NOTE: Broken laws from episode 1×16 will be addressed in this post

This episode begins with an intense scene between Charlie and Danny. Danny confronts Charlie about telling Jo about Danny talking about wanting to kill his dad when they were in juvie. Danny insists, angrily, that Charlie not talk to Jo about him ever again. I think I was even intimidated by Danny in this scene!

Next, Jack wakes up next to Karen; he spent the night! He gets dressed with the intent of going home to Whitney, but quickly discovers that Whitney is one step ahead of him, she’s at Karen’s place and she’s just in time for breakfast! Whitney mentions that she’s met some cool people including “Lacey, Danny’s ex.” This is the first Karen has heard about the breakup, so it’s a bit awkward.

Karen and Danny talk privately, and Danny reveals that he told Lacey everything about what happened with Vikram. He also tells Karen that Jo and Lacey are both mad at him. He expresses concern about becoming similar to his father, but Karen says that’s ridiculous. Whitney and Danny head to school next.



At school, Jo approaches Lacey, attempting to be a good friend about Lacey’s recent breakup with Danny. Lacey is cold towards her, likely because she thinks Danny has feelings for Jo. Whitney notices this exchange and asks Lacey what’s going on. Lacey walks away from her pretty quickly, too.

Andie talks to Rico about the student government and he invites her on a date to “food truck night” and then a movie at his house that night. She agrees, but she’s behaving in an odd manner.

Danny tells his coach that he wants the grade he deserves for the test instead of the bribery agreement between them.

Broken Law # 1 Alert! (From Episode 1×16)

Although it’s highly unlikely that Danny would get in trouble at this point, since he’s redeemed himself so quickly, I wouldn’t be being accurate if I failed to mention that his bribe to donate soccer equipment in exchange for an “A” on his exam IS illegal. 

New York Penal – Article 200 – § 200.00 Bribery in the Third Degree

“A person is guilty of bribery in the third degree when he confers, or offers or agrees to confer, any benefit upon a public servant upon an agreement or understanding that such public servant’s vote, opinion, judgment, action, decision or exercise of discretion as a public servant will thereby be influenced.
Bribery in the third degree is a class D felony.”

And it was illegal for Danny’s coach to accept the bribe, which brings us to:

Broken Law # 2 Alert! (From Episode 1×16)

New York Penal – Article 200 – § 200.10 Bribe Receiving in the Third Degree

“A public servant is guilty of bribe receiving in the third degree when he solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any benefit from another person upon an agreement or understanding that his vote, opinion, judgment, action, decision or exercise of discretion as a public servant will thereby be influenced.
Bribe receiving in the third degree is a class D felony.”

Great teamwork! At least Danny changed his mind about this. 

Charlie tells Jo that Danny threatened him since he told Jo about what happened in juvie. Jo feels bad, and Charlie asks her to go out that night. This makes Jo extremely angry and she confronts Danny to yell at him. She demands if Danny talked about killing his dad in juvie, which he admits to doing. He says it’s not like what Charlie’s saying, though. He denies knowing about the money in Vikram’s life insurance before Vikram died.

Kyle and Tess are on a hunt for the baby that we recently found out Tess had and put up for adoption with Vikram’s help. Eddie tells Kyle about Jack spending the night at Karen’s; they’ve been watching her for clues about what really happened to Vikram.

At school, Whitney and Lacey make plans to go to a club in New York City later. Whitney discloses that she’s “besties with the bouncer,” when Lacey asks how she gets into the club when she’s underage. Whitney lies to her dad about what she and Lacey will really be doing that night, claiming they’re going on some tour of the town. Jack reminds Whitney to be careful because she tends to make close friends very easily.

Kyle shows up at Jack’s boat shop while Whitney’s still there, so she meets Jo’s dad. Whitney tells Kyle that she loves Jo, and “she rocks.” Kyle claims he’s there because he’s interested in buying an “affordable boat,” but he’s really there waiting for Jack to throw something in the garbage, then for the garbage to be taken out so he could do a DNA test on his garbage. He winds up bringing a can from the garbage that was outside in the street and therefore “legit” according to Kyle. He tells Eddie to run tests on it.

