The Boomerang Effect

The Boomerang Effect is the third episode of The Savages' first season and the third episode overall. It premiered June 21, 2015.

It was written by REBƎLReloaded.

Joe and Sydney's new-found friendship centers around Joe's quest to take over The Savages, but Sydney is aware of his intentions. Carl helps Alex come to terms with his attraction to Gina. The Savages create their first public revolt against the school, but it leads to a wrath between teachers and students. Trae and Zachary seek revenge on The Jocks and Cheerleaders through exposure.

Read the episode here!

Plot

This episode takes place immediately after the events that occurred at the end of The Devil's Protégé. In the beginning of the episode, Zach is rushing out of the school after seeing Brian and Vik's make out session and he runs into Trae. Trae asks Zach what is wrong with him, and Zach explains nervously. Trae thinks it's hilarious and states that it was pretty obvious that at least one of them were gay. This leads to a flashback of Trae's that shows Brian had not-so-subtly flirted with Dirty Dan. Trae also remembers a time when he saw Brian staring at Vik, infatuated. Back in the present, Zach asks Trae how he knows all of this, and Trae begins to think of rumors that he had heard that wound up being true, such as when he told Nate, Carl, and Sydney about when Sena doing the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge on her vagina to impress boys and became cheer captain that way, and when he told Alex and Sydney about Kyler and Alyssa secretly dating. After his remembers those rumors, he tells Zach that he has his sources. Zach admits that he isn't comfortable yet on the gossip scene, but that he wants to be the bad guy for once. Trae then tells Zach about the Boomerang Process - a rite of passage for each Savage as they achieve the revenge that they want. Trae promises to help Zach expose Brian and Vik, and although Zach is at first hesitant, he agrees.

During a flashback, it is revealed that someone recorded the make out session that Zach witnessed at the end of the last episode.

The next day, Trae, Gina, and Joe are in Mr. Baxter's English Literature class. Iesha and Angelika make fun of Alyssa while Trae and Gina discuss Alex. Gina says that it isn't that she doesn't Alex, but she doesn't trust guys like him. Trae states that Gina hasn't liked any guys at their school since she got there. Joe watches the two from afar until Mr. Baldwin begins class. The students begin to read The Great Gatsby until they are interrupted by an announcement from Principal De Vil.

All across the school, Rose's new rules that will affect all of the students are heard. In Trae, Gina, & Joe's classroom, Rose tells the students that the dress code will be much stricter from now on. In Ms. Stansfield's Algebra I class, Alex, Sydney, and Nate hear the rules about how all makeup and electronic accessories are banned from the school now. In Mrs. Ortiz's Spanish I class, Lily and Zach hear the rules about how boys are not allowed to wear tank tops or shorts, and girls are not allowed to wear any clothing that shows skin. Gina and Iesha are both particularly upset about how weaves are no longer allowed at the school either. Back in Mr. Baldwin's class, the students are upset and take it out on him.

After class, the Savages all walk together angrily. Alex and Sydney comment about how ridiculous all the rules have become. Carl, Joe, and Nate agree and all Trae begins to think of how their group can get back at the administrators. Trae states that they will go on protest - no one will do schoolwork and they will refuse to listen to the new dress code. Joe dismisses the idea, and Trae calls him out on saying the Savages never act, which shuts Joe up for the minute. Trae reminds everyone that there is an upcoming assembly that week, so they will act there. Trae lets everyone know that Kalleb, the student in charge of technical operations, will help them all out. Everyone in the group agrees, but Felix overhears and calls the group out because he likes to do douchey things like that. Trae and Felix get into it, and Gina come's to Trae's defense. Felix smarts off to Gina - big mistake, motherfucker - and Alex gets involved, coming to Gina's defense. Felix calls Alex irrelevant, saying that's why he got kicked off the football team, and Alex goes off on Felix in Spanish, yelling at him despite Trae's attempts to stop Alex. After Trae calls out to Alex twice and Alex ignores him because he is releasing his Spanish fury on Felix, Trae yells at Alex and Alex finally hears him, backing off. Trae finishes the fight with Felix, despite one remark making Alex angry again. Trae gets Alex to stay calm this time, and Cass comes back to apologize for The Moneybags behavior, and Gina asks Cass why she associates herself with them. Cass states it really wasn't her choice, her mom won the lottery in New Jersey and wanted to move to Seattle for a better lifestyle. Once Felix found out she was rich, he took her under his wing. Alex states that he wants to destroy Felix, and Cass states that Felix is the real problem, he brainwashes all of The Moneybags. Cass states she is upset with the rules too, and Trae tells her that she knows where to find them. She smiles, and then leaves. Lily states that Cass is so hot, causing all of the Savages to look at her. Trae double checks with the Savages, making sure they all know what the deal is, and they all agree again, but Nate sounds almost bored.

