Here
we are...the first Tuesday Timeline for October 2016! I'll admit that I struggled to find a topic
for today, but with every little piece of my heart, I think I found someone
worthy of the honour.
For
now, enjoy this list of historical events that took place on October 4.
1302 - The Byzantine-Venetian War comes to an end with
the signing of a peace treaty
1535 - The first English-language version of the Bible
is published
1582 - The Gregorian Calendar is first implemented by
Pope Gregory XIII
1779 - The Fort Wilson Riot takes place
1876 - Texas A&M University opens to the public -
the first institute of higher education to open in the state
1883 - The Orient Express runs for the first time
1895 - The first U.S. Open Men's Golf Championship is played
in Newport, Rhode Island; also on this date, actor Buster Keaton (d. 1966) is
born
1917 - The Battle of Broodseinde takes place during
World War I
1923 - Actor and former NRA president Charlton Heston
(d. 2008) is born in Wilmette, Illinois
1927 - Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore
1937 - Novelist Jackie Collins (d. 2015) is born in
Hampstead, London, England
1957 - Sputnik 1 is launched
1963 - Over 6,000 people lose their lives when Hurricane
Flora makes landfall over Cuba and Haiti
1965 - Pope Paul VI becomes the first Pope to visit the
Americas, greeting people in New York City
1980 - Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust"
reaches the top spot on the Billboard Charts
1983 - Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of
633.468 miles per hour driving Thrust2 at the Black Rock Desert in the state of
Nevada
1989 - Famous race horse Secretariat dies, aged 19
1992 - A devastating airplane crash occurs in Amsterdam
when El Al Flight 1862 crashes into two apartment buildings, killing 43 on the
craft and another 39 people on the ground
1997 - Boyz II Men's "4 Seasons of Loneliness"
hits the top of the Billboard Charts
2001 - NASCAR driver Blaise Alexander dies in a car
accident, aged 25
2006 - Julian Assange releases the WikiLeaks website
2010 - The Danube River and the Marcal River are
severely polluted following an accident at Hungary's Ajka plant
And
happy birthday to the following October 4 babies - Alvin Toffler, Leroy Van Dyke, Steve Swallow, Roy Blount Jr., Karen Cushman, Anne Rice, Clifton Davis, Susan Sarandon, Jim Fielder, Duke Robillard, Armand Assante, Stephen Gyllenhaal, Meg Bennett, Gil Moore, Bill Fagerbakke, Russell Simmons, Anneka Rice, Chris Lowe, Jon Secada, Liev Schreiber, Darren Middleton, Alicia Silverstone, Craig Robert Young, Philip Glasser, Rachael Leigh Cook, Caitriona Balfe, Melissa Benoist, and Dakota Johnson.
Okay,
now let's hop in our Tuesday Timeline machine and set it back to today's chosen
date.
Oh,
look...October 4, 1970. That seems like a good date to start.
It's
also a good time to talk about a so-called curse in the world of music and
entertainment. Perhaps you might have
heard of something called the 27 Club?
Believe
me, it's a club that most people probably don't want to join. Good thing for me - at 35, I'm ineligible to
enter.
The 27 Club is a term given to all of those rock stars and musicians whose
careers ended far too soon. What makes
this club unique is that every single one of them died before their 28th
birthdays, making them forever 27.
Some members of this club include Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Amy Winehouse,
Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, and Mia Zapata, amongst others.
Sadly, it was 46 years ago today that another entertainer joined that club -
the result of a heroin overdose likely sped up by alcohol abuse. Her body was found in room #105 at
Hollywood's Landmark Motor Hotel by producer Paul Rothchild, and with her death
came the end of what might have been a promising career as a rock, soul, and
blues singer.
Who
knew that this particular song would end up being one of the last songs that
she would ever record?
ARTIST: Janis Joplin SONG: Mercedes Benz
ALBUM: Pearl DATE RELEASED: January 11,
1971 PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: N/A
Janis
Joplin recorded that song in one take on October 1, 1970. It's therefore sad to know that just 72
hours after recording this song that she would be dead.
And
to think that when she was born on January 19, 1943 in Port Arthur, Texas, she
really had no idea that her life would be cut so short. Though, Janis' rebellious nature certainly
seemed to start at a very early age.
You see, Janis was considered an outcast in her childhood years. If she were still alive today, I could see
her wearing that label with a lot of pride.
