved away. Later, Summer confronts Wren about Tuscany’s claim that Queensland didn’t drop Baxter. Elo was fired for “toxic coaching” and Wren was dropped for bullying. Wren denies the allegations. Summer asks how they could lie to Baxter. Wren assures her that no one will believe her. Summer threatens to tell Baxter. Wren warns that Elo will bench her if she says anything when the episode ends.

 

Surviving Summer Review

Tuscany tells Summer that Wren and Elo lied to Baxter about Queensland dropping him from the team. Elo and Wren were dismissed for bullying. Summer confronts Wren who threatens to have Elo bench her at the competition.

Summer takes the fall for Poppy breaking the surf shop window. Margot finds out the truth when she watches the CCTV footage. Elo lets Summer rejoin the competition but pairs Wren with Poppy.

Ari tells Marlon about telling Wren that he loved her. He admits to feeling pressured after she confessed to loving him.

The episode deserves a 5.8. Get more Surviving Summer recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our onsite advertising builds brand awareness, click the link to learn more.