Crying on the Dancefloor

## Episode guide

"**Crying on the Dancefloor**" is the fourth episode of the second season of *Maddox* and the eighteenth episode of the series overall. It premiered in 2023.

## Synopsis

At the school’s Halloween dance, Boogie takes the time to self-reflect, Dallas reaches out to Ellie, and Mars and Kelsey have a costume spat.

## Plot

In a student council meeting, Boogie and Debby volunteer to be greeters at the upcoming Halloween dance. Hudson then asks for ideas for possible end-of-year fundraising events. Kaz rejects Ezra’s suggestion for a dance, citing the “crazy dance” last year; Boogie suggests either a car wash or a raffle, which are shot down for being impractical; and Debby suggests a student talent show, given that the big school production is planned for the spring. Hudson approves of Debby’s idea.

Mars is excited to attend the Halloween dance with Kelsey and presents her with ideas for couples costumes, including Harley Quinn and the Joker, Belle and the Beast and Gomez and Morticia Addams. Kelsey rejects all these ideas, calling couples costumes tacky and expressing discomfort over being seen publicly with Mars as she’s not out. Mars argues that everybody at school thinks they’re just friends, but when Kelsey still refuses, Mars says they should attend separately.

As the two put up sign-up sheets for the talent show, Debby asks Boogie why he decided to run for student council. After Jet and Rob walk past and cheer him on, Boogie admits he wanted to do something devoid of the social expectations of being on the basketball team and that he finds student council “weirdly calming”.

At the dance, Boogie awkwardly greets Hakeem as he, Mars and Ehsan arrive at the dance. When Debby makes a joke about him “ogling” Hakeem, Boogie becomes flustered. Jaz arrives with Kelsey, kisses Boogie and promises to meet him inside. Debby is surprised that Boogie is in a relationship.

In the auditorium, Dallas notices Ellie sitting alone and excuses himself from Andrea’s company by saying he needs the bathroom. Mars confronts Kelsey about effectively coming to the party in a couple’s costume with Jaz. Kelsey tries to de-escalate the situation as Jet catches Jaz’s attention and asks her for a drink and a dance.

Ellie describes her struggles fitting in with Dallas, who tells her he understands what it’s like to be lonely and that he’s willing to be “a friend from afar” to her. Before he leaves, Ellie asks if he'd be willing to help her at the talent show if it ends up happening, to which he agrees. Kelsey explains that she feels like she’s lying to her parents every time Mars is at their house and she doesn’t explain that they’re in a relationship, but still doesn’t feel comfortable coming out to them. Mars apologizes for their outburst and tells Kelsey that the two need to work on transparency. The two reconcile and group up with Andrea, Hakeem, Ehsan and Dallas.

With their greeting duties now over, Boogie and Debby enter the auditorium. When Boogie spots Jaz dancing with Jet, he offers a dance to Debby. As they dance, Debby asks Boogie if he's ever thought about just ditching his friends. Boogie counters that his experience on the basketball team is dependent on his relationships with the other players. As Debby wonders aloud who Boogie might be if he didn’t have to keep up those relationships, Boogie looks over at Hakeem and his friends dancing together.

## Credits

### Cast

#### Starring

* Allison Bourne as Ellie Vanderjagt
* Wesley Carter as Hakeem Franklin
* Julia Chee as Andrea Salazar
* Samir Devani as Ehsan Patel
* Emily Leung as Kelsey Ma
* Teanna Mathers as Jaz Miller
* Simon Olliges as Jet Webster
* Cleo Robinson as Debby Murphy
* T. J. Shapiro as Dallas Cowan
* Brandon Whitehead as Boogie Forman
* Tanner Paige Wise as Mars Maddox

#### Recurring

* Laszlo Koroknay as Kaz Genszky
* Aaron Seidman as Ezra Blumenthal
* Jeffrey Yu as Hudson Wong
* Brayden Ziegler as Rob

## Trivia

* This episode takes its name from the song "Crying on the Dancefloor" by Dayglow.
* This episode marks the first appearance of Laszlo Koroknay as Kaz Genszky.
* The Halloween costumes worn in this episode are as follows:
	+ **Boogie** as Woody from *Toy Story*
	+ **Debby** as Bo-Peep from *Toy Story*
	+ **Hudson** as Buzz Lightyear from *Toy Story*
	+ **Hakeem** as Cowardly Lion from *The Wizard of Oz*
	+ **Mars** as Tin Man from *The Wizard of Oz*
	+ **Ehsan** as Scarecrow from *The Wizard of Oz*
	+ **Jaz** as Clovers cheerleader from *Bring It On*
	+ **Kelsey** as Clovers cheerleader from *Bring It On*
	+ **Dallas** as Peter Pan from *Peter Pan*
	+ **Andrea** as Wendy Darling from *Peter Pan*
	+ **Ellie** as a fairy
	+ **Jet** as Mario from *Super Mario Brothers*
	+ **Rob** as Luigi from *Super Mario Brothers*