Why, Me? - Season 20

A twentieth season of ***Why, Me?*** was unveiled by *Tanzania* as part of the second half of 40-episode order split into two seasons. Beginning on November 15, 2042 and finishing on June 25, 2044, the series later received a ten-episode extension along with the announcement that this would the last season of the show “for now”. 30 episodes eventually aired as part of this season as it averaged 2.81 million viewers. A big cast shake-up occured with Lila Miller and Ryan Alexander leaving the series; while Mekhla and Cameron making returns to the show alongside the former’s son, Logan Glossy.

Max Black departed the show for a second time during the twentieth episode as the episode was intended to be the show’s last. Despite the ten-episode extension to the series, he didn’t return so was absent for the last ten episodes of the series.

## Plot

Northdale remains in full swing as Max catches a new thief in town who turns out to be related to Mekhla and Cameron! While Logan may not be the most law-abiding citizen, he relies on Jax to help show everyone what a good heart he holds, as he fails to form friendships with Max and Phoenix. Sadly for him, Jo priorities her image and channel as she frames him for an incident despite their close bond. Jo is going through her own grievances though as she attempts to keep her children out of the limelight yet also enjoys planning for the YouTube awards later in the season. Amongst all this, Mekhla grapples with telling her son the full truth about his father and has a go at finding love and dresses up as Lady Bethany in an attempt to publish Jax’s new book as he tries to re-integrate himself in the book world while also campaigning against a wedding; Cameron maintains his crazy self while keeping a big secret yet also being loyal towards Logan when he understands his mother will be less compassionate when she finds out he has joined the YouTube channel; Phoenix begins to become more comfortable with her true-self as Max contemplates a move abroad to revive his true hobby.

