Summary
“Secret Skater” is a slight improvement to the pilot, adding elements to the characters, so the audience cares.
This recap of Netflix’s Zero Chill season 1, episode 2, “Secret Skater”, contains spoilers.
As per the title, episode 2 sees Kayla desperately trying to find out who the secret skater is — she needs a partner and quick, especially with Jacob ghosting her.
After being caught by Anton Hammarstrom, the famous hockey player and coach drives Kayla home. He delivers her home and explains to her parents how she broke into his rink. However, Kayla does not seem bothered; she wants to know who the secret skater is — number 67.
Kayla has some apologising to do
And she has an opportunity to do so, as she’s not exactly banned from the rink.
The next morning, Kayla tries to sneak out of the house, but her mother tells her she is grounded; Kayla explains that she wants to apologize to Hammarstrom directly, so she’s let off the hook. After she apologizes, Anton gives her a range of cleaning tasks to do as part of her punishment. While she cleans, she tries to figure out who is number 67 by watching hockey practice.
Initiated and getting to know Sky
We learn a little more about Sky in “Secret Skater”.
As part of his initiation into the team, Mac continuously gets pranked by balloons. Mac is irritated by it all, but Sky tells him not to take it seriously. Mac learns that Sky is retaking a year and tells her she has nothing to be ashamed of. She explains that she was ill with leukemia but that it’s gone now. After Mac tries to help with her bags, Sky gets annoyed and walks off.
Kayla runs the drills
Anton Hammarstrom asks Kayla to figure skate with his team to improve them, with his team not performing well. Kayla asks for free slushies for life as part of the deal. Meanwhile, Anton’s daughter Ava looks on, and she seems upset. Anton tells the team that Kayla is leading the drills. Her father, Luke, thinks it’s a bad idea, but Anton disagrees.
The secret skater
As she runs the drills, Ava Hammarstrom joins the ice and skates between the players with a hockey stick. Kayla suspects that Ava is number 67 and confronts her in the changing room. Ava denies all knowledge of secretly skating at night, but Kayla wonders if her father knows she’s into hockey. Afterward, when Kayla rings her former partner Jacob, he brushes her off.
An awkward dinner
Zero Chill season 1, episode 2 then explodes with secrets and heated arguments.
For dinner, Anton and Ava Hammarstrom and Sky go over to the Macbentley household. Ava talks about her figure skating and reveals that Sky skates as well. Sky gets quiet about it, and Kayla suddenly believes she is the secret skater. Mac then reveals he tipped off Kayla to Anton when she sneaked into the rink.
Sky leaves as she’s upset, so Kayla and Mac chase after her. Kayla is furious at Mac and believes he wants this town all to himself.
The ending
Kayla finds Sky and wonders why she kept skating a secret. Sky’s mother tells Sky that she shouldn’t be skating at all because she was sick. It suddenly dawns on Kayla that there’s more to it.
Later on, Mac and Kayla apologize to each other. Mac says that their family never gives up. He tells Kayla that Jacob is ghosting her. Kayla checks out his Facebook and learns Jacob is in England. What’s he doing in England?! This is definitely a series where each episode will leave on a cliffhanger.
Zero Chill season 1, episode 2 is a slight improvement to the pilot, adding elements to the characters, so the audience cares.
Additional points
- Mac apologizes to Sky, but she seems fine with him. She gives Max some whipped cream and asks him to get revenge from the pranks.
- Ava tells her mother that she wants to play hockey; her parents laugh at her.
