Sweet/Vicious season 1, episode 6, “Fearless,” marks the return of the second half of the season and some major problems for Jules and Ophelia.

Episode 6 picks up right where the last one left off, which means the whole campus is in lockdown thanks to Ophelia getting caught on camera doing a takedown. The video is spreading like wildfire, and Ophelia’s arm injury means that if the police catch her, they’ll know she was the one behind the attack.

Harris shows up at Ophelia’s apartment at the most inopportune time, but that’s the least of their worries. With Jules out of the room, he names her as his number one suspect for the vigilante. Ophelia does her best to convince him otherwise, feeding into the stereotype that tiny and innocent Jules could never take down the likes of Damon Avery. Harris isn’t totally convinced.

But Harris isn’t the only one the girls should be worried about. Kennedy is looking around Jules’ room for her stereo when she spots the statistics book under the bed. Jules should’ve had it with her since she told Kennedy she was studying with Ophelia, which means Kennedy’s best friend has been lying to her.

Kennedy has definitely noticed something has been going on with Jules for a while, but I can’t decide if she really believed Jules’ lies or if she just wanted to believe her because it was easier that way. Catching Jules in this lie is definite proof that she’s been up to something, but what does Kennedy think that is?

Nate is hanging out at the pizza shop when he notices Jules put up a picture of her and Tyler at the record store and decides to crash their little party. It feels as though Nate actually does have feelings for Jules — he did seem a little jealous of her picture with Tyler — but he would have to be blind not to see how uncomfortable he makes her whenever he’s around. He has either really convinced himself he didn’t rape her or he doesn’t really care how he makes her feel.

Despite Nate being there, Ophelia still has a mission to carry out. She runs through the shop and attacks Harris while Jules is in the same room so he no longer suspects her, and then she implicates one of the campus’ rapists by giving him an injury similar to hers. She climbs back through the window and heads downstairs after her fake shower to see what all the commotion was about. Mission accomplished.

Emotions are high all around following the vigilante sighting, and for Jules, seeing Nate sends her into a tailspin. She wants to have sex with Tyler, but just when the deed is about to be done, she imagines it’s Nate on top of her instead and completely freaks out. Poor Tyler is hurt and confused, but more concerned than anything else. Jules heads straight downstairs to confront Nate.

In an incredibly powerful scene for Eliza Bennett, we see Jules push Nate up against a wall and cover his mouth just like he covered hers that night. She tells him, in no uncertain words, exactly what he did to her and how it has made her feel in the year since. She holds nothing back, and by the time she releases Nate, he has nothing to say and just leaves. Ophelia comforts Jules as Tyler looks on, unaware of what just went down.

Jules decides it is time to tell her best friend what happened to her, but before she does, she breaks up with Tyler. This poor guy is getting pushed and pulled in so many directions. I don’t blame Jules for her reactions to being touched or even her flip-flopping emotions. That’s completely understandable given what she’s been through. But Tyler is a good guy, and he deserves as much honesty as Jules can give him. I hate seeing him worry over her so badly.

Unfortunately, Nate gets to Kennedy first, telling her that he and Jules slept together a year ago. Again, there’s no mention of rape, and I’m still not entirely sure what’s going through Nate’s head. As painful as it was to watch, though, I did love the confrontation between Jules and Kennedy. Jules made sure to tell Kennedy that Nate raped her, and you can see the shock and heartbreak on Kennedy’s face. But you can also see the disbelief.

Jules has lied so much to Kennedy over the last year, but especially in the last couple of months. I’m certain Kennedy wants to believe her best friend, but she also doesn’t want to believe her boyfriend is capable of something that despicable. Pair that with Jules’ odd behavior, and I can’t help but sympathize with Kennedy.

I think K will come around. Sweet/Vicious is about female empowerment, and that includes depicting strong friendships between women. All besties have to go through trying times in order to get stronger, and I think Kennedy will become an ally for Jules. Maybe she’ll even join the team.

Until then, however, Jules decides to stay with Ophelia. I love that Ophelia can be as gentle and reassuring as she can be sarcastic and frank. The friendship between these two girls is elevated in every episode, and it’s been amazing to watch play out on screen.

Meanwhile, throughout this episode, our good friend Barton is still digging into the vigilante case as well, and he takes his evidence to the school to prove something is happening on Darlington campus. It doesn’t take long for them to let him go, though. It looks like they’d rather keep a good reputation than actually protect their students.

But Barton doesn’t stop when he’s let go. Instead, he finds the bathroom with the wall of names on it and immediately calls Harris. It looks like they have a lot more work to do.

What did you think of ‘Sweet/Vicious‘ season 1, episode 6, ‘Fearless’?