Frankly in Love

On Sunday, Frank is distracted while helping his father at The Store, which his father believes is caused by Joy. That night, he digitizes some of the audio that Brit’s father gave him. At school, Q notices Joy fling a grape at Frank and gives Frank a quizzical look. When Q asks about it later, Frank insists they’re just friends; he feels bad about hiding his fake dating from Q. After dinner at Q’s house, the boys study for the SAT before they resume their conversation. When Q learns about Frank’s fake relationship, he refers to it as “swapping gems”—which is something a mutual friend did in a game they played (swapping gems for glass baubles and betraying his teammates). Q advises Frank to come clean, thinking it would be better for everyone involved. When Frank points out that Q wouldn’t have to create a strategy to get his parents’ approval of a girl, Q falls silent, finally admitting that whomever he likes is already dating someone else. The boys make peace.

Frank finally takes the SAT and worries he didn’t do well due to various distractions. He also recognizes the same fear in the other Apeys; that night at a Gathering, he sees the same fear in the other Limbos. As the Limbos gather as usual, they ask Joy if she’s still dating Wu, and Frank realizes they may not be able to hide their ploy from the other Limbos. He and Joy have a private conversation, and then tell the rest of the Limbos their secret, who respond with varying degrees of surprise and support.

When Frank goes to the restroom, he receives a call from Brit, who is fascinated to learn about the Gatherings. She mentions wanting to meet his family and see him outside of school and work, which makes him realize that this is the normal progression of a relationship. He thinks about how he’s already met Brit’s parents twice. When Brit asks if she can come over that weekend, Frank suggests that he have his mother prepare some Korean barbeque and invite all the Apeys. He hears disappointment in Brit’s response, since she hoped for a private invitation, but they agree on the plan. At dinner, Joy continues to play the part of Frank’s girlfriend, pouring him a beer and calling him by a Korean American term of endearment.

On Saturday, Frank’s mother begins preparing for the barbeque early, and Frank is nervous. He texts Joy about the event, letting her know why she’s not invited. While showering, Frank writes Brit’s name in the steam and dreams about his mother liking her, accepting her, and convincing his father to do the same.

Brit arrives with a French fruit tart, and she and Frank chastely hug, aware of Frank’s mother observing them. The rest of the Apeys arrive, and they play badminton in the backyard while Frank helps his mother with the barbeque. Before they eat, Frank’s mother asks where Joy is, and he lies that she is teaching a seminar webcast. While eating, Brit asks Frank’s mother what her first name is, and she replies “Eun-hee,” and blushes when Brit pays her a compliment. To Frank’s horror, Joy shows up while they’re eating. She introduces herself to Brit as akin to Frank’s family. Later, she tells Frank that his mother called her mother, leaving her with no choice but to attend. Frank insists she find an excuse to leave, and she does. He then enjoys playing a dancing game with Brit and then watches her finagle her way into helping his mother clean up. When he walks Brit to her car after everyone departs, she admits she knows his mother would prefer him with Joy. Frank asks if she can deal with his parents and how cautious they must be around them, and she replies that she can, as long as they are honest with each other.

For their next date, Frank and Brit go to a pop-up museum called We All Scream for Ice Cream. He’s amazed at how open they can be about their relationship around Brit’s parents. He texts Hanna a picture of the museum, and they exchange a few texts, insinuating they miss each other. However, Frank doesn’t share Hanna’s estrangement with Brit.

At the museum, Brit asks to take a selfie with Frank, and although it makes him nervous, he agrees. They unexpectedly run into Joy and Wu, who are killing time before dinner, which makes Frank anxious that his and Joy’s secret will be uncovered. However, the couples part ways, and Frank and Brit continue their date. After leaving the museum, Brit leads Frank to the beach where dinoflagellates (plankton) are creating a glow in the dark water. Frank puts earbuds in Brit’s ears and plays a song he created for her using sounds from the times they spent together. After they kiss, Brit tells Frank that she loves him. At first, he’s uncertain if he can say it back, knowing he is keeping secrets from her, but eventually tells her that he loves her, too.

After their date, Frank and Brit bask in the glow of exchanging their first “I love you.” After Frank drops off Brit, he receives a text from Joy asking for a ride home, insinuating that her date went badly. When he arrives, she is smoking a cigarette and looking forlorn. She takes a selfie of the two of them to send to their mothers, knowing it will buy them time. Frank asks what happened, and Joy says she thinks Wu is going to break up with her. She begins to cry, saying that Wu pointed out that Frank and Brit met each other’s parents, and asked why they couldn’t do the same. As they argued, Joy told Wu that her parents are racist against him because he’s Chinese, and that she’s been hiding her dating life for the past two years. She reassures Frank that she did not tell him about their own arrangement. Frank pulls her in for a side hug and they snuggle. He asks if she loves Wu, and she replies that while they’ve exchanged the words, she’s uncertain if one can truly love someone they’re holding at arm’s length. However, just as Frank is telling her about his night with Brit, his mother calls and tells him that his father has been shot and they are in the hospital.