I think that's one of the reasons why I absolutely respect her as an
artist because we are both cut from the same cloth. Kids could be cruel, and certainly they were when Janis was
attending school, attacking her on her weight, her acne scars, and even her
tastes in music. Keep in mind that
Texas in the 1950s was very much a state that dealt with a lot of racism, and
because Janis never felt that way, she was picked on as a result. How far we've come since then!
Janis
herself once stated that it was her listening to blues and soul music in her
childhood that encouraged her to become a singer in the first place. It was that love of blues music that
prompted Janis to move halfway across the country to San Francisco, California,
but a few years later, she moved back to Texas after getting severely addicted
to drugs.
She
made an effort to clean up her life when she returned to her home state, and
even had plans to get married to a man that she met while she was in San
Francisco, but the wedding plans were called off, and Janis soon joined the
psychedelic rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company.
And
in 1967, when she and her band performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and
released their debut album, it certainly cemented the fact that Janis Joplin
was going to be a huge star. After all,
the group enjoyed several hit singles, including this one below.
Though,
Joplin's involvement with the band would turn out to be quite short. News publications and music magazines
frequently singled out Janis as being the star of the band, and the other band
members seemed to be quite upset that Janis was getting all of the
limelight. Though, nobody could deny
that Janis definitely had stage presence, and could motivate any crowd into losing
themselves in the music. She would leave
the group in 1968 to pursue her own solo career that kicked off with the album
"I Got Dem Ol' Kosmic Blues Again Mama", released on September 11,
1969. Before that album was released,
Joplin performed at the Woodstock festival, which only served to increase her
popularity in the music world.
And you know, I'm sure that had Janis Joplin
survived, she would continue to make music today. Though, it's hard to guess what that music would sound like. Would she have gone the New Wave route of
the 1980s? Would she have continued to
be a singer-songwriter? Would she have
crossed over to country music? None of
us really know what might have happened.
What I can tell you is that Janis Joplin did inspire a lot of female musicians
to follow their passions, and she very well was among the first wave of female
singer-songwriters to dominate the charts throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Stevie Nicks and Florence Welch have named
her as one of their biggest influences in their own careers. And Janis' hits have been covered by a
multitude of artists, such as Gordon Lightfoot, Roger Miller, Faith Hill, and
Kenny Rogers, among others.
One final footnote is that when Janis Joplin died 46 years ago, her funeral was
done her own way and was meant to be more of a celebration of life rather than
sorrow filled mourning. Joplin's will
clearly stated that two thousand five hundred dollars was to be set aside to
throw a wake party which was held October 26, 1970.
You have to appreciate a woman who lived life by her own methods and not
conforming to society. I know that I
certainly respect her.
It
seems as though every single day we hear another tale of bad news every time
the 6 o'clock hour comes. These days,
you can't turn on the television without hearing another story about another
shooting.
In
particular, shootings involving police officers and men of African-American
origin.
The
rash of shootings has prompted several protests in several major cities, and
the Black Lives Matter movement has continued to gain ground. It's definitely been a tumultuous time in
modern day history, and I almost think that this could be the beginning of
another civil rights movement of sorts.
It's
definitely hard for me to figure out what the right answer is. I definitely am the type that believes that
people of all backgrounds should have the right to live their lives without
fear of getting shot, and I am most definitely against corruption of all kinds,
be it with the police, or with politicians, or what have you. At the same time, I think it's unfair to
blame the entire police system for these incidents because for every bad police
officer out there are ten good officers who genuinely want to uphold the law at
all times. Some might call me
optimistic in that regard, but I've always been someone who has tried to see
the best in a person before calling them out on their worst. That's an aspect of my personality that I
will never change no matter how old I get.
And
sadly, these incidents are not exclusive to the year 2016. As long as the world has been turning, there
have been many instances of racial tension that has involved the police. And I suppose this is a great way to lead
into the topic that I have chosen for today.
How many of you remember watching the daytime drama "As The World
Turns"? The show was one of the
longest running soap operas in the United States. It debuted on April 2, 1956 and aired its final episode on
September 17, 2010. And "As The
World Turns" was my mother's favourite soap opera. She watched the show from its debut (she was
10 at the time) until its final episode.
Now, that is what I call a dedicated fan!
