At the Auguste Armand Institute, the atmosphere promises to be as festive as it is tense. Carla and Bérénice’s wedding is fast approaching, and everyone is busy with preparations. Yet, behind the facade of smiles and outpourings of friendship, hearts are racing, secrets are intertwined, and truths are beginning to crack. In this explosive episode, Carla will experience a profound humiliation while Maya comes across a revelation that will turn her relationship with Gaspard upside down .

The morning begins on a feverish note. Carla, surrounded by her friends, is preparing to try on her wedding dress. It’s a moment she’s been waiting for weeks, a powerful symbol of the love she shares with Bérénice. Everything seems perfect: the light, the dress, the knowing smiles. But as is often the case at the Institute, nothing goes as planned. As soon as she enters the fitting room, tensions are felt. An innocent remark turns into general unease. Some students, mocking, whisper in a corner. The dress, sumptuous but daring, is not unanimously appreciated. And when an unexpected incident occurs—a snag in the fabric, a zipper that breaks—the embarrassment becomes total.

Under the laughing gaze of a few jealous students, Carla feels humiliated . Her face turns cold, her hands tremble. She tries to keep her composure, but the wound is too deep. Bérénice, who is witnessing the scene, tries to reassure her, but her words fail to ease the pain. The event turns into an emotional drama: Carla leaves the room in tears, leaving behind a chilly atmosphere. This test, which was supposed to be a moment of happiness, becomes a real nightmare.

In the hallways, rumors are rife. Some students sympathize, others revel in the scandal. Billie and Jim, who witnessed the scene, decide to intervene. They try to reason with the small group responsible for the mockery, but tensions quickly rise. Teyssier, alerted, intervenes in turn. His anger is immediate and icy: “At the Institute, we train leaders, not idiots.” His reprimand brings everyone into agreement, but the damage is done. Carla, deeply hurt, withdraws into silence.

Meanwhile, across campus, Maya makes a discovery that will shake up her view of Gaspard . For several days, she’s felt he’s hiding something from her. His behavior is strange, his answers evasive. Driven by curiosity—and a sharp instinct—she ends up stumbling across a compromising message. What she reads freezes her: Gaspard lied to her. He didn’t break up with his ex, contrary to what he claimed. Worse still, he seems to be maintaining a secret correspondence with her.

Shocked, Maya decides to confront Gaspard. Their exchange is tense, almost violent. She wants to understand, he tries to defend himself, but his explanations ring hollow. Disappointment is evident in Maya’s eyes, hurt at having been duped. She realizes that the man she placed all her trust in wasn’t as sincere as he claimed. Their already fragile relationship threatens to shatter.

This dual plot—Carla’s fall and Maya’s betrayal—acts as a mirror to the episode’s central theme: pride and truth . Masks fall, raw emotions burst forth. In the teachers’ office, discussions are in full swing. Constance tries to calm tempers and bring comfort to Carla, while Clotilde, more severe, sees it as a lesson in resilience: “Great leaders are not built on glory, but on humiliation, which they learn to overcome.” Harsh but true words that resonate deeply with the young woman.

Carla, despite the pain, refuses to give up. That same evening, she returns to the fitting room. Alone, facing the mirror, she observes the torn dress, a symbol of her humiliation. And with a powerful gesture, she decides to repair it herself. Needle in hand, she patiently sews the fabric, transforming the tear into a unique pattern. This moment of solitude becomes an act of rebirth: Carla regains control of her story . When Bérénice joins her, she finds her more determined than ever.

The conversation between them slowly resumes. Bérénice, touched, confesses that she too has doubts, that she’s afraid of this marriage and the pressure that comes with it. These sincere confidences soothe Carla, even if a shadow remains. The love is there, but something has cracked. What if this incident was just a harbinger of what awaits them?

Meanwhile, Maya confides in Ambre, devastated by Gaspard’s lie. She hesitates: should she forgive him or draw a line under their relationship? Ambre, pragmatic, advises her not to act in anger. But Maya knows deep down that the trust is broken. Their last scene together, silent and heavy with regret, suggests an imminent separation.

At the end of the day, calm seems to return to the Institute. But beneath this apparent lull, wounds remain open. Teyssier, ever lucid, observes his students with a touch of melancholy: “They learn to cook, but they forget that life, too, can burn.”

This episode, 1288, of Here It All Begins stands out as one of the most emotionally powerful of the season. Between Carla’s public shaming and Maya’s romantic disillusionment , each is confronted with their own truth. The episode intensely explores the fragility of human emotions, the difficulty of sincere love, and the courage it takes to get back up after falling.

The ending leaves a bittersweet but promising scent: Carla, proud and hurt, vows never to let anyone put her down again, while Maya turns the page, determined to take control of her life. Two women, two broken hearts, ready to face what’s next—without masks, without lies.
And tomorrow, at the Institute, nothing will be quite the same again.