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Friday, June 16, 2017

Jem Reviewed: Episode 65 - A Father Should Be...

Say it isn't so!  This is the final Jem Reviewed post?  Wow...I can't believe I made it through the whole series.  I also can't believe that last episode I found myself liking Riot after thinking he was a complete jerknugget throughout Season 3.

And now here we are...the finale.  One that I think was sort of rushed.  You'll see why as we proceed...but at least this one will answer one mystery that has been ongoing since the latter half of season one.



This is Episode 65: A Father Should Be.  Hey, isn't that the name of the song Ba Nee sang during the Jem Jam?  I bet this episode features her prominently.



What do you know?  I was right.  Seems as though Jerrica is attending some open house at Ba Nee and Krissie's school.  Ba Nee's teacher proceeds to tell her nothing but good things about Ba Nee, and even shows off some of the artwork that she has done.



Okay, so all of the male characters have red hair.  That must be coincidence right?  Other than that, not bad for a kid.  She definitely was a better artist than I was.



However, Ba Nee isn't interested in hearing how well she's doing.  All she can do is stare at all the kids who have fathers and she suddenly bursts into tears right in the middle of the school.  Ba Nee tearfully tells Jerrica that she doesn't have a father and that all she wants is to have him come back.  It certainly breaks Jerrica's heart, but Ba Nee is supposedly an orphan.  Even if her father was alive, she wouldn't know how to find him.  Especially in 1988 where the Internet wasn't exactly readily available.



Ba Nee is moping in her room when Ashley and Krissie arrive to cheer her up with a nice slice of carrot cake.  Ba Nee is in no mood for sweets and tells both of them to leave.  Jerrica is absolutely stunned that Ba Nee didn't want the carrot cake.  To be honest, I agree with Ba Nee.  Carrot cake is an acquired taste.  At least it is for me.  I would much rather have devil's food even though it is no good for me.



Jerrica believes that she might have a way to cheer Ba Nee up.  She remembers that Randy James is in town working on a collaboration with the Stingers and she thinks that a visit from Randy might be just what Ba Nee needs.  If you recall, Randy was the guy who Ba Nee thought was her father and she nearly got eaten by a bear at the zoo trying to prove it in the "Jem Jam" episodes.  I hope you liked the "Jem Jam" episodes, because this episode seems to bring up a ton of references to them.



It doesn't take much convincing on Jerrica's part to get Randy to visit Ba Nee, and Randy is excited to see the girl who claimed that he was her daddy.  Yeah, I can't believe I just typed that sentence out either.  To Randy and Jerrica's shock, Ba Nee greets him somewhat coldly and bursts into tears about wanting her father.  Jerrica does try to comfort Ba Nee by singing a song about how a family can be made up of people who love you and that Ba Nee has a family that loves her.



Seriously, she sings a song called "Family Is" - the last original song by Jem and the Holograms.  And while the song is nice, I get the feeling that it misses the point that Ba Nee is trying to make.  Because as soon as the song stops, Ba Nee cries even harder and makes the admission that she knows that her father is alive and if she can't find him she doesn't want to live anymore!

Um...wow.  It's like Ba Nee just ripped Jerrica's heart out and stomped on it.  I mean, I get why Ba Nee is so upset, but she does realize that she has eleven adoptive sisters and five foster mothers who love her enough to get abused by the Misfits so she could see again.  It's another one of those "What the hell, Ba Nee" moments, but given how upset she is, I can't get mad.  It's so frustrating.



However, unselfish Jerrica does seem to be touched by Ba Nee, and she decides that she will try and find her father, if for no other reason than to give her peace of mind.  She gathers all the other Holograms around for a brainstorming session where Jerrica goes over all the information they know about her father.  They know that Ba Nee was born in Vietnam at the tail end of the Vietnam War.  Her mother's name was KeOH-ChinH (and yeah, I know I butchered the spelling), and she died shortly after she and Ba Nee immigrated to the United States.  All they know about Ba Nee's father was that he was a soldier in the war, his name was Martin, and that he had red hair.  Not much to go on.

However, one of the Holograms (I think it was Aja or Raya) comes up with the idea that since Ba Nee's father served in the army, maybe Riot could help.  After all, his father served for the army.  Perhaps he could get into a database for all soldiers who fought in the war.  Jerrica seems to think that's a great suggestion, but knows that she'll have to dress in her Jem outfit to make that happen.  Because as we know, Riot is as obsessed with Jem as he is with hair spray.



Riot is reluctant to help out at first, mainly because of his troubled history with his father...but admits in the same breath that it was because of Jem that they are talking to each other in the first place.  After Jem promises to give Riot a kiss (I'm surprised he didn't ask for more to be honest), he goes to talk to his father who is more than willing to help out his son with Jem's request.  Aw...it's nice to see that Riot has softened up a bit.  He's still obnoxious and arrogant, but his heart is in the right place.



