Boys Don't Cry

## Episode guide

"**Boys Don't Cry**" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of *Maddox* and the thirteenth episode of the series overall. It premiered in 2022.

## Synopsis

Detention gives the boys an opportunity to air their grievances. Mars unleashes their rage.

## Plot

After school on Friday, Boogie, Hakeem, Jet and Dallas head to detention, which is being overseen by Mr. Parrish. He tasks the boys with writing essays reflecting on something personal to them. If they are unable to do so by the end of the session, they will be given another detention. He leaves to attend a staff meeting.

Andrea attends Mars’s family reunion under the pretence that her parents are out of town for the weekend. Mars’s mother scolds them for not warning the family in advance. However, Andrea quickly gets along with members of the Maddox family, including Mars’s aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.

Jet discovers the door of the classroom is locked. He taunts Dallas, and when Hakeem comes to Dallas’s defence, he grabs Hakeem lunch bag and eats his sandwiches. Boogie, already drafting his essay, tells Jet to stop so he can focus. Hakeem accuses Boogie of sabotaging The Reel Deal’s equipment, which Boogie adamantly denies, admitting that the film club has been one of the most fulfilling parts of his school year. Hakeem responds, “One of many last semester, right?” which silences Boogie.

Mars overhears their aunt making a backhanded comment to their father about how unfortunate it is that his family doesn’t have any boys, but has “that one [Mars], who wants to dress like one”. When Mars’s aunt suggests that their identity may just be attention-seeking behavior, Mars grabs a glass of red wine and spills it over the aunt’s head before storming out of the house.

While the others draft their essays, Jet plays with a tennis ball. When Hakeem asks him to stop, Jet makes a crude sexual comment. As arguing breaks out, Dallas wriggles the door until it opens, revealing that it was jammed, not locked. He leaves, slamming the door loudly behind him. Boogie follows after him with Mr. Parrish’s approval.

During a conversation with Megan, Andrea suggests that Mars’s headstrong attitude may come from having no one to support them when they have reached out for help in the past.

In the library, Boogie apologizes to Dallas for his behavior at the party and for punching him. Dallas argues that Boogie’s friendship with Jet co-signs Jet’s constant torment of Dallas. Boogie tells Dallas he doesn’t want to be one of Jet’s targets, but Dallas calls him selfish and says he never will be a target because he’s straight, attractive, athletic and traditionally masculine. Boogie leaves Dallas to write his essay in peace.

Mars cycles to Kelsey’s house. They are met by Kelsey’s parents, who immediately invite them in when they start to cry. In Kelsey's room, she and Mars watch a movie together. Instead of answering Kelsey's about their day, Mars kisses her and reveals that they reciprocate her feelings and want to be in a relationship. Kelsey accepts on the condition that they don’t tell Kelsey’s parents.

At the end of detention, the boys hand in their essays. Dallas and Hakeem leave together, while Jet meets up with an unhappy Boogie. Hakeem’s essay is about ending a friendship with someone he once held to a high standard; Dallas’s is about the difficulty of delivering hard truths to those you love; Jet's is about his family's financial struggles; and Boogie writes about his first crush on a boy and his fears about his social status and potential bullying if he comes out.

## Credits

### Cast

#### Starring

* Wesley Carter as Hakeem Franklin
* Julia Chee as Andrea Salazar
* Emily Leung as Kelsey Ma
* Simon Olliges as Jet Webster
* Thomas J. Shapiro as Dallas Cowan
* Brandon Whitehead as Boogie Forman
* Tanner Paige Wise as Mars Maddox

## Trivia

* This episode takes its name from the song "Boys Don't Cry" by The Cure.