Speechless – P-R-O-M-P–PROMPOSAL

By: Taylor Gates

JJ (Micah Fowler) creates an elaborate video asking Izzy (Kayla Maisonet) to go to prom with him. However, Izzy doesn’t want to go, as her Grease prom idea got rejected by the committee in favor of a Heaven theme. Instead, Izzy and her friends are going to get together and watch Grease in protest. JJ wants to join them, as he doesn’t want to risk his relationship over a dance, but Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) refuses to let him back down.

Dylan asks Ray (Mason Cook) to come up with a scheme, and he ends up working with Maya (Minnie Driver) to comprise a list of every girl JJ has ever said he was attracted to in order to find him another date. After all, Izzy did give him permission to go with someone else.

Shockingly, former child star Cassidy Chambers (Bella Thorne) agrees to go with him. In the limo on the way there, Cassidy flirts with JJ before telling him about an insanely problematic movie she’s filming where she plays a character in a wheelchair who magically gets healed and can dance again, curing her suicidal thoughts. When they get to school, there are a group of disabled protesters yelling at Cassidy for taking on the role.

JJ spends most of the dance giving Cassidy notes on how to make the movie less offensive, and she eagerly listens and promises to make changes. Although there is little chemistry between them, Ray and Dylan try and force them to look like a couple in order to make Izzy jealous on social media.

It does the trick, as Izzy decides to come to prom in order to be with JJ. JJ enjoys being in the power position, wanting to keep Cassidy around and string Izzy along a bit longer. Although Dylan and Ray beg both Cassidy and JJ to drop the act, Cassidy goes along with whatever JJ wants, and he refuses to let Cassidy go just yet.

Izzy gets to the gym, excited to dance with JJ. However, when she sees JJ and Cassidy dancing together, she gets upset and runs to the drama room. It doesn’t feel as good to JJ as he thought it would, and he gets an idea to make it up to her.

JJ grabs a Rydell High jacket from the costume closet and requests that the DJ play “You’re the One that I Want.” Dylan hands her a leather jacket, and they start dancing along with the wheelchair dance troupe that was protesting outside.

Maya and Melanie (Sarah Chalke) get rejected from another bank for a loan, as they think Maya’s goals are overly ambitious. Melanie problem solves by finding them an investor–a rich guy named Blair from her business school who inherited a ton of money.

In order to keep Maya under control so she doesn’t say something to ruin it, she, Jimmy (John Ross Bowie), and Kenneth (Cedric Yarbough) handcuff her to a chair and practice insulting her so she can learn to take criticism without exploding.

After a few rounds of this, they are ready to present. Jimmy gives Maya his lucky laser pointer for good luck, and she is so touched she asks him to stay for her meeting. Kenneth sees Blair walk in and gets immediately jealous at the long hug he and Melanie share. When he starts asking hostile towards Blair, Maya pulls him aside and tells him to get his feelings under control. If she can do it, so can he.

Blair dislikes the look of the people modeling the clothes–awkward considering their Melanie and Maya’s kids. Though everyone warns Maya to keep it cool, she refuses to listen to him suggest hiring professionals. Blair is offended and storms out, and Melanie and Kenneth chase after him.

Although Maya thinks there will be other investors, Jimmy is angry at her for overreacting, giving her a reality check. He wonders if the business is actually serious to her, reminding her that he had a dream, too, but he had to let it go in order to get a different job to support their family. He supports her passion–but only if it actually matters to her.

Maya tells Jimmy he was right, apologizing for him getting left behind as she chased her dream. She hands him his prized laser pointer, promising they’re going to change that. They and Melanie explain themselves to Blair, and he agrees to give them another chance.