Legal Note In case anyone was wondering, Kyle is correct about this.

At Johnny Cakes, Tess approaches Karen to talk. At first Karen wants nothing to do with this, but Tess finally tells Karen the truth about her other baby and her reasoning behind keeping Vikram’s secret. Karen tells Tess that Vikram had already told her about Tess’s baby. She’s known this whole time! Tess is shocked that Karen knew her secret. Karen asks if Vikram had threatened to tell Kyle, but Tess insists that he didn’t, and that he “wasn’t always bad.” Karen tells Tess that she knows where Vikram kept the adoption papers. Tess says that she wants to find her child.

Danny shows up at Jo’s house to get yelled at by her more. She accuses him of planning Vikram’s death. While they’re arguing and Danny is insisting that it was self defense, Charlie shows up and eavesdrops on their conversation. After Danny is done talking, Charlie startles them by asking “You killed your dad?”

Jo and Danny explain what happened to Charlie. Charlie asks about the car and Jo explains that someone moved the body and made it look like an accident. Charlie asks why they never went to the police and told them it was self defense. Danny gives a huge, informative answer, “Because we didn’t!” Jo demands for Danny to leave.

Broken Law # 3 Alert! 

By not telling the police the truth about what happened when there’s an ongoing investigation going on, all three of them are breaking the law. 

EDIT: It was pointed out to me by a reader, who is probably right, that resisting arrest may not be the appropriate crime here because Danny was not actually in the process of being arrested. It IS still against the law that while the police are actively investigating this case, the three characters aren’t coming forward with the truth. However, this charge might be more appropriate:

New York Penal – Article 205 – § 205.50 Hindering Prosecution; Definition of Term

"...a person "renders
  criminal assistance" when, with intent to prevent, hinder or  delay  the
  discovery  or  apprehension  of,  or  the  lodging  of a criminal charge
  against, a person who he knows or believes has committed a crime  or  is
  being sought by law enforcement officials for the commission of a crime,
  or  with  intent  to assist a person in profiting or benefiting from the
  commission of a crime, he:

1. Harbors or conceals such person; or 
 2. Warns such person of impending discovery or apprehension;..."

New York Penal - Article 205 - § 205.65 Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree





A  person  is guilty of hindering prosecution in the first degree when
  he renders criminal assistance to a person who has committed a  class  A
  felony,  knowing  or  believing  that such person has engaged in conduct
  constituting a class A felony.
    Hindering prosecution in the first degree is a class D felony.

At their date, Charlie admits that he’s a little freaked out by what he just learned. He asks how Jo’s handling all of this. It’s obvious that she’s still having some trouble with this. Charlie says a cheesy line about “finding a way to survive the past.” They run into Andie and Rico; they all picked the same idea for a date, the food trucks! Rico brags about being Andie’s Michelle Obama/ the first man of Green Grove high. Andie runs off because she has to tend to her texts from student council people.

Danny approaches Lacey and tells her that he’s suspicious about Charlie. At first Lacey’s listening to him until he mentions Jo. She then gets jealous. Before he leaves, Danny warns Lacey that Charlie might be dangerous and that he’s going to prove it. Danny then goes to the stables where Charlie works. He asks the woman there about Charlie’s reasons for coming to Green Grove. The woman said that he was desperate; he came asking for a job AND a place to live. This is the first we’re hearing about Charlie LIVING at the stables. The woman gives Danny permission to go up to Charlie’s room, and he does.

In Charlie’s room, Danny finds an old picture of him, Jo and Lacey; it’s the picture he had in juvie. We see a flashback from Danny’s juvie days and we learn that he “lost” the picture and asked Charlie where it was. Charlie claimed in the flashback that he didn’t know where the picture was, but offered to send it to him if it turned up. It’s really creepy that he’s really had it this entire time! Why would he want a photo from DANNY’S childhood with HIS friends? It’s seeming more and more like Charlie has ulterior motives for being in Green Grove.

