Hannah remembers her father’s warning about speaking her mind and, despite Esteban’s assurance, blames herself. She decides to toe the line and work harder to fit in. Her efforts are noticed by Lara, who once again tries to convince the others to welcome her into the family. Rhonda agrees, but Cato and Rory just go along with it, hoping Hannah will embarrass herself. Lara finds Hannah and invites her to a gathering in Professor Westergaard’s classroom. Hannah is suspicious but accepts, determined to prove herself.
When they arrive, Lara introduces Hannah to their other cousins and excitedly welcomes her to the family. She stops talking as she notices Hannah’s necklace and asks her where she got it; it used to be hers but she lost it. The others don’t believe Hannah when she says her father gave it to her, but before they can accuse her of stealing. Lara tells her to keep it. It’s only fair that she have it since she’s part of the family now. Before it can go any further, Professor Westergaard arrives. He picks up a book, and the bookshelf swings open, revealing a private library. In the middle of the room is a table laden with tea and various pastries.
Rory pulls out a chair for Hannah, but she’s onto him and offers her seat to Cato. Rory pulls the chair out from under him, and they fight, bumping the table and causing tea to spill all over Rhonda. Lara and Hannah giggle as Rhonda complains about her ruined dress, and Professor Westergaard scolds the boys for roughhousing. Rhonda tries to trick Hannah into putting salt in her tea instead of sugar, but she says she doesn’t take sugar with her tea. Cato watches as Hannah bests all their attempts to humiliate her, secretly impressed. Professor Westergaard compliments Hannah on her interview and says it’s a shame Fairy Godmother pulled it. The others are stunned but are forced to agree when he asks them if they found Hannah’s story enlightening. They watch in disbelief as he strikes up a conversation with Hannah and tells her funny stories about when he and Hans were kids.
After the party, the Westergaards start to accept Hannah as one of their own. She becomes popular, and her relationship with Andy starts to take off. In order to maintain her status, she adopts a snobbish attitude and keeps quiet when her cousins bully others. She’s afraid to be seen with her old friends and blows off Tara, Rafe, and Esteban to hang out with Andy or her cousins. Tara and Rafe are understanding and happy to see Hannah spending time with her family, but Esteban sees a change in her.
Time passes, but the villain kids aren’t any closer to hacking the barrier. Every time they try to trick Carlos, he gets distracted! While they’re gathered in the courtyard one day, Frankie vents his frustration through an angsty song. Tara overhears and says he should enter the school talent show, and Esteban agrees, realizing this is his chance to spread his message. He offers to write some angry lyrics, but Frankie says he doesn’t do collaborations. Miranda elbows him as she notices Carlos approaching with Mal, Evie, and Jay. They exchange a look and Frankie catches on; this is the perfect cover. He takes Esteban up on his offer, saying he’ll make an exception this once.
Mal asks what’s going on, and Tara tells her Frankie and Esteban are writing a song for the talent show. She likes the idea and offers to help. While the others are planning, Miranda sees her chance. She flirts with Carlos and tries to sweet-talk him into hacking the barrier by saying it’s a shame they can’t share their message with all of Auradon and beyond. If only there was some way to air Frankie’s performance on the Auradon News Network… Carlos, realizing what she’s asking, declines, and Miranda pretends to cry. She says she’d hoped her poor mother would see it and be inspired to goodness like she was, and he finally gives in.
Esteban sees Hannah with her cousins and runs up to her; the others give him nasty looks. Hannah is mortified but excuses herself to follow him. When she asks what he wants, he tells her they’re finally going to have their voices heard by all of Auradon just like he promised and asks her to help him write the lyrics to Frankie’s song, but Hannah isn’t as excited as he’d hoped. She says she doesn’t care about sending a message anymore; she just wants to belong. He persists, but she says she has to go before she’s seen hanging out with “undesirables”. Hannah tries to apologize, but it’s too late. Tara gasps and Rafe gives her a sad look. Esteban’s expression changes, and he says she got what she wanted; she’s just like everybody else.
Hannah’s realizes she can’t have her friends and her standing and leaves to find a quiet place to think. She bumps into Professor Westergaard, who senses she’s upset and invites her to his library. She tells him what happened, and he says that was the same choice her father once faced and he hopes she won’t follow his path. Hannah suddenly notices a torn map on the wall behind Professor Westergaard and asks what happened to the other half. He explains that the Isle of the Lost used to be part of the Southern Isles but the land was given to Auradon in reparation for Hans’s actions. Their father was so ashamed that he ripped up the map and hid the other half where nobody would ever find it. Hannah is shocked and leaves the library, more conflicted than ever. She thought Hans was exaggerating when he told her how horribly his family treated him, but that story just confirmed it. She starts to wonder if the Westergaards will turn on her too.
Meanwhile on the Isle of the Lost, Morgana unfurls the other half of the map on a table while the others gather around. Hans translates the words and points to Maleficent’s castle on the map. He says the castle used to be a summer home for his family when the land still belonged to the Westergaards, and if the rumors about a secret passage are true, the entrance will be there and would come out somewhere on the Southern Isles. All they have to do is wait for a sign from Auradon, get into Maleficent’s castle and sneak into the passage while the barrier is lowered. Forte points out that Hans never told them exactly where the passage is, and Hans says he doesn’t know. Forte scoffs and demands to know how Hans can not know where it is; it’s his castle! The words touch a nerve with Hans, and they argue until Edgar suggests going to the castle to look around. Morgana likes the idea and congratulates Edgar on saying something useful, but she worries others will want in on their plan if they see them poking around.
Hans knows a shortcut and leads them to Maleficent’s castle. They sneak in the back door to find the place in shambles. Morgana orders them to split up; she and Edgar take the upstairs rooms while Hans and Forte search downstairs. They knock on the walls looking for hollow spots, pull books from shelves, rearrange furniture, tug on curtain pulls, and examine anything else that looks like it could open a secret door. After coming up empty-handed, they regroup in Maleficent’s living room (what used to be the Westergaards’ throne room) and immediately start arguing and blaming each other. Forte makes a snide comment that reminds Hans a little too much of the way his family treated him, and he storms out, shoving Edgar aside. Edgar trips and falls into a chair that looks out of place. He grips the arms, and the chair slides back, revealing a staircase. It’s the passage they’ve been looking for!
