You Can't Just Walk Out of a Drive-In

You Can't Just Walk Out
of a Drive-In

Episode Information

Season	Episode
1	5

Airdate

April 27, 2023

Written by

Robert Suddoth

Directed by

Jennifer Morrison

Episode Guide

Synopsis[]

On Halloween, a last-minute move by Buddy and the Socs threatens to blow up Jane's campaign, and romance proves to be tricky for the Pink Ladies.

Plot[]

Rydell High School watched a video about what to do when an atomic bomb hits. Susan huddled into Buddy. Dot leaned over to Rosemary and Wally to invite them to stay in her bomb shelter, which sat thirty-six. Buddy believed Jane had momentum and people's minds were made up, though Susan assured him they would change their minds, they had to, while Hazel eavesdropped. Nancy talked to Olivia and mentioned how she and her family were imprisoned by their government. The T-Birds were excited to light up the sky with the fireworks hidden in Richie's jacket. Olivia scolded them against pranks at the drive-in as she wanted to watch the movie. Gil asked her to watch it next to him. She pushed him back to his seat and agreed. She told Nancy that Gil would give them a ride, so Potato eagerly joined in. Jane was worried something bad might happen at the drive-in, which woke Cynthia. The Pink Ladies assured her everything would be fine, but her stress took over. She led the student body in a song about their impending dooms and how they couldn't predict when an atomic bomb would land in their lives.

After the presentation, Richie moved into the seat next to Jane and she told him to pick her up for the drive-in. He agreed, but said they had to talk that night and left. Meanwhile, in the theater, Cynthia and Buddy painfully acted out a scene together, which made everyone wince. It was painful for Lydia to watch and she wanted them to fail. Floyd wanted them to get to the point where they died. Mr. Vaughan interrupted because while Buddy was fantastic, Cynthia made him feel like he made a mistake. But he did not make mistakes and his muse merely challenged him. He partnered her with Lydia and forced their allegiance. Lydia told her she was on her own, which was fine with Cynthia. Lydia couldn't wait to see her perform in front of the rows of chairs.

Olivia worked on The Rydell Review and eavesdropped on Mr. Daniels conversation with Hilda about the house he bought on Sparrow Lane. When she left, Olivia handed over her opinion piece on the lack of women authors in Rydell's English curriculum. Gil skipped over, called her beautiful, and offered to carry her heavy books since he had two hands hanging uselessly off the ends of his arms. She smirked and handed over the books, and they left together.

The Pink Ladies sat in the Frosty Palace while Jane bemoaned over her impending talk with Richie, convinced he planned to break up with her. Nancy stole her glasses to act out as a nurse diagnosing Jane with “being totally flipped”. Olivia couldn't take it anymore and admitted Richie wanted to ask Jane to be his girl, which relieved and thrilled Jane. Cynthia asked for help with her play and Nancy offered but gave up after one line. Her parents skidded up with costumes that Nancy made for Halloween. A Martian for Olivia, a werewolf for Jane, and an ant for Cynthia. The girls didn't want to wear the costumes, as Jane had a date, Olivia wanted to look good in case her outing with Gil turned into a date, and Cynthia wanted to eat hot dogs. Nancy was alarmed because she wanted the girls to have fun and not worry about boys. Mrs. Nakagawa told Nancy to do the job she already had, so she cleared a table that wasn't done eating.

At the drive-in, Orson comforted Polly who put his hand on her chest, while Rosemary and Wally argued in his car over his costume. Cynthia asked Shy Guy about his new bike, while Gil tried to put his arm around Olivia's shoulders. He was interrupted by Nancy who wanted to see the screen. Potato was excited to see the film too and correctly predicted the plot twists. Everyone turned up their radio when Johnny Vavoom gave dedications. Orson asked Polly to be his “ghoul”. A secret admirer gave Nancy a dedication that called her special which shocked Gil, Olivia, and Potato. Potato offered to help her figure it out - he had the goods and suspects to start.

Richie and Jane made out in his car which messed up his hair, so he fixed it as they laughed. They talked about the election and he planned to help her make the changes she wanted - they were going to rule the school together. He wanted to talk to her about that. They were good together and he liked her more than any other girl he's ever met, but became flustered when he accidentally brought up his mom and his sisters. He started to take off his jacket to give it to her but she stopped him just as an evil laugh came from the screen. It was Dot and another student advertising a party on Sparrow Lane to show why it would be “Insane to Vote for Jane”. The Pink Ladies hurried over and came up with a plan to crash the Socs party. Cynthia and Shy Guy followed Richie on their bikes, though he was behind because his bike wouldn't start.

