Pip pauses her EPQ work when noise erupts downstairs. The commotion turns out to be Joshua, Barney, and Victor racing through the house after Joshua has dressed Barney in Victor’s bright green shirt. The chaotic scene shows Pip’s home as loud, affectionate, and playful.

Victor greets Pip warmly, and Pip reflects on how unsubtle and joyful her stepfather is. As Joshua recounts his day, Pip thinks about the awkward looks she receives from strangers who try to categorize her mixed family. Pip rejects labels like stepfather and half-brother because Victor and Joshua feel wholly like her family.

Pip also reflects on her biological father, who died in a car accident when Pip was a baby. Pip does not truly remember him, though Pip sometimes pretends to for her mother’s sake, believing that some comforting lies are allowed.

Victor asks about Pip’s project, and Pip says she has been researching and typing up background material. Pip mentions visiting Ravi Singh that morning and says Ravi was busy but invited her to return on Friday. When Joshua warns Pip against going, Pip challenges his judgment and insists the Singhs have done nothing wrong, while Victor gently reinforces that Joshua should not judge people by a relative’s actions.

The family argument dissolves into teasing and a cushion fight. With Pip’s mother away at book club, Pip and Joshua unite in asking for pizza, and Victor agrees with a joking comment that makes Pip regret teaching him slang.