Later that night, Trae is at home on his laptop when his mother calls down for his stepfather to play her lotteries. Sean agrees to do so, and walks to his stepson, joking about what he has to deal with. Trae agrees, and Sean leaves. Trae gets a call from Zachary, and picks up, stating that he was just thinking of Zach. Zach asks why, and Trae says that he is thinking of ways to get revenge for Zach. Trae asks Zach if he's sure he can handle this, and Zach agrees happily, telling Trae to teach him his ways. After the two hang up, Zach realizes that he has an attraction to Trae's voice. Trae begins to write The Boomerang Effect, which the episode is named for, and writes for four hours straight.

The next morning, Alex is standing in the hallways watching Gina. He wants to go speak to her, but he can still feel the animosity she holds towards him. Carl approaches him, telling him that he looks like a stalker. Alex says that doesn't make sense, and Carl tells Alex he isn't making sense. All he does is stare, he won't approach Gina. Alex tells Carl that every time he tries, she walks away or ignores him. Carl tells Alex that he needs to act natural. Alex tells Carl that he has been. Carl jokingly asks Alex if he's going to stand outside of Gina's house throwing rocks, and Alex says he already tried that, but it poured rain and ruined the flowers he had for Gina. Joe comes up and asks Alex if he is trying too hard to impress Gina, and Alex angrily tells Joe to mind his own business. Carl agrees and tells Alex that he needs to be himself, and says maybe Gina doesn't look at Alex as a potential romance because she views him as a lover boy. Alex gets upset, stating that he loved his last girlfriend, Marisol, and never would've cheated on her. Carl knows that Alex is about to get going, and Joe asks Alex who Marisol is. Carl stops Joe, telling him that when love is brought up, Alex brings up his Marisol phase. Alex states that he is trying to find someone new, and Gina is the one. Joe asks Alex if he is the one for Gina, saying that if she isn't interested, to not force it and to only go for it if there are mutual feelings. Carl tells Alex to just be himself again, and he and Joe leave. Alex turns back to watch Gina, who is now talking to Cass, and has a fantasy in which he is singing Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic. As Alex sings, he watches Gina walk through the hallways. He then sings to her while the two are sitting in their Spanish Class, and imagines himself jumping on the desk and having backup from the rest of the class while Gina blushes. As their class ends, Alex follows Gina out, still fantasizing about singing to her. As she walks to her next class, Alex finishes the song and catches his breath, saying that he has to get her.

Joe leaves his classroom and goes to his locker, putting away his binders. He watches Sydney and Lily talk from afar, and realizes that Sydney is the closest to Trae, and wonders if he can convince her to act the way Nate has been towards Trae. Joe calls himself a genius and smirks, headed to his next class - with Sydney Prescott as his next target.

During an impromptu cheer practice that involved cutting class, The Red Hot Cheer Peppers are working on new routines to come back after the embarrassment that happened at the football game. Sena watches her cheerleaders with disgust, particularly Alyssa. There is tension between the cheerleaders, and Claudia Wu tells Sena to admit it, they need Lily back. Sena gets mad and says they are all being lazy, and Alyssa says she isn't lazy, they just make mistakes. Angelika makes a joke and Alyssa gets mad, telling Angelika to fight her. Alyssa, Iesha, and Angelika continue to bicker until Sena breaks it up. Sena states they they have to work as a team, and Claudia says that Lily was one of the best on the team. Sena threatens to cut Claudia from the team, so Claudia keeps quiet. Angelika stands up for Claudia, agreeing with her, and Sena continues to fight. The cheerleaders eventually get Sena to agree with letting Lily back on the team, but Sena says if Lily denies them, they need to listen to her only. The team resumes practice.

Around noon that day, Alex approaches Gina at her locker. Gina drops her belongings and Alex starts to help her. She is thankful, but wants to leave the situation. Alex asks her to wait, but she correctly guesses that he is just going to ask her out. She calls him a lover boy and walks off again. Alex tells her he is a normal and boring guy. She says that she is just a normal girl who knows the kinds of tricks boys play. Alex makes a joke, saying Gina just likes to play hard to get. Gina tells Alex maybe she isn't talking to the right guy, and walks off. Alex yells out to her and tells her that he will find a way to prove her wrong. Gina blushes and tries to hide a smile, leaving. Alex is happy that at least they talked at all.

