Previously on A Girl Named Jo.
Jo!
It's game day, get up!
- Catherine Fitzroy, would you please
accompany me to the Phoenix Fest?
- You shouldn't have.
- Will you go with me?
- You're asking me to the dance?
- One, two, three, go team!
- Hurry along, children.
Millwood turned out their whole town.
We need every booster we can find.
- We're giving ourselves detention.
Madame Bovary?
Another letter.
My mom and Principal Hurley are in love.
Jane was going to kill them, but they got to her first,
and then they killed your mom
and got Allen's dad to take the fall for it.
- And Attaway wins the homecoming game!
Unbelievable!
- Our family, the fire, it's all connected.
- As Phoenix Fest approached,
Attaway was changing.
The leaves turned golden yellow and flaming red
and fell from the trees.
Long, sunny afternoons became long, dark nights,
and iced tea became hot chocolate.
Summer was officially over.
And even though I'd been dethroned
from the planning committee,
I still had my work cut out for Phoenix Fest,
because as much as I wanted to quit,
I needed to make sure I stayed
on that committee for my own reasons.
For our own reasons.
Because our plan to take down
my mother and Frank Hurley depended on it.
Everything was to happen at the dance.
- Girls, listen, everyone, there's been a tragedy.
- And then the day before Phoenix Fest,
something terrible happened.
- Here is a bulletin from CBS News.
In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired
at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas.
The first reports say that President Kennedy
has been seriously wounded by this shooting.
Here is what happened this morning just an hour ago
since that electrifying flash came over the wires
that bullet shots had been heard
to ring out in the Kennedy motorcade.
- We talked about canceling Phoenix Fest,
but Principal Hurley decided against it.
He said the day was about the community coming together.
- From Dallas, Texas, the flash apparently official,
President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time,
two o'clock Eastern--
- To commemorate and heal.
But for our part,
we would not be dissuaded from justice
because of yet another injustice.
- You know what you're supposed to do, right?
- Yes, for the millionth time.
You know what you're supposed to do?
- Absolutely not.
- You wearing a dress is now part of the plan.
You have no excuse.
- Except for pride, integrity, human decency, and shame.
Pure,
utter,
shame.
- I'm only letting you
out of the house for the night, Cathy.
- I'm aware.
- So am I.
- The boys just rang.
They'll be here at six.
- Thanks.
I can't wait to see the look on her face.
You're going, so you might as well accept
that you're going to be wearing a dress.
- Over my dead body.
Actually, not even then.
Remind me to amend my will.
- Fine.
Allen will think you're beautiful
no matter what you're wearing.
Hey!
Wow.
Jo, you look beautiful.
- You look great.
I mean, shucks.
- The word is beautiful, Allen.
Stunning, out of this world.
- Beautiful, stunning, out of this world.
- You look fantastic.
- Thanks.
You look okay too.
- Shall we?
- Wow.
I can't believe this is the same
exact place we played Millwood.
- Reminding us of your big victory, Junior?
- Aw, can it, Jo.
- Where's your dad?
- Couldn't get him to come.
Town event and all.
- Lucky.
Mine are already here.
- Where's Bobby and your dad?
- They're coming after they finish up at the diner.
At least I think.
Hopefully in time.
- In time for what?
- He's here.
- What, Principal Hurley?
Why wouldn't he be?
Hey, teach!
- Shh!
- Is something up?
- Punch!
- Hey!
Where's your Willie Mays ball?
- Yeah, we just wanna play catch with you.
- What's wrong?
You don't wanna play with us?
- Get off me!
- Yeah, what would your mommy say?
How rude.
- Hey.
- Hey, coach.
We were just helping out our friend here.
- Were ya?
- Tripped and fell.
Total accident.
- Yeah, I've heard it all before.
Why don't you two scram?
- Can I hold it?
- No.
Maybe someday, kid.
Now run along, get back to the dance.
- I went to the library and made the Xeroxes,
just like you said.
- A surprise for later.
You wouldn't want to ruin it.
- Keep those safe until Hurley gets onstage, then find me.
The plan doesn't start until then.
- What do we do until the plan does start?
- My God.
- What plan?
- The plan is to dance.
- Dance.
This is actually a good way to spy on Hurley.
- Yeah, we each take a side.
- One of us always has our eyes on him.
- And you look over my shoulder, I'll look over yours.
- Maybe we should move closer
to maximize our advantage, you know?
I don't know, just an idea.
- Nice job, Chambers.
- Must be nice, being our new local hero.
- I don't usually like attention.
But to be honest, it's not so bad.
Now I know how Lawrence got so stuck up.
- I hope you don't regret taking little old me.
- Cathy, how could you say something like that?
- I'm just saying there must be
a gaggle of girls after you now.
- Nah, just you.
Although I didn't see you at the game.
You or Jo.
- How curious.
Are Allen and Jo kissing?
- What?
- Never mind.
No wonder you blew the game, with two left feet.
- It wasn't my fault. - Hush.
Speaking doesn't suit you.
And so long as we win Phoenix Court,
that's all that matters.
Everything rides on it.
Everything.
- Screw this.
- Where are you going?
- This isn't part of the plan.
- Well, that's my cue.
