TV Review: Awkward. 4×12 – “Up All Night”

Previously on Awkward.: Jakeara is over, Jenna and college boy Luke are over, Lissa and adopted brother Tyler are hooking up, and Eva is “pregnant” with Matty’s child. I don’t buy it.

Jenna asks Matty about how he’s doing and is immediately interrupted by Eva. “I don’t want to tell you who to talk to, but this is making me really upset and they say stress is bad for a baby,” she says. Jenna appeals to Sadie for help, but Queen S brushes her off: “That psycho has him in her clutches… as long as she’s knocked up, we’re shut down.”

Luke has been ignoring Jenna’s apology texts, but she delivers a studying care package to him as a last ditch effort. He receives her well, but Jenna is discouraged when a girl (presumably Luke’s new love interest) compliments her care package and insinuates that she’s a Girl Scout. Jenna shakes it off to focus on studying.

Val calls an assembly to address the “outbreak of pregnant” in their school. Tamara is running her mouth about who triggered this assembly while Jenna tries desperately to keep her mouth shut. Matty confronts Sadie and Jenna after the assembly and accuses them of spilling to Val. Sadie flounces off, suggesting that someone else is pregnant—after all, their school is full of whores. Side note: I wish the writers wouldn’t include as many slut-shaming moments as they do. Matty asks Jenna to keep their secret, but Jenna is confident in her secret-keeping abilities. After all, she kept their relationship a secret for months. Hey, season one throwback! Things were so much simpler then.

Eva attempts to force Matty into telling his mom about her “pregnancy,” but he dodges it. She’s upset, but he soothes her by suggesting they go look at engagement rings the next day. Well, that’s about the worst idea I’ve seen come out of this show, and once upon a time Jenna was dating that douche Colin BY CHOICE.

Eva asks Tamara about Jenna, since her (fake) pregnancy must be hard on her. Also, can she tell Tamara a secret? They’re getting married! Our girl T takes the information to Jenna, who immediately ambushes Matty about ruining his life. When he claims she’s overstepping her bounds, she wishes him good luck with his life.

As if Jenna’s day can’t get worse, Luke shows up at her house. Good news: the presumed girlfriend isn’t his paramour, just a theater major that lives on his floor. Bad news: he needs to focus on school, so he and Jenna are definitely over. “No one cheated, no one yelled. This is what a mature break up looked like,” Jenna voiceovers. Luke leaves and she flips him off. LOVE. She’s upset, but zen—she recognizes that she can only fix what she can control, and that doesn’t include Luke, Matty, or Eva. Impressive character growth, J!

Lissa desperately tries to hide her flourishing relationship with Tyler, but Sadie can tell she’s hooking up with someone. Lissa decides to use Jake as a beard. “I know what you’re doing and I find it gross and unnatural,” Sadie says, making Lissa panic. “You’re getting back together with Jake?!” Tyler threatens Jake, making him think twice about getting back together with Lissa.

Ring shopping with Matty and Eva: Matty chooses this moment to address Eva’s tendency to stretch the truth. His timing seems ill-advised, but bear with him for a moment. Val told him that Gloria is the one who’s pregnant. After that info, Matty happened to notice that Gloria was wearing his mother’s missing diamond snowflake earrings. Eva found Gloria’s pregnancy test and lied about it being hers, using the earrings as a bribe. Eva denies it, claiming that she’s a good person. “You have to believe me,” she begs. “I want to, it’s just…that you’re a fucking horrible person, Amber.” BAM. He levels a deal/threat: if she leaves his school immediately, he’ll tell whatever lie she wants. She has twenty-four hours. She attempts to sway him with a hug, but he just whispers, “You now have twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes.” DAMN. Matty wins this episode.

Jenna and Ma Lacey are enjoying Chinese food on her bed when Matty drops by. Ma Lacey makes herself scarce while Matty apologizes. “I’m not going to be a dad anytime soon, my crazy girlfriend is gone, and I’m about to eat some of your Chinese food,” Matty says, calm and happy. The two renew their friendship over Chinese food and cuddling.

Well Awkward., I must say I’m impressed. I expected the Eva pregnancy storyline to be dragged out for at least half a season, if not more. Jenna’s newfound zen and commitment to school shows character growth, and it looks like Bad Boy Matty is on his way out. Only complaint: not enough Sadie!

Episode Rating: 8/10