Later that afternoon, Zach and Trae are in the courtyard. Zach asks if he just needs to talk trash, and Trae says that's for punks. Trae begins to sing Ratchet Commandments, with Zachary joining in as the two diss students all around the courtyard, pointing out jocks and Red Hot Cheer Peppers in particular. The rest of the Savages watch, intrigued by the fact that Trae and Zach are singing together, but also are confused as to what they're doing. As the performance ends, many people cheer, but the people who were called out in the song are all angry.

After the performance in the courtyard, Lily is at her locker, preparing to go to her last period History class. As she closes her locker, she sees Sena standing there. Lily assumes that Sena wants to fight, and Sena tells her that she is there on behalf of the Red Hot Cheer Peppers. Lily tells Sena she has no interest in going back and dealing with Sena. Sena is speechless as Lily tells her that the Cheer Peppers are nothing without her, and that everyone will just blame Sena anyway. Lily says she'd rather watch the cheerleading squad fail at Nationals than come back. Lily walks off, leaving an angry Sena behind.

After school that day, the teachers of the school confront Rose De Vil angrily about the new rules and how they are affecting the students. Susan McFadden states that in her 10th grade Biology class, Alyssa is the only student who is not disrespectful to her. Shane Baldwin states that his students won't stop saying cold beans and collared greens. Gloria Stansfield is having pornographic pictures drawn on her whiteboard. The teachers threaten to quit and tell Rose that ever since her new rules, the students are all acting out. Rose does not answer, and the teachers leave.

The next morning, Sydney is at her locker when Joe comes up and gives her compliments. Sydney tells him that if he wants her, he is gonna have to do better than that. Joe informs Sydney that he's gay, and Sydney tells her that she already has a gay best friend in Trae. Joe states that he wants to get to know the Savages better, and he continues to compliment her. Joe offers Sydney a ticket to accompany him to go to a Nicki Minaj concert, and the two walk off together. Nate feels jealous, and realizes he feels animosity towards every Savage except for Joe. He realizes that he's jealous of Sydney trying to take Joe away.

While that is happening, Carl is getting tired of listening to Alex talk about Gina. He snaps on Alex, telling him that if Gina doesn't want him to shut up about it. Alex gets offended and brings up Marisol, but Carl shuts him down, telling Alex he will not let him guilt trip him. Alex admits that Gina thinks he is a lover boy, and Carl asks if he has acted natural. Alex admits that he is basically still trying too hard, and Carl tells Alex that he has to show Gina who he really is, not try to wow her with what he thinks she wants. Alex admits that maybe Carl is right, and Carl states he always is. Alex walks away, having a game plan, and Carl laughs to himself.

In Mr. Baxter's class, most of the class continues to fight him on the rules. After listening to the student's rants for a while, Mr. Baxter states that the teachers have nothing to do with the rules. Trae says that if she makes the rules, they follow them, so they are to blame too. Iesha gets angry and makes rude comments to the teacher and leaves class.

Later, Sydney is at her locker putting her binders in and Nate comes up to her. Nate tells her that every time he has anything he likes, Sydney always tries to take it away. Sydney is worried, and says maybe he needs to go home and rest. Nate angrily tells her to leave him alone, and that all she and Trae care about is themselves. Sydney tells him that she won't interfere with his boyfriend, and Nate gets angry again. Nate tells her to back off of Joe, and walks off, reporting back to Joe. He asks how he did. Sydney realizes what is going on, leading to her performance of Art Of War. Sydney walks in slow motion as she sings this, and as she finishes the song, she balls up the ticket and throws it in Joe's face. As she walks off, Joe smirks.

At the assembly, the students file in to the gymnasium hesitantly. As the students begin to fill up the seats, the Savages are all standing around, waiting for the right moment. Nate tells her that he isn't sure if he wants to do it anymore, which makes Sydney angry. Joe and Nate both agree that the plan is dumb, and Trae calls them hypocrites. Everyone else is excited, and Alex tells everyone Vamos a patear el culo! Everyone stares, and Trae asks Alex to repeat it in English. Alex tells everyone let's kick some ass! As the Savages cheer, Joe watches Sydney.

Kalleb is setting up for the assembly when a figure walks up to him. Kalleb asks what he can do to help the person, and they hand him a CD case, leaving quickly. Kalleb sees that the CD case says PLAY ME DURING ASSEMBLY, and assumes it is just someone's mixtape. He decides to play it to embarass them.