I still remember being a young child and how everything at my house had to be
done by 2:00 in the afternoon. Because
from 2-3pm my mother would always be sitting on the couch to watch her
favourite show. I often wondered what
else was on television at two in the afternoon, but I never got the chance to
find out as Mom always reserved the television for that one hour each weekday.
So,
I suppose that I would inevitably watch the show through osmosis in a
sense. I got to learn most of the
character names such as Lily and Holden and Margo and James Stenbeck. The last one I heard a lot in my childhood
courtesy of my mother who would often insert a few adjectives that would have
gotten me kicked out of kindergarten should I have dared repeat them.
I
will say that "As The World Turns" did have some decent
storylines. And one storyline that
aired in November 1997 certainly was ahead of its time - especially given
everything that has been happening in the world today.
It's
a tale featuring a bigoted, racist cop, a place of worship, race baiting, and a
stunning conclusion that formed the basis for one of the soap's
"supercouples".
(Though, just between you and I, I despise the word supercouple. Unless they have the ability to shoot lasers
with their eyes or walk through walls, there's nothing 'super' about any soap
relationship. Just that in this case,
they were a couple that fans loved.)
This
tale actually began a few months earlier than our main plot. I can't remember whether it was in 1996 or
early 1997, but the incident that kicked this whole plot off began when a
jogger was stopped by a police officer as he ran through a local park in
Oakdale, Illinois (the fictional town that the show took place in).
The
jogger was Dr. Benjamin Harris, who police believed was the main suspect in a
robbery that had taken place earlier.
The officer who arrested Harris was Officer Joe Teague, and he used
excessive force against Ben to the point where Ben had suspected that he was
being targeted because of his race. Of
course, everyone who knew Ben (which included his girlfriend Camille, and
several friends) knew that he wouldn't be capable of committing such a crime,
but Teague insisted that Ben was the culprit.
It wasn't until Ben launched a complaint against the Oakdale Police Department,
insisting that something be done about Teague once and for all. Certainly senior officers Hal Munson and
Margo Hughes wanted to do all they could, but at the same time, they needed to
have more proof that Ben was targeted solely because of his skin colour, and
they needed to have proof that Teague was a bigot.
Now, keep in mind that I wasn't really watching the show regularly like my mom
was, so I really had to rely on her to tell me how Teague was found out. My mom wasn't quite sure how Ben cleared his
name and got Joe exposed. She did
remember that Ben's arrest was not the first time that Joe had been involved in
an arrest that was racially motivated, and that Joe's bigoted past came back to
haunt him in a big way when Hal and Margo let him go from the police
force.
Of course, Teague wasn't ready to let Ben go so easily. He had several of his racist friends stalk
Ben everywhere he went - including the Milltown Baptist Church - a place that Ben
worshipped at for years, and a place where its congregation and preacher were
mostly African-American. But that was
about to change, as the church made the decision to make everybody in Oakdale
feel welcome at the church, and in November 1997, the church had an open house
to do just that. Nearly everybody in
the town (a.k.a. most of the 28 contract cast members, plus thirty or so
extras) showed up at the church to sing songs, pray, and celebrate the love and
the harmony that can come from what are supposed to be peaceful church
gatherings. In fact, to make the
occasion even more special, the church choir was made up of people from several
religious denominations and establishments, making sure that it truly was a
concert in which everyone was welcome.
But
what nobody in the church realized was that Teague had come to the church to do
some serious damage and to get revenge on Ben Harris for having to give up his
badge. Opportunity presented itself
when ex-con Molly Conlan got into an argument with Holden Snyder in the parking
lot of the church, and Holden pushed Molly down on the ground. After Holden was out of sight, Teague
knocked Molly out cold, and proceeded to set the church on fire from the
outside! He planned to frame Holden for
the crime by making it look like the fire was an accident as a result of Holden
and Molly's fight, and he fled the scene, leaving a church filled with people
to inevitably burn to death.
Nice
guy, huh?
Now,
before I go on with this, I'll let all of you watch the church fire scenes as
they unfolded. As of right now, the
whole story arc spanning from November 20-24, 1997 are available on YouTube,
though the quality isn't the best.
Perhaps the episode that shows the fire at its most intense is the one
from November 21, and you can watch Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 by clicking on the numbers.