On the night of the talent show, Tara, Esteban, Rafe, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Miranda, and Eddie gather backstage to wish Frankie luck before he goes on. Tara gives him a pep talk, and Esteban reminds him that everyone will be watching. Frankie swaggers onstage to roaring applause and squeals from several girls. He plays to the crowd, bowing and blowing kisses, to stall while Carlos hacks the Auradon News Network from his laptop backstage. Miranda appears in the wings and gives him a thumbs up, and he picks up his keytar. A montage shows everybody crowding around Carlos backstage, Frankie’s face appearing on various televisions, people at the Auradon News Network looking confused, an official telling King Ben that the barrier is down, Ben on his phone ordering the news crew to shut down the broadcast and get the barrier back up, and Carlos panicking over getting bounced out.
Back on the Isle of the Lost, Frankie appears on TV, and Morgana realizes this is their chance. Forte watches the performance, impressed by Frankie’s ability to write such an angry song – a song Hans notices sounds a lot like Hannah’s anti-Auradon speeches. He’s disappointed in Hannah for speaking her mind when he warned her not to and for not taking the spotlight herself but joins Forte at the TV to see how bad the backlash is going to be. To his surprise, the song is well-received. Morgana tells them they’ll have time to be proud parents later; now they have a job to do.
They sneak into Maleficent’s castle unnoticed, and Morgana opens the passage. Hans warns everyone to follow his lead once they get to the Southern Isles, adding that he’s not in the mood for a family reunion. They try to enter the passage but are thrown backwards against the wall; the barrier is back up. Hans and Forte argue again, and Edgar cowers as Morgana destroys the room in a fit of rage.
Miranda is just as angry as her mother but manages to keep her emotions in line so the others won’t learn the real reason she wanted the barrier down. Frankie’s song ends complete with pyrotechnics courtesy of Evie, and everyone applauds, including Hannah who has been sitting with the Westergaards. The song makes her realize that she’s become the kind of person she’s always hated, and she goes backstage to apologize to her friends and congratulate Frankie but she doesn’t get the chance.
Ben, Fife, and Fairy Godmother barge in and demand an explanation upon seeing everyone crowded around Carlos’s laptop. Carlos tells them how Miranda persuaded him to hack the barrier, but Miranda, seeing the chance to take Hannah down a peg, insists it was all Hannah’s idea. She thought her message could reform the other villains. Hannah tires to deny it, but Fairy Godmother doesn’t believe her and says she’s disappointed; she thought Hannah was finally starting to fit in. Fife, however, doesn’t believe Miranda and suggests giving Hannah the benefit of the doubt, adding that even if it was her idea, at least she was well-intentioned. Ben considers both sides before agreeing with Fife, and a compromise is reached. Hannah must give a speech about goodness on family day as punishment.
After the talent show, the entire school turns on Hannah. Tara, Rafe, and Esteban are still angry at her for ditching them. The Westergaards blame her for bringing more shame to the family; even Professor Westergaard distances himself from her. She tries to go back to Miranda, Frankie, and Eddie, but Miranda rejects her, reminding her that she warned her this would happen. The only people who don’t shun Hannah are Fife, Ben, and Mal. Fife tries to encourage Hannah by protecting her from bullies and giving her high marks in his class. He reminds her that he used to be a villain and assures her that she, too, can find a way to redeem herself. Ben and Mal show her extra attention by waving to her in the halls and inviting her to sit with them in class and at mealtimes, but Hannah assumes their sudden niceness is just a new way Mal’s found to bully her. She finally lashes out at Mal, telling her that she doesn’t want her pity and to stop pretending to be nice to her. Hannah storms off and is comforted by Andy. He says she looks like she needs a night out and asks her on a date, promising her a night she’ll never forget.
That night, Andy takes Hannah to Tony’s Restaurant. Tony senses that Hannah’s had a rough day and pulls out all the stops to make her feel welcome. He gives Andy and Hannah his best table and serves them a fancy spaghetti dinner. Then he and Joe serenade the couple as they’re eating to set the mood. Andy suggests going somewhere more private and leads Hannah to the back room of the restaurant. He leans in, and just when it looks like he’s going to kiss her… he draws back. “Oh, Hannah, if only there were someone out there who loved you,” he says just before shoving her into the broom closet.
Hannah immediately realizes that Andy’s feelings for her were just an act; he was using her for payback. She asks how he could do such a thing, and Andy replies with a tirade about how she’s just like her father. She’s been trying to take over Auradon with her ideas of equality and second chances just like he tried to take over Arendelle. He sneers and tells her to tell her father the royal family of Arendelle sends their regards before locking her inside.
Hannah screams and bangs on the door, but nobody hears. She eventually gives up, resigned to her situation. All alone with her thoughts, she comes to a sad realization. No matter how hard she tries, she’ll never win the admiration she strives for, in Auradon or the Isle of the Lost, because everywhere she goes, she’s judged for her father’s mistakes. She wants nothing more to do with Auradon but she doesn’t want to go back to the Isle of the Lost either, so she decides to strike out on her own when she gets out of there.
The next morning, Mal notices Hannah isn’t at breakfast and asks her friends if they’ve seen her. Tara and Rafe seem concerned, but Esteban tells her to ask her family. When she asks the Westergaards, they tell her they don’t associate with villains and she should ask her own kind. Mal is fed up with the runaround but nonetheless goes to find Miranda, Frankie, and Eddie. It’s finally Miranda who remembers seeing Hannah leave with Andy; she says she just assumed Hannah had a late night.
Evie uses her mirror to try to find Hannah. It shows her locked in a dark room, but Evie can’t recognize the surroundings. Jay and Carlos leave to look for Andy, and Rafe tags along. Tara and Esteban take off after Rafe, fearing what he might do to Andy, and Lara gets up to join them. Cato grabs her arm and tries to stop her by threatening to disown her, but Lara just laughs, yanking her arm back.