During the assembly, Rose speaks but keeps getting interrupted by the students. She seems angry, but the students keep telling her valid points. Rose continues to speak, not noticing that Nate sneaks into the building and sets up speakers. Kalleb and Nate nod to each other, and Kalleb begins the music. Gina comes into the gymnasium, beginning Run This Town. Trae walks out, continuing the song. The rest of the Savages come into the gymnasium as well, singing along. Rose De Vil is angry, but allows the performance to continue. During the performance, the students all hear static and the Savages stop singing. The entire gymnasium goes quiet as the video of Vik and Brian making out in the locker room plays. Most of the Savages and the rest of the students are either shocked or disgusted. Zach looks at Trae, and realizes that Brian sees the two looking. Brian assumes that the two are involved.

A few hours later, Zach is cornered in the bathroom by Brian and Vik, who assume that Trae and Zach are the two who leaked the video. Vik and Brian begin to try and beat up Zach, but Trae overhears and comes inside. Trae hits Brian to get him off of Zach, but Vik punches Trae. Zach punches Brian and Trae beats Vik down. Zach and Trae leave the bathroom quickly. Brian offers to help Vik up, but Vik is angry and tells Brian to never touch him. Brian leaves angrily.

The next morning, Alex asks Gina if he can talk to her. She agrees, and he apologizes for acting so strange over the last few days. Alex tells her he doesn't want her to be angry at him and ignore him. Gina says she isn't angry at him, she just was because Sydney had lied and claimed Alex was her boyfriend. Alex tells her that wasn't true, and Gina says that she knew that, because Carl already told her. Alex wonders if Carl told her everything else. Gina says it was obvious that he liked her, and it flattered her. She was just playing hard to get because she had been hurt by a guy in the past who ditched her because she wasn't pretty enough. Alex tells Gina that he thinks she is really pretty, and opens up to her and tells her Marisol left him behind wondering if he was worth her time. Gina apologizes, but Alex says to not be sorry, that even he worries about getting his heart broken. Alex asks if they can start fresh, and just become friends again. The two reintroduce themselves to each other, and Alex invites her to the movies with some friends the following night. Gina says that she would love to, and Alex walks off after telling her what time and winking. Gina stays by her locker and realizes that now that she's seen a natural side of Alex and knows her attraction is there, she wonders if love is right in front of her.

Trae is sitting in his first period with Gina, and notices that everyone keeps staring at Vik. Mr. Baxter comes in, telling everyone to read their Gatsby books as they have an upcoming quiz. Rose De Vil starts the announcements, saying that all extracurricular activities and sports are banned until they find out who is responsible for the video. The Savages are all irritated by this, but do not fight it. Trae begins to read his book, but thinks about how now The Savages are being targeted as to blame for the Brian and Vik video. Vik watches Trae, not wanting to hurt him, but thinking that Trae is untrustworthy. Trae looks at Vik, and the two share a tense glance. Gina looks at Trae, and then Joe. Suddenly, Rose De Vil calls Trae to the principal's office. Gina looks at Trae, and the other students follow. Trae looks up at the ceiling, and sighs.

Oh shit, he thinks, as the episode ends.

Songs

Song Title	Original Artist	Performer(s)
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic	The Police	Alex Herrera
Ratchet Commandments	Tink	Trae Ventura and Zachary Foxx
Art Of War	Carolina Webb	Sydney Prescott
Run This Town	Jay Z ft. Kanye West and Rihanna	The Savages

Guest Cast

Special Guest Star

Rosie Perez as Mrs. Felicia Ortiz
Vin Diesel as Sean Romano

Co-Stars

Summer Boissiere as Iesha Bennett
AJ Michalka as Angelika Summers
Hayley Kiyoko as Claudia Wu
Jay Ali as Mr. Baxter
Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Gloria Stansfield

Trivia

This episode is centered around Trae and Zachary.
This is the first episode in which Sydney and Alex get solos.
The episode features both Trae & Zachary's first duet in the series.
This is the first episode in which no one joins The Savages.
This episode premiered on June 21st, 2015, after a 4-week hiatus.
This episode brought the premiere day back to Sunday's after the previous episode, "The Devil's Protégé, aired on a Wednesday.

Cultural References

The "Cold beans and collard greens" montage was inspired by the 1993 film, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, a film starring Whoopi Goldberg.
Golden Girls, a hit television show, is mentioned.