The series opens with a snowy scene. Slowly coming into one of the mansion’s windows, Ryan and Lila are seen on the home computer, in a logo used for YouTube. This signifies that they did take the opportunity after all: to start their own YouTube channel. The snow causes much disruption for all as Max, Jax, Jo and Phoenix all have their flights cancelled. Jax, though, becomes determined to turn that around. Decorating the home festively, Phoenix says that Jax’s organised Christmas is her “best ever”. In the next episode, as Mental Health week takes hold, Jax (public speaking over the topic), Jo (amusement park rides) and Phoenix (stigma with her sexuality), decide to face their fears and later evaluating how far they have come. A day with not much going on, Max catches a boy breaking into his mansion. Furious, he scares the boy to reveal his name and address. He drags Logan back to his home: to his surprise, finding out he lives with Mekhla and Cameron. Discussing with them the best possible scenarios, he asks how they came back to Northdale, to which they remain coy about. Charlie Crewe and Ariel Dungres return this season, to star in the four hundredth episode of the show, where Jax discovers that he doesn’t receive an invitation to attend and so comes up with 400 reasons why they shouldn’t marry to take to the court and object the marriage. When he is a few short, he asks the gang to help out yet when Phoenix, Mekhla, Cameron and Logan find out where he is taking the list, they demand he stops. Jax defies the rest of the group, feeling damaged, he takes it to the court who validate his appeal. As Ariel breaks down in tears, Charlie can see Jax is apologetic but tells him “nothing will fix what you have done to us”. Feeling resentful, Jax grins, with no information of what goes on next occurring. Logan lands in more trouble when Max catches him breaking into the mansion once again. Max gives him to opportunity to explain his motives. Logan explains that his father died tragically and his last wish was his son to prove himself in the world by breaking into other properties. Jax and Jo vow to help him find out the truth when Logan reveals that he believes Cameron and Mekhla had something to do with the loss of his father due to their ongoing feud. With Max and Phoenix unsure, they call Mekhla and Cameron to come round for them all to settle the truth once and for all. Mekhla scolds Logan but her motherly instincts come out when they realise how hurt he is to be making up lies. Cameron explains to the gang that Logan’s father died by suicide yet they don’t want Logan to have any hindered memories of him. The gang feel obliged to apologise and comfort Logan. Jo warms up to Logan and invites him to join the YouTube channel to boost ratings but also to instill confidence in Logan. Thought when she pitches it to Phoenix and Max (re-hired on a part-time basis), she has to turn Logan away. Logan feels empowered to prove to Max and Phoenix that he belongs on the channel so goes to extreme lengths of which he proves them wrong. In the following episode, when Logan is discovered to be part of the channel by Cameron, he threatens to tell Mekhla, which he knows she’ll be unhappy about. However, Logan uses his charming ways to make him decide otherwise. At the mansion, Mekhla dresses up as Lady Bethany to become Jax’s publisher; fully aware he wouldn’t accept her as her normal self given their history. She manages to pass of as Lady Bethany, which she is thrilled about. Mekhla and Cameron defend Logan when Phoenix accuses him of breaking up her relationship with her new girlfriend after he tells her that Max is dating Phoenix. A real divide is felt in the group until Logan apologises. Rivalry is still present though when Jo “steals” Mekhla’s popstar and enlists the help of Jax, Max, Phoenix and particularly, Logan, to do so. In the next episode, Jo accidentally exits the parameter of a convenience store, setting of the alarm for a stolen good. She, Phoenix, Max and Logan are forced to work behind the counter. Eager to shoot a video, she says that Logan did it, having stolen from the shop before. Landing Logan in loads of trouble, Logan finds it hard to trust her again even after her apology to him and the convenience store man. When Mekhla follows Cameron after a series of ‘walkabouts’, she is shocked at who she sees him meeting — Jax. Eavesdropping in the conversation, she discovers Cameron is considering moving into the relationship. Mekhla questions whether she can make up this fraction in their relationship. Like uncle, like nephew - Logan also lands in hot water. He risks his place in the channel when Max realises that he is using the fame for his own profit at school. His status in the channel still known: leaving Mekhla asking Jax to babysit Logan (Cameron is out of town) while she is on a date at home. Logan soon becomes suspicious and attempting to break free, Jax is forced to call on his friends to help restrain Logan. While Logan doesn’t find out about Mekhla, he is inquisitive; leaving Mekhla feeling obliged to gently break to Logan that she has begun dating which doesn’t end well. The gang try and help Logan feel better and build back his bridges back into the channel. To celebrate the revival of his writing career, Jax invites Lady Bethany, Mekhla, Cameron and Logan round for dinner. Realising there is no hope of her pulling it off, Mekhla asks a friend to step in as Lady Bethany. However, when Mekhla’s friend is forced to reveal her identity as Jax demands to know what is going on, tensions boil, leaving the new book in jeopardy. At the end of the episode, Mekhla and Jax make up and agree that the publishing deal can still go ahead. When Jax receives an invitation to Logan’s birthday party and fears that he’ll have no friends present, he asks Max, Jo and Phoenix along. Despite their awkward differences, they sympathise and make up with Logan. However, when Mekhla arrives, she challenges the trio for “bullying” her son and almost makes the party one to forget. Mekhla and the trio find it difficult to apologise to one another. Cameron and Logan are told to leave the house when Mekhla’s boyfriend comes to visit, prompting tensions and Mekhla considering ending her relationship. Meanwhile, an argument erupts between Max and Jo where they both feel they have the best direction for the channel when a rival YouTube channel beat their most watched video. Mekhla is pushed to boiling point when she discovers Logan is involved in a YouTube channel and that Cameron hasn’t told her despite having knowledge about it in a later episode; meanwhile, Jax receives an angry letter from his father leaving a concerned Max helping Jax track him down to put things right.