Jay, Carlos, and Rafe ambush Andy by his locker. Carlos asks where Hannah is, but Andy lies about not seeing her. Pointing out that people saw them leave last night doesn’t get him talking either, so Jay takes more drastic measures. He grabs Andy by his collar, demanding to know what he did to Hannah, but Andy just laughs and dares Jay to hit him. Rafe’s hands clench into fists, and it takes both Esteban and Tara to keep him from lunging at Andy.
The commotion attracts a crowd. Lara notices Elle and confronts her while the others are trying to pull the truth out of Andy. She begs Elle to tell her what happened, but just as she’s about to speak, Andy shoots her an angry look. She insists she can’t and runs away.
Rafe finally shoves Andy into a wall, which scares him into talking; the others are shocked to learn that he left Hannah locked in the restaurant closet. Rafe punches Andy, and he runs away, mumbling something about making them all sorry.
The others take off to rescue Hannah, but Jay points out a problem: Fairy Godmother isn’t going to let them leave in the middle of a school day. Tara and Evie think she’ll let them go if they explain what happened, but Esteban doubts it. He thinks it’ll come down to Andy’s word against their. They argue until Mal says she has another idea. They find Ben; Mal tells him what Andy did to Hannah and asks him to lie to Fairy Godmother about needing the day off for “official king business”. He’s surprised that Andy would do such a mean thing, but if Mal believes it, that’s good enough for him. Fairy Godmother is skeptical about Ben needing to bring eight people with him to do his work but still grants his request.
Back in the restaurant, Hannah hears voices. The door flies open with a flash of green light and a puff of smoke, revealing Mal standing in front of her holding an open spellbook. Hannah can’t believe her eyes; Mal was the last person she’d expected to come to her rescue. For the first time, she starts to think Mal is genuinely sorry for bullying her. Jay helps her up, and Tara gives her a hug. Hannah asks Mal how she managed to find her, and Mal tells her that Rafe was the one to finally pull the truth out of Andy, adding that she should’ve seen the black eye he gave him. Hannah looks at Rafe, unable to comprehend why he would put himself on the line for her, but when she tries to thank him, he just blushes and says it was nothing.
It’s finally Carlos who asks what they should do about Andy. Mal offers to turn him into a toad. Jay first suggests roughing him up a bit during their next tourney practice, then says they could always just sic Rafe on him again. Before Hannah can reply, Ben insists the right thing to do is tell Fairy Godmother. Hannah protests, but Tara and Evie try to persuade her by promising to back her up; the others nod in agreement. Esteban convinces her when he says even she can’t be that blind to what’s happening.
When the group returns, Fairy Godmother is waiting for them in her office with Andy, Elle, Chad, Audrey, Fife, and Professor Westergaard. Before anyone can speak, Fairy Godmother confronts Rafe. She tells him Andy says he punched him and asks if that’s true. Rafe admits it, but Fairy Godmother scolds him, threatening punishments before he has a chance to explain why. The others try to tell Fairy Godmother what happened to Hannah, all taking at once. Professor Westergaard silences them and tells them to speak one at a time.
After they all have a chance to tell their story, Fairy Godmother is shocked. Her attention shifts to Andy, but just when it looks like he’s going to be punished, he denies everything. Chad backs him up, as does Audrey, though only because she genuinely has no idea what’s going on. Everyone is looking to Elle now. She stays quiet for a minute, her eyes darting from Andy to Hannah, before mumbling something. Fairy Godmother asks her to speak up, assuring her there’s nothing to be afraid of, and she confirms Andy’s story, though she can’t look anyone in the eye.
Fairy Godmother can’t believe all of the students backing Hannah would lie to her, but she finds it equally hard to believe that a “good boy” like Andy would do something so cruel. Since she can’t find evidence to support either side, she dismisses the matter and continues reprimanding Rafe. When she calls Andy “innocent”, the irony is too much for Esteban. He calls her out on her double standard and asks how she can not see what’s going on right in front of her. He would go on, but Hannah stops him.
Not wanting to see her friends punished, Hannah tells Fairy Godmother it’s her fault Rafe punched Andy; she knew Rafe had a crush on her and flirted with Andy just to make him jealous. The others gasp, realizing what Hannah is doing, but Fairy Godmother mistakes their surprise for disgust. Fife defends Hannah and advises giving her the benefit of the doubt, but Fairy Godmother reminds him that they already tried that. She tells Hannah she’s tried to give her a second chance, but she’s resisted every chance at redemption offered to her. She says Hannah doesn’t belong in Auradon, adding, “Once a villain, always a villain.”
Fife’s expression changes; Fairy Godmother realizes what she just said and tries to apologize but Fife angrily storms out. After Fife leaves, Fairy Godmother tries to expel Hannah. Lara reminds her of a rule that no student can be expelled without a hearing, and Ben backs her up, adding that it’s only fair. Fairy Godmother knows she can’t defy the king of Auradon, so she reluctantly agrees. Hannah’s hearing is to be held the Monday after Family Day.
Watching the exchange between Hannah and Fairy Godmother causes Professor Westergaard to see his niece in a different light. He realizes that Hannah may be a lot of things, but she’s not a villain. After the students leave, he points out that a villain would’ve thrown the others under the bus to save herself, but Hannah fell on her sword to protect her friends. Fairy Godmother asks him if his family ties might be blinding him to Hannah’s flaws, but he counters by asking her if her idealism has blinded her to Hannah’s strengths.
After their argument, he leaves to talk to Lara. At first, she’s afraid he’ll scold her for disrespecting Fairy Godmother, but he praises her for defending her cousin and says she did what he should’ve done a long time ago. An idea occurs to him, and he tells Lara to have the others meet him that evening.
