Andi Mack: Season 1/ Episode 12 “Best Surprise Ever” [Season Finale] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

Andi Mack’s season finale leaves us with a lot of hope for better things. Mostly when it comes to the various relationships in the series.

The Breakup: Jonah, Andi, Amber, Cyrus

In the show, we rarely have gotten to see Amber and Jonah just hang out without Andi being around. Much less see what life is like for Jonah hanging around Amber’s older friends. We get that with this episode. Leading us to see that Jonah finds their company kind of miserable. They don’t respect Ultimate Frisbee, Amber isn’t much for defending him, and this guy Kip (Colby James Strong), you almost think she is trying to win over.

Which is seemingly part of the reason Jonah dumps on. For on top of all that, there is Andi. Someone who has kind of frozen him out and it bothers him deeply. Even to the point of not wanting to play Frisbee. Something which troubles Cyrus for while Andi can pretty much deal with, and be happy, about a Jonah free life, Cyrus can’t. After all, he has feelings for Jonah.

Commentary

While Jonah breaking up with Amber is important, perhaps what matters most is Amber’s interactions with Kip and Cyrus here. With Amber, a part of me strongly feels Kip is the guy she really wants. For I still mentally can’t imagine a high school girl and a middle school boy together. Much less these two who don’t seem compatible at all.

Not because it doesn’t probably happen, but since there have been multiple signs that Jonah maybe just a placeholder. Take, for example, when Andi saw Amber with another guy. Also, how insecure Amber is and how she tossed her boyfriend under the bus for Kip. Amber isn’t the type, based on my observations, that really pursues being liked by everyone. So her paying special attention to anyone means she likes or wants something from them.

Which, in the case of Jonah, I think she just wanted validation. A boyfriend for the sake of having one. Not someone who she truly likes, loves, respects, and supports.

As for Cyrus? The thing which matters here is something Amber said. She noted, after Jonah ran out of that group hangout Kip was involved in, that if Andi looked back, as she walked away, it was because she liked Jonah. Low and behold, Andi does look back. However, so does Cyrus.

Now, this can’t be considered him becoming the official gay character. Yet, it is another sign that he could very well be. But I still fill uneasy about pinning that to Cyrus just because he is flamboyant and has some femme ways about him. For I just don’t want to give into the idea that Cyrus is basically a walking stereotype.

The First Love: Buffy, Marty

With Marty getting new sneakers, there is nothing stopping his and Buffy’s race now. Well, besides the question of what will happen after? It is acknowledged that they are both petty and sore losers. So while there is hope the loser would still talk to the winner, that isn’t guaranteed. Much less that their relationship, even if at a platonic stage right now, would remain the same. So, it is mutually decided to not go through with the race. For whatever “this” is, for them, they don’t want to ruin it with their competitive nature. Unless it is with back and forth quips.

Commentary

 

This was so cute and so needed for Buffy. Especially because Buffy has pretty much been relegated to traditional Disney storylines. She was the supportive Black friend who pretty much was there to be funny. Which isn’t to say she was written to be like a stuffed animal with a few pre-recorded lines. Buffy’s personality and interest are firmly established. The real problem, to me, was that we never got past the surface with her.

 

Just comparing her to Cyrus, we didn’t really hear or learn much about Buffy’s family and home life. Outside of Marty, and the episode dealing with the school trying to impose a hair policy, she has mostly been forgettable. Yet through Marty, I hope, we may get some real and consistent development. If not the first teen relationship of the show. One which, I love, won’t be all lovey dovey since neither character is like that.

I mean, just look at how they interact. Yes, there is some form of maturity, like when they realized the race would ruin everything. Yet, their banter, for some, I’m sure is #RelationshipGoals. But at the same time, it represents a real and not idealistic relationship. As opposed to Andi and Jonah, neither person was trying to change themselves for the other. In fact, there was a challenge to be a better version of themselves.

Let’s take for example this whole race thing. Though the things we may most remember is Buffy showing off, and putting Marty’s sneakers into the toilet, there is more to this. In a playful way, he pushed her to run faster than she has before. Yes, it was presented in a sort of cocky way, but Buffy is a Type A personality. A challenge is more intriguing than a compliment.

But even outside of competition, just him being willing to work with her on apologizing is something. Though I’d also be remiss to not add this to the decision to not race. Despite us not seeing them around each other much, it seems established they get one another. With them, you see a compatibility beyond the superficial. Something you don’t often see in shows like this.

To me, chemistry isn’t so much a focus as whether the love interest is cute or not. And while I may not be the type to believe kids are as impressionable as others may think[note]at least when it comes to extremes, like the 13 Reasons Why criticisms[/note], I do recognize representation matters. So as they draw blueprints of perhaps what a relationship their age should look like, they can see what is wrong thanks to Andi and Jonah, and what is right with Buffy and Marty.

The Girl Who You Let Get Away: Bex, Andi, Bowie

Bowie is back and it is thanks to the universe! How? Well, he kept finding pictures of Bex and that led him back to her. However, while Andi helps him craft a lovey-dovey night, there remains some issues. The main one being, Bowie is unpredictable. Which, in their teens, was fun and a likable trait. However, Bex is committed to being a mom now and giving Andi stability. So while Bowie’s eccentricities remain appreciated, it is also acknowledged that it’ll grow old and he’ll leave once he realizes he no longer is entertaining.

But Bowie wants things to be different this time. Like Bex, he wants to now settle down, help raise Andi, and show he can be dependable. As for how? Well, the whole job and home thing isn’t set yet. However, while shopping with Andi at a thrift store he does find a ring. Which, as you can imagine, seems like a sign from the universe to Bowie.

Commentary

I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of Bowie being a regular on this show. For while Cyrus and Buffy have played Disney styled comic reliefs, minus slapstick moments, Bowie is on another level. At times, you can tell his sort of bohemian mindset isn’t utter BS. Yet, also there is this part of you that just wants him to go away. Like, I get you are supposed to be the fun one and help explain some things about Andi that neither she or we get, yet he doesn’t seem like a long haul kind of guy.

Let’s just consider his journey for example. For Bex, she has her relationship with her parents to be her non-Andi focused storyline. What will Bowie have? Just him trying to win over Bex as well as parent Andi? Maybe become a music teacher at her school? I don’t know about you, but nothing about that excites me. Sort of like Uncle Shawn on Girl Meets World, Bowie is the type of character you are glad to see when he appears, but requires long absences for you to really appreciate him.

Update

Season 2 begins October 27th at 8PM EST