Gil drove Olivia, Nancy, and Potato down Sparrow Lane where they saw how much Buddy's dad built. Olivia saw the one that Mr. Daniels had bought - just before they pulled up to the party. The T-Birds showed off their stock to the Pink Ladies, which included eggs, toilet paper, and a water line through the window, and with enough time, could disassemble Buddy's car and reassemble it on the roof. Jane thought they could get into the party and figure it out from there. Nancy held up the costumes she made as they would serve as disguises for each of them. Richie and the guys wanted to sneak around back, but Jane suggested they stay outside to drive the getaway cars. Potato managed to make a disguise so he joined Nancy indoors.

Susan greeted them at the door as she welcomed them to “Ry-hell” and the dark future that awaited them if they voted for Jane Facciano. She lifted a dome to show they'd eat brains, and Dot screamed from her zombie-brain costume. At the party, Floyd sang at the microphone while Buddy complimented Hazel on her constellation costume. He mused how they matched as he was an astronaut. He had to deal with Neil's antics but asked her to find him so he could give her a ride home. Wally broke up with Rosemary and she instantly flirted with a pilgrim to get back at him. Jane spotted a microphone and made a plan with Cynthia and Nancy, though she wasn't sure why Potato was there. Jane stole the microphone with Cynthia's help. Potato and Nancy plotted to find the secret admirer, and she noticed that Wally and Rosemary just broke up. She confronted Wally as she didn't have to break up with his girlfriend for her, despite their connection, she wasn't interested. He assured her he wasn't her secret admirer. He was sweet on someone else.

Richie and Gil lazily egged and TP a car. Richie wanted to egg the school, TP McGee's and set off fireworks at Nicholson's. Gil wanted to do McGee's last for traffic. Shy Guy came over with empty egg cartons and TP rolls. Richie was annoyed as the T-Birds were supposed to be Kings on Halloween, but they missed the girls. Gil took off his jacket and decided to go in. He stole a mask to do just that while Richie snuck around back.

Cynthia and Jane planned to make a statement during the party, and Cynthia was tasked with calling down to Jane when the band was between songs. Once Jane headed to the basement, Lydia emerged from the bathroom. She instantly knew it was Cynthia in the ant costume, as she studied her gate. Cynthia stopped her from leaving as she needed her help with the play. If she blew this they all looked bad. They started and Lydia realized the line before the kiss was where Cynthia messed up because she was nervous. Lydia assured her stage kisses were meaningless and offered to show her. They delivered their lines and Lydia kissed Cynthia. The kiss led into their song “Merely Players” where they realized their feelings for one another, and how the things they felt weren't new but also hadn't been explored before. Their feelings were good, but they believed it shouldn't feel that way. They related to the truth in the lie of acting. They moved through scenarios - ran from aliens, danced in a 1940s-themed city, and became cowboys in a desert. They kissed in the desert which ended their song, and they were back in the kitchen. Cynthia finally understood acting and, wide-eyed, asked if this meant she was a thespian.

Olivia snuck into Mr. Daniels' house and bumped into him. She lied that she didn't know it was his. He had begun to paint the house as Barb didn't like the turquoise, though Olivia and Mr. Daniels liked it. He didn't mind the beige colors Barb picked out. He offered Olivia a tour.

Nancy crossed another name off their list and they tried to decipher clues from the lyrics to no avail. She thought it was a prank as everyone thought she was weird, but Potato assured her that while she was weird, she was also unique. All the guys want a unique girl. He darted off to look in another room so she repositioned her mask. Meanwhile, Jane was tired of waiting for Cynthia and tried to interrupt with the mic, but no one could hear her over the music. Gil arrived at the party to look for Olivia. Jane banged the mic on a table to give an announcement about the real “Ry-hell”, the one ruled by the Socs. Susan tried to hide it as part of the show but no one believed her. Buddy spotted the microphone cord and followed it while Jane continued her tirade where she called Buddy spineless. They argued over their antics as she admitted she would do whatever it took to win. He brought up when they talked about running earlier in the year as it would be fun. Richie walked around the house and hid from a group of party-goers. Jane admitted to Buddy that she didn't feel like the same person that she was back then, and he didn't either. Richie saw them on the steps together laughing. He straightened his jacket and strutted out to Shy Guy and Gil, who were drinking from the liquor Gil stole. Richie planned to end the party just like Jane wanted. They got out the fireworks and he struck his lighter.