So,
the end result of the fire was quite devastating. A woman named Pamela was killed in the fire. Barbara Ryan lost her unborn child as a
result of the fire. Kim Hughes was
knocked unconscious by a falling beam and was comatose for weeks. And the Milltown Baptist Church was reduced
to ruins. And Teague thought that with
him dispatching Molly and framing Holden for the arson, he would get away scot
free.
There
were just a couple of things wrong with his plan. First, Molly didn't die.
She survived Teague's attack.
Unfortunately, she woke up blaming Holden for it all, but that's another
story. The fact is that Teague didn't
know that Molly didn't know that Teague had hit her, so that was one thing he
had to fear. But even more importantly,
Teague didn't realize that Molly's cousin Carly and Holden's cousin Jack were
hot on the case of trying to find out who really started the blaze. And in that quest to find the truth, Jack
and Carly ended up accidentally getting abducted by Teague and nearly froze to
death in the frosty February air because of it!
I suppose that in the end it was poetic justice that Teague met his end at the
hands of Ben Harris...the man who Teague had animosity towards from the very
beginning. When Ben and Lucinda Walsh
happened upon Teague's cabin and they found Teague holding Carly and a wounded
Jack hostage, Ben leapt into action and fought Teague one last time, ending
with Teague getting shot by Ben. Fortunately,
no charges were laid against Ben and Teague's final words only served to prove
that he was bigoted to the very end.
The
storyline wrapped up with the church being rebuilt, Jack working at the police
station to prove that there were decent, non-bigoted cops in Oakdale, and the
supercouple that would come to be known as "CarJack" was born. But once again, I really hate the word
supercouple, so let's just say that Jack and Carly fell in love and got
married...and then got divorced. And
then got remarried. And then got
divor...well, you get the picture.
At any rate, it was a brilliantly done storyline
for a soap opera to tackle - and one that seemed to be ahead of its time. With so many instances of hate crimes being
committed and linked to the police, it's certainly worth a revisit. In the case of Oakdale, Illinois, the
storyline was wrapped up within three months...but in the real world, it's most
definitely not the case.
I think the one thing we can agree on is that bigotry, racism, and prejudice
are things that are most definitely not welcome in the world, and I think every
single one of us needs to work harder to make sure that stays the case.
Previously onJem Reviewed, Shana left the Holograms to work for a super diva
named Liz Stratton, prompting Jem and the Holograms to find a new drummer. The contest prompted the Misfits to recruit
a new member themselves in the form of British sax player, Jetta. Meanwhile, two semi-finalists have emerged
to join Jem and the Holograms; the shy but sweet Raya, and Craig, who seems to
have a crush on Aja. But when Raya
finds out that Jem is really Jerrica Benton, she's faced with a moral
dilemma...especially when Eric Raymond is promising her anything she wants if
she'll reveal who Jem really is.
Fortunately, as we begin Episode 28 - The Talent
Search, Part 2
- Raya decides that she can't betray Jem's confidence and walks out on
Eric. Of course, she didn't really tell
Eric to go flock himself. Rather, she
says that she'll think about it. Seems
like there's a fighter inside of Raya waiting to get out, but for now that
fighter remains dormant.
At
Starlight Music the following day, Jerrica, Kimber, and Aja are talking about
the big contest which will feature Raya and Craig in a drum duel to determine
which one will win the chance to join the Holograms.The three of them wonder what Shana would think of this and they decide
to invite her to the drum duel.Whoa...way
to rub salt in the wounds, ladies!No
wonder Shana has to be the sensitive one!
Okay, okay...I get that they are doing it to make Shana feel that she is still
a part of their family, which is sweet.
But when Jerrica tries to talk to Shana on the phone, Shana is so busy
with trying to satisfy Ms. Stratton's eight hundred demands that Shana
unintentionally blows her off. Jerrica
shrugs her shoulders and tells Kimber and Aja that she's vurry busy, not
realizing just how much hell Shana is in.
And before you can say "The Devil Wears Prada", Liz Stratton is in
Shana's face about how her co-stars have better outfits than her, and she rips
Shana's designs in half right in front of Shana's shocked face. Liz then tells Shana to make her look better
than everyone because she's Liz Stratton and she's much better than the peons
she works with. Okay, she doesn't
exactly say this, but you know that's what she's thinking. And Shana's thinking that she made the
biggest mistake of her life.
