Original Air Date: April 16, 2018
The first years start their preparations for the Advancement Exams, which will take place across Hokkaido. Erina takes the role of teacher to give extensive cram sessions to the rebels.
This episode provides examples of:
- Ambiguous Situation: It's never clarified if Nao, Miyoko, Madoka, and Subaru are considered rebels as well since they are not directly targeted by Central, but they still appear along the rebels in the group shot.
- Brainwashed: By the time of the Advancement Exams, most of the student body has been brainwashed to follow Central's methods to pass the tests and wish ill on the rebels. The common students are depicted with dull, plain eyes and empty smiles.
- Chekhov's Classroom: Erina's very first lecture is about potatoes as the main product of the Hokkaido region. This ends up saving all the rebels in the next episode since the teachers sided with Central reduced their supplies for the test.
- Soma is the first to recall Erina's lecture on salmon suppliers in Hokkaido, along with Alice's knowledge of brine freezing, giving them a chance to get a new salmon.
- Cool Train: The exams take place across many cities in Hokkaido, with the students spending most of the trip in the train. The train even has professional kitchens, massage chairs, a bar and luxury bunk beds.
- First Snow: As soon as they arrive to Hokkaido, Soma and Yuuki are amazed at it. Soma and Yuuki start doing snow angels, Daigo and Shoji have snowball fights and Marui starts doing snow bunnies. Erina quickly cuts it and reminds them that they're about to face a tough test.
- Impossibly Delicious Food: Between Soma, Alice, Ryou, Megumi and Yuuki, the five are able to finish a delicious salmon dish within fifteen minutes, to the point the teacher is forced to let them past.
- La Résistance: Up to this point, Central has identified the Polar Star Residents, Hisako, Alice, Ryou, the Aldini brothers and Ikumi as the rebels, aiming all the sabotages on them. Erina is exempt of the rigged tests because Azami is still convinced that she will return to him if her friends get expelled.
- Rigged Contest: The teachers sided with Central made sure that the rebels could only get the least amount of ingredients or the ones with less quality for their dishes. In this episode, Soma, Ryou, Alice, Megumi and Yuuki get an older salmon. Erina is the only one of the rebels who is exempt from the sabotages as a request from Azami.
- Sadist Teacher: All of the teachers in charge of the exams are clearly on Central's side, to the point they have no problems with sabotaging students just because they're against the Azami administration. Teacher Hiroi even gloats on Soma's team being given a bad salmon.
- Serious Business: Erina is so focused on helping all her friends survive the exams that she even cuts Soma's teasing, instead of reacting flustered like she usually would.
- Stern Teacher: Erina takes the role of the teacher of the rebel group, complete with a Hot Teacher outfit, to the others' confusion. Hisako dresses up as well to serve as Erina's aide. She doesn't even let them have a moment to celebrate or have fun in between tests.
- Take a Third Option: The test does dirty to the rebels by giving them old salmon with a lesser meat quality, leaving them to do a subpar dish with that fish or fail. To deal with the sabotage, Soma, Ryou and, Alice remember one of Erina's lectures and manage to order a flash-frozen salmon from a nearby supplier.