The party roared inside as it shifted from being about Buddy to being Jane's. She wanted to leave, which confused Nancy and Potato. Jane wanted to get back to Richie as she got too wrapped up in the election. Cynthia apologized as she ran lines. Susan saw them clustered together and told them to leave. Cynthia called it a bomb, just as a flash of light exploded outside. Everyone screamed and took cover while the T-Birds stared up at the flashes of color. Jane emerged from the house, scared, and saw Richie through the sparks. Olivia crouched down on the floor as Mr. Daniels held her close. They saw it was fireworks and rested their foreheads together for a moment before he walked away.

One of the sparks caught a girl's costume on fire and everyone flanked to stomp out the sparks. Susan shouted that this was what they wanted to warn everyone about - that Jane would burn the whole town down. Hazel asked if Buddy was okay and they both were, so he asked Wally to take Hazel home. Jane confronted Richie about what he was thinking, as people could have gotten hurt. He acted cool as he was trying to help, but she didn't ask for his help. They thought they were going to die there. He snapped back if Buddy held her real close because he saw them snuggled up earlier. She knew how that must have looked, but he didn't give her a chance to explain. She was into politics now and he wanted her to save the lies. The second he started talking about them at the drive-in she couldn't wait to get away from him. He was gonna give her his jacket tonight, but she exclaimed she didn't want it. She already had a jacket, but that didn't mean she didn't want to be his girlfriend because she did. She liked him too, but he moved away from her. Everything always had to be on her terms because it was all about her and the dopey election that she's roped everyone into. Him, his sister, and the whole school all while pretending it was for the greater good, but it was all about her. He shouted for everyone to vote for Jane so she could be popular, go to college, and be the “most perfect-est girl there ever was.” She told him to stop because he was being a jerk. He knew the real reason she didn't wanna wear his jacket was because being with a guy like him would bring down her stock. He slowly walked away from her as she watched, heartbroken and alone.

The next morning at Rydell High School, the staff prepared for the election that day. Miss McGee set up the booths as she celebrated the end of the student council elections. Other faculty members joined her in her “Election Song”. Cynthia and Buddy rehearsed Romeo & Juliet and she performed flawlessly compared to her last attempt. She cut him off before the kiss, muttered that she still hated him, and then Mr. Vaughan wept. He only cried once or twice a day but this brought him tears of joy. He called Lydia forward to double their practice sessions so they'd practice every day.

That afternoon, the student body lined up to vote for the student council president. Miss. McGee gave them instructions and then let everyone into the booths. The Socs, T-Birds, Thespians, nerds, choir, and Pink Ladies all voted. Buddy and Jane entered the booth just as Shy Guy and Potato left and shook hands after. Richie approached the registration table. After Jane cast her vote, the Pink Ladies presented her with a framed box that contained “vote Pink” pins and each of their names made out of magazine lettering. Olivia was sure that Jane could still win, as not everyone blamed her for what happened at the party. Nancy offered to celebrate with banana splits - even though her parents would make them pay, she could steal the money back later. Jane looked over her shoulder at Richie, who cast his vote, and decided she wanted to go home. She thanked them for the gift as it meant a lot. The girls disbanded and Olivia approached Gil, who had cast his vote. It was a crazy night last night, and he asked where she went. She lied that she was at the party and he merely gave a small smile as he said “If you say so” before he walked away.

Miss. McGee counted out the votes for student council in front of Principal Nicholson, Olivia, Tippy St. Clair, Dick Aldridge, and two members of the school board. Jane won with 213 votes, which pleased McGee as they lived through history. Dick asked if they were sure, but they counted the votes twice. Tippy exclaimed that it was ludicrous, while Nicholson told her not to rain on some people's parades. McGee and Olivia left to type up an announcement, while Tippy looked out the door to where Susan and Buddy sat. She shook her head at her daughter to signal Buddy's loss. He told her it was alright and left to go home. Dick wanted to make sure there wasn't fraud and insisted Nicholson recount the ballads again. Everyone else agreed, so Nicholson started over.

Jane sat on her porch as she looked at the Pink Ladies' gift. Buddy walked up the steps as he wanted to congratulate her as she won the vote. She was thrilled but quickly composed herself to ask if he wanted to sit. Over at the Frosty Palace, Mrs. Nakagawa handed to-go orders to customers while Nancy sat next to Potato at the counter. She knew it was him who called in the secret admirer song. He was shocked at her accusation and mused over the twist. Even he didn't know it was him. She told him to come off it, as he's the one who volunteered to help her. He could have just told her that he was keen on her. It all added up, except it wasn't him. He wanted her to explain why she always said she hated boys but seemed pretty interested in finding this one. She always thought she would have to change for a boy to like her. But if there were a boy who already liked the way she was, maybe it would be different. Potato was sure the boy was out there. She thanked him for his help, but surmised some mysteries were better left unsolved. Mr. and Mrs. Nakagawa gave Potato a free milkshake for helping Nancy find her guy. He was confused as they didn't find him, but Mr. Nakagawa smirked that they did - he was looking at them. Potato realized that her parents called in the song. They used to sing it to her when she was a baby. They heard that all of her friends had dates and didn't want her to be left out. Potato paused for a moment, then suggested they not tell her the truth. Instead, let her think someone was out there pining away for her. A white lie never hurt anyone. They wouldn't tell her anyway, as they're pretty scared of her. Potato looked over his shoulder at Nancy, who cleaned a table. She looked back just as he turned away.