Karen and Tess go into Vikram’s office to find the adoption papers. Karen is considering turning Vikram’s old office into a Pilates studio. Typical Karen. Karen asks Tess if Vikram ever explained why he faked his own death. Tess says all Vikram would say is that his life was in danger, and when Karen asks, Tess says that she never knew WHO Vikram was afraid of but that she always suspected that it was someone who worked with Vikram. This visibly freaks Karen out.

Whitney and Lacey are now at the club in New York City. Lacey asks Whitney about her “master plan” to buy alcohol with an ID, but it turns out Whitney’s plan is to have some guy buy them alcohol. She finds a guy named Kevin who’s perfect for the job. He offers to buy the girls drinks. As Whitney puts it, “Kevin to the rescue!”

This rescue, however, is not legal.

Broken Law # 4 Alert!

ABC Law § 65(1) Prohibited sales (in relevant part).

No person shall sell, deliver or give away or cause or permit or procure to be  sold, delivered or given away any alcoholic beverages to
1.  Any  person,  actually  or apparently, under the age of twenty-one
  years…”
(note- ABC stands for alcohol beverage control)

Kevin could get in trouble for this, and the bartender possibly could as well, since it’s likely the bartender noticed that all of the drinks weren’t for Kevin, and saw Lacey and Whitney drinking.

Speaking of Lacey and Whitney drinking, they’re not allowed to do that!

Broken Law # 5 Alert!

ABC Law § 65-c -Unlawful  possession of an alcoholic beverage with the intent to consume by persons under the age of twenty-one years.  (in relevant part)

1. “…no person under the age of twenty-one years shall possess any alcoholic beverage… with  the intent to consume such beverage…”

Meanwhile, at her date with Rico, Andie keeps getting calls and texts from people in the student government. At the same venue, Jo asks Charlie about the “messed up things” from his past, including the car that he stole that landed him in juvie. Charlie explains that his mother passed away and his father left, so he started hanging out with a crowd of people that weren’t the best influence on him. Jo feels bad when she learns Charlie had been in foster care with people who pretty much ignored him. Charlie gets up to get them drinks, and Jo notices Rico sitting alone. She goes up to him.

Jo asks Rico where Andie is, and he explains that she’s doing government business on the phone. He admits that he doesn’t really like the fish he got from the food truck. Rico tries to crack a joke about all Andie’s phone calls. “This must be how Michelle Obama feels.” It’s obvious that Rico is worried about something else, and Jo can tell. She tells him Andie’s crazy about him and he shouldn’t worry. ABC Family puts a hashtag up that says the opposite, “#IsAndieCheating?”  Meanwhile, Charlie receives a text that scares him; it’s from Danny, and it’s a picture of him in Charlie’s room holding the photo of Danny, Jo and Lacey.

Back at the club in the city, Kevin shamelessly flirts with Lacey, even after she admits to being in high school. He invites her to stay with him at a hotel. Whitney sees Lacey getting freaked out and gets her out of the situation. She brings Lacey into the bathroom and points out that Kevin had a tan line on his ring finger; he’s married! That’s not all though, Whitney also managed to steal Kevin’s phone, and she isn’t going to let this creepy stranger get away with trying to cheat on his wife!

Legal Note: I’d go into detail about Whitney stealing the phone, but it doesn’t appear as though she actually kept the phone and/or left the bar with it, and those are the actions that would get her into trouble. 

Whitney calls “home” on the phone, despite the concerned look on Lacey’s face. When Kevin’s wife answers, Whitney tells her that she just met her husband at a club and that he invited her friend to spend the night with him at a hotel.

Jo asks Charlie what they’re doing after dinner, but Charlie says that he can’t stay out for that late. He’s dating the chief of police’s daughter and needs to be a gentleman and get her home on time! There’s also the whole, he’s completely freaked out about Danny’s text message, thing.

Tess shows Kyle the papers that she got from Karen, and they learn that the family is somewhere in New Jersey. Tess insists on driving there NOW, despite Kyle insisting that they wait until tomorrow. Kyle’s phone rings, and it’s Eddie on the other line.

