Unsaid Emily – Julie and the phantoms

First things first
We start the scene in reverse
All of the lines rehearsed
Disappeared from my mindWhen things got loud
One of us running out
I should have turned around
But I had too much prideNo time for goodbyes
Didn’t get to apologise
Pieces of a clock that lies brokenIf I could take us back
If I could just do that
And write in every empty space
The words I love you in replace
And every time would not erase me
If you could only know
I never let you go
And the words I most regret
Are the ones I never meant to leave
Unsaid EmilySilent days
Mysteries and mistakes
Who’d be the first to break
Guess we’re alike that wayHe said, she said
Conversations in my head
And that’s just where they’re gonna stay foreverIf I could take us back
If I could just do that
And write in every empty space
The words I love you in replace
Then maybe time would not erase me
If you could only know
I never let you go
And the words I most regret
Are the ones I never meant to leave
Unsaid EmilyIf I could take us back
If I could just do that
And write in every empty space
The words I love you in replace
Then maybe time would not erase me
If you could only know
I never let you go
And the words I most regret
Are the ones I never meant to leave
Unsaid Emily

Unsaid Emily is the eighth episode of Julie and the Phantom’s first season and the eighth episode overall. It premiered on Netflix on September 10, 2020. It was written by Leah Keith and directed by Kabir Akhtar.

Alex is sitting in the Orpheum and staring at the empty stage, remembering the hope Sunset Curve felt about the future of their musical careers the night they died. He remember’s Luke’s words from the first episode (“We’re gonna be legends eat up boys cause after tonight, everything changes.”)

Willie teleports next to Alex and hesitantly sits down, unsure if he was welcome. Alex tells him he understands that Willie didn’t have a choice in his actions and Willie responds that he should have known better and skated away. Alex interjects at this and emotionally states he would’ve followed Willie anyway. Alex then reveals to Willie that the phantoms’ unfinished business is to play the Orpheum. Aggrieved, Alex mentions that the night they died, they were a mere two hours away from performing and realizing their dream.

At Los Feliz High School, Julie is taking pictures with some of her peers at their request. Nick compliments Julie on her performance and tells her that her band is “going to go big.” He then apologizes for not staying for the whole set, with the excuse that he had a lot of homework.

Hesitating, Nick asks Julie whether they could be study partners, to which Julie gently refuses, citing the time commitment of the band. Nick then asks if she would like to go on a date with him. Julie is surprised at this and expresses that she is flattered. Nick, already sensing her tone, asks if she likes someone else, to which Julie confirms. He was disappointed at having missed his chance but accepting of her rejection. He awkwardly walks away.

Flynn, who was watching from afar, excitedly approaches Julie to see what the interaction was about, only to find out that Julie rejected him. Julie explains that whatever feelings she has toward Luke isn’t going away and that it would be unfair of her to start dating Nick knowing that. Flynn is proud of her reasoning, though she mentions that Julie likes someone who doesn’t exist. He exists to her, Julie defends, and says that they connect through their music and through the loss of their moms. Julie admits to Flynn that she wishes she could help him. Her friend suggests writing him a song, and Julie, getting an idea, declares her a genius. She goes to leave, but then turns right back to class when Flynn reminds her that she still has school.

At the Molinas’ house, Reggie is sitting with Ray as he looks over photos of interior living rooms. Reggie is complimenting the composition of the photos to an oblivious Ray as Alex teleports to the seat next to his friend. Alex is baffled by their one-sided relationship, but doesn’t say anything.

Carlos then walks in to inform his dad about a ghost update. It is revealed that Carlos and Ray had a previous conversation about Carlos’ concerning ghost-hunting obsession. Carlos had watched YouTube videos last night because he couldn’t sleep after Julie played with “her hologram band.” Ray agrees with the sentiment, remarking that the songs do get stuck in one’s head. Carlos had learned that ghosts have ‘unfinished business’ and that to get rid of them, you have to figure out what that is. He reveals that he found stuff in the garage that belonged to a chef, who Carlos assumes had a dream of making a French dip. This prompts Ray to help Carlos make the chef’s recipe so that the chef’s dream would be realized. Carlos didn’t notice Sunset Curve’s demo CD in the box. While relieved that their identities were still a secret from the two members of the Molina family, Reggie and Alex agree that they’ll miss them when they finally cross over.

After school, Julie walks up the driveway of the Pattersons’ house, nervous. Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, Luke teleports next to her, startling them both. Julie explains that she was curious about him and visited the house while he was there on his birthday. Luke points out her hypocrisy given her insistence on boundaries, and Julie immediately apologizes, citing her worry for him. Julie tells him that she understands what it feels like to want to talk to someone who can’t possibly hear you. At this, Luke shifts, stating that he wouldn’t even know what to say to his mom. Julie helps him realize that he does know, as he wrote a whole song about what he would say.

