Shifting Gears Season 1 Episode 9 Recap: Gummies

Trust and drug safety take center stage in the Parker household this week on Shifting Gears Season 1 Episode 9, “Gummies.”

As he settles into high school life, Carter is excited to finally have friends to invite over for video games. Matt is hesitant at first, claiming he doesn’t want random teens bringing weapons, drugs, or infections into his house.

However, when he sees how much this means to Carter, he agrees to let them in. Once the three boys enter the door, Matt tries to check their bags for anything questionable, but Riley quickly intervenes, telling the boys to go straight upstairs.

While this spares Carter some embarrassment, it backfires when Riley finds weed gummies that have fallen out of one of the boys’ coats. Concerned for Carter’s safety, she immediately accuses his new friends of trying to peer-pressure him into becoming a stoner and ruining his life.

But after she finishes her rant, Carter sheepishly admits that the gummies are his—he saw them fall out of Riley’s coat and was planning to return them to her after trying one himself. Shocked and concerned, Riley grounds Carter, and his friends quickly leave, deciding he’s “lame.”

Meanwhile, at the shop, Eve (the dance studio owner) tries her luck with Matt’s generosity, asking him to donate a free tire or oil change for an upcoming auction to raise money for a local park restoration. As expected, Matt refuses.

But Stitch, charmed by Eve’s flattery, secretly agrees to donate a ride in a 1966 Shelby Mustang. He reasons that he’s taking it for a test drive anyway, so sneaking a passenger in won’t be a big deal as long as Matt never finds out.

Unfortunately, things go south fast when Eve mistakenly auctions off a ride in Jay Leno’s custom car instead of the Mustang. Realizing he’s in trouble, Stitch confesses to Matt but waits until after work.

The timing turns out to be perfect because Riley shows up at the shop, seeking advice from Stitch and Gabriel about handling Carter and the weed gummies. Matt overhears and jumps in, suggesting that Riley let Carter try a gummy, but only if she supervises, ensuring he finds the experience boring.

Surprisingly, Riley takes her father’s advice. She agrees to let Carter have a gummy, but only after sitting through a painfully long and dull presentation about marijuana.

Luckily for Carter, the lecture is cut short when Matt stumbles into the room, laughing and joking with no one in particular. It doesn’t take long for Riley and Carter to realize—Matt ate a weed gummy. Laughing, Matt explains that he wanted Carter’s first experience with weed to be with family.

Seeing how drastically it alters Matt’s personality, Carter confidently decides he doesn’t want to try weed after all.

The effects of the gummies become even more apparent when Stitch and Gabriel arrive at the shop to confess about the auction mix-up, only for Matt to cheerfully tell them he’s proud of them for what they did. Not wanting to push their luck, Stitch and Gabriel take the win and leave before Matt comes to his senses.

With everyone gone, Riley and Matt finally share an open and honest conversation, something made possible by Matt’s complete lack of a filter on weed. And, as shocking as it may seem, the gummies bring the Parker family closer together.

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Shifting Gears airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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