Karen shows up at Jack’s house and demands if he saw Vikram after he quit working for Vikram. She won’t stop until he answers, so finally he admits that he saw Vikram once after quitting working for him. Jack says that Vikram was cheating on Karen and Jack found out and confronted him. It got “heated,” and Jack told Vikram about his affair with Karen. Jack claims that this was years after their affair but he was still in love with Karen. When Karen asks when this happened, Jack says it was around 6 months ago. Karen accuses Jack of being the person who tried to kill Vikram on his boat. When he asks how she could think he’s capable of something like that, she also accuses Jack of moving Vikram’s body to protect her and Danny. When Karen says she needs to know if Jack tried to kill Vikram on the boat 6 months ago, Jack kicks her out of the house.

At Rico’s house, Andie claims she’s tired and has an early student council meeting and wants to skip the movie. Rico blurts out his question, “are you going to break up with me?” Andie discloses the real reason she’s been acting weird. She’s a virgin and she thought their food truck date was leading up to Rico wanting sex that night. Rico is confused; “food trucks mean sex?” he asks. Then he eloquently says “I don’t want to have sex with you!” which is exactly what every girlfriend wants to hear. He didn’t mean it that way though; he tells Andie that he’s a virgin also, a BIG one. It’s a very cute, nerdy moment.

Jack gets a loud knock on his door and when he says “come in,” Kyle walks in. Jack asks if something’s wrong, to which Kyle says “you could say that.” It looks like whatever Eddie called Kyle about is bad news for Jack. When Charlie gets home, Danny is there to greet him. Danny demands to know why Charlie is REALLY in town. Charlie provokes Danny by saying he thinks Jo really likes him. Danny reminds Charlie that he should be careful; stealing his how Charlie wound up in juvie and now Charlie stole Danny’s old picture too! Charlie threatens Danny; he says that if Danny messes with him and Jo, he will go to the police and tell them everything he knows about Danny and the “murder” of his father. Danny remarks that Charlie is the one who’s threatening now!

Broken Law # 6 Alert!

New York Penal – Article 135 – § 135.60 Coercion in the Second Degree (in relevant part)

“A  person  is  guilty  of coercion in the second degree when he or she compels or induces a person to engage in conduct which the latter has a 
legal  right to abstain from engaging in, or to abstain from engaging in  conduct in which he or she has a legal right to engage… by  means  of  instilling  in him or her a fear that, if the demand is not complied  with, the actor or another will:…  

 4. Accuse some person of a crime  or  cause  criminal  charges  to  be  
instituted against him or her…” 

Grading: “Coercion in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor.”

Charlie, you just got out of juvie. Unless you want to go back, you might want to refrain from this type of conduct!

Lacey and Whitney talk about what Whitney did to Kevin and his wife. Lacey thinks it was harsh, but Whitney’s point of view is that “divorce is hard but it’s not always bad,” and she saved Kevin’s wife years of being lied to and cheated on. Whitney talks about her parents and says she barely remembers them being married. She then learns that Lacey’s parents are divorced too. The girls talk about how awful guys are, and Whitney kisses Lacey! Right after, Whitney gets a phone call from his father; he’s calling from the police station! Whitney freaks out.

Whitney and Lacey go to the police station and speak to Kyle. Whitney insists that whatever Jack was arrested for, he didn’t do it. She demands to know why her dad was arrested. When Kyle says that the public defender is on his way, Whitney makes it clear that that’s not satisfactory. Kyle says that it’s because her dad doesn’t have a lawyer, to which Whitney says “Of course not. He’s never done anything wrong!”

We see Tess sitting outside of a house looking in the window at a blonde girl. Is this her daughter? Tess looks distraught. Meanwhile, Charlie shows up at Jo’s door. He confesses that he’s not really staying with family friends and he lives at the stables. He told Jo that he came to Green Grove after juvie because of how great Danny made it sound. He says that he cut their date short because he wanted to invite her back but not before Jo knew where he really was living and why. Jo says that she doesn’t care where he lives or why he’s in town, she’s just really glad to have him there. They kiss. Something still seems off about Charlie if you ask me, and I think the look on his face at the end of the episode was creepy!