| SHS episode | |
|---|---|
| The Conned Artist, Part 1 (Special) Season 0, Episode 0 | |
| |
| Air date | August 1, 2013 |
| Written by | SHS Team |
| Season 0 guide [v] | |
August 1, 2013 - August 8, 2013
2-part Arc
1. The Conned Artist, Part 1 | |
The Conned Artist, Part 1 is the first of the two part episode The Conned Artist, released on August 1st, 2013 as a special episode of SHS. The episode focuses on Autumn's return to Twin Branches for a shot at an internship with the famous photographer Nikolai Tyrell. The episode was available to download shortly after the announcement of a new game High School Story, in which a special preview of the game is featured.
Synopsis[]
Autumn is back! But what does Wes have in store for her?
Plot[]
The episode begins with Autumn making another vlog discussing life at her new school. Autumn expresses disappointment over how poorly she is treated by some of the girls at school and begins to wonder if leaving Twin Branches was the right decision after all. Zoe interrupts the video with a phone call, telling Autumn that because of connections she's made through becoming Social Chair, she's set up tryouts to be Nikolai Tyrell's next intern, a well respected and acclaimed photographer whom Autumn admires. Excited for the opportunity, Autumn promises she will be there.
Upon arriving to the school the next day, she meets up with Wes in the school parking lot on her way in. Wes tells her that he isn't upset about her standing him up after the disastrous turn of events at the art showcase earlier that year. Autumn, curious as to why Wes is at the event, asks him why he's shown up and finds out that Zoe has been paying him to convince people to show up. Wes walks with her into the school after an effort to calm her nerves about the tryouts where they notice her competition for the first time: Erik, Andrew, and to their surprise - Lindsay.
Wes and Autumn find out that Andrew has moved from writing plays and stories after failing to win the scholarship and is trying out photography. Erik simply forgot that there was no school in session that day. Lindsay, however, is more interested in the fashion and the models that Nikolai Tyrell is connected to - not photography itself, as she hopes this will be a way for her to become a model herself. Nikolai Tyrell introduces himself to the group and explains that their assignment is to go out and take a series of photos by 3 PM and hand them back in. Expensive cameras are given to them to use and they are soon dismissed. Wes exits the scene, much to the disappoint of Autumn, when he explains that he cannot stay and help her. Autumn goes off to take pictures meanwhile Wes exits the gym and begins to plot ways to stop Andrew, Erik, and Lindsay from beating out Autumn. He walks to his locker where he sorts through his things and discovers a stink bomb that has yet to be used. He takes it and spots Lindsay out by her car.
Wes distracts Lindsay with flirtatious advances while he plants the stinkbomb near the shutter in her camera, hoping for it to go off and spray her when she goes to take a picture. Lindsay quickly becomes suspicious and hesitant of Wes and shoos him away, but doesn't realize his plan. Wes walks away grinning and finds his next target: Andrew. Andrew smashes his camera and announces his decision to quit the tryouts after Wes convinces him to get back into writing with flattery and persuasion. Realizing he only has Erik left to get out of the way, he calls Erik who reveals that he sent in multiple photos already of himself taking 'selfies'. Wes realizes that Erik already has no potential of winning against Autumn with photos like those and does not put in an effort to sabotage him.
Autumn later regroups at the gym after a conversation with Wes who reveals his doubts about Lindsay and Andrew participating in the tryouts. The two shared a moment when Autumn asked why he will never let down his walls and "let her in" and Wes showed a touch of vulnerability when he responded with her "not wanting that". In the gym, Erik is denied the internship when Nikolai Tyrell is displeased with his photos. He becomes interested and shows a liking to Autumn's photographs, much to Autumn's pleasure, and is about to reward her with the position when Lindsay bursts into the gym carrying her own set of beautiful pictures. Nikolai, Wes, and Autumn are taken aback with how captivating and incredible the pictures are and Nikolai excuses himself to review both sets, clearly having a hard time choosing between Autumn and Lindsay. Wes is instantly suspicious of Lindsay when he recognizes that the stinkbomb had never been detonated, implying that Lindsay had never taken any of the photos herself.
Bonus Scene[]
It is revealed that the internship tryouts was orchestrated by Wes himself by cashing in favors from people he had helped earlier in the season such as Nate (for getting dirt on Owen), Spencer (by convincing Nate to let Spencer start during the game), Paige (getting her a new, expensive purse) and Zoe. Wes had also passed on tickets of his favorite band to Nick in order to stop him from entering the tryouts.