Later, Hannah and her friends gather in Professor Westergaard’s classroom, chatting nervously. Rafe asks her why she took the blame for him, and Hannah says it was only fair. He saved her from Andy, so she saved him from Fairy Godmother; now they’re even. Tara frets about the impending hearing, and Esteban says Auradon Prep won’t be the same without Hannah. Hannah tells them that even if she is expelled, at least some good came out of it. Now she knows who her real friends are.
Before the conversation goes any farther, Professor Westergaard comes in, accompanied by Fife. He greets them by saying they all know why they’re here, but the students misunderstand, fearing punishment. Everyone is shocked when he and Fife lay out a plan for Hannah’s defense but no one more so than Hannah herself. Professor Westergaard opens the passage to his library, but as the others file in, Hannah stays behind. She says she thought she was a disappointment to the family and asks what changed his mind. He says she did when she stuck up for Rafe.
In the library, Lara and Evie research books on the school’s history and Auradon laws to find a precedent to save Hannah, while Ben and Esteban work on a persuasive argument. Jay complains about not having any real evidence to clear Hannah; that gives Carlos an idea. He suggests hacking the school’s security cameras to get Andy’s confession, but Professor Westergaard nixes that, reminding him what happened the last time he hacked something. With hacking out of the question and little chance of getting Fairy Godmother’s permission to use the tape, all hope of clearing Hannah seems lost… until Mal points out that Andy would’ve appeared on the restaurant camera.
Jay and Carlos waste no time in getting to the restaurant. Tony welcomes them and offers them a table, but they decline. They explain why they’re there and ask if he remembers anything odd about that night. Tony is shocked and says Andy and Hannah seemed like such a nice couple. Carlos asks about the security footage and is relieved that Tony still has it. He takes them to a small room in the back of the restaurant where they find and watch the tape. Tony is so outraged by what he sees that he lapses into Italian, and Jay and Carlos exchange confused looks; they can’t understand him. Jay finally manages to calm him down, and Tony gives them the security tape.
On the day before family Day, Hannah is cautiously optimistic about her hearing, but her mood soon changes. In remedial goodness class, Fairy Godmother announces she has a surprise for the villain kids. She turns on the laptop sitting on her desk, revealing a video chat with their parents. Forte and Edgar make forced small talk with their sons while Morgana tries to pull subtle hints of progress out of Miranda without Hans or Fairy Godmother catching on. It’s only when the other villains are finished talking that Hans is allowed close enough to see Hannah.
Before Hannah has the chance to tell him what’s happened, Hans says he’s proud of her for making her mark on Auradon and bringing honor back to the family name. He encourages her to keep winning people over, reiterating his old advice. Hannah realizes Hans is only saying this because he doesn’t know the truth and runs out of the room crying. Miranda laughs, and Frankie rolls his eyes as she goes. Hans stares after her, wondering what he did wrong, until Fairy Godmother cuts the feed. She watches Hannah with concern, but it’s finally Mal who follows her.
In a deserted hallway, Hannah hears footsteps approaching and wipes her eyes, trying to appear strong in front of Mal. Despite everything, she still half-expects Mal to make fun of her. When Mal finally convinces her to tell her what’s wrong, she says her dad is only proud of her because he doesn’t know about the talent show or what Andy did to her. He wanted her to make everyone in Auradon like her, but she just made them hate her instead. Mal tells Hannah that she might not have the admiration of all or Auradon, but she’s always admired her. Hannah can’t understand why someone as powerful as Mal would admire her and asks why; Mal replies that it’s because Hannah stands up for what’s right. She asks Mal why she bullied her if that’s true; Mal tells her she was jealous because Hannah had a dad who, in his own way, really loved her. Hannah tells Mal she forgives her and apologizes for not believing she’d changed.
The conversation with Hannah gives Mal an idea, and she goes to find Ben and Fairy Godmother. She asks if it would be possible to bring Hans to Auradon Prep for family day, adding that Hannah really needs her father right now. Ben’s on board with it, but Fairy Godmother is skeptical. She worries Hans would try to take over Auradon, but Mal assures her she’ll take full responsibility for anything that might go wrong. This eases Fairy Godmother’s fears a little, but she doesn’t want to appear to give Hannah special treatment. Mal suggests inviting the other parents to be fair, and Fairy Godmother panics. She doesn’t like the idea of one villain being allowed in Auradon, let alone four! Mal assures her that after taking on Maleficent, keeping them in line will be easy, and she finally gives in.
Back on the Isle of the Lost, the villains are bickering when the laptop switches back on, and Mal’s face appears on the screen. She says she needs to talk to Hans alone. When the others refuse to leave, she opens her spellbook, waving a hand menacingly at the screen. Once the others are gone, she fills Hans in on everything Hannah’s been through since her arrival in Auradon. Hans is furious and has trouble keeping his emotions in line upon hearing this. He asks why Hannah wouldn’t tell him, and Mal says it’s because she thinks she let him down. Hans finally realizes that by trying to give Hannah the admiration he never had, he made her feel just as unloved as he did.
Hans, eager to set things right, asks to talk to Hannah again, but Mal says she has a better idea. She tells him that he and the other villain parents are invited to Family Day and a limo will arrive to pick them up that evening. The feed switches off, and Hans just stands there staring at the blank screen, unsure how to feel. He knows this is the gateway into Auradon Morgana’s been waiting for, but somehow the idea of helping her exact revenge doesn’t appeal to him anymore.
Hans calls the others back into the room and tells them about the invitation. Morgana, Forte, and Edgar exchange expectant looks, and Morgana makes a sarcastic comment about Hannah turning out to be useful. One look in her eyes, and Hans figures out she masterminded the barrier hack that Hannah got blamed for! In a fit of rage, Hans attacks Morgana. She scratches him and slaps him with her tentacles, but he manages to knock her down.
As they wrestle on the floor, Hans reminds Morgana that he warned her to leave his daughter out of this, to which she replies it wasn’t her fault that Hannah was in the wrong place at the wrong time; this makes him even angrier. He gets a hand free long enough to draw the broken handle of his old sword and point it at Morgana’s throat. He demands a reason why he shouldn’t turn her into calamari, but she just laughs. It takes Forte and Edgar to pry Hans off Morgana, and Forte answers Hans’s question by saying they’ll never be allowed into Auradon if they don’t stop fighting. Hans realizes Forte has a point and pretends to be excited about their impending revenge when in reality, he plans to warn Auradon about Morgana.
