In a montage, Casey wakes up early for training, lifts weights, works the concession stand, falls asleep in class, takes ballet lessons, and falls asleep while doing her homework.

Casey arrives home from school to find her mom waiting for her. Joan asks where she has been all week, and Casey claims she has been tutoring 9th graders with Ann. However, Joan points out that Ann has just called looking for Casey, and demands to know what's really going on. Casey attempts to storm out of the room, but drops her backpack -- and Joan is shocked to find the twinky outfit inside.

That night, Casey and Joan have dinner and argue about Casey's future. Casey insists that she wants to compete in the regional championships, but Joan harshly questions the shelf life of a professional ice skating career. Joan argues that if she had gone to college at Casey's age, she might have been able to give her a better life, but Casey insists that her mother has given her everything. Joan finally concludes that because of this, Casey must give her this now.

In this chapter, Casey faces more obstacles than ever, as she must now juggle her studies, her job, her training, and apparently some ballet lessons, all without letting her mom know what's really going on. True to the ingenuity she is known for, however, Casey utilizes the most efficient tool at her disposal to get everything done in a timely manner: a peppy montage set to the musical stylings of Emma Roberts ! In fact, had Tiffany's dad been so resourceful, he might not have had to take a second mortgage, instead cheerfully paying the bills with a combination of hot dogs and "na na na"s.

At this point, it might be useful to take a closer look at Casey's finances and admire how well she is pulling off this new lifestyle, considering the odds against her:

But while it is certainly clever of Casey to employ a montage to skate over these issues (no pun intended), there comes the inevitable moment when the film's editor runs out of different locations and activities to cut to, and Casey, along with the viewer, must resume the grind of performing actual scenes containing dialogue. As Casey finally arrives home, it's clear the end of this montage has affected her mood, perhaps as Casey realizes she will have to serve extra hot dogs at the rink to pay for those ballet lessons. Joan seems ready for a fight as well, because apparently nothing infuriates feminists more than young girls working hard to achieve their goals.

Of course, the real root of Joan's concern becomes clear as she takes a deep breath and inquires about the possibility that horrifies her most: "Is it... a boy?" While Casey is likely rationalizing that Gen is most certainly not a boy, the issue remains that Casey is clearly distracted from the destiny her mother has outlined for her: Harvard, Penelope Goode, and NO twinky outfits. Indeed, this situation could only be more upsetting to Joan if a pack of hot dogs from the concession stand had tumbled out of her daughter's bag; in that case, however, Casey might have argued that she was just holding them for Ann, who NEEDED to eat hot dogs while tutoring.

This chapter culminates in a tense confrontation between Casey and her mother, in which Joan's passive-aggressive style of parenting takes a surprising turn for the demented:

Joan: There's no shelf life on your mind. And if I'd learned how to use mine a little sooner, if I'd gone to college when I was your age, maybe we wouldn't be living like this.
Casey: There's nothing wrong with the way we live!
Joan: I've not been able to give you a quarter of the things that I wanted to!
Casey: You've given me everything!
Joan: Then you need to give me something now. [leaves the table]

Indeed, one can hardly believe Joan's sheer audacity for literally demanding Casey to sacrifice her dream in exchange for the trouble of her upbringing. This is especially shocking given the Carlyles' nice house with a giant backyard AND its own massive ice rink, not to mention Joan's emphasis on the enduring value of the mind over materials; it is difficult to imagine what in the world Joan believes she has not provided for Casey. Thus, it appears this tactic is just a cruel manipulation designed to lead Casey into an ostensible bonding moment -- only to trap her into admitting that she owes her mother a debt that can only be repaid with her entire future.

Frankly, The Slow Roll can only respect Ice Princess for stepping up to the challenge and providing a scene of such repellent human darkness that we have no choice but to side with Casey, and finally root for her stupid dream after all.