Buddy and Jane sat on the front steps. She wished they could both be winners and offered to change the rules, but he didn't want that. He spent his whole life competing in stuff, and sometimes he lost. He's relieved as he just ran to win while she ran to change things. She wondered if that was true, or if she ran to win too. She worried it was all about her, but he told her to knock it off. She didn't have a selfish bone in her body. She dealt with so much that year, a lot of which was his fault. He apologized and she looked over at him. She kept going because she wanted to make a difference. She won because people are inspired by her. He was inspired by her, too. She impulsively kissed him.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Marisa Davila as Jane Facciano
Cheyenne Isabel Wells as Olivia Valdovinos
Ari Notartomaso as Cynthia Zdunowski
Tricia Fukuhara as Nancy Nakagawa
Shanel Bailey as Hazel Robertson
Johnathan Nieves as Richie Valdovinos
Jason Schmidt as Buddy Aldridge
Madison Thompson as Susan St. Clair
Maxwell Whittington-Cooper as Wally Winslow
Jackie Hoffman Assistant Principal McGee

Guest Starring[]

Danny Burstein as Johnny Vavoom
Nicholas McDonough as Gil
Maximo Salas as Shy Guy
Alexis Sides as Potato
Josette Halpert as Dot
Charlotte Kavanagh as Rosemary
Niamh Wilson as Lydia
Chris McNally as Leonard Daniels
Dylan Sloane as Neil
Ty Wood as Trip
Danny Mac as Principal Nicholson
Marc Senior as Mr. Vaughan
Todd Thomson as Dick Aldridge
Fiona Vroom as Tippy
Mayumi Yoshida as Mrs. Nakagawa
Kevan Ohtsji as Mr. Nakagawa

Co-Starring[]

Joyce Robbins as Hilda
Abbygale Chung as Lucille
Lola Clare as Pearl
Zane Clifford as Fed
Peter D'Souza as Tommy
Summer Lynn Gillespie as Polly
Kallie Hu as Peg
Andrew Kyrsyk as PR
Sarah Formosa as Edith
Matt Kennedy as Orson
Victor Lau as Floyd
Cole Neumeier as Bill
Sam Scherzer as Gus
Aidan Springle as Erine
Zac Vran as Irving
CJ Damaso as Maria
Ryan McEwen as Roy
Julien Naud as Arthur
Kenya Jordan as Virginia
Rachael Withers as Geraldine
Emilee Nimetz as Alice
Shay Kuebler as Janitor Dancer #1
Stewart Iguidez as Janitor Dancer #2
Cristina Bucci as Lunch Lady Dancer #1
Maiko Mayuchi as Lunch Lady Dancer #2
Nevada Banks as Lunch Lady Dancer #3
Steffanie Davis as Lunch Lady Dancer #4
Jen Oleksiuk as Nurse Dancer #1
Suzanne Ouellette as Nurse Dancer #2
Craig Hempstead as Teacher Dancer #1
Troy McLaughlin as Teacher Dancer #2
Joanne Pesusich as Teacher Dancer #3
Liz Tookey as Teacher Dancer #4
Kelsey Chance as Teacher Dancer #5
Harj Raias as Teacher Dancer #6
Nathan Fadear as Teacher Dancer #7
Mark Samuels as Teacher Dancer #8
Pam Rosa as Teacher Dancer #9
Morgan Tanner as Teacher Dancer #10
Jessica Keeling as Teacher Dancer #11
Alex Pesusich as Teacher Dancer #12

Soundtrack[]

Title	Performer	Notes
The Boom	Marisa Davila	Jane worried about the atomic bomb and what would happen at the drive-in
Merely Players	Ari Notartomaso & Niamh Wilson	Cynthia and Lydia kissed at the Halloween party and realized their feelings for one another
Election Song	Jackie Hoffman	Miss McGee was elated to signal the end of the election

Notes and Trivia[]

This episode's title was a line said by Danny Zuko in the 1978 film, Grease.

Gallery[]

Promotional[]

Screenshots[]

All Screenshots are courtesy of Screencapped.net. For a complete image set, see their gallery.