14: “The Music Awards: Part 2”
Synopsis: “The Music Awards are fast approaching and Eric and the Misfits are still campaigning for the award. Jerrica and the Holograms no longer care at this point—they just want Deidre, Krissie and Ba Nee to come home. Hopefully, the Haven House benefit will bring them back before a social worker closes Starlight House. But the runaways are busy trying to help a new friend who’s mixed up with some criminals. Eventually, they meet up with Danse who reunites them with the Holograms.”
Summary: In case you were all holding on to your butts since last week, it turns out that Danny, Deirdre, Krissie, Ba Nee did not fall to their death at the Misfits concert.
After the concert, Danny and the Starlight runaways are stopped by a the ticket scalper we saw in part 1. He blackmails Danny to earn the $50 he owes for the stolen tickets, otherwise he’ll report them all to the police (because runaways end up in jail?). In an act of kindness, the Starlight girls offer up $23, but Danny decides to own his own problem.
The kids follow the ticket scalper back to his home, if you can call it that (which is a little creepy). There are broken windows and garbage everywhere. It looks as if the scalper and his roommate are squatting. As unscrupulous as this scalper seems to be, he offers the girls and Danny food while he mentions to his roommate that Danny is a sucker because he ripped off the concert tickets, so he stands to make pure profit.
Later at Starlight House, the Holograms arrive home after an unsuccessful search for Deirdre, Krissie, and Ba Nee. In part 1, we were introduced to Jack Sobieski, a social worker who received an anonymous tip (from Pizzazz) about missing orphans. He is waiting for the Holograms and demands an explanation for their whereabouts. Ashely interrupts and lies by saying that they’re handing out leaflets for the Haven House benefit. Sobieski gives Jerrica a stern warning that if the missing girls don’t show up at the benefit, he’ll recommend that all of the orphans be placed in new foster homes.
On the rooftop of Misfits Music, Eric and Techrat prepare the Misfits for a little hand gliding mischief. They decide to drop flyers to promote the band all over the city, which causes a taxi cab driver’s vision to be restricted, inevitably causing it to crash.
Cue Misfits music video: “You Oughta See The View From Here”.
Roxy and Stormer land their gliders in the park, but Pizzazz is missing. When Eric inquires where she went, Techrat admits that she’s testing his new laser gun. This seems to greatly concern Eric.
Eric: Where’s Pizzazz?
Techrat: She’s testing my new laser gun for me.
Eric: You let Pizzazz loose with a laser gun?
Techrat: It was her idea!
Cut to Pizzazz gliding around Starlight Music, she uses Techrat’s laser to engrave a fake moustache on Jem’s billboard. Regrettably, things go awry when the misuse of the laser gun causes the billboard to collapse and come crashing through Jerrica’s office, putting her and the Hologram’s in harm’s way.
Aja: What could have caused it?
Kimber: I bet it was the Misfits.
Shana: Look, it’s Pizzazz!
Fortunately for Jerrica, no one was hurt. Jerrica then asks Synergy to create a hologram of an abnormally sized hawk, which freaks Pizzazz and causes her to crash down into a pond. Though Pizzazz survives the crash, Techrat’s laser is destroyed. Techrat is not pleased by this.
Techrat: My laser. Look what you’ve done. My beautiful laser. You’ve wrecked it.
Pizzazz: One my word and I’ll wreck you!
Meanwhile, Danny accepts a request from the ticket scalper to do a job for him. Deirdre, Krissie, and Ba Nee try to help, but Krissie suggests they ask Jerrica for help. Deirdre decides to follow Danny because he will need their help, so the rest of the Starlight girls follow him.
Cut to Eric and Techrat where we see progress being made on the electronic jammer. Eric’s plan is to use it at the music awards to sabotage the show for Jem and the Hologram’s.
Danny is peer-pressured into stealing some equipment from a stereo store. Deirdre, Krissie, and Ba Nee catch Danny outside the store and convince him to give he stole back to the store, but Mick and Ramon intervene. A police squad car which happens to drive by recognize Mick and Ramon and try to stop them from running off with the stolen hardware.
