The storm raging outside the Frosty Palace matches Nancy’s mood in episode nine of Paramount+’s Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. “You’re Dropping Out of Rydell?” begins with Nancy (Tricia Fukuhara) pouting about none of the Pink Ladies returning her calls. In pops her old BFFs looking to reconnect, and after briefly considering their request, Nancy tells them off. She wants her real gang back and has a plan to mend the Pink Ladies’ fences.
Assistant Principal McGee (Jackie Hoffman) congratulates Jane (Marisa Davila) on being Rydell’s first girl president. McGee says Principal Nicholson asked her to apologize on his behalf. McGee also advises Jane to use her power wisely.
Jane spots Richie and Buddy in the principal’s office and Olivia (Cheyenne Isabel Wells) reveals Richie spent two nights in jail. They’re being expelled and Olivia’s parents are sending Richie to military school. Olivia rejects Jane’s sympathy and points out Jane got what she wanted.
Jane apologizes to Buddy (Jason Schmidt), but he doesn’t respond. He’s in a horrible mood because his dad’s sending him off to his alma mater in Connecticut. Buddy’s dad hated it there but thinks everyone will forget what Buddy did after a while and he’ll eventually be able to return.
Richie leaves Cynthia (Ari Notartomaso) a note – and his jacket! – in her locker.
Susan (Madison Thompson) is being treated like a pariah by her fellow cheerleaders after the revelation that she slept with Buddy. She sits alone in Home Economics while at a nearby table, Nancy attempts to get Olivia and Jane to interact. Olivia stalks off and Jane confesses she doesn’t think Olivia will ever forgive her.
Cynthia arrives late to class…wearing Richie’s jacket, of course. Nancy orders her to take it off; she’s in the Pink Ladies, not the T-Birds. Nancy needs Cynthia’s help to get the gang back together, but Cynthia thinks it’s impossible. Olivia’s incredibly angry at Jane over Richie leaving school.
The T-Birds are shocked Richie’s leaving them, believing things won’t be the same without him. Cynthia meets up with them in the hallway and Gil (Nicholas McDonough) and Potato (Alexis Sides) welcome her to the gang. However, Shy Guy orders her to take it off and threatens to leave the T-Birds if she’s allowed in.
Susan, Wally (Maxwell Whittington-Cooper), Hazel (Shanel Bailey), and the cheerleaders follow Buddy to his locker. They can’t believe he’s being sent away to Connecticut, and Susan assures him she’ll write to him every day.
Olivia turns to Mr. Leonard Daniels (Chris McNally) for comfort and for not taking advantage of her when she appeared on his doorstep after the dance. A casual joke about getting married instead of sneaking around suddenly changes the mood of the conversation. Mr. Daniels believes that’s not a bad idea. He might get fired, but he could get a teaching job elsewhere.
Olivia knows her parents won’t go for it; she’s just 16. Mr. Daniels volunteers to talk to them, and Olivia realizes she’d have to drop out. Mr. Daniels is totally serious about this and suggests Olivia take her time before she answers. (Show of hands of those who think Mr. Daniels is a pig.)
Nancy and Potato make out in a closet, but she’s too distracted to enjoy it. She needs to get the Pink Ladies back together today and Potato volunteers to help her.
The horrible storm is causing mudslides, forcing the students to remain at school because it’s unsafe to head home. The electricity goes out as McGee makes the announcement, but she finishes enough for the students to realize they must stay at school.
Nancy and Potato have more time to think of a plan but suddenly discover they’re locked in the closet. Their predicament inspires Nancy, and she believes she’s got a solution to set things right.
Cynthia and Gil sit out the rain in Gil’s car, drinking warm beer. Gil confesses he really thought he had a shot with Olivia, but now she’s back with Mr. Daniels. Cynthia thinks Gil’s still got a chance with Olivia and should talk to her about how he feels. Gil wonders what happened at the dance with Shy Guy. Whatever went down, Cynthia needs to make it right. She really hurt Shy Guy’s feelings.
Finally, 20 minutes in, Jane breaks out in song. She laments getting what she wanted because of the price that had to be paid. “Fantasy and reality don’t agree when they’re face-to-face,” sings Jane.
Nancy and Cynthia contribute verses, and then a split screen shows all four Pink Ladies singing the chorus. They realize the dream doesn’t feel the same when it comes true.
Once the song’s over, Buddy finds Jane alone in the gym. She apologizes about the dance and about, well, everything. Buddy confesses he was drunk and threw punches. Plus, it all happened because he lied to his friends. He wishes he could take it back, but Jane points out that would mean she wouldn’t have had the Pink Ladies or Richie.
Buddy thinks they both ultimately got what they deserved. He hopes she doesn’t give up on being president, and they hug. (Not a romantic hug, just one of friendship and understanding.)
Jane finds McGee and thinks she can use her power to keep Buddy and Richie in school. McGee lets slip that Nicholson won’t allow that. They made him look bad while he’s running for superintendent.
Jane runs off, armed with this new information.
The teachers lock themselves in a break room while the students do as they please, with only McGee still on the job and trying to maintain a semblance of order.
Hazel takes a seat next to Buddy in the bleachers and says she knows how he feels. His friends will get to stay at Rydell while he’ll start anew elsewhere without the comforts of home. That’s how she felt, too, when she arrived at Rydell. She reminds him it’s not his friends’ fault and he needs to leave with their relationships intact.
They share a look and it’s obvious they have feelings for each other. Buddy changes the subject and claims he’s happy she’s with Wally now.
Olivia has the honor of singing the episode’s second song. She claims to be in love but wonders if that’s enough to make this little house of cards into a home. Life was easier before she gave in to her feelings. However, as the song continues, Olivia admits she’s not sure she’s in love. It may just be that she doesn’t want to be alone.
