The most interesting thing about "Sex, Lies, and The Sanctuary" might be Matty's confession that he loves Jenna, but then you'd be forgetting one important thing about Awkward.: these are, after all, sixteen-year-old kids, one of which—that tormented Matty McKibben—is still on a mission to win back the girl he lost to his best friend to. Does Matty really love Jenna? It's a nice thought, a great thing to write in a television show. But it's probably not true, certainly not true in the real world, but even moreso in a world where you believe the one girl you really want hasn't entirely moved on yet.
I do like Matty's struggle to accept what's happened in their threesome and how it's led to these irrational moments in basements and behind bleachers where he waits for some emotional give from Jenna, and if I'm pleased about one thing Awkward. has done this season, it's stopped letting Jenna be so swayed by everyone around her. Swayed by other things, sure: the release of the Sancutary tape is an external threat that poses to ruin all the secrets neatly laid around Jenna, Jake, and Matty, and she certainly experiences the inner turmoil of a girl who could lose everything that matters to her. Thankfully, the tape winds up not having Jenna and Matty on it at all—but for once, it's her deciding the course of action and moving on, leaving the other characters to grieve the consequences of their mistakes.
That's both Matty and Lacey, who deals with continuing to be a horrible, horrible mother and writing her daughter that Carefrontation note, a secret that she now knows her daughter knows, and faces confessing the truth to Kevin. That's a plot to be resolved next week with Kevin's reaction, and it's bound to be a big one. Meanwhile, Jake struggles with Jenna no longer being a virgin and what it means for their relationship, and it kinda tailspins him into bouts of insecurity and loss of manhood before deciding (and being reaffirmed by Jenna) that the past doesn't matter, and the two are invested in each other for the time being.
"Sanctuary" also does a fantastic job of expanding Ming's horizons on the show, forcing her to get to know the other Asians on the show. Becca knows everything about everyone, as all Palos Hills Asians should, and it was fun to see Awkward. have fun with race in a way that wasn't insulting or demeaning. Becca completely owns her Asian stereotype where Ming eschews it, and Awkward. even points that out at one point, when Becca alerts Ming to the fact that she's neither a "cool Asian" or a "school Asian". She's just (regrettably) white, and completely behaves as such by referring to her nationality peeps as "the Other". I've been waiting for this kind of moment for Ming for a while, and it's cool to see both her character and the world of Palos Hills open up a bit more.
SumOlogy: Yay for expanding!
Grade: B
Leftovers
The lack of Sadie was absolutely felt in this episode, which hurts less than it could have, but it was still a palpable absence.
My favorite moment of the episode had to be Jenna's confession that Matty made her feel bad about herself, and Beau Mirchoff's acting that entire time. This is actually a standout episode for him.
I did like the fact that someone answered Jenna's blog post and the show didn't make the identity of the poster too concerning. (But does anyone want to start betting it's Matty?)
"Remember that girl that I lost it to? Exactly, neither do I."
"For the record, that's the only back door you'll ever have access to."
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