It's another reused song. This time,
it's "Show Me The Way", originally seen in Episode 7. I said before that there is nothing wrong
with the song, but that it lacked a little oomph. I still feel that way about the song, but Shana's confusion over
taking the dream job that turned into a nightmare, and trying to find a way to
come back to the Holograms definitely illustrates the meaning of the song very
well. So far the repeat songs seem to
have better videos for Season 2 as they did with Season 1.
Let's
peek into Misfits Music now, where the Misfits are giving Eric grief over being
unable to convince Raya to spill her guts about Jem. But Eric hasn't given up.
His next target is Craig Phillips, and Eric is determined to make Craig
talk.
Conveniently,
Craig happens to walk into the offices of Misfits Music with Stormer. And if the blue hair on both of them isn't
any clue to the real relationship between Craig and Stormer, I don't know what
else I can do. Turns out that Craig
Phillips is Stormer's older brother.
And Craig volunteers that Stormer's real name is Mary! Yeah, Mary Phillips sounds like either a
folk singer or a member of a Motown group.
No wonder she adopted the stage name of Stormer!
Naturally,
Eric makes the same offer to Craig that he did with Raya the night before, but
Craig instantly tells him to flock off.
And besides, it's not as if Craig even knows Jem's identity anyway.
But
here's where things start to get a little bit mean. And it's new recruit Jetta that seems to get the ball rolling
when she manages to convince Pizzazz and Roxy to tell Stormer that if she
doesn't convince big brother Craig to help them, they will kick her out of the
Misfits. That is really cold. Honestly, Stormer should probably tell them
to flock off too. But Stormer's self-worth
is almost at rock bottom levels, so Stormer pathetically begs Craig to help
Eric. Because Craig loves his sister,
he reluctantly agrees. Okay, I'm gonna
say it. I hate Jetta. I love the actress who plays her, but I hate
Jetta.
Craig's
plan to get Jem's identity involves him going on a date with Aja jogging
through a park, and it seems as though a love connection has been made between
them. Craig admits his feelings for
Aja, and Aja tells Craig that she hopes that he wins (which kind of sucks for
Raya), and they share a moment.
Aw...isn't
that sweet. Well, at least it's sweet
until Craig starts hitting Aja up about who Jem really is. Aja, who is fiercely loyal to her band,
naturally refuses to tell Craig anything, and Craig nearly tells Aja to flock
off - but Aja surprises Craig by being understanding about it, and gently tells
Craig that she made a promise to Jem that she would never tell and she has to
honour it. Craig's temper fades, and
his heart melts into much over Aja's integrity, and the two of them play tonsil
hockey as swans swim underneath the bridge they're on. It's melodramatic, but how often does Aja
even get screentime let alone a love interest?
Aja's
integrity and compassion makes Craig so happy that he runs back to Eric's
office and tells him to flock off, informing him that he will NEVER help him
discover Jem's identity. This angers
Eric who is back to square one, and he makes the decision to try and work with
Raya once more. But he knows that Raya
is difficult to read and that one false move will scare her off forever.
But wait. Leave it to nasty Jetta to
come up with an evil plan. We don't
exactly know what that plan is yet, but it involves a lot of dosh (slang
term for money in the UK). And Pizzazz
and Roxy get a kick out of the fact that Jetta gets the dosh by pickpocketing
Eric! Yep, Jetta's a Misfit, all right.
While
Jetta's evil wheels of scheming are turning in her head, Jem and the Holograms
are gathered around a crowd of eager voters to watch the drum duel between
Craig and Raya. But of course, we can't
have a drum duel without a song to play along with. And I'll tell you...this season, the songs are definitely better.
It's
hard to determine whether Craig or Raya did the better job, but one thing I can
say is that "Beat This" is one hell of a song! I think the thing that is awesome about this
song is that it could also be sang by the Misfits with its lyrical content, but
yet Jem and the Holograms make this song all their own. That's a credit to Britta Phillips who
definitely shows her talent here. So
far, the music is a major improvement over Season 1. I hope this trend continues.
The
way the contest works is that everyone is given a ballot. They vote on which person they want to see
win. To prevent cheating, Jerrica has
arranged to have an independent ballot counting service come in to count every
vote, and the person with the most votes wins.
It's impossible to know which person did the best...but given that one
of the two finalists was made into a doll and the other one wasn't - well, that
should be a BIG clue.
