Summary
“Happy Sweet Sixteen, Jerk” celebrates a significant milestone — turning 16. The chapter also puts the mother and daughter at war with each other, with both characters needing a push to resolve unspoken issues.
This recap of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia season 1, episode 7, “Happy Sweet Sixteen, Jerk”, contains spoilers.
With mother and daughter at a crossroads, “Happy Sweet Sixteen, Jerk” was always going to be tense — Ginny is growing up, which means Georgia has to deal with a new side to her. With all the secrets, there’s a family war going on.
Ginny narrates that Georgia always “goes big” for birthdays and pretends that nothing is wrong. Despite Ginny still being angry, Georgia sings happy birthday to her daughter — she’s turned 16. Ginny queries now that she’s 16 if she will be treated as an adult and will be shared secrets, like the fact that Georgia’s real name is Mary. Georgia plants the cake in Ginny’s face and says, “Happy Sweet Sixteen, Jerk”.
At school, Ginny’s friends have arranged decorations for her sixteenth. Hunter arrives and does a tap-dancing performance for Ginny to the song “Happy Birthday”. He has a dance troupe with him joining in. Marcus looks on, and he’s frustrated. It’s difficult to feel sorry for Marcus — he played this all wrong.
Moments, love, and a secret party
At Joe’s cafe, Ellen and Georgia have a few drinks. Georgia and Joe briefly talk about the other night where they had a slight moment. Maxine joins and asks Georgia how you know when you are in love. She gives Max her reasons to know. Also, Georgia and Maxine are arranging a secret party for Ginny. At home, Ginny is still mad and asks her mother for a real conversation and storms off.
As Ginny plays the piano in her room, Marcus sneaks in and plays it. He gives her a birthday gift. It’s a painting of her. They hug, and as sexual tensions rise, Ginny tells him that she has a boyfriend. She then brings up Padma and tells Marcus he’s inconsiderate about her feelings. As a double blow, Ginny tells Marcus that she’s planning to have sex with Hunter.
Ginny is going to make Marcus insane by the end of this series.
Surprise birthday
At family breakfast, Paul joins, and Ginny starts listing boyfriends that her mother has had. Suddenly, her friends come over for a birthday surprise. There’s a makeup corner, pedicures, and hairstyling. Ginny is still not happy with her mother and has other plans. She sweetens up her mother and asks for a champagne toast for her birthday. When her mother opens the cabinet, her friends raid it for alcohol.
Nick heads over with Gabriel Cordova (alias name Jesse) to join in with the birthday karaoke. In the kitchen, Georgia and Gabriel small talk; Georgia calls him Gabriel, which freaks him out. She knows he is a private investigator. When she walks off, Gabriel takes a call about Kenny’s medical record — it seems Kenny’s heart attack was suspicious.
And on to the next party
After the surprise birthday, the girls pretend to have a slumber party in Ginny’s bedroom, but they get ready and sneak out to go to another party. Hunter talks to Ginny privately in a bedroom. They end up hooking up, and Ginny tells Hunter that she’s on the pill and gives him consent for everything. Hunter tells her it’s her birthday, so he goes down on her. Meanwhile, Maxine hooks up with Sophie; she keeps overthinking it and wants music and candles as she wants to lose her virginity — Sophie tells Maxine that they can chill; she senses that she isn’t ready. Maxine appreciates that she understands.
Ringing the cops
With the mother and daughter at war with each other, Ginny & Georgia season 1, episode 7 brings them back together in hectic ways.
Georgia goes to Ginny’s bedroom and sees that they have sneaked out to a party at Maxine’s house. She reports a noise violation at Maxine’s. The party continues, and Ginny gets very drunk. She tells everyone that she loves them and gives a speech — she admits she never had friends before and calls them her family. The police then show up, and everyone runs. Paul tells Georgia that Ginny is being put into a police car, but Georgia pours a glass of wine and tells Paul she’s going to bed. She goes into her bedroom and screams into a pillow. The frustration of dealing with Ginny has finally gotten to her.
Georgia’s 16th birthday
While Ginny has had a memorable 16th birthday, Georgia’s was very different.
A flashback shows Georgia with social services; they have evidence that she ran an underground poker club and money laundering. They tell her that Ginny will be placed into foster care for a few months while proving she can provide care for her. An emotional Georgia insists she will do things the right way — even hinting that she’s about to get married.
In the present day, Paul picks up Ginny from the police station. He tells her she’s a good kid and a great sister and that Austin is lucky to have her. Paul also admits he loves her mother. Ginny tells Paul she’s never seen her mother this happy. This was a significant admission from Ginny.
Georgia tells Ginny a big secret
Audiences will be warmed by the fact that Ginny and Georgia finally make up…
Ginny returns home, and Georgia tells her she cannot lie — she’s furious. Ginny calls her a lie-pro. Georgia insists that she keeps secrets to keep her safe but then goes into a rant — that she was abused by her stepdad her whole childhood and was molested most nights while her mother was asleep in the next room, which is why she ran away at 14. She then tells Ginny she has been homeless and been in jail.
The ending
Ginny is impacted emotionally by her rant and throws up — she apologizes for sneaking out and the abuse her mother went through. Georgia tells her she’s okay, but the abuse never really leaves her. She shows Ginny a photo of her and her father when younger. Georgia admits she needs to act like Ginny is growing up, and Ginny admits that she needs to mature. While eating cake, Ginny tells Georgia that Hunter went down on her. But audiences cannot forget that Ginny has already lost her virginity to Marcus, and she’s playing a life where she’s pretending Hunter will be her first.
Georgia leaves the room and tells Ginny that they are broke because Kenny’s ex-wife contested the will. Ginny narrates that Georgia always pushes them to be strong, but she gets it now — she was protecting them. She loves her mother, but she doesn’t want to be her. Ginny wishes her father was here.
Ginny & Georgia season 1, episode 7 celebrates a significant milestone — turning 16. The chapter also puts the mother and daughter at war with each other, with both characters needing a push to resolve unspoken issues.
Additional points
- Ginny got a piano from her father, Zion, on her birthday.
- Paul and Cynthia partake in a Mayorial Debate.
- Georgia rings her lawyer Marty and tells him to do what they did in New Orleans.
- Georgia asks Paul if she’s a terrible mother for being jealous that Ginny is growing up.
- As Austin returns to school, he tries to say sorry to Zach, but he throws up instead.
