‘Step Up’ Recap: ‘Cell Therapy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 304 of ‘Step Up’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
​
One particular lesson that we are forced to learn often in this life, is that negative actions have consequences. Which is both funny and frustrating, because we should have learned this in our youth when the lesson first presented itself to us. But we are in fact, flawed creatures. The kind that are ruled by emotions and the moment and that at times, prompts us to just react and do and well… the aftermath of the moment, also prompts us to reflect upon the lesson and do our best to learn it again. If anything, the constant return of this lesson is top of mind today, simply because both Sage and Rigo were faced with it during this week’s episode of Step Up on STARZ.
​
For ‘Cell Therapy’ picked up shortly after the whole mess at the BMT Excellence Awards and well… had Sage taken a moment and not lived within it, he wouldn’t be in jail. Which is where we found him in this particular tale. Which was a humbling experience for certain, since it was the last place, he wanted to be and of course… it put him in a tough spot where control and direction was no longer available to him. Instead, he was nothing more than a number and treated as such by his cellmates. All because of his hotheaded actions and had it not been for a friend named Magic, life in jail would have been far tougher. 

However, the consequences of his actions didn’t result in total devastation and sorrow. Because the beauty of learning this lesson… again… when we are older is that it tends to give us perspective and objectivity so that we do indeed do things differently the next time, so we don’t risk what we have if the consequence is severe enough. Which Sage was able to do here. Because his time with Magic, and Magic’s admission that he wanted to try out at High Water, because he wondered now if his life would have been different if he poured his life into dance or something more… gave Sage pause and helped him to realize… he really did something special through High Water’s creation. He gave people a choice and a chance, and if by chance he could beat these charges… perhaps this would be the last time his temper would put him in such a position. 

Yet while it was indeed fascinating to see Sage learn from his mistakes in a unique manner and hopefully find humbling peace at last, he wasn’t the only one learning this lesson again. Because Rigo, came to understand that there is a price for fame when talking smack is involved. Sure, ticket sales went up, and sure he was the toast of social media and the town. But some wouldn’t let this disrespect stand, and one fine night… after a concert to get the kinks out for the tour… Rigo came face to face with death. Because a pair of Sage supporters pulled a gun on him and had it not been for the security that Collette requested, he might have not lived to see another day. But now… he gets another chance, where he can think about his actions and reflect on what this means for him… oddly alongside the person responsible for his greatest pain.

But Collette’s actions are of course, another matter for another time, and in the here and the now, we can celebrate one smart tale. One that really did hammer home the reality that sometimes we learn the same lessons in life because of our flaws as human beings, but how that can be a positive for certain. The only question that remains is what exactly Rigo gleaned from such a harrowing experience and what kind of impact his understandable fear and lashing out at Marquise will have on their future as friends and music partners and well… the only way to find out for certain, is to tune in next week and see what surprises await the dynamic characters of this brilliant series. Until next time.

---

Powered by JustWatch