Created by Annabel Oakes, ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ is a musical drama series streaming on Paramount+. The prequel to the 1978 film ‘Grease,’ the series takes place in 1954, four to five years before Danny Zuko romances Sandy Olsson in the halls of Rydell High and follows the girls who establish the clique known as the Pink Ladies. Episode 7, titled ‘Cruisin’ for a Bruisin,’ slows down the narrative to focus on Jane’s (Marisa Davila) two love interests: Buddy (Jason Schmidt) and Richie (Johnathan Nieves), as they struggle to tell the girl they are both interested in what is on their minds. Here is everything you might want to know about the ending of ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’ episode 7. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 7 Recap
The episode begins as Richie, looking severely beaten up, arrives at the diner to ask Buddy about Jane. The narrative then shifts a day before the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ performance by the students of Rydell High. The episode briefly depicts Gil and his home life. It turns out that Gil’s father abandoned the family when Gil was very young, forcing him to assume the role of the patriarch in the family.
Since his relationship with Jane has ended, Richie has been feeling restless. He decides completely out of the blue that he and his friends should ditch school and visit Volcano Island, a casino in the middle of the desert. Others are reluctant, as they have jobs and other things, but they are ultimately convinced.
The narrative briefly shifts to Buddy and once more depicts him in his apparent moment of victory, looking confused and stunned. It seems that Buddy never really wanted to run in the election, and now that he has won, the response he receives is a mixture of resignation and frustration, with many complaining that nothing will change at the school once more.
After arriving outside Volcano Island, the T-Birds immediately go in for the time of their lives. But they soon discover that their car has been towed away. Panicking, the T-Birds chase down the car, only to be told they have to pay a certain amount of money to get it out of the compound, and they don’t have any money. One of them has a couple of dollars on them, prompting the T-Birds to decide to use them in the casino. However, they soon realize that it’s easier said than done. Inexperienced with the type of people who frequent casinos, the boys are swindled out of their money. Richie has been emotionally volatile since his relationship with Jane ended. In this episode, he tries to start a fight, first with strangers and then with fellow T-Birds.
Meanwhile, Buddy faces a massive dilemma involving whether to tell Jane the truth about the election. He learns from his father how the older man ensured the count would be in his favor. However, despite getting many chances to tell Jane the truth, Buddy ultimately doesn’t, at least not in this episode.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies Episode 7 Ending: Who Will Jane Choose between Buddy and Richie?
The love triangle between Jane, Buddy, and Richie serves as an important component of the plot in ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies.’ Interestingly, the series consciously avoids certain outdated plot devices but nonetheless mentions them. Given that this is a period show, this approach adds complexity to the narrative. For instance, the episode begins with the implication that Buddy and Richie had a physical altercation, but it is later revealed to be not the case. In fact, they are cordial to each other after they end up outside Jane’s house at the same time. Richie tells Jane how he feels about her, and Buddy reveals that he has gotten the DJ she wanted for the school dance.
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It seems that Richie and Jane just might be the end game in ‘Grease: The Rise of the Pink Ladies.’ Their relationship starts with the show and evolves as the story progresses. Moreover, it doesn’t have the baggage that the one between Jane and Buddy does. Once Jane finds out that Buddy’s father won the election for him, and Buddy found out about it but didn’t tell her, it will effectively be the end of whatever they have. And anyway, it seems the series writers have different plans for Buddy.
Why Doesn’t Buddy Tell Jane the Truth about the Election?
As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Buddy is not the most courageous character in the series. At the start of the show, he inadvertently spreads misinformation about the level of intimacy between him and Jane, which leaves her reputation in ruins as rumors spread about her supposed promiscuity. In this episode, Buddy fails to muster enough courage to tell Jane the truth about what his father has done.
This most likely stems from his fear of losing Jane again. He likely thinks he has finally managed to gain a modicum of forgiveness for his earlier actions. If he reveals the truth about the election, it will end his chances with Jane for good. Ironically, he doesn’t realize that it will end either way when Jane finds out he actively hid the truth.
Buddy seems to be more invested in what he thinks is there between him and Jane than her. That has created a terrible imbalance, and there is honestly no way to rectify that. Even if they get back together, that difference between them will continue to exist, and Jane will treat the relationship as a temporary entanglement in her life.
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