When they arrive, Lara introduces Hannah to their other cousins and excitedly welcomes her to the family. She stops talking as she notices Hannah’s necklace and asks her where she got it; it used to be hers but she lost it. The others don’t believe Hannah when she says her father gave it to her, but before they can accuse her of stealing. Lara tells her to keep it. It’s only fair that she have it since she’s part of the family now. Before it can go any further, Professor Westergaard arrives. He picks up a book, and the bookshelf swings open, revealing a private library. In the middle of the room is a table laden with tea and various pastries.
Rory pulls out a chair for Hannah, but she’s onto him and offers her seat to Cato. Rory pulls the chair out from under him, and they fight, bumping the table and causing tea to spill all over Rhonda. Lara and Hannah giggle as Rhonda complains about her ruined dress, and Professor Westergaard scolds the boys for roughhousing. Rhonda tries to trick Hannah into putting salt in her tea instead of sugar, but she says she doesn’t take sugar with her tea. Cato watches as Hannah bests all their attempts to humiliate her, secretly impressed. Professor Westergaard compliments Hannah on her interview and says it’s a shame Fairy Godmother pulled it. The others are stunned but are forced to agree when he asks them if they found Hannah’s story enlightening. They watch in disbelief as he strikes up a conversation with Hannah and tells her funny stories about when he and Hans were kids.
After the party, the Westergaards start to accept Hannah as one of their own. She becomes popular, and her relationship with Andy starts to take off. In order to maintain her status, she adopts a snobbish attitude and keeps quiet when her cousins bully others. She’s afraid to be seen with her old friends and blows off Tara, Rafe, and Esteban to hang out with Andy or her cousins. Tara and Rafe are understanding and happy to see Hannah spending time with her family, but Esteban sees a change in her.
Time passes, but the villain kids aren’t any closer to hacking the barrier. Every time they try to trick Carlos, he gets distracted! While they’re gathered in the courtyard one day, Frankie vents his frustration through an angsty song. Tara overhears and says he should enter the school talent show, and Esteban agrees, realizing this is his chance to spread his message. He offers to write some angry lyrics, but Frankie says he doesn’t do collaborations. Miranda elbows him as she notices Carlos approaching with Mal, Evie, and Jay. They exchange a look and Frankie catches on; this is the perfect cover. He takes Esteban up on his offer, saying he’ll make an exception this once.
Mal asks what’s going on, and Tara tells her Frankie and Esteban are writing a song for the talent show. She likes the idea and offers to help. While the others are planning, Miranda sees her chance. She flirts with Carlos and tries to sweet-talk him into hacking the barrier by saying it’s a shame they can’t share their message with all of Auradon and beyond. If only there was some way to air Frankie’s performance on the Auradon News Network… Carlos, realizing what she’s asking, declines, and Miranda pretends to cry. She says she’d hoped her poor mother would see it and be inspired to goodness like she was, and he finally gives in.
Esteban sees Hannah with her cousins and runs up to her; the others give him nasty looks. Hannah is mortified but excuses herself to follow him. When she asks what he wants, he tells her they’re finally going to have their voices heard by all of Auradon just like he promised and asks her to help him write the lyrics to Frankie’s song, but Hannah isn’t as excited as he’d hoped. She says she doesn’t care about sending a message anymore; she just wants to belong. He persists, but she says she has to go before she’s seen hanging out with “undesirables”. Hannah tries to apologize, but it’s too late. Tara gasps and Rafe gives her a sad look. Esteban’s expression changes, and he says she got what she wanted; she’s just like everybody else.
Hannah’s realizes she can’t have her friends and her standing and leaves to find a quiet place to think. She bumps into Professor Westergaard, who senses she’s upset and invites her to his library. She tells him what happened, and he says that was the same choice her father once faced and he hopes she won’t follow his path. Hannah suddenly notices a torn map on the wall behind Professor Westergaard and asks what happened to the other half. He explains that the Isle of the Lost used to be part of the Southern Isles but the land was given to Auradon in reparation for Hans’s actions. Their father was so ashamed that he ripped up the map and hid the other half where nobody would ever find it. Hannah is shocked and leaves the library, more conflicted than ever. She thought Hans was exaggerating when he told her how horribly his family treated him, but that story just confirmed it. She starts to wonder if the Westergaards will turn on her too.
Meanwhile on the Isle of the Lost, Morgana unfurls the other half of the map on a table while the others gather around. Hans translates the words and points to Maleficent’s castle on the map. He says the castle used to be a summer home for his family when the land still belonged to the Westergaards, and if the rumors about a secret passage are true, the entrance will be there and would come out somewhere on the Southern Isles. All they have to do is wait for a sign from Auradon, get into Maleficent’s castle and sneak into the passage while the barrier is lowered. Forte points out that Hans never told them exactly where the passage is, and Hans says he doesn’t know. Forte scoffs and demands to know how Hans can not know where it is; it’s his castle! The words touch a nerve with Hans, and they argue until Edgar suggests going to the castle to look around. Morgana likes the idea and congratulates Edgar on saying something useful, but she worries others will want in on their plan if they see them poking around.
Hans knows a shortcut and leads them to Maleficent’s castle. They sneak in the back door to find the place in shambles. Morgana orders them to split up; she and Edgar take the upstairs rooms while Hans and Forte search downstairs. They knock on the walls looking for hollow spots, pull books from shelves, rearrange furniture, tug on curtain pulls, and examine anything else that looks like it could open a secret door. After coming up empty-handed, they regroup in Maleficent’s living room (what used to be the Westergaards’ throne room) and immediately start arguing and blaming each other. Forte makes a snide comment that reminds Hans a little too much of the way his family treated him, and he storms out, shoving Edgar aside. Edgar trips and falls into a chair that looks out of place. He grips the arms, and the chair slides back, revealing a staircase. It’s the passage they’ve been looking for!
