Table Read – "Small Block" Act Three

Podcast: Table Read (Manifest Media / TABLE READ)
Episode: Small Block - Act Three
Date: November 25, 2025
Theme: Award-winning coming-of-age drama about friendship, identity, and longing, brought to life by a robust ensemble cast, immersive sound design, and cinematic scoring—a "movie for your ears."

Episode Overview

This episode plunges us into Act Three of “Small Block,” a sharply-wrought, emotionally-complex narrative following three teenagers—Pete (P), Dizzy, and Kev—on the day of their high school dance. As tensions, secrets, and insecurities among them erupt, their relationships are tested by desire, jealousy, grief, and the powerful need for acceptance. The action unfolds with rich character detail, confronting issues of gender, sexuality, and identity with rawness and humanity, climaxing in moments of pain, reconciliation, and self-discovery.

Key Discussion Points & Dramatic Moments

1. Morning Unrest: Rivalries and Confessions

• The trio gathers, bantering over ice cream and basketball, but beneath the surface, jealousies simmer.
• Dizzy reveals anxieties over asking Bex to the dance without Kev’s knowledge, knowing Kev’s feelings for her (01:39).
  • Quote (Dizzy, 01:47): “Apparently my best friend Kev’s in love with her and he doesn’t know I asked her to the dance … Kill me. Especially since we’re so close right now.”
• Real-life worries permeate: Dizzy’s guilt about leaving for a new school, and his frustration with his father’s suspicions about his sexuality.
• The adolescent dynamic is raw and authentic; awkward discussions about movie scenes with trans characters and jokes about gender identity expose their confusion and learned bias (see [03:47-04:11]).

2. Friendship Frayed: The Magazine & The Dance

• Tension spikes over a Penthouse magazine, both as a symbol of adolescent bravado and escape from invisibility.
  • Quote (Kev, 07:01): “I’m sick of being invisible. Why doesn’t everyone see that I’m cool? What’s wrong with them?”
• The real matter: both Dizzy and Kev are vying for Bex’s attention, entangling feelings of loyalty, love, and betrayal.
  • Confession (Kev, 07:11): “I know she’s big, but if you could see her like I do … She’s smart, sexy, so goddamn funny … she knows she’s hot shit.”
• Pete tries mediating but is caught in the crossfire of adolescent longing.

3. The DeLorean Ride: Longing for Escape

• Their neighbor, Miss World, arrives with her iconic DeLorean for a promised ride—a brief, cinematic escape echoing Back to the Future (12:31).
  • Quote (Miss World, 12:34): “If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re going to see some serious shit.”
• As they joke about the future, darker currents surface—suicidal ideation, fears about growing older, and references to scenes from Silence of the Lambs and The Crying Game (see [13:05-13:36]).
• Gender and identity continue to be debated, revealing biases and anxieties—but also, Miss World's vulnerability.
  • Quote (Miss World, 13:23): “I used to not like thinking about the future either. But here I am. Here I still am.”

4. Unraveling Encounters: Pranks and Paranoia

• After the ride, an awkward bathroom encounter escalates Miss World’s discomfort as she believes the kids have discovered her trans identity and might call the police (17:01-18:00).
  • Quote (Miss World, 17:05): “Are you trying to keep me here until they come?”
  • Quote (Dizzy, 17:29): “No, that was just ... my friends are idiots.”
• The boys begin to understand the weight and risk Miss World carries daily, leading to a small moment of empathy from Dizzy (19:17).

5. Dangerous Honesty: Fights & Fathers

• Heightened emotions lead to a physical scuffle—Kev pushes Pete, who falls and is injured (22:33-22:42).
• The previously simmering conflict erupts in a heartbreaking fight about Bex, parental absence, and being “left behind.”
  • Quote (Kev, 24:51): “All I wanted was a nudie mag to take to school … to finally be treated like I deserve … but you took it away from me … You can’t even let me go to the dance with Bex, even though you ditched her the moment I showed up … Of course you weren’t man enough to tell me. You already asked her when I told you I loved her.”
  • Quote (Dizzy, 25:05): “I’m still here for you. Anything that happens at school or with your dad …”
• As Dizzy and Pete try to comfort Kev, the pain of Kev’s mother’s suicide and his fraught relationship with his father are exposed (27:19).

