Awkward Season 2, Episode 3 Recap: Shirtless Matty, Clueless Jenna

Last week on Awkward (Season 2, Episode 2: “Sex, Lies and Videotape”), Matty made it obvious that he wanted Jenna back. But Jenna didn’t want to play his game, continuing their secret relationship or even wasting time on the memories of it. This week, however, Jenna wound up playing his game without even realizing it.

But first, let’s discuss Jenna’s parents, and their apparent separation. Things haven’t ever been great between Lacey and Kevin, even if they shared a sort of base animal attraction to each other. They always struck us as the kind of couple that comes from a Teen Mom relationship, where they decide to stay together just because they got pregnant at a young age.

So we weren’t surprised to see how Kevin reacted after Lacey told him she’d written the bullying letter to Jenna from Season 1. But we definitely enjoyed that hot tub scene. Kevin comes home to find Jenna, Matty, and Jake in the new hot tub that Lacey got for Jenna (as some kind of sexy prop to be more like her, and learn seduction), and says, “When did we get a hot tub, and why are you in it with your boyfriend and your ex-boyfriend?” Jenna tries to get her dad to help her make Matty leave, but her and Jake in a hot tub is not Kevin’s idea of a good time.

Instead, he joins them all, and pees in the water. Major points for Kevin, in our book. Moments later, Lacey tries to show Kevin what he’s been missing in her bathingsuit, but he’s just furious about the hot tub (and, more so, about the letter). Kevin sits the family down and says he needs to move out and stay at Grandma’s. And that’s when the most heartbreaking moment of the season so far occurs.

Jenna’s dad says, “Everyone could use a little space,” and she responds, “Everyone except me.” She pleads with her dad not to “leave me alone with a bully.” At first, we thought she’d convinced him, but then Lacey showed up at the 5K in the end and told Jenna he’d moved out. Seeing them hold hands was a major breaking point in their fragile relationship.

Speaking of fragile relationships, Jenna is doing everything she can to make sure Matty doesn’t get in the way of her new, pretty perfect relationship with Jake. But Matty just won’t leave them alone! He rides in the car with them, plays video games with them, and to Jenna’s disappointed delight, takes his shirt off whenever he can. Jenna assumes he’s doing his best to sabotage what she and Jake have.

But when Jenna confronts him, finally, Matty puts on his best innocent face and tells her that there’s no way he actually wants to hang out with Jenna and Jake. That he hates watching them be all clingy and lovey dovey. He tells her that Jake is the one who wants him around, and solidifies this excuse with, “I’ve been hanging with Jake since I was 10!”

Jenna (and Sadie, surprisingly) buys it, and decides to excuse herself from being the third wheel. She tells Jake that he should hang out with his best friend alone, which Jake adorably agrees to, but only after saying, “What if I like being clung to?” Who hasn’t wanted their boyfriend to say that at some point or another?

Luckily, we see right through Matty’s innocence game. But how much longer will Jenna believe that he’s not interested, before she actually becomes interested herself?

Awkward airs every Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.

Molly Friedman is an editor at Wetpaint Entertainment. Follow her on Twitter @MollyFriedman.

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