On the night of the talent show, Tara, Esteban, Rafe, Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Miranda, and Eddie gather backstage to wish Frankie luck before he goes on. Tara gives him a pep talk, and Esteban reminds him that everyone will be watching. Frankie swaggers onstage to roaring applause and squeals from several girls. He plays to the crowd, bowing and blowing kisses, to stall while Carlos hacks the Auradon News Network from his laptop backstage. Miranda appears in the wings and gives him a thumbs up, and he picks up his keytar. A montage shows everybody crowding around Carlos backstage, Frankie’s face appearing on various televisions, people at the Auradon News Network looking confused, an official telling King Ben that the barrier is down, Ben on his phone ordering the news crew to shut down the broadcast and get the barrier back up, and Carlos panicking over getting bounced out.
Back on the Isle of the Lost, Frankie appears on TV, and Morgana realizes this is their chance. Forte watches the performance, impressed by Frankie’s ability to write such an angry song – a song Hans notices sounds a lot like Hannah’s anti-Auradon speeches. He’s disappointed in Hannah for speaking her mind when he warned her not to and for not taking the spotlight herself but joins Forte at the TV to see how bad the backlash is going to be. To his surprise, the song is well-received. Morgana tells them they’ll have time to be proud parents later; now they have a job to do.
They sneak into Maleficent’s castle unnoticed, and Morgana opens the passage. Hans warns everyone to follow his lead once they get to the Southern Isles, adding that he’s not in the mood for a family reunion. They try to enter the passage but are thrown backwards against the wall; the barrier is back up. Hans and Forte argue again, and Edgar cowers as Morgana destroys the room in a fit of rage.
Miranda is just as angry as her mother but manages to keep her emotions in line so the others won’t learn the real reason she wanted the barrier down. Frankie’s song ends complete with pyrotechnics courtesy of Evie, and everyone applauds, including Hannah who has been sitting with the Westergaards. The song makes her realize that she’s become the kind of person she’s always hated, and she goes backstage to apologize to her friends and congratulate Frankie but she doesn’t get the chance.
Ben, Fife, and Fairy Godmother barge in and demand an explanation upon seeing everyone crowded around Carlos’s laptop. Carlos tells them how Miranda persuaded him to hack the barrier, but Miranda, seeing the chance to take Hannah down a peg, insists it was all Hannah’s idea. She thought her message could reform the other villains. Hannah tires to deny it, but Fairy Godmother doesn’t believe her and says she’s disappointed; she thought Hannah was finally starting to fit in. Fife, however, doesn’t believe Miranda and suggests giving Hannah the benefit of the doubt, adding that even if it was her idea, at least she was well-intentioned. Ben considers both sides before agreeing with Fife, and a compromise is reached. Hannah must give a speech about goodness on family day as punishment.
After the talent show, the entire school turns on Hannah. Tara, Rafe, and Esteban are still angry at her for ditching them. The Westergaards blame her for bringing more shame to the family; even Professor Westergaard distances himself from her. She tries to go back to Miranda, Frankie, and Eddie, but Miranda rejects her, reminding her that she warned her this would happen. The only people who don’t shun Hannah are Fife, Ben, and Mal. Fife tries to encourage Hannah by protecting her from bullies and giving her high marks in his class. He reminds her that he used to be a villain and assures her that she, too, can find a way to redeem herself. Ben and Mal show her extra attention by waving to her in the halls and inviting her to sit with them in class and at mealtimes, but Hannah assumes their sudden niceness is just a new way Mal’s found to bully her. She finally lashes out at Mal, telling her that she doesn’t want her pity and to stop pretending to be nice to her. Hannah storms off and is comforted by Andy. He says she looks like she needs a night out and asks her on a date, promising her a night she’ll never forget.
That night, Andy takes Hannah to Tony’s Restaurant. Tony senses that Hannah’s had a rough day and pulls out all the stops to make her feel welcome. He gives Andy and Hannah his best table and serves them a fancy spaghetti dinner. Then he and Joe serenade the couple as they’re eating to set the mood. Andy suggests going somewhere more private and leads Hannah to the back room of the restaurant. He leans in, and just when it looks like he’s going to kiss her… he draws back. “Oh, Hannah, if only there were someone out there who loved you,” he says just before shoving her into the broom closet.
Hannah immediately realizes that Andy’s feelings for her were just an act; he was using her for payback. She asks how he could do such a thing, and Andy replies with a tirade about how she’s just like her father. She’s been trying to take over Auradon with her ideas of equality and second chances just like he tried to take over Arendelle. He sneers and tells her to tell her father the royal family of Arendelle sends their regards before locking her inside.
Hannah screams and bangs on the door, but nobody hears. She eventually gives up, resigned to her situation. All alone with her thoughts, she comes to a sad realization. No matter how hard she tries, she’ll never win the admiration she strives for, in Auradon or the Isle of the Lost, because everywhere she goes, she’s judged for her father’s mistakes. She wants nothing more to do with Auradon but she doesn’t want to go back to the Isle of the Lost either, so she decides to strike out on her own when she gets out of there.
The next morning, Mal notices Hannah isn’t at breakfast and asks her friends if they’ve seen her. Tara and Rafe seem concerned, but Esteban tells her to ask her family. When she asks the Westergaards, they tell her they don’t associate with villains and she should ask her own kind. Mal is fed up with the runaround but nonetheless goes to find Miranda, Frankie, and Eddie. It’s finally Miranda who remembers seeing Hannah leave with Andy; she says she just assumed Hannah had a late night.
Evie uses her mirror to try to find Hannah. It shows her locked in a dark room, but Evie can’t recognize the surroundings. Jay and Carlos leave to look for Andy, and Rafe tags along. Tara and Esteban take off after Rafe, fearing what he might do to Andy, and Lara gets up to join them. Cato grabs her arm and tries to stop her by threatening to disown her, but Lara just laughs, yanking her arm back.