While
the drum duel is going on, Jetta is meeting with some unsavoury characters on a
deserted Los Angeles city street. Armed
with Eric's cash, she bribes a local gang to do a task for her. She gives half the money to the gang now,
and will give them the other half when they provide proof that they did the
job. Uh-oh...this doesn't sound good.
The
group breaks into Alonso Nurseries and armed with baseball bats and other
assorted weapons, the group completely trash the place. Windows are smashed, flowers are uprooted,
topiaries are kicked (hmm, maybe they're related to Rio), and saplings are
squashed. Ah, so that's Jetta's
horrible plan. Destroy Raya's father's
business and scare Raya into taking Eric's offer and revealing Jem's secret so
that she can repair the damages. It's
cold, calculating, cruel...essentially, it's all Jetta. I get the feeling that not even Pizzazz and
Roxy would be that heartless. And
Stormer would outright stop this madness before it began. Jetta's pure sociopath. No wonder Roxy was right to be concerned!
Oh,
and for proof of their destruction? One
of the creeps picks up a rare black orchid and tells the others that she'll
love it. I'm sure we'll NEVER SEE THAT
ORCHID EVER AGAIN.
Daylight
falls and the damage to Alonso Nurseries is severe. Everything is completely destroyed and Papa Alonso is heartbroken
over the loss of his plants. It's so
heartbreaking to see Papa Alonso so hurt, and it only intensifies my hate of
Jetta even more. Raya is upset and
remarks that it will take a lot of money to fix all the damage, and she
remembers Eric's offer. Despite her
brother trying to get Raya to stick around, Raya makes the decision to take
Eric's offer in hopes that he will pay her enough to fix the damage that Jetta
was ultimately responsible for.
And
I am only guessing that Stormer has no clue what Jetta did because her main
concern is getting Craig to find out who Jem is. I'm assuming that the pair are at Stormer's house, which is on a
nice quiet street and looks nice and cozy!
Craig is confused as to why Stormer is not only determined to find out
Jem's identity, but why Stormer would allow herself to be taken advantage of by
the Misfits in the first place. Finally! Craig asks the
question that we've been wondering the last 27 episodes! Why would Stormer continue to stay with a
band that treats her like garbage?
Craig doesn't understand why Stormer insists that she would be nothing
without the Misfits - but then when Stormer tells Craig that the Misfits will
throw her out of the group if Craig doesn't discover Jem's secret, his big
brother instincts kick in, and he storms out of Stormer's house in an anger
filled beeline towards Misfits Music!
Craig
arrives at Misfits Music just as Raya is inside Eric's office about to accept
Eric's deal. And Craig happens to
overhear everything about how Raya's father's business was vandalized and how
she needs the money to fix it, and he hears Eric tell Raya that he will help
her if she tells him who Jem is. Craig
also happens to notice that Jetta is in the room wearing a gigantic flower in
her hair. A flower that happens to look
like a black orchid. I wonder if Raya
has noticed...
You
remember how I said that Raya had a fighter inside of her just waiting to come
out? At the sight of the black orchid
in Jetta's hair, Raya instantly grabs the orchid and tries to yank Jetta's hair
right out of her head! Raya is
absolutely pissed, and by all rights she has every right to be! Jetta is screaming in pain, but Raya refuses
to let go until Jetta confesses that she was the one responsible for destroying
her family business. Jetta relents and
Raya shoves her into Pizzazz and Roxy!
Okay, whereas I completely hate Jetta, I absolutely LOVE Raya! This girl can stay! To add insult to injury, Roxy snaps at Jetta
that her plan was a failure!
Raya
spews even more anger at Eric, telling him that she almost betrayed Jem, but
after seeing what kind of a slimeball he is, she will NEVER help him and that
he can flock himself! She storms out of
the office and past Craig, who by this point is ready to tear Eric apart
himself!
Instead,
he grabs a desk lamp and physically wraps it around Eric's neck!!! Wow, Season 2 of Jem is more intense than
the last season! Don't worry though,
Craig doesn't kill Eric. But Eric is so
frightened by Craig's temper that he is willing to give Craig anything he
wants. What Craig wants is lots of
money. Money that he plans to use
towards the repairs for Alonso Nurseries.