Cue Jem and the Holograms music video: “Runnin’ Like The Wind”.
After the video we see Mick, Ramon, Danny, and the Starlight girls who try to escape via the alley behind the store. Danny manages to help the girls jump the fence, but a stack of conveniently placed crates collapses, which causes them to collapse on top of one of the police officers. The police offers were not hurt and manage to arrest Mick and Ramon.
At the Haven House benefit sound stage, Jem is doing a soundcheck when social worker Jim Sobieski stops her. Jerrica pleads to come back later in the evening as promises the missing girls will be there. Sobieski concedes and leaves. Rio consoles Jerrica as she feels so powerless.
Deirdre, Krissie, and Ba Nee go for food and drinks and pay for Danny’s portion. He offers to pay them back because he doesn’t want to “sponge off of anybody.” Deirdre suggests that Danny stay at Starlight House, but the rest of the Starlight girls say he can’t because it’s for girls. Being a prideful young boy, Danny says: “I’m a guy. I can look after myself.” But everybody needs help, even a boy. Danny can’t keep running forever. The restaurant waiter eaves drops on their conversion and suggests that Danny talk to someone about his situation and hands him a card.
Cut to the Misfits arriving at the red carpet, a reporter stops Pizzazz and asks if they think they have a chance to win the “best new group award.” Ever so confident, Pizzazz says they can’t lose because there’s no competition.
Deirdre, Krissie, and Ba Nee take Danny to Haven House. Danse stops to speak with them and asks they’re all runaways. She tells them everyone is out at the Haven House benefit concert and invites them see Jem and the Holograms. They all head to the show.
At the benefit concert, Jerrica is back stage and changes to Jem, just as the missing Starlight girls show up with Danse. Happily reunited, the Holograms head to the stage to begin their performance. Just as the show begins, Techrat unleashes his electronic jammer which interferes with Synergy’s projections. Jem runs off stage just in time before her true identify is revealed.
Elsewhere, at the music awards, the Misfits are announced as the winners of best new rock group. Pizzazz heads to to the podium to give her acceptance speech. After the award show, Pizzazz and the Misfits gets in a limo with Eric and demand he takes her Stoffer Stadium so she can brandish her prestigious award at Jem.
Back at the Haven House concert, Danny discovers Techrat and takes the electronic jamming device away from him. As all things return to normal, the Hologram’s are able to head back to the stage and perform their final number.
Cue Jem and the Holograms music video: “Friend Or Stranger”.
But Pizzazz shows up, hoping to brandish her award, she freezes up when she observes that the Holograms are performing to an awe struck crowd. The expression Pizzazz’s version is simply dumbfounded as her award slips from her hand and crashes on the ground where it crumbles to pieces.
Trivia:
- The place where Mick and Ramón live, says “Marx Girls School” on the side, as in the series writer, Christy Marx.
- It’s revealed that Roxy is afraid of heights.
- One of Christy’s favorite lines is when Eric says to Techrat “You let Pizzazz loose with a laser gun?!”.
- Christy wanted to make another episode with the character Danny, that would explore why he was kicked out by his father. It was going to be a story about an alcoholic father. She had written an entire detailed outline about an episode that would deal with kids who have alcoholic parents and how they deal with it, but she couldn’t get it approved.
- Christy was careful not to make a false happy ending about the serious issue of runaways.
- Christy had actually spoken with a person who gave her permission to use the number to – their 800 toll-free help number at the end of this episode, for the national runaway switchboard where runaway kids could call in and talk to someone and get help getting off the streets. They got hundreds of calls from kids, who were helped to return to their families.
Duration: 53:21:00
Present: Alex, Aleen, Tempest.
Episode Links- Episode 14: “The Music Awards: Part 2”
- “You Oughta See The View From Here”
- “Runnin’ Like The Wind”
- “Friend Or Stranger”
- Agoraphobia
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Download: Episode 14: “The Music Awards: Part 2”