Thanks to Riot, the Holograms have found three men who match the criteria in the search for Ba Nee's father.  The first man is Leonard Martin, who lives in Nebraska.  Jerrica sends Raya and Rio to meet him.  Kimber and Aja seek out Martin O'Carolan, whose address is unknown.  This leaves Jerrica and Shana to fly out to Las Vegas to meet up with Andy Martin.  Jerrica has hopes that one of them will turn out to be Ba Nee's father.



Right off the bat, Kimber and Aja are unsure of what to do first, since they have no current address for Martin O'Carolan.  Since they had heard that Martin might have undergone treatment for war injuries, they seek the help of his primary physician, Dr. Sakai.  At first, he plays the doctor-patient confidentiality card, but after convincing from Kimber and Aja and telling the doctor the story about Ba Nee, the doctor gives in and reveals that his address isn't that far away from Starlight Mansion.  He also warns Kimber and Aja that Martin was a prisoner of war, and sustained serious injuries.  One injury to his head caused him to lose all memory of the time he spent in Vietnam, so it could be difficult for him to remember.  But that's a chance that Kimber and Aja are willing to take.



Raya and Rio strike out in Nebraska where they discover that Leonard Martin is a paraplegic who works at an assembly plant.  It's implied in the conversation that there is no way that Leonard could be Ba Nee's father, and Raya and Rio agree...but my question is...how do they come to that conclusion?  I mean, unless it's implied that the accident that left Leonard paralyzed also left him sterile.  Alas, we'll never know as that's the one and only appearance Leonard makes.



And in Las Vegas, Shana and Jerrica arrive to see a scuzzy looking man with red hair gambling all of his money away at roulette, craps, and blackjack.  Ah, yes...we can't have a shot of Vegas without a compulsive gambler, can we?  Shana and Jerrica try to introduce themselves to Andy, but Andy is not interested and brushes them aside.  Shana and Jerrica are appalled, but Jerrica seems to notice that Andy is rubbing a picture of Jem, telling her to bring him luck.  I find that really creepy...but surprisingly, Jerrica thinks that could be the ticket to getting him to open up.  Okay, seriously, everything about this guy is a red flag.  Leave him be and go find another lead!



Back at Starlight Mansion, Ba Nee is still obsessed with finding her father, and she's sort of scaring Krissie a bit when she keeps drawing pictures of him...smoking a pipe.  Well, I guess in Ba Nee's eyes, you can't be a dad if you don't blow smoke out your mouth. 



And once more we're treated to the song that Ba Nee sang on the "Jem Jam" episodes - "A Father Should Be".  I don't mind though.  Of the three Starlight Girl songs sang on the Jem Jam shows, this one was the best.  But after Ba Nee sings the song, she bursts into tears, and all Krissie can do is comfort her and tell her that Jem will find him for her.  You know, I get that Krissie is trying to help, but if Jem comes up empty, that false promise would scar her even more.



Back in Las Vegas, after Synergy gives Jerrica a Jem makeover, it's enough for Andy to have a change of heart towards the two of them.  In fact, the very sight of Jem makes Andy actually blurt out that he is Ba Nee's father!  Um...wow?  Yeah, Shana looks just as confused about this bombshell revelation as I am.  And honestly, there should be a lot of red flags going up because all Andy seems to talk about is how rich Jem is and how famous she is, and he even butchers Ba Nee's name by calling her Bonnie.  Despite all this, Jem decides to fly the complete stranger home with her and Shana to meet Ba Nee because Jem has taken a whole bottle of stupid pills.  Seriously, this is the reason why this finale isn't as good as it could have been.



So, what about Kimber and Aja?  The address that the doctor gave them leads to a building with a sign reading "O'Carolan Gallery".  Ah, so Martin O'Carolan is an artist.  And a fairly good one too.  Martin O'Carolan is a handsome chap complete with red hair and a red beard, and he treats Kimber and Aja with charm and courtesy.  Unfortunately, Kimber is disappointed when Martin reveals that he is not Ba Nee's father...though his memory is still quite fuzzy from when he served in Vietnam.  As much as I hate to say it, Andy Martin seems like he really could be Ba Nee's dad.



At least until Aja alerts Kimber to a discovery she found hanging on Martin's wall.  It's a portrait of a young Vietnamese woman.  In fact, Kimber remarks that it looks a lot like Ba Nee, only grown up.  Very curious.  Kimber and Aja ask Martin who the woman is, but Martin has no idea.  He says that she keeps appearing to him in his dreams, but can't explain why this is the case as he still suffers from memory loss.  Still, this clue seems to be a huge one, and Kimber and Aja aren't ready to let Martin O'Carolan slip away.  They invite him to come to Starlight