Craig
then sets his fury towards Pizzazz, Roxy, and Jetta, and angrily lets them know
that he thinks that they are garbage and that Stormer can do much better than
them, but also knows how much being a Misfit means to her, so he won't do
anything yet. But he angrily tears a
Misfit poster to shreds and warns them that if they hurt her in any way,
they'll have to answer to him. Now, I
don't think Craig would wrap a lamp around their necks as he actually does seem
to respect women, but he has made it perfectly clear that he won't tolerate
their abuse. And with that, Craig
leaves the building, making it clear that the Misfits can flock themselves.
But
not before running into Stormer, and reassuring her that everything is okay and
that he has made sure that nothing bad will happen. Amusingly, Eric, Pizzazz, Roxy, and Jetta are hiding behind a
doorway when Craig and Stormer are having their final conversation. Who's big and bad now, Misfits?
So,
with that, Craig makes a decision.
Knowing that he will end up going against his own sister's band if he
wins the contest, he announces that he is taking his name out of the running,
which devastates Aja. Aja wants to know
where Craig is going. Amusingly, Craig
announces that he is going back to Europe where he can avoid conflict. And, how many wars began in Europe over the
last two thousand years? Aja is about
to cry, but she understands Craig's decision, and gives him her scarf to
remember her by. But Raya is less than
happy, as it means that she will only win the contest by default. But Craig's final words in this episode are
directed to Raya, and he tells her that she has so much talent and heart to
share with the world and that Jem and the Holograms can help her a lot better
than they can help him.
Okay, can we keep Craig and kill off Rio?
Please?
So,
with Craig officially out of the contest, it's time to find out who would have
won. And well...let's just say that
Craig's decision to quit wouldn't have changed the outcome. Raya is the true winner of the contest and
she officially becomes the newest member of Jem and the Holograms! And while everyone in the crowd cheers the
new line-up for Jem and the Holograms, Papa Alonso cheers the loudest! Aw...I love Papa Alonso!
So,
Raya is now a Hologram. And right about
this time, Shana is really regretting walking away. After Liz Stratton once more spews her venom at Shana, Shana
finally remembers that she has a backbone and promptly tells Liz Stratton to
flock off, to choke on her opinions, and to strangle herself with orange
scarves! And the newly unemployed Shana
discusses her future with Anthony Julien and how uncertain it is. Anthony reminds Shana that she can always go
back to the band, but Shana figures that they've already picked their new
drummer and that they have no use for her any more.
Well,
she's right about the band choosing the new drummer, and as the press is
interviewing Kimber and Aja about the contest, a representative for the ballot
counting company approaches Jem looking for Jerrica to pay them. Jem ducks behind a curtain to do her
"Show's Over, Synergy" spiel, but when Raya sees a couple of
journalists approaching the curtain, she rushes towards Jem and warns her not
to change! Raya redirects the
journalists to another area of the room and Jem gives Raya a "what the
flock are you talking about" look.
In
a secluded area, Raya reveals to Jem, Kimber, and Aja that she has known that
Jem is really Jerrica Benton for several days now, and that she almost sold her
secret to Eric Raymond after Jetta arranged for her family's greenhouse to be
destroyed. Aja stares in silence -
still likely upset about Craig not being chosen - but she seems supportive of
Raya. And Kimber isn't shocked that
Eric would go to such lengths. But Jem
is very proud of Raya for not sharing the secret and reassures Raya that they
made the right choice in adding her to the band. Kimber even expresses delight over introducing Raya to
Synergy! Raya's just thrilled to be
accepted by the band, and I'm thrilled that a character with as much heart as
Raya is here to stay.
But
when the Holograms return to Starlight Mansion and see Anthony's car parked
outside, they are very confused. Jem,
Kimber, and Aja ask Anthony what's up and Anthony basically tells them that
Shana told Liz Stratton to flock herself.
The girls are thrilled by the news because apparently schadenfreude
isn't a part of their vocabulary. But
also they're thrilled because Shana can now come back to the group. Anthony reminds them that they said that
they didn't need her, but they tell Anthony that they only said this so that
Shana wouldn't give up on an opportunity and that they really miss her, which
causes Shana to come out of hiding and have a happy reunion with the rest of
the band.
Sadly, Raya doesn't see this happy reunion as being all that good news for her,
and she comes to the conclusion that being a member of Jem and the Holograms
for an hour is the best she can hope for.