Jo and Phoenix are shocked when Max contemplates a move abroad to work to revive his music career. In a bid to keep it away from Jax, Max distracts Jo and Phoenix and reminds them of the laws that they view as harsh. Campaigning in Northdale town for change, Max is left to collect his thoughts and weigh up his thoughts. A ‘To Be Continued...’ sign appears at the end of the episode. In an attempt to apologise to Max, Jo and Phoenix once and for all, Logan cooks a meal for the trio. Despite the kitchen nearly going up in flames, Jax takes him under his wing, seeing his younger self in Logan when he feels unworthy. Jax is pitched against trouble when he fears he can’t meet his deadline by constant noise yet the gang soon pull together to remain quiet when they hear the problems Jax has faced. Phoenix feels awful when she leaves the tap on and floods the kitchen. When Max shifts the gang all into Mekhla’s while the mansion gets repaired, tension boils though on the final night, all seven share a laugh over the mismatch personalities still giving them lots of fun time together. The following episodes, finishes Max’s story in Northdale. He announces he is relocating to Asia to revive his singing career: to the dismay of Jax, who enlists the help of Jo and Phoenix to campaign he stays. They are quick to point out that Jax has left before and they can still see each other, Max needs to follow his dreams and all the logistics (for example, everyone gets to stay in the mansion) work. Jax is forced to accept that Max is leaving but it is for the good. In the first episode without Max, Jo is accused, by Jax and Phoenix, of having a delusional fever spell when she constantly says a little boy is hanging around the mansion. When she seeks Mekhla, Cameron and Logan’s approval, Logan awkwardly agrees someone is there. Jo spots that Cameron nudges him and asks Cameron to expose himself. Mekhla buries herself as Logan’s mouth drops when Cameron reveals it’s his son. When Logan upsets Mekhla’s boyfriend, he comes searching for him. A concerned Logan turns up at the mansion to hide and when a knock comes to the door, Jax and Jo answer the door and say no one is in. Determined Logan’s at the mansion, Mekhla’s boyfriend attempts to get in. While Jax’s anxiety reaches new heights, he dials 911, while Jo phones Mekhla. Mekhla dumps the boyfriend on the spot as he is turfed away by the police. Mekhla hugs Logan as their bond builds back up slowly. Jax becomes determined to catch the Northdale vandals as his passion for the town grows. However, when he is asked whether he’d rule out Logan by Jo, he is unsure. His suspicions grow when someone Logan’s height is spotted. Their relationship comes to blows when Jax accuses Logan. An apology is the only thing that will make it up to Logan. When Jax realises he was wrong and the police catch the actual criminal, Jax is wholeheartedly begging for an apology. The two friends quickly move on. Phoenix and her girlfriend, Nellie, are bewildered when they feel watched walking along Northdale beach. When the two woman following them hit on Nellie, Phoenix nudges Nellie to go and buy them drinks. Phoenix faces the two girls in a series of challenges, like sand castle building, in an attempt to see who ‘wins Nellie’. Upon Nellie’s return, Nellie makes it clear that she is not up for sale and she runs off alone. Phoenix quickly catches up with her and apologises. They kiss: marking the first LGBT+ romantic gesture on the show. Elsewhere, Cameron calls for a game night between him, Jax, Jo, Mekhla and Logan to rebuild bonds. While there are abrupt storm outs between the more dramatic characters, the night ends in tears of laughter when Mekhla trousers constantly fall down! The episode ends with Phoenix and her girlfriend, Nellie, walking along the beach. As Jo journals her contemplating of handing over the baton to Phoenix as leader of the YouTube channel in an attempt to leave her kids out of the limelight, Phoenix reads the journal and decides to act like a jerk towards Jo to ensure she keeps the position she loves. When Logan tells both girls the whole story, they both feel one another has betrayed them, leaving their relationship in tatters. It is up to Jax and Logan to save their friendship, which they do so successfully. Mekhla is forced to reveal her past when leaked images get back to Logan; meanwhile, Jax, Jo and Phoenix have to call upon Cameron when an innocent prank call turns nasty. As the series draws to a close, Jax, Jo and Phoenix are left in charge of Logan for the weekend, they bust his slumber party with his friends from school at Mekhla’s house. When they go out and celebrate at Northdale Bar, he heads to the bathroom and sneaks off to the mansion to continue his party. Luckily, Logan is not caught and he manages to clean up everything before they get home. Jo and Phoenix are left furious when Cameron leaves his old school friend, Heidi, with them for the afternoon. When they can’t stand her constant chatting, they call upon Jax and Logan to help get rid of her; to which they do so successfully. In the season finale, Jax is told by his Northdale doctor that he is not at the age where he can take his medication anymore and with worries in his mind, it is up to him to fight back for his medication to continue. He turns to Cameron for support while Jo and Phoenix take Logan and Mekhla abroad for the YouTube awards but Jo and Phoenix contemplate breaking off from the two when Mekhla’s plans do not align with theirs.
With Jax’s medication battle nearly over, Jax racks up an audience and a social media plea in Northdale to try and combat mental health. However, Jax and Cameron now at odds, Jax decides to win Cameron around after he realizes that Cameron is displaying signs of declining mental health. The two bond for the first time in awhile over this. Meanwhile, Jo and Phoenix decide to stand up to Mekhla and get Logan to speak up as they tell her that she is no longer welcome with them on the trip. The three woman end up arguing and Logan is forced to be the voice of reason and tell them that they’re making a fool of themselves. The series officially ends with Jax and Cameron hugging and speaking ultimately about how important mental health and expressing yourself is.