6. Dance Preparations: Hope, Respect, and Prejudice

• Pete, injured but dressed for the dance, is driven by his father—a sequence alive with the pressures of masculinity and coded insults.
  • Quote (Dad, 28:33): “Bet I know where that cow is going. Disgusting.”
  • His father's advice on "respect" toward women is undermined by casual bigotry (28:46-29:04).
• The real desire: to belong, to be seen, to be respected, to transcend family cruelties.

7. Bex & Pete: Affirmation and Secrets

• At Bex’s door, Pete tries to rekindle friendship and maybe something more. Bex, however, wants to attend as friends.
  • Coming-out moment (Bex, 31:00): “I don’t like guys.”
  • Pete’s confusion is met with Bex’s relief, and laughter cements their renewed friendship.
  • Quote (Bex, 31:10): “You can’t tell anyone you’re a lesbo Ann … Please. Swear.”
  • Sincere apologies and mutual recognition—two people finally seen by each other.

8. Closing: Self-Acceptance and Vulnerability

• Pete returns home, contemplating suicide—collecting ritual objects, writing, holding the blade. The phone rings; Kev offers imperfect but heartfelt reconciliation (33:13-33:28).
• Bex calls, hinting at the day’s mysteries.
  • Quote (Bex, 34:18): “Who’s that lady? The tall one you talked to with the curls and the VCR. The pretty one.”
  • Pete (34:29): “A friend.”
• The act ends with Pete engaging in a gentle, private exploration of his own femininity—removing makeup, hair ties, shaving, caressing his body, experimenting with presentation, and finally listening to Hole’s “Miss World” (35:11).
  • A profound moment of silent self-recognition and self-love closes Act Three.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Dizzy on friendship and secrets:
  “Apparently my best friend Kev’s in love with her and he doesn’t know I asked her to the dance. How am I going to figure that one out? … I have a whole few hours to do it. Kill me.” (01:47)
• Kev on visibility:
  “I’m sick of being invisible. Why doesn’t everyone see that I’m cool? What’s wrong with them?” (07:01)
• Miss World, philosophical:
  “If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you’re going to see some serious shit.” (12:34)
• Miss World, vulnerable:
  “I used to not like thinking about the future either. But here I am. Here I still am.” (20:23)
• Kev, parental wound:
  “Maybe this is why my mom killed herself.” (27:19)
• Pete’s Dad, toxic advice:
  “Taking a beautiful girl to a dance is a big deal.” (28:46)
• Bex, coming out:
  “I don’t like guys.” (31:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Dance Dilemma: 01:20–02:30
• Bathroom Confessions/Friendship Dynamics: 05:53–08:22
• DeLorean Ride and Futures: 12:00–14:00
• Miss World’s Fear & Empathy: 17:01–18:45
• Physical Fight/Betrayal Revealed: 22:25–24:56
• Pete’s Dance Prep with Toxic Dad: 27:46–29:04
• Bex’s Coming Out/Mutual Acceptance: 31:00–31:40
• Pete’s Private Self-Discovery and Resolution: 34:41–end

Memorable Moments

• The excited rush for the DeLorean, Miss World channeling Doc Brown, and the subsequent emotional fallout when the thrill is over.
• The heartbreak of Kev feeling left behind and betrayed by both friends and family, culminating in a physical altercation and emotional spiraling.
• Miss World’s brief, aching vulnerability—the adult echo of the kids’ confusion and fear about gender, identity, and being outed.
• Pete’s nuanced, wordless journey from the threat of self-harm to gentle affirmation as he explores his feminine self, hinting at a path forward.

Tone and Language

The language is raw, authentic, emotionally-charged, laced with adolescent bravado, black humor, and moments of poetic sincerity. Sensitive content relating to gender, sexuality, and mental health is approached through the unfiltered—sometimes problematic—lens of 1980s/90s teens but earns its emotional payoff through vulnerability and empathy.

Summary

“Small Block: Act Three” is an intense, beautifully acted audio drama about the courage to be vulnerable and true—before friends, family, and oneself. Through fights, confessions, and moments of silence, the story explores the messiness of coming of age, navigating love, jealousy, gender, and the desperate desire to be seen. By episode’s end, listeners are left with both ache and hope: these characters may not have all the answers, but their longing for acceptance—of others and themselves—feels urgent and real. This isn’t just a podcast episode—it’s cinematic storytelling for the soul.