Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Cavendish's unreliable lift traps Otis and O together as mock exams approach. Outside, Isaac and Aimee turn the ongoing access problem into a protest, and Aisha explains that she was left unaware of the fire alarm. Other students join the demand for better facilities. Inside the lift, Otis and O move beyond election attacks long enough to discuss the fears behind their behavior. O describes her need to fit in and admits regret about Ruby, while Otis begins recognizing his fear of heartbreak. The lift is repaired, the exams are postponed, and O offers to help him understand his anxiety.
Maeve spends the afternoon with Jean, whose encouragement makes her reconsider abandoning the writing course. She tells Otis that she wants to return to America and may not come back to Moordale. They admit that continuing their relationship would hold them in different places, share a final night and say goodbye in the morning. Maeve also apologizes to Aimee and Isaac, explaining that she feared losing the family she has found in them. Together, they scatter Erin's ashes at the caravan park. Adam confronts Michael about making him feel like a failure, prompting his father to pursue cooking for the fundraiser. Jackson discovers a letter suggesting the identity of his biological father, then finds Viv frightened by Beau's controlling behavior and stays to comfort her.