## Cast and Production

Ahead of the eighteenth season, on May 4, 2040, another 40-episode order was placed to be split into a nineteenth and twentieth season. “New beginnings” were teased and announcements soon followed that Ryan Alexander had quit the show to “pursue new projects” (in which he thanked for *Tanzania* for the “most incredible ten years”) and Lila Miller was announced to have been sacked from the show. She expressed her anger at the sudden dropping and has since spoken negatively about her time on the show. Mekhla and Cameron were announced to be making returns to the show after sixteen and eighteen season absences respectively to “revive old fun”. Logan Glossy was also announced to be joining the show as the first new character in three seasons time (the longest break between new characters in the first time in the history of the show). This bought the character capacity back up to seven.

On March 14, 2043, a ten-episode extension to the twentieth season was announced. The announcement also ended mounting speculation that the twentieth season would be the show’s last. The statement read: “Get ready for ten even more brilliant episodes: concluding an already amazing season! This season is it...for now.”. Production had previously begun on February 19, 2042 and were filming the twentieth episode of the order when the extension came. Filming officially ended on July 27. The whole cast paid tribute to the show upon it’s conclusion and *Tanzania* expressed gratitude to all it’s staff and crew. The whole 427 episodes were shown on *Tanzania* before the season finale on June 25, 2044.

Max Black did announce on March 11, 2043, that he would not feature on the last ten episodes of the series since he had filmed his departure episode on the intended finale episode of the franchise. While announcing this, he confirmed that he had finished his tenure as ‘Max Black’ after ‘an amazing twenty-seven years’; ruling out a future return if an opportunity appeared.

## Trivia

* Five of the seven main characters are absent this season:
	+ Max Black is absent during ten episodes this season. He missed the last ten episodes of the season as he was written out of the show: *Gutsy Gul*, *Beast Boyfriend*, *Graffiti Gruelling*, *Frenemies*, *Friendship Baton*, *A Mother’s Pry*, *Party Smarty*, *Hideous Heidi*, *Why, Yes!, Part 1* and *Why, Yes!, Part 2*.
	+ Cameron is absent during ten episodes this season. He is absent during the episodes, *Christmas Night Fever*, *Helpful and Hindful*, *Stealing My Popstar*, *First Date Troubles*, *Change Campaign*, *The One That Got Away*, *Beast Boyfriend*, *Graffiti Gruelling*, *Friendship Baton* and *Party Smarty*.
	+ Mekhla is absent during eight episodes this season. She is absent during the episodes, *Christmas Night Fever*, *Helpful and Hindful*, *Inconvenience*, *Change Campaign*, *Graffiti Gruelling*, *Friendship Baton*, *Party Smarty* and *Hideous Heidi*.
	+ Phoenix Whitby is absent during absent five episodes this season. She is absent during the episodes, *Truth and Lies*, *Secrets*, *Inconvenience*, *Angry Parents* and *Graffiti Gruelling*.
	+ Logan Glossy is absent during three episodes this season. He is absent during the episodes, *Christmas Night Fever*, *Change Campaign* and *The One That Got Away*.