Hellcats: In your face with a bunch of history
"Sorry -- we wouldn't let them take a picture of us with our old hair."
It’s getting down and dirty with the Hellcats and before we can clear the air and set things straight, we have to take a trip to the past to see how they were all assembled.
Marti
Marti shoves the disc that could send Jake to jail and end Lancer football (and cheer) as we know it, under the cash register in her mom’s bar. It’s become clear that she must choose between her collegiate life and Lancer’s football program and justice for Travis. But rather than make it easy, Alice wants to stick it in her face and show her just how many lives will be changed by her decision.
And, rather than be careful and take care of herself, Marti goes for a run in the dead of night and even stops to call her long-lost BFF Dan (who is not at all interested in talking) and is then promptly abducted by hooded strangers.
Luckily, it turns out that Marti was never officially initiated into the Hellcats so she’s not really in immediate danger. The cheer team kidnaps her while she runs as a way to make it up to her and then they offer up some back story in order to show her just how important the Lancers Hellcats are. Ah-hem, please don’t drop the spirit stick. Then they make fun of the gal who founded the Hellcats in 1985 and promptly flash back to reveal how each of them became a Hellcat.
Read on to learn the history of the Hellcats!
Alice
Alice was Vanessa’s first recruit. Her father had just blown off "Parent’s Weekend"and she didn’t take it well. She overdosed. Vanessa came to the hospital to have a little chat with the disgruntled girl and while she hates to admit it, the Hellcats saved her from a life of misery…and economics.
Lewis
Lewis was a strong part of the Lancer football team and clearly getting hit dirty…and often. It’s obvious (at least according to Jake) that it’s because he’s not taking the pay-for-play cash that has been offered to him. He needs to be more like Jake and not rock the boat. Jake encourages Lewis to take the envelopes and don’t let his team down. Instead, he listens to his girlfriend, Alice, drops out of football and auditions for the cheer squad.
Savannah
Savannah was still going to Memphis Christian and wanting to take control of her life and change her image. She goes blond and not only kicks ass in the audition at Lancer cheer, but helps coach Lewis so that he can be an awesome base dude. When she’s ID’d she reveals that leaving her school behind means leaving everything. If they help her save her life she’ll help them win. So be it!
Vanessa
Rather than do something productive after graduating from college, Vanessa offers some type of cheerleading/stripping thing for retirement and bar mitzvahs and when she cheers for a dude at a company owned by a former Lancer Hellcat, it’s a humiliating wake up call. If the right time comes and you’re in the right place, then it helps if you are doing the right thing. She’s reminded to follow her bliss. So she applies for the job as coach of the Hellcats.
Meanwhile, back in the now…
When Jake can’t find the incriminating DVD in Marti’s dorm, he asks Marsh for some help. As it turns out, they have some connections within the jail system and they make a call. Travis is beaten severely by two thugs who tell him that he needs new lawyers.
Across town, the Hellkitten’s final step of initiation is the “suicide drop,” where the cheerleader has to jump off a ledge into the dark unknown, having to completely and totally trust in her teammates and bases to be there for her when she falls. Marti falls backwards and is caught by her teammates. It’s a beautiful moment.
But just when Marti’s feeling really confused she gets a call from Travis in the ER. He wants her off the case. He’s beaten up badly and he doesn’t want her getting hurt. She tells Savannah the whole ugly truth and they bring the vote to the Hellcats. In a touching showing of team spirit the entire squad votes to stand by Marti—and even though Alice is the last one in she’s bound and determined to bring the dirty football team down.