The Scarlet Letters

**The Scarlet Letters** is the second episode of *The Savages'* second season and the tenth episode overall. It premiered on May 31, 2016.

The Savagesare bombarded with cryptic letters that threatens to expose their deepest secrets. Trae returns to James A. Masters High School, but is welcomed with a heated intervention gone wrong. Joe and Nate join forces with Alyssa and Claudia for the ultimate alliance against the core cliques. Sydney makes a disturbing discovery, after an interesting past comes back to haunt her. Meanwhile, Lily and Sena meet their match.

## Plot

Sydney leads a heated debate with the remaining members of The Savages regarding Trae's fate with the clique. After she and Zachary tell Alex, Carl, Gina and Lily about Trae's wrongdoings in the video scandal, Sydney concludes that he should be 'kicked out' of the group, much to the others' dismay. The group, however, hesitantly agrees to form an intervention for Trae once he returns. Ironically, that same day, he does.

In multiple flashbacks, we discover that Sydney was an original member of The Moneybags before The Savages formed. During sophomore year, Sydney, Felix, former president Andrew, Kyler and other members are assembled in the cafeteria, where Andrew announces that he is stepping down as president of The Moneybags. Here, Sydney hopes to take his legacy, but faces competition with Felix.

In present time, after a month's recovery, Trae tries to re-adapt to the school environment, to which people aren't as welcoming. He is interrogated by school reporter Maya about Dirty Dan's arrest for the video scandal. Afterwards, he reunites with The Savages, who attempt to warn him about Sydney's plot. The members become aware that Trae feels and looks guilty.

Trae's return becomes even more uncomfortable for him once he returns to Mr. Baxter's class. Despite his knowledge of the material, he notices tension between him and Joe and Vik. In a flashback, it shows how Trae and Joe first met, during trigonometry class. In this same flashback, Sydney and Felix are partners on a trigonometry project. Instead, the two discuss that Andrew appointed Felix as the next president of The Moneybags. Sydney is taken aback and becomes discouraged by this alleged decision.

Felix is reported missing and signs are posted on the bulletin boards, but the students' reactions are mixed.

Meanwhile, Sena and The Red Hot Cheer Peppers hold auditions for cheerleaders after Alyssa and Claudia are removed from the team. However, the squad does not seem to get much luck, until they meet a rude, ignorant yet talented Sis Davenport, who makes racial slurs despite Sena's decision to approve her audition. Sena's intentions web around her fear that Sis knows about her affair with Mr. Baldwin.

Meanwhile, Trae gets stood up by Sydney and the Savages at the courtyard, who planned to have a 'meeting' after school. However, Trae's unawareness of the new school rules: no hanging out in the courtyard, sparks confrontation between him and Matt, who blames him for initiating the riot and causing a new rule system. Afterwards, Trae faces a heated intervention. Sydney confronts Trae once and for all for not telling the Savages about the video scandal. She further calls him out for being selfish, manipulating Zachary, and putting The Savages in jeopardy. However, Trae calls the Savages out on their hypocrisy, specifically Sydney. Believing that everyone's against him, he leaves his own group.

In a flashback, Sydney becoes jealous of Felix's presidency in The Moneybags. To try to prove herself, she confronts Andrew privately, but it turns into a sexual encounter that Sydney uses to her advantage to become president of The Moneybags.

The next day, Joe and Nate discuss social status at the school with Alyssa and Claudia, who both believe that they are wasting time with Joe and Nate. Joe, ultimately planning a supergroup, finds a reason to start it once he discovers Trae's isolation from The Savages. Alex and Carl convince Trae to return, while also revealing their long-term loyalty to him regardless of his actions, but Trae simply denies.

Lily, meanwhile, faces Sis in the hallway and develops a mutual disliking for her with Sena. Efvnetually, during cheerleading practice, Sena invites Lily to the bleachers to call a truce with each other. Sena makes a deal that she will pass on her captain spot to Lily if she helps her take down Sis, who, during the time, is attacked by Brianna.

