Push Girls Episode 12 Review: Moving On

In episode 12, Mia and Tiphany go accessible apartment hunting so little miss Mia can get out of her grungy apartment and into a sexy “grown up” apartment she can be proud of. Not easy in LA, but is it anywhere really?

Watch the girls visit the Rose Bowl farmer’s market to find Mia some stylish new things for her place. Also, Chelsie’s back story with her dad gets spotlighted, with her beginning to feel some reluctance in doing her “don’t do what I did” speeches at high schools.

SPOILERS AHEAD ***

This episode begins with Mia in her apartment feeding her parakeet Chirpy.  We get the back story on Mia’s apartment. It’s “grungy;” has stained carpets from living there for five years and she can’t shut the bathroom door when she goes to the bathroom. “It doesn’t feel very inviting.  I don’t even like to be there,” she says.

Tiphany arrives to see Mia’s apartment for the first time.  You get to tour Mia’s apartment as Tiph rolls through, and if you ask me it’s really not that bad (except for the Persian rug over the carpet of course).

Mia tells the camera she’s not had people over because her place, “it’s not something I want to share with people.”

And then she talks about how hard it is to find an accessible apartment in the first place when she first moved to LA. “I just didn’t want to think about all the work that it will take to move.” “It’s a pain in the ass,” she explains to Tiphany. “She lives in a college dorm,” says Tiphany. “She definitely need an upgrade.”

So the girls get to work making an “Exciting Will Have List” for her new apartment.  Mia wants hardwood, a fresh air doorway, safe parking, and a place with no elevator.  “And cute neighbors who throw parties too,” adds Tiphany.

Next, were brought to Chelsie’s apartment, where she’s in her standing frame hanging out with her mom (at the place they share in LA).  We get some more drippy back story about her accident and how freaked out it made her mom when it happened, but she’s just relieved she’s still here.  Chelsie says she can’t stop thinking about her injury some days. Why does this show keep showing Chelsie whining so much? Not good!

Chelsie explains to the camera that after injury she wanted to explain to her fellow high school students about her injury, so she started the Walk and Roll Foundation, her public speaking foundation.  Chelsie has two speeches coming up, but tells her mom she’s not really feeling it. “Being back in the high schools bring back bad memories.”

In the next scene, all the girl’s head down to the Rose Bowl Flea Market with Angela in tow in her power chair.  The girls check out some cool furniture, with Mia transferring onto different chairs to check the comfort a la goldilocks.  Tiphany looks particularly cute as she shows Mia a very cool call dresser a pop-up mirror.  After picking out some stuff, the girls use their gumption to bring the furniture back to their vehicle.

Next up, Chelsie arrives at a high school with her dad, who she describes as her “manager” and makes sure everything is set up before she gives her speeches. Her dad first goes out and gives his speech to the crowd, which basically gives the kids his perspective as the parent. Chelsie, backstage, tells the camera she hates this part because it always makes her feel bad.  “I lost my focus for a couple months,” he tells the crowd.

And then Chelsie goes out and gives her speech. She’s not preachy, she tries to relate (“’cause I’m still a teenager, I’m not gonna tell you guys what to do”) and tells the crowd to always have a designated driver when leaving a party. “I try to put on a happy face and make everybody happy,” she says when she gives her speeches, even though giving them makes her sad.

Next, Chelsie and her dad get frozen yogurt, and Chelsie tells the camera that she wasn’t close to her dad until her injury happened. “Watching her has changed something inside me,” her dad says.  Chelsie is worried she can’t live up to her dad’s expectations of her giving speeches. “I feel like I can’t do all the things that he wants to do right now.” “I want to be a teenager still” she says.

In the next scene, Mia and Tiphany hop in Mia’s convertible to check out some properties. “It’s good to have Tiph with me because there are things that I don’t think of when it comes to accessibility,” Mia says.  They first arrive at a townhome that had stairs outside, don’t even get out, and head to the next place.  Mia says about calling places to see if they’re accessible, “Never ask if they are wheelchair accessible, because most people have no idea what that means.” “Instead, just ask if they have stairs.” Very good advice.

They next arrive at a cute apartment building, but it has a step to get inside. The girls bump themselves up by grabbing onto a mailbox post (ug wish I could do that).  It ends up being a really to place, but Mia nixes it because it’s on the seventh floor. “There are too many earthquakes in LA.”  “I don’t want to have to be reliant on an elevator.”

They next arrive at a really cute first floor place that has the fresh air entryway that she wanted (and a hot real estate agent to boot).  After touring the place, she’s in love.  She can fit in the bathroom and the washer and dryer is accessible. “This is definitely the one,” says Mia. “I’m a little anxious, but it’s definitely time to grow up.” And she goes to sign the lease papers.

Next, Chelsie meets with a reporter from 17 Magazine to talk about an upcoming speaking engagement for SADD.  You can tell Chelsie is very excited to get featured in the magazine. “I never thought I’d be in a magazine before,” she gushes to the reporter.  The reporter is doing a story on Chelsie’s drunk driving prevention speeches. “I feel like my message is reaching a lot of people,” she tells the reporter, and talks a little bit about her dating life after her injury, and how it’s not very different. “You’re just sitting on something now,” she says.

Next up, Mia is packing up ’cause it’s moving day.  Tiphany is flexing her guns like she does so well.  They try to roll up a Persian rug together. I was worried they may try to do all the moving themselves because of Mia’s stubbornness, but movers arrive and do all the heavy lifting. Thank god….

By the end of the day, Mia is all moved in and all the girls come to check-out her new place. “I’m finally in a place I’m not ashamed of any more,” she says.  I think if I were friends with Angela, who has an amazing home, I’d be a little bit paranoid of my place as well.  Angela arrives and seems impressed (whew!). “OMG!” she says. “This place is gonna be great for her,” she says, and the girls have drinks and toast (with Angela doing the quad coffee cup method).

The episode ends with Chelsie’s big speech for SADD.  She talks about how guilty she feels, and how much her life has changed. “Try to put on heels now,” she jokes, and gets a laugh from the crowd.  Her dad tells the camera that he believes their speeches are helping save other people’s lives, and even says he received a letter from someone who had remembered hearing Chelsie’s speech, declined to get in a car, and ended up preventing themselves from getting in a car crash that had fatalities.

Wow. Intense stuff.  Personally, I can ever do what Chelsie does and talk to high school students about my mistakes. Too, too hard.

What did you think of the episode? Have you given speeches to teenagers?  What was it like?