Jay, Carlos, and Rafe ambush Andy by his locker. Carlos asks where Hannah is, but Andy lies about not seeing her. Pointing out that people saw them leave last night doesn’t get him talking either, so Jay takes more drastic measures. He grabs Andy by his collar, demanding to know what he did to Hannah, but Andy just laughs and dares Jay to hit him. Rafe’s hands clench into fists, and it takes both Esteban and Tara to keep him from lunging at Andy.
The commotion attracts a crowd. Lara notices Elle and confronts her while the others are trying to pull the truth out of Andy. She begs Elle to tell her what happened, but just as she’s about to speak, Andy shoots her an angry look. She insists she can’t and runs away.
Rafe finally shoves Andy into a wall, which scares him into talking; the others are shocked to learn that he left Hannah locked in the restaurant closet. Rafe punches Andy, and he runs away, mumbling something about making them all sorry.
The others take off to rescue Hannah, but Jay points out a problem: Fairy Godmother isn’t going to let them leave in the middle of a school day. Tara and Evie think she’ll let them go if they explain what happened, but Esteban doubts it. He thinks it’ll come down to Andy’s word against their. They argue until Mal says she has another idea. They find Ben; Mal tells him what Andy did to Hannah and asks him to lie to Fairy Godmother about needing the day off for “official king business”. He’s surprised that Andy would do such a mean thing, but if Mal believes it, that’s good enough for him. Fairy Godmother is skeptical about Ben needing to bring eight people with him to do his work but still grants his request.
Back in the restaurant, Hannah hears voices. The door flies open with a flash of green light and a puff of smoke, revealing Mal standing in front of her holding an open spellbook. Hannah can’t believe her eyes; Mal was the last person she’d expected to come to her rescue. For the first time, she starts to think Mal is genuinely sorry for bullying her. Jay helps her up, and Tara gives her a hug. Hannah asks Mal how she managed to find her, and Mal tells her that Rafe was the one to finally pull the truth out of Andy, adding that she should’ve seen the black eye he gave him. Hannah looks at Rafe, unable to comprehend why he would put himself on the line for her, but when she tries to thank him, he just blushes and says it was nothing.
It’s finally Carlos who asks what they should do about Andy. Mal offers to turn him into a toad. Jay first suggests roughing him up a bit during their next tourney practice, then says they could always just sic Rafe on him again. Before Hannah can reply, Ben insists the right thing to do is tell Fairy Godmother. Hannah protests, but Tara and Evie try to persuade her by promising to back her up; the others nod in agreement. Esteban convinces her when he says even she can’t be that blind to what’s happening.
When the group returns, Fairy Godmother is waiting for them in her office with Andy, Elle, Chad, Audrey, Fife, and Professor Westergaard. Before anyone can speak, Fairy Godmother confronts Rafe. She tells him Andy says he punched him and asks if that’s true. Rafe admits it, but Fairy Godmother scolds him, threatening punishments before he has a chance to explain why. The others try to tell Fairy Godmother what happened to Hannah, all taking at once. Professor Westergaard silences them and tells them to speak one at a time.
After they all have a chance to tell their story, Fairy Godmother is shocked. Her attention shifts to Andy, but just when it looks like he’s going to be punished, he denies everything. Chad backs him up, as does Audrey, though only because she genuinely has no idea what’s going on. Everyone is looking to Elle now. She stays quiet for a minute, her eyes darting from Andy to Hannah, before mumbling something. Fairy Godmother asks her to speak up, assuring her there’s nothing to be afraid of, and she confirms Andy’s story, though she can’t look anyone in the eye.
Fairy Godmother can’t believe all of the students backing Hannah would lie to her, but she finds it equally hard to believe that a “good boy” like Andy would do something so cruel. Since she can’t find evidence to support either side, she dismisses the matter and continues reprimanding Rafe. When she calls Andy “innocent”, the irony is too much for Esteban. He calls her out on her double standard and asks how she can not see what’s going on right in front of her. He would go on, but Hannah stops him.
Not wanting to see her friends punished, Hannah tells Fairy Godmother it’s her fault Rafe punched Andy; she knew Rafe had a crush on her and flirted with Andy just to make him jealous. The others gasp, realizing what Hannah is doing, but Fairy Godmother mistakes their surprise for disgust. Fife defends Hannah and advises giving her the benefit of the doubt, but Fairy Godmother reminds him that they already tried that. She tells Hannah she’s tried to give her a second chance, but she’s resisted every chance at redemption offered to her. She says Hannah doesn’t belong in Auradon, adding, “Once a villain, always a villain.”
Fife’s expression changes; Fairy Godmother realizes what she just said and tries to apologize but Fife angrily storms out. After Fife leaves, Fairy Godmother tries to expel Hannah. Lara reminds her of a rule that no student can be expelled without a hearing, and Ben backs her up, adding that it’s only fair. Fairy Godmother knows she can’t defy the king of Auradon, so she reluctantly agrees. Hannah’s hearing is to be held the Monday after Family Day.
Watching the exchange between Hannah and Fairy Godmother causes Professor Westergaard to see his niece in a different light. He realizes that Hannah may be a lot of things, but she’s not a villain. After the students leave, he points out that a villain would’ve thrown the others under the bus to save herself, but Hannah fell on her sword to protect her friends. Fairy Godmother asks him if his family ties might be blinding him to Hannah’s flaws, but he counters by asking her if her idealism has blinded her to Hannah’s strengths.
After their argument, he leaves to talk to Lara. At first, she’s afraid he’ll scold her for disrespecting Fairy Godmother, but he praises her for defending her cousin and says she did what he should’ve done a long time ago. An idea occurs to him, and he tells Lara to have the others meet him that evening.
Later, Hannah and her friends gather in Professor Westergaard’s classroom, chatting nervously. Rafe asks her why she took the blame for him, and Hannah says it was only fair. He saved her from Andy, so she saved him from Fairy Godmother; now they’re even. Tara frets about the impending hearing, and Esteban says Auradon Prep won’t be the same without Hannah. Hannah tells them that even if she is expelled, at least some good came out of it. Now she knows who her real friends are.