“Wish I believed in fate, so choices aren’t hard to make,” sings Olivia, acknowledging happy endings aren’t easy.
Gil finds Olivia in Home Ec and they’re about to talk when Potato barges in with a note from Nancy. Potato says it can’t wait because she’s crying in the bathroom. Olivia runs off to check on her while Gil slaps Potato’s face for interrupting their talk.
Cynthia stalks Shy Guy and gets him to explain why he’s so angry. Shy Guy’s upset about what happened at the dance and admits he’s willing to throw away their friendship over their disastrous date. He reminds her she said he wasn’t a real man, and he’s upset because that’s what everyone thinks of him, just because he’s incredibly shy.
And, once again, Potato interrupts a serious conversation with news from Nancy. Cynthia reads the note and immediately runs off.
Jane confronts Mr. Nicholson and suggests she can help him with his campaign for superintendent. He’d look like a more assertive leader if he forced Buddy and Richie to remain in school and clean up their acts. However, Nicholson thinks voters don’t like a softie – they want someone tough on crime.
Jane’s the last to receive news from Potato that Nancy needs her. Cynthia and Olivia are already in the restroom with Nancy when Jane arrives, and Nancy finally reveals her plan. She’s ordered Potato to lock them in the bathroom until they resolve their issues.
Nancy believes it’s time for brutal honesty and tells Cynthia that even with the jacket, she’ll never be a real T-Bird. She only fits in with the Pink Ladies. And without the Pink Ladies, Olivia will be the school’s floozy without any friends. The Pink Ladies taught Jane to color outside the lines and break the rules. Without the gang, Jane is just a goody two shoes.
The girls hate Nancy’s approach and insist she’s the only one who needs the Pink Ladies. They manage to push open the door and race off. Nancy’s next target of insults is Potato. She tells him off and says she doesn’t need anyone’s help.
She sheds her Pink Ladies jacket, grabs an umbrella, and exits the school.
Buddy gives away everything in his locker to his friends and pulls the gang in for a group hug. He’s going to miss them all. Susan’s missing and Buddy heads off to tell her goodbye.
Cynthia finds Shy Guy alone and apologizes for making him feel bad. He confesses that he wouldn’t feel so out of place and alone if she liked him back. They both concede that nothing about their date felt right.
Shy Guy says she could be a T-Bird if she wants, but that also doesn’t feel right.
Nancy’s making plans to leave for New York when her guardian angel, the Angel of Fashion (played by one of the show’s composers, Justin Tranter), suddenly appears at the Frosty Palace. (Kudos to the writers for finally working in this homage to Grease‘s “Beauty School Dropout.”) Ethereal lighting and angelic music back Nancy and her guardian angel as they sing about what fashion truly means. The guardian angel claims NYC will eat Nancy up, and she should quit now before getting hurt. If she leaves, she’ll lose everything and miss her friends.
Back at school, Jane finds McGee crying, confessing she can’t do it alone anymore. Jane thinks she needs some adult help and McGee explains she’s tried everything through the official channels and no one will listen. Jane suggests she go through unofficial channels instead and start coloring outside the lines.
When McGee says that’s not how she operates, Jane shocks her with a hug. Jane just realized something, thanks to McGee’s predicament.
Buddy finally finds Susan who’s trying to avoid Rosemary and the cheerleaders. She’s had her fill of jokes about being loose. Buddy hands her his jacket and thanks her for running his campaign. He also thanks her for being his first. Susan believes he’s her only friend at Rydell, and Buddy confirms he’d stay if he could.
Jane grabs Cynthia just as Nancy runs up and takes back every mean thing she’s said. Jane and Cynthia admit Nancy was right about what she said, but she does need to apologize since she said horrible things. Nancy confesses she’s in love with the Pink Ladies and doesn’t care, even though that’s wrong. Jane and Cynthia also love their gang, and they hug it out!
The T-Birds join them as Jane declares they’ll find Olivia and Richie and figure out how to keep Richie at Rydell without adult help.
Nancy picks up her recently discarded Pink Ladies jacket before she joins them.
McGee finally has the talk with Principal Nicholson, acknowledges she’s realized he’ll never lend a hand to help her, and demands an assistant or she’ll quit.
She walks away, whistling, before Nicholson answers.
The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds barge into Olivia’s house and she shushes them and points out Mr. Daniels is speaking with her parents. They observe Mr. Daniels and Olivia’s dad shake hands, and Olivia says Mr. Daniels is asking for their blessing. She also reveals Richie’s already on a bus to military school.
Gil is stunned, and Potato and Shy Guy follow him as he runs out of the house. Olivia tells Jane and Cynthia to leave while her parents celebrate Olivia’s news.
They make it to Jane’s bedroom and Cynthia gives Jane Richie’s jacket. Jane cries as Nancy and Cynthia remind her that she never gives up.
Jane pulls herself together, thinks about things briefly, and smiles.
Just one episode remains in season one, and there are still a couple of storylines to wrap up. Will Buddy and Richie actually leave Rydell? Will Olivia come to her senses before it’s too late? Hopefully, the answers are no, no, and absolutely yes.
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 1 Recap and Review
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 2 “Too Pure to Be Pink” Recap
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 3 “So This is Rydell?” Recap
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 4 “If You Can’t Be an Athlete, Be an Athletic Supporter” Recap
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 5 “You Can’t Just Walk Out of a Drive-In” Recap
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 6 “Sloppy Seconds Ain’t My Style” Recap
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 7 “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin'” Recap
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 8 “Or at the High School Dance” Recap
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 10 “Racing for Pinks” Finale Recap
