Simon Sort of Says

Kevin steals the microwave out of the back of his mother’s car (it was there for his science fair project), and he and Simon make the trek to the farm, stopping for snacks along the way. It’s Kevin’s first time at the farm, and they just so happen to arrive when Agate’s mother is helping a goat give birth. She tells Simon and Kevin that Agate is in the treehouse, and they make their way there. They’re stopped by Mr. Bagshott along the way, who scolds them about having a microwave. When Agate sees Kevin and Simon coming with a microwave, she invites them up. Simon apologizes for yelling at Agate on the last day of school, and she forgives him, almost immediately moving into setting up for the space message. Agate tasks Simon with crafting braces for the microwave to sit on, and she uses a special instrument to measure the angle. After figuring out how to keep the microwave open while it’s on, the trio realizes that they need a way to power it.

Summer is officially underway, and Agate and Simon meet Kevin at the Hello Hello to solve the power supply issue. Kevin announces that he got third place in the science fair and is moving on to the state competition. He seems nervous, but his friends encourage him. Simon playfully adds that he and Kevin are fully on board for the mission. After realizing that their acquired extension cords don’t quite reach the distance, Simon suggests getting the last one from his place.

Getting the extension cord means braving Simon’s basement, which Agate is instantly excited about, though Kevin isn’t so sure. Still, the trio heads downstairs and retrieves the extension cord, all while Kevin comments on the odd smell and the lineup of strange chemicals. Suddenly, they hear their principal and Simon’s mother talking upstairs about the body that went missing from the back of the truck. Its gurney apparently got hooked to a semi-truck and travelled all the way to Iowa, ending up at the world’s largest truck stop. The principal and her sister are apparently that person’s children, and rather than react with horror, they are actually relieved to hear that he was able to “see the sights.” It was something he wanted to do and never had the chance. The sound of the women’s crying causes Hercules to perk up and start howling, which leads to Simon’s mother discovering him in the basement with his friends.

Simon’s parents are still too distracted by their own problems to punish him for sneaking his friends into the basement, which is a relief to Simon. He gets together with Kevin and Agate at the treehouse the day before the alignment to get things set up. While Kevin and Agate try to calculate how to position everything, Simon relaxes with Hercules and feels grateful for his new friends as well as the ones he lost. He admires the beautiful day. In this good mood, Simon makes a suggestion to set everything up and then align it tomorrow when the star appears, rather than trying to do it in advance. Agate and Kevin love this idea, and after setting everything up, they part ways for the day. When Simon gets home, he sees a news van in front of the house and is suddenly reminded of all the harassment he and his family faced by the media after the shooting. When one reporter refused to stop showing up at the funeral home, Simon’s mother took her downstairs to see one of the children’s bodies being prepared for the funeral, and that finally got her to leave the family alone.

Simon sees that the same woman who harassed his family two years before is the one parked in a news van outside his house now. He slips around the back and finds his dad playing sackbut loudly, also trying to avoid the reporter. Simon’s dad makes him a grilled cheese, and he and Simon talk about the situation with Simon’s mom and the missing-then-found body, which could result in a lawsuit.

To discuss difficult topics, Simon and his parents often build LEGOs together and talk, so this is what they do one night when Simon’s mom wants to talk about work and Simon’s parents want to discuss the media situation. Simon’s mom decides to make a brief statement about the missing body and about Simon, and Simon’s parents promise that he won’t have to appear on television, no matter what. As they talk, the reporter comes into the yard, trying to find the back door. The peacock finds her and launches a full attack, which chases the reporter away. The next day, news about the missing body that travelled to Iowa is all over local and national papers. The local paper also has a story about Kevin moving on to the state science fair and a story about Simon, but he doesn’t read it. Simon’s mom jokes that the headline refers to Simon as a teenager, which makes her feel old. Later that day, Simon heads over to Agate’s treehouse to meet her and Kevin for the alignment.