Speechless – D-a-t-e-Date?

By starrymag | November 12, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

 

JJ (Micah Fowler) and Kenneth (Cedric Yarbrough) spy a van pulling into a handicapped spot in the school parking lot. The red tag in the windshield reveals that it’s for a temporarily disabled person. The girl in the wheelchair, Claire (McKaley Miller), is enraged at the unfairness of not being able to walk for three weeks.

 

Jimmy (John Ross Bowie) and Maya (Minnie Driver) are called into the school as Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) is in trouble for getting angry at the fact the school promotes mediocrity and breaking a participation trophy. As punishment, Dylan will have to replace it.

 

Dylan walks in on Ray (Mason Cook) taking a picture of his nipple, as he thinks something about it looks off. Ray asks permission to have a guys night—since Jillian broke his heart, he’s focusing on deepening his male friendships. They give him permission, but warn that Maya’s special needs mom group is coming over for a gathering as well. Ray is worried that they will embarrass him.

 

At school the next day, Claire informs JJ and Kenneth that she was training for gymnastic nationals when she under rotated her dismount and broke both her ankles. Since she’s having a hard time adjusting so the principal asks JJ to show her around the school from his point of view. He gives her the grand tour—a ramp, an elevator and a poster that says the school likes people in wheelchairs. A cafeteria lady also gives him chocolate ice cream, but that’s not because he’s in a wheelchair – it’s just because he’s charming. JJ shares his ice cream with Claire and they start joking around and flirting. Kenneth goes from aid to wingman, asking Claire to join JJ’s physical therapy appointment the next day. She happily accepts the invitation.

 

Ray talks to his buddies from school, impressing them by joining in when they discuss the hotness of girls in their class. Uncomfortable with the fact he has very little experience with women, he tries to awkwardly change the subject.

 

Maya and her support group drink sangria and talk about the shenanigans they have caught their children doing. One of them says that the siblings of special needs children often act out because they want to feel like they’re being heard. Maya tells them not to blame themselves, as they’re all perfect. She says she’s not worried about Ray, though, as he has taken a vow of celibacy and is attempting to deepen his male friendships. Ray’s friends walk into the living room just in time to hear this and make fun of Ray. Maya apologizes for drinking too much sangria and embarrassing Ray. Ray asks for a beer to give the popular kid in order to salvage his reputation, but Maya isn’t quite drunk enough to agree to that.

 

Ray tells the group that his mom just doesn’t know about his girlfriend. They steal his phone, hoping to find proof of this supposed lady. Instead, they find Ray’s nipple picture and think it is a sext from his girlfriend. Ray lies and goes along with their assumptions.

 

Jimmy takes Dylan to the trophy shop to replace the one she broke. Dylan’s rage comes out again when someone cuts in line to “ask a quick question.” She tells Jimmy she can’t just let someone dump on her and not do anything about it. Jimmy takes her to his work to teach her a lesson.

 

JJ motivates Claire to work harder at their physical therapy appointment. He even calls her “Rocky,” but she doesn’t get the reference since she’s never seen the movie. Kenneth congratulates JJ on his connection with Claire, but JJ says that girls only see him as a teddy bear or a friend. However, Kenneth thinks that’s not the case here when Claire invites JJ over to study that night since she has the house to herself as her mom is headed out on a Tinder date.

 

The next day at school, Ray is seen as “the man” everywhere he goes. His buzz drops though when the principal (Marin Hinkle) calls Ray and Maya into her office due to the word about the picture going around. This is the first instance of something like this happening at Lafayette High and Ray will be made an example of.

 

Jimmy works at a desk in the airport. The airline has lost all of the luggage from a plane coming back from Hawaii. They are angry and Jimmy is patient, but Dylan grabs the phone for the intercom and calls everyone a horrible person with terrible tan lines. She tells Jimmy her anger is coming from the fact that her family is constantly being messed with. Jimmy understands, saying he’ll show her something after work that helps him deal.

 

Per JJ’s request, Kenneth loans him one of his gold chains before going into Claire’s house to make him look cooler. When he gets in the house, he sees there are several other classmates gathered around the table there to study as well. It’s clearly not a date.

 

Maya lectures Ray because she feels she doesn’t even know him anymore. Ray promises to explain if Maya promises not to tell anyone else. He shows her the picture and she automatically recognizes it as his own nipple. She wants to tell the school he’s innocent, but he would rather face the consequences and not be a laughing stock with his friends. Maya overrules him and heads to the principal.

 

Jimmy takes Dylan to a spot next to an airport where they can scream as loud as they want when planes fly over. He tells her never to let anyone make her feel weird for getting angry.

 

Kenneth can’t believe he interpreted Claire’s feelings incorrectly. JJ wants to leave without saying goodbye, thinking Claire won’t even notice. Before he can, Claire joins him in the entryway, thanking him for coming and saying she’s still sore from the physical therapy workout. JJ gets the courage to invite her to watch Rocky with him and she agrees.

 

Ray tells Maya he can’t trust her anymore and won’t be able to tell her everything now since she betrayed his trust. He gets one last congratulatory high-five from his buddy before reluctantly heading into the principal’s office. At the last second, Maya lies to the principal and says that Ray is a sexually deviant young man. Ray is thrilled and eagerly accepts his punishment of a week-long suspension. The principal will also draft a letter to the whole Lafayette High community that details his consequences so they know behavior like this will not be tolerated.

 

Dylan comes in with her replacement trophy, asking why everyone is looking at a picture of Ray’s nipple. The principal is so relieved—this letter will be so much more fun to write. Ray heads to the airport to scream.