We open with Ms. Avery teaching the grade 7 students, and Caitlin commenting on how Ms. Avery is the best teacher she's ever had. Avery invites Caitlin up to the front of the class, where Caitlin sits on her lap and they share some distinct Les Yay while Avery praises Caitlin's essay on Native peoples, and tells her the best student she's ever had. The rest of the class starts to whisper about how Ms. Avery is a lesbian, and Caitlin pulls away in dismay, before waking from her Catapult Nightmare. It was All Just a Dream, and this takes us into the credits.
After the credits, Caitlin is planning her birthday sleepover with her best friend Susie, telling her (and the audience) she's inviting her, Annie, Melanie and Kathleen. Rick passes by and Susie teases Caitlin for having a crush on him. Meanwhile on the steps, Kathleen and Melanie are discussing whether or not it's true Ms. Avery is a lesbian. Working on their photography in the darkroom, Caitlin tells Susie that she's been having strange dreams lately. Susie helpfully comments that dreams are meant to reveal your inner desires, and tries to probe further, but Caitlin demures.
After class, Annie and Kathleen share their excitement for the sleepover, with Annie commenting they can talk about boys all night. Kathleen calls her a pervert, and Annie rejoinds that it is perfectly normal to talk about boys - "what else is there to talk about? Ms. Avery calls Caitlin and Susie to the side to ask about their upcoming photography project, then touches Caitlin's shoulder while praising her essay on Native peoples. Caitlin is uncomfortable with how much it reminds her of her dream, and Susie takes a picture. Raditch enters and distracts Ms. Avery. Outside in the corridor Annie, Melanie and Kathleen observe Raditch and Avery talking and Annie says "wouldn't it be romantic if they were having an affair?", to which Kathleen sneeringly tells her "lezzies aren't interested in men." Melanie disputes whether Avery is a lesbian, and asks what's wrong with being a lesbian anyway, leading Kathleen to accuse her of being a lesbian too. Melanie says she isn't, but she isn't prejudiced either.
At the sleepover, the girls are prank-calling their teachers, and Caitlin gets dared to call Avery. She doesn't want to, and Kathleen accuses her of being a Teacher's Pet, which she denies. Caitlin calls, but Ms. Avery doesn't answer, instead another woman does. Kathleen says it's her lover, and claims she saw her holding hands with another woman in the middle of the street. The next morning at school, Ms. Avery gets dropped off by another woman, who she briefly kisses. Kathleen and Annie see this, and take it as confirmation Avery is gay. In class they tell Caitlin about the kiss, who tells them they'll look stupid when it turns out Avery has a boyfriend. Kathleen then asks Avery if she has a boyfriend, to which Avery gives a joking non-answer. In the darkroom, Susie asks about lesbians, Caitlin insists Ms. Avery isn't one, and Susie notices how defensive she is. Caitlin has another dream like the one at the beginning of the episode, but this time, the class says she's gay.
The next day at school, Ms. Avery approaches Caitlin to tell her about an article and book on Native peoples, and Kathleen and Annie observe how close they look. Later they tell Susie that Caitlin is a lesbian too, which Susie refuses to believe, but Kathleen warns Susie not to hang around in a dark room with her. After class, Caitlin tries to get Susie to finish off the darkroom photos with her. Susie is reluctant, but eventually agrees. In the darkroom, Susie is babbling nervously, before asking Caitlin whether she's a lesbian. Caitlin storms off in a huff. At night, Caitlin confides in her teddy bear, asking if she is a lesbian, and will that mean she has no friends and everyone will hate her.
In the next class, Avery touches Caitlin's shoulder while praising her work, to which Caitlin tells her not to. After class, Avery asks Caitlin to stay behind and asks her what's wrong. Caitlin asks Avery about the rumours of her lesbianism, which Avery denies, claiming the woman she's always with is her roommate. Caitlin admits that people have been saying she's a lesbian too, and tells Avery about her dreams, which Avery says are a normal part of growing up and don't mean anything. After school, Avery is being picked up by Raditch, to which she asks Caitlin not to spread any more rumours. Avery asks Caitlin if it would matter if she was a lesbian, if Caitlin would think less of her, to which Caitlin shakes her head.
In the B-plot, Arthur and Yick are giving a presentation on Neighbourhood Watch and crime. Later at Yick's locker, the mess in it causes everything to fall out when he opens it, and Arthur says how their presentation has inspired him to spend his life preventing crime. Yick realises the twenty dollars his dad gave him to buy sneakers is missing, and Arthir concludes it's been stolen. Arthur dusts Yick's locker for fingerprints with powder he got from the back of a comic book, but just then Rick walks buy, offering people liquorice and claiming to have won money in the lottery. Arthur immediately picks him as their prime suspect, as there are rumours about him being caught shoplifting. They follow him around for a bit, until Rick confronts them and scares them off, denying being the thief. Yick suggests maybe Rick didn't take the money, but Arthur insists he's their only suspect - until Yick opens his locker again, revealing it was in there all along. Oops.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes
- But Not Too Gay: Caitlin's dreams are pretty tame. Probably an Enforced Trope: even leaving aside the homophobia of the time period, there's only so explicit one wants to get when portraying a grown woman and a twelve year old girl.
- Catapult Nightmare: How Caitlin wakes up from her homoerotic dreams.
- Characterisation Click Moment: Kathleen takes on her role as the Academic Alpha Bitch and Heteronormative Crusader, sneering at Ms. Avery's and Caitlin's alleged homosexuality.
- Gay Aesop: It's a bit muddled given the episode goes out of its way to show us none of the characters are actually gay, but it still ends with Caitlin insisting it wouldn't make a difference to her if Ms. Avery was.
- Mistaken for Gay: Ms. Avery,
allegedly. - Ship Tease: the episode ends implying there might be something going on between Raditch and Avery. Nothing ever comes of this.