Before the conversation goes any farther, Professor Westergaard comes in, accompanied by Fife. He greets them by saying they all know why they’re here, but the students misunderstand, fearing punishment. Everyone is shocked when he and Fife lay out a plan for Hannah’s defense but no one more so than Hannah herself. Professor Westergaard opens the passage to his library, but as the others file in, Hannah stays behind. She says she thought she was a disappointment to the family and asks what changed his mind. He says she did when she stuck up for Rafe.
In the library, Lara and Evie research books on the school’s history and Auradon laws to find a precedent to save Hannah, while Ben and Esteban work on a persuasive argument. Jay complains about not having any real evidence to clear Hannah; that gives Carlos an idea. He suggests hacking the school’s security cameras to get Andy’s confession, but Professor Westergaard nixes that, reminding him what happened the last time he hacked something. With hacking out of the question and little chance of getting Fairy Godmother’s permission to use the tape, all hope of clearing Hannah seems lost… until Mal points out that Andy would’ve appeared on the restaurant camera.
Jay and Carlos waste no time in getting to the restaurant. Tony welcomes them and offers them a table, but they decline. They explain why they’re there and ask if he remembers anything odd about that night. Tony is shocked and says Andy and Hannah seemed like such a nice couple. Carlos asks about the security footage and is relieved that Tony still has it. He takes them to a small room in the back of the restaurant where they find and watch the tape. Tony is so outraged by what he sees that he lapses into Italian, and Jay and Carlos exchange confused looks; they can’t understand him. Jay finally manages to calm him down, and Tony gives them the security tape.
On the day before family Day, Hannah is cautiously optimistic about her hearing, but her mood soon changes. In remedial goodness class, Fairy Godmother announces she has a surprise for the villain kids. She turns on the laptop sitting on her desk, revealing a video chat with their parents. Forte and Edgar make forced small talk with their sons while Morgana tries to pull subtle hints of progress out of Miranda without Hans or Fairy Godmother catching on. It’s only when the other villains are finished talking that Hans is allowed close enough to see Hannah.
Before Hannah has the chance to tell him what’s happened, Hans says he’s proud of her for making her mark on Auradon and bringing honor back to the family name. He encourages her to keep winning people over, reiterating his old advice. Hannah realizes Hans is only saying this because he doesn’t know the truth and runs out of the room crying. Miranda laughs, and Frankie rolls his eyes as she goes. Hans stares after her, wondering what he did wrong, until Fairy Godmother cuts the feed. She watches Hannah with concern, but it’s finally Mal who follows her.
In a deserted hallway, Hannah hears footsteps approaching and wipes her eyes, trying to appear strong in front of Mal. Despite everything, she still half-expects Mal to make fun of her. When Mal finally convinces her to tell her what’s wrong, she says her dad is only proud of her because he doesn’t know about the talent show or what Andy did to her. He wanted her to make everyone in Auradon like her, but she just made them hate her instead. Mal tells Hannah that she might not have the admiration of all or Auradon, but she’s always admired her. Hannah can’t understand why someone as powerful as Mal would admire her and asks why; Mal replies that it’s because Hannah stands up for what’s right. She asks Mal why she bullied her if that’s true; Mal tells her she was jealous because Hannah had a dad who, in his own way, really loved her. Hannah tells Mal she forgives her and apologizes for not believing she’d changed.
The conversation with Hannah gives Mal an idea, and she goes to find Ben and Fairy Godmother. She asks if it would be possible to bring Hans to Auradon Prep for family day, adding that Hannah really needs her father right now. Ben’s on board with it, but Fairy Godmother is skeptical. She worries Hans would try to take over Auradon, but Mal assures her she’ll take full responsibility for anything that might go wrong. This eases Fairy Godmother’s fears a little, but she doesn’t want to appear to give Hannah special treatment. Mal suggests inviting the other parents to be fair, and Fairy Godmother panics. She doesn’t like the idea of one villain being allowed in Auradon, let alone four! Mal assures her that after taking on Maleficent, keeping them in line will be easy, and she finally gives in.
Back on the Isle of the Lost, the villains are bickering when the laptop switches back on, and Mal’s face appears on the screen. She says she needs to talk to Hans alone. When the others refuse to leave, she opens her spellbook, waving a hand menacingly at the screen. Once the others are gone, she fills Hans in on everything Hannah’s been through since her arrival in Auradon. Hans is furious and has trouble keeping his emotions in line upon hearing this. He asks why Hannah wouldn’t tell him, and Mal says it’s because she thinks she let him down. Hans finally realizes that by trying to give Hannah the admiration he never had, he made her feel just as unloved as he did.
Hans, eager to set things right, asks to talk to Hannah again, but Mal says she has a better idea. She tells him that he and the other villain parents are invited to Family Day and a limo will arrive to pick them up that evening. The feed switches off, and Hans just stands there staring at the blank screen, unsure how to feel. He knows this is the gateway into Auradon Morgana’s been waiting for, but somehow the idea of helping her exact revenge doesn’t appeal to him anymore.
Hans calls the others back into the room and tells them about the invitation. Morgana, Forte, and Edgar exchange expectant looks, and Morgana makes a sarcastic comment about Hannah turning out to be useful. One look in her eyes, and Hans figures out she masterminded the barrier hack that Hannah got blamed for! In a fit of rage, Hans attacks Morgana. She scratches him and slaps him with her tentacles, but he manages to knock her down.
As they wrestle on the floor, Hans reminds Morgana that he warned her to leave his daughter out of this, to which she replies it wasn’t her fault that Hannah was in the wrong place at the wrong time; this makes him even angrier. He gets a hand free long enough to draw the broken handle of his old sword and point it at Morgana’s throat. He demands a reason why he shouldn’t turn her into calamari, but she just laughs. It takes Forte and Edgar to pry Hans off Morgana, and Forte answers Hans’s question by saying they’ll never be allowed into Auradon if they don’t stop fighting. Hans realizes Forte has a point and pretends to be excited about their impending revenge when in reality, he plans to warn Auradon about Morgana.
