The five remaining ladettes at Eggleston Hall learn that this week they must cook haute cuisine for 20 society guests. When Skye is promoted to school prefect, the other girls, furious that this honour has been given to the bad girl of the group, decide to make Skye's life hell. Surprisingly Sarah seems to be one of the worst offenders, completely refusing to obey any of Skye's requests and despite Skye crying and complaining to the teachers, she is reminded that as prefect it is solely her responsibility to maintain order. Responsibility doesn't come easily to Skye, who really just wants to be one of the girls and to be liked.
A wine-tasting expert is brought in to show the girls the proper way to taste, to sniff and sip, rather than to guzzle in their usual fashion. When he and the teachers leave the room (again inexplicably leaving the girls within easy reach of large quantities of alcohol) their usual habits return. Not only that but they also steal several bottles of wine for a secret binge in their rooms - right under Skye's nose. She complains to Mrs Harbord that there was nothing she could do to stop the others, but the principal isn't convinced.
The girls are punished the next morning by having to iron all the linen and polish the silver prior to getting ready to prepare the dinner, leading to delays. The guests are perplexed and more than a little hungry when dinner is served an hour and a half late. The meal includes engastrated fowl - a bird within a bird within a bird within a bird (and possibly within another bird but I lost count) Rosemary Shrager tells the girls this isn't a dish for an amateur cook but a real challenge - and one that they pull off admirably. In fact, apart from the delays, the dinner is declared a success.
Zoe, whose drinking problems have been well-documented every week throughout the series, manages to obey the teacher's request that she is to stop drinking and is seen drinking Diet Coke at the end of the dinner. She is suitably pleased with herself and feels she is turning a corner.
The following morning the girls have to face the teachers before learning who will be expelled. Nicole is ashamed of her vicious behaviour towards Skye and says, "I don't like that side of me either." Kristyn, who has a string of criminal convictions behind her, is told she was excellent in the kitchen but again is berated for victimising Skye and says she feels disgusted with herself. Zoe acknowledges her drink problem yet again and is told she will have a new start in life. Sarah is told she is inconsistent in her behaviour but is warmly praised for her cooking skills. Finally Skye is told she is behaving like a little girl, "All you want is to be liked." The teachers remain unconvinced that her dramatic outbursts aren't just acting.
At the conclusion Zoe is told that whilst the teachers are enormously impressed with the efforts she is making not to drink, she will be completing her journey with her family and friends in Australia. A distraught and genuinely upset Zoe cries on the teachers' shoulders and her departure leaves all the other girls in tears as well. Who will be the next ladette to be expelled? Discuss the show in our Ladette to Lady forum