Deciding to trust her, Luke rings the doorbell for Julie to answer. Mitch Patterson, Luke’s dad, answers the door and Julie tells him that Luke used to play in her family’s garage and that she found one of his songs. Mitch quickly invites her in and Emily, Luke’s mom, enters the room and greets her warmly. Mitch tells his wife about Julie’s supposed connection to Luke and at that moment, Julie presents Luke’s song, which he titled ‘Emily.’ Shocked, Emily and Mitch immediately begin reading the paper containing the lyrics of “Unsaid Emily.”

With Luke singing in the background, the song frames the shouting matches Luke had with his mom. The scene shows them yelling at each other with Christmas decor in the background. Luke is shown leaving his house on his bike, with his mother running across the driveway after him and his father arriving too late to intervene. Luke is then shown back in the music studio, only it isn’t the decorated studio of Julie’s mom but more obviously a garage with a giant Sunset Curve banner hanging in the background. He is frustrated, trying to figure out the words of a first draft of “Unsaid Emily.” In another time, a scene shows Luke, alone, figuring out the melody with an acoustic guitar, distinct from his usual use of his blue electric. Then, Luke hiding in between bushes to check up on his family while he was still alive. Another scene shows Luke working on the song with the rest of Sunset Curve, then a scene in which Emily and Mitch find out about Luke’s death with the arrival of a police car.

Moved to tears, Emily and Mitch thank Julie for showing them his song. Tearing up herself, Julie tells Luke’s parents that she writes music where he did, and that it’s still a happy, magical place. Julie consoles the couple with the reassurance that Luke found his passion and happiness in music, which not many people get to do. Emily and Mitch nod understandingly. Trying to gather himself, Luke teleports away as his parents thank Julie again. As she exits the Pattersons house, Julie realizes that Luke had already left.

She spots him again in the evening outside of her house, on her porch. Julie apologizes for overstepping, but Luke explains that he just needed to leave but also wanted to thank her. He explains that he didn’t have many regrets except for running away from his parents, especially his mom. Julie reassures him that he makes her feel closer to her mom and that she just wanted to do the same. Luke and Julie try to reach for each other, only for their hands to pass right through. Realizing the situation, the pair awkwardly turns side by side. Luke quips on their “interesting little relationship,” provoking Julie to smile.

Remembering she had good news, Julie informs Luke that the video her dad made of their Edge of Great performance is trending on YouTube. At Luke’s blank face, Julie explains that the good news means it’s probable they band will get calls from managers. Luke, instead of being happy about this development, is highly aware that he and the phantoms won’t be in the world for long. He tells Julie that they have “unfinished business” and Julie realizes that involves playing at the Orpheum.

Suddenly, Luke is hit with a jolt that is visibly more painful than the others have been, causing him to stagger and slam his back onto the porch railing. At Julie’s visible worry and concern, Luke hurriedly explains that the jolts are from a curse that was placed on them the night they missed the dance by another ghost, who wants to place the phantoms under his control and play in his house band for eternity. Luke tries to reassure Julie that if they play the Orpheum, the phantoms can escape that fate and cross over for good. Julie realizes the dire situation and that the limited options the boys have all result in them leaving her. She visibly closes off from Luke and storms inside the house, leaving him on the porch.

Later in her bed room, Flynn arrives because of a text Julie sent her. Julie, finishing her doodle, shows her drawing of an explosion, with a bitter quip that everything good about her life just BAM implodes. Flynn assures Julie that she’ll always have her by her side, and then quips that the drawing that would be a cool album cover.

Flynn reaches down to fix the sweater Julie had been wearing all episode to place in Julie’s mom’s trunk. Flynn then finds a bedazzled Sunset Curve t-shirt in the trunk, much to Julie’s shock. After Julie explains that the guys didn’t know who her mom was, Flynn purposes that Julie’s mom, Rose, was a fan of the band. Julie confirms that it is possible, as Sunset Curve was playing the Hollywood club scene around the time her mom was there. Flynn, a hundred percent approving of this theory, supposes that Julie’s mom knew all along that the phantoms would be able to get Julie to play music again. Julie is more than skeptical that her mom is controlling things instead of just straightforwardly sending her a message. Flynn argues that her mom is telling her things through signs, citing the fact that Julie just found out that Rose had a Sunset Curve t-shirt despite going through the trunk many times. Flynn becomes a bit indignant at Julie’s continuing skepticism (“You’re in a ghost band, it’s a crazy world.”) Flynn tries to convince get Julie to see the reality of the situation and the importance of helping the phantoms crossover because it’s the best of a bad situation.

Persuaded and newly determined, Julie walks into the music studio to see the phantoms sprawled out on the furniture, staring gloomily at nothing. Exasperated, Julie snaps them out of it. The phantoms are cynical, remembering what it took for them to play the Orpheum last time and that now, they didn’t have the advantage of performing the Hollywood Strip for months before trying. Julie reminds them that they’re not just random people, they’re Julie and the phantoms.

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