- Okay, don't be nervous.
- Jo Chambers.
In a dress without stains.
- Principal Hurley.
Also known as F.H.
- I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
- Come on.
- Hello, everyone.
- Move.
They're announcing Phoenix Court.
- Not quite yet, Miss Hargrove.
- Hurry up, please.
- I hope that you are all enjoying
our first annual Phoenix Fest.
- Allen, you're clear on the plan, right?
- Yes, Chambers.
Ray's meeting me back here.
- But not until after the Phoenix Court is announced.
- I got it.
I promise.
I want this just as bad as you do.
- When we came up at first with the idea
for this little event,
some questioned whether it was in the best taste.
- Cathy, are you ready to face your mom?
I'll be right behind you.
- No.
But yes.
- Do you have the letters?
- Right here.
- Let's do this.
- Some of you are too young to remember,
but Jane Hovac,
one of the victims of the fire,
was my fiancee.
I don't talk about it often, but she is in my mind
and in my heart every day.
- I need to talk to you.
- Hush.
I'm trying to listen to the principal.
- Yeah, I bet you are.
- Excuse me, miss?
Where did you find these?
- Does he know?
Do you?
Doesn't matter.
Everyone's gonna know soon enough.
- What are you on about, Catherine?
- Mom cheated on you with Principal Hurley,
then she killed his fiancee in the fire.
And I'm going to the police!
- You silly girl.
- She did.
We have proof.
- Go ahead.
Destroy more evidence.
You think we didn't make copies?
Welcome to the 20th century.
- Both of you, come with me right now.
- I'm not going anywhere with you.
- Let's go, now.
Let's go. - Now.
- Where are they going?
- Now?
- No, Ray.
- In the darkest hours,
I sought comfort anywhere and everywhere.
Ultimately, it was Jane's piano, music,
that brought me back from my darkest hour.
So to begin our program,
please help me to welcome the Attaway Acapellas,
who will be singing Pachelbel's Canon in D.
- How can you sit there and do nothing
when she betrayed you with Principal Hurley?
- I didn't have an affair with Frank Hurley.
Your mother did.
- What?
- For once in your life, just stop lying!
- I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, Jo.
I have tried to protect Fran's secret for all these years.
She was my friend.
- What?
- It was when Thomas went away to Korea.
He never told Fran that he was enlisting,
and then he got deployed.
She was angry and lonely,
alone with two small kids at home.
Her and Frank were old friends from school.
And they reconnected at the diner.
Your mother never knew that your father was injured
until he came walking right back through your front door.
And she broke it off with Frank right away.
But it was too late.
Jane already found out about the affair.
- From the letters.
- Yes.
From the letters.
She showed up at work that day to confront Frances.
- She had a pistol.
But the shot missed your mother and hit a gas line.
The whole place
burst into flames.
There was nothing we could do.
I managed to get your mother out all right,
but, well, she was a lot like you.
Stubborn.
- No.
She was guilty.
- There was no stopping her
when she saw Jane Hovac's mother.
She ran back in and then--
- And then what?
What happened in the factory?
- We'll never know.
The two of them never made it out alive.
- Thank you, that was lovely.
Now what you've all been waiting for.
- Ray.
Showtime.
- So as you can see,
there was nothing we could do
except mourn with the rest of the town.
- Even if you're telling the truth,
and even if you didn't kill Frances,
how would Lenny fit into all of this?
- Well, that's--
- A stickier situation.
I had laid off Lenny that morning.
He was,
he was drunk.
- An incorrigible drunk.
- Anyway, there was no way he could be
operating machinery or supervising anyone.
It simply wasn't safe.
So the arrangement was
really a good deal for all parties involved.
- An arrangement?
- Do we really need
to spell this out for you, dear?
Lenny took the fall for the fire,
and we paid him off to keep quiet.
- With a little convincing,
the D.A. reduced the sentence to a year
and Lenny's been a monthly expense ever since.
- Wait.
If it was all Jane's fault,
then why did you cover it up in the first place?
- As I said, Frances was my friend,
and we didn't need a scandal
following our family's good name.
- Not to mention the insurance company
wouldn't have coughed up a cent
if there wasn't gross negligence involved.
- This was for your good, Cathy.
Yours and Ray's.
- This year's Phoenix Court
was a tight race, I'm told.
- No.
Cathy, they're announcing the court!
Allen!
- Your Phoenix Fest
king and queen are
Junior Chambers and Alice Hargrove.
What is everybody reading?
- No, Allan, don't.
We had it wrong.
It's not what it seems.
- Can I please?
- Cathy's mom?
- What a floozy!
- Nothing like her prude daughter.
- No, no.
- Jo.
- Dad, I didn't mean to--
- What have you done?
Your mother wrote this letter.
How could you do this to me?
To us?
- I thought it was gonna make it all go away.
- Hey, dad, dad, I didn't think you were coming tonight.
- They're all liars, son.
You should go back with your mother.
It's a town of liars!
Celebratin' this godforsaken day.
Get off!
No.
I'm tired of hidin'.
You.
- Lenny, now, just--
- You rat scum.
You deserve everything comin' to you.
- Just like that, it was all over.
Or so we thought.