Trae is called into the principal's office and meets Principal Gordon. During their conversation, Gordon reveals her awareness that Trae is the true culprit behind the scandal. However, Gordon blackmails Trae in order to cover up his truth, using Trae's journalism goals to her advantage and claiming that her son is an editor of Rolling Stone.

After refusing to apologize to Trae, based on Alex, Carl and Gina's demand, Sydney gets an unusual red envelope slipped inside of her locker. The letter gives a cryptic threat that reveals that Sydney got an abortion during her sophomore year. This implies that Sydney was pregnant by Andrew. In a flashback, she gets an abortion with support from Moneybag member Cass. Because the letter doesn't say who it's from, Sydney becomes paranoid and cries about her potential exposure.

Meanwhile, Joe, Nate, Alyssa and Claudia finally make themselves well-known that next day, performing *Let Me Blow Ya Mind*in the hallways to gather people's attention; it works, but it concerns Alex and Carl, who both assume that Joe has something up his sleeve. During the next afternoon, Joe, Nate, Alyssa and Claudia come up with their super-group name: The Glamouflage.

Oblivious of the supergroup, Trae reunites with Zachary, shortly after having another meeting with Jennifer. Zachary invites Trae over to his house for a Marvel film marathon. Eventually, Trae explains his side of the video scandal and reveals that he sacrificed his reputation for Zachary. He even goes to confess his love for Zachary after remembering hearing him say "I love you" after he was shot. The two passionately make out, sparking a mutual romance.

That next afternoon, Sydney receives another scarlet letter, revealing that Andrew doesn't know that she was pregnant by him. At this point, she immediately assumes that Trae is the culprit and goes to confront him for it. Trae denies any participation and Zachary defends Trae from Sydney, confronting her for being bitter. It's official that Trae and Sydney's friendship is over, and official that Trae and Zachary are dating.

In the final scenes, Sydney receives two more scarlet letters that foolishly hints that the scarlet writer will be revealed. Sydney drives to Dillard Park, a 15 mile drive, to discover who the person is. However, Sydney is fooled when she is led to a Toyota car with Felix's corpse.

In a flashback, Felix's dead body is dragged and thrown in the woods, and it is revealed that Sydney is one of the figures associated with Felix's unknown murder.

## Songs

### Cut Songs

* **Two Sides to Every Story**by *Joe Walsh.*Sung by Alex Herrera and Carl Touché. Song was cut due to length of episode. Song will be featured on Music From The Savages, Volume Three as a bonus track. The song and scene will be featured on the Season Two box set.

### Background Songs

* **The Hampsterdance Song**by *Hampton the Hampster.*Used during Camilla's dance tryout.
* **Laffy Taffy**by *D4L.*Used during a student's dance tryout.
* **Got That Good (My Bubble Gum)**by *Rasheeda.*Used during a student's dance tryout.
* **Get Ready for This**by *2 Unlimited.*Used during Sis's dance tryout.

## Trivia

* This is Trae's first physical episode at James A. Masters High School since The Beast Unleashed.
* This is the second episode where a song had to be cut due to length restraints.
* Like the previous season, Lily Blossom has a duet with another female character.
* Spencer Tatum was mentioned by Trae in The Devil's Protégé as one of Dirty Dan's affairs.
	+ Hence his appearance in the flashback is both coincidental and intentional.
* *Amazing* marks Trae's first solo performance since the Season One episode The Mafia.

## Guest Cast

Guest Stars* Patrick Warburton as Coach Jarrett Radnor
* Sasha Pieterse as Sis Davenport
* Tyler James Williams as Matt Park
* Dave Franco as Viktor Nichols
* Travis Slotemaker as Brian Gustin
* Cody Christian as Kalleb Banks
* Hayley Kiyoko as Claudia Wu
* Addison Riecke as Alyssa Tanner
* Ryan Kelley as Kyler Chase
* Adam Hagenbuch as Dan Daniels
* AJ Michalka as Angelika Summers
* Cymphonique Miller as Brianna Townsend
* Rita Volk as Cass Everett
* Luke Bilyk as Rufus King
* Zachary Gordon as Andrew McAllister
* Noah Grey-Cabey as Luke Chambers
* Brittany O'Grady as Maya Hastings
* and Michael Michele as Stacey Ventura