Speechless – S-L–Sled H-o–Hockey

By starrymag | December 13, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

 

In gym class, a classmate throws JJ (Micah Fowler) the football. He catches it and starts rolling towards the end zone. Instead of running to try and catch him, all of the other students take pictures of him succeeding. This frustrates JJ, as he feels patronized.

 

Ray (Mason Cook) is attempting to read, but Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) comes into their room wailing on a saxophone. He moves to the kitchen instead, but Maya (Minnie Driver) enters, dramatically getting Kenneth (Cedric Yarbrough) to admit he hasn’t taken CPR classes yet. Kenneth looks at Maya’s certification card, calling her out on the fact it expired in 2002. Ray suggests they go to training together.

 

Ray tries the living room for peaceful reading next, but JJ and Jimmy (John Ross Bowie) are there having a talk. Ray tries to climb onto the roof, but falls off the ladder on the way there. JJ tells Jimmy he wants the thrill of competition so Jimmy takes him to an ice arena to play on an old Pac-Man machine. JJ, however, is more interested in the disability ice hockey team he sees practicing.

 

Maya walks in on Kenneth using her shower and sits him down for a talk about professionalism. She thinks he’s getting too comfortable and reminds him that he works for them.

 

Ray is sifting through his closet when he spots a secret door. He pushes it open to find a small and dusty, yet private place.

 

The coach of the sled hockey team introduces himself to JJ. He says sled hockey is the most popular Paralympic sport and helps JJ get strapped into a sled and onto the ice. Jimmy is scared for JJ’s safety, especially when he sees the violent nature of the sport.

 

Kenneth is giving Maya the cold shoulder, upset that she snapped at him earlier. He quickly makes friends with the other people attending the class. A couple standing next to him says they’re considering getting a full-time aid, which makes Maya nervous that Kenneth might leave them.

 

Ray has decked out his nook with twinkling lights and a veggie tray. He lounges and watches TED talks in solitude.

 

Jimmy has talked to the coach and arranged for JJ to be the team’s water boy. JJ is less than thrilled, as he wants to actually compete. He is angry at Jimmy and when he tells Maya she is mad at him, too. She doesn’t want JJ to be excluded from anything.

 

Dylan and Ray also give Jimmy a hard time. Dylan says she gets hurt all the time playing sports so why should JJ be any different? Jimmy admits that he’s overprotective because JJ is his son. Maya says there’s a whole world full of people telling JJ he can’t do things—it’s their job to say he can prove them wrong. Maya tells Jimmy she’s concerned Kenneth will leave them for a kinder family. In order to keep Kenneth, she’s going to have to be nice to him.

 

Maya brings Kenneth cupcakes to the next CPR class. She also pretends to act interested in his life when he tells her about how he’s trying to look hot in order to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.

 

Jimmy takes JJ out on the ice. After a few moments of hesitation, they start being aggressive and dominating.

 

Ray is furious when he sees Dylan in his secret place, eating pizza and reading his diary. She blackmails him—either he lets her stay or she will upload his journal to the internet.

 

The nice couple apologizes to Kenneth for any tension they may have caused between him and his boss. Apparently, Maya told them he was taken before class.

 

During a hockey game, JJ is hit in the face and gets a tooth knocked out. Jimmy rushes him to the dentist.

 

Maya walks in to Kenneth sitting on her couch, watching TV and eating their food with his bare feet on the coffee table. Kenneth says that even though JJ isn’t home, his buddy now is. Maya pulls up a chair to get all the latest drama with his ex and hear about his dreams. After a few minutes, she loses it and admits she hates hearing about people’s dreams.

 

Kenneth drops the act, saying he knows because she told him once before. Unlike her, he actually cares—he’s not just pretending like Maya is. They admit that they bug each other and only put up with one another for JJ’s sake.

 

Ray demands that Dylan practice her new trumpet somewhere besides their secret space. He says he can’t have his little sister around all the time. Dylan says she needs privacy too—it’s not easy sharing a room with two older brothers. He’s not the only one who needs privacy; he’s just the one who complains about it the most.

 

Maya makes mashed potatoes for dinner since JJ has a tooth missing and can’t eat solids. JJ tells Jimmy he doesn’t want to go to the hockey game, as his injury at practice freaked him out. Jimmy pushes him not to quit because he saw how happy he was out there. Jimmy stands up and starts quoting motivational pep talks from popular sports movies. He says that nobody is giving him anything out there—it’s his to grab. He didn’t get hurt because he has cerebral palsy; he got hurt because he was playing hockey. But the fact they lost their dental insurance puts a bit of a damper on the speech.

 

Maya invites Kenneth into the Dimeo house, showing him an empty drawer to put his things for when he showers there. Though it bothers her, he’s earned the right to bug her a bit.

 

The family and Kenneth attend JJ’s first game. JJ and Jimmy slay on the ice while Maya yells at the ref in typical Maya fashion.

 

Ray has drawn up a calendar so he and Dylan can take turns in the secret space. They go in together one last time before getting weirded out and leaving.