She quietly leaves Starlight Mansion and goes back home where she is
happy to hear that Papa Alonso received an anonymous donation from a friend to
fix the damage to the nurseries. I'll
bet that friend was a man with blue hair named Craig.
Raya is sad though because with Shana rejoining the band, she feels that they
don't need her any longer. So, imagine
Raya's surprise when Jem, Kimber, Aja, Shana, and Rio arrive with their musical
instruments telling Raya that if their drummer didn't want to go to Starlight Mansion
that they would come to her instead.
Jem is insistent that Raya stay on as their drummer because they like
her and she's talented and she can rip flowers out of Jetta's head...oh,
wait. They didn't see that part.
Raya
is still unconvinced, but it's Shana who really brings her into the fold,
saying that now that Raya is their drummer, Shana can play the instrument that
she wanted to play in the first place, so all is right with the world.
And what a fitting note that the last song of the episode is a song called
"All's Right With The World".
Again, the song is fantastic, and I really have to say that it's a nice
video. It welcomes Raya to the band,
and I particularly love the scene in which Shana is the one to pull Raya onto
the train, as if she's giving her seal of approval to the fifth Hologram.
Okay,
seriously, if this is how Season 2 begins, I'm kind of looking forward to the
rest of it. Raya is a fantastic
addition to the Holograms, and I think she could bring some fire to the band
that can sometimes seem bland. Jetta is
an evil witch of a character, but fits in with the Misfits very well. And it's nice to see some characters get
more of a background story, and the Stormer/Craig story arc was very well done. The music has definitely improved from last
season, and all things considered, this two-part episode has very little wrong
with it.
Oh,
and your Jem Trivia for today? Raya is voiced by Linda Dangcil, whose
biggest role prior to Jem was on "The Flying Nun". Sadly, Dangcil passed away in 2009 at the
age of 67 from throat cancer.
Next
week, one of the Holograms in embroiled in a scandal! But, which one?
I'm not going to really tag anyone here, because I don't think anyone should be forced to do this activity. By all means, if you want to take part, I encourage it! But, I think that we all need a reminder of all the good things that we like about ourselves. Some may constitute this as a bragging note, but I personally see it as an exercise in building up self-esteem, and self-worth...an exercise that some people should do to remind themselves that they are important and that they do have worth in this world.
I'm going to come up with sixteen things that make me...well...me. Even more importantly, I'm going to give sixteen reasons why I'm a great person to know...and hopefully, it will inspire all of you to look deep within yourselves and find those qualities that you like best about yourself.
So, let's begin.
01. I've always been obsessed with colour, and I like the fact that I'm not afraid to show them off.
02. I'd like to believe that when it comes down to common sense, I have quite a bit of it.
03. I have my own home. More importantly, I saved up for the down payment for four years to achieve it. I don't believe in free rides.
04. Although I am not religious, I do believe in trying to show goodwill towards others because I truly believe that good wins over evil.
05. I've been informed that I have some of the neatest handwriting they have ever seen.
06. I can come up with song parodies as fast as Weird Al Yankovic.
07. I'm a great speller as long as I can avoid typographical errors.
08. I always give 100% at work...though sometimes I wish it were noticed more...but hey, don't we all feel that way?
09. I always follow my own path and try not to follow fads. I don't need to buy the latest TV, I don't need to be attached to a Blackberry, and I always keep my underwear completely under my slacks or jeans. It's called UNDERwear for a reason.
10. I initially appear shy when people first meet me, but once I get to know you, it amazes even me how much I open up. I'm just a little bit socially awkward.
11. I've never smoked a cigarette, dropped acid, or done any serious out of control drinking.
12. I can do Christmas shopping on a budget and still manage to pick out perfect gifts.
13. I'm a great writer. Or, so I'd like to think I am.
14. I am a firm believer in standing up for what you believe in, and I most definitely do this. Sometimes I don't even think of any repercussions that might come from it until after I say it, which can be impulsive...but again, I make no apologies given that I suppressed myself for too long in my youth.
15. I enjoy writing this blog...mainly because I feel I can get my real feelings out a lot better through written works than if I try to talk to people face to face.
16. Although it has taken me years to realize this...I have some awesome people in my life who will truly stand by me. The only thing I wish was that some of them were a lot closer to me, but I know that regardless of geographical location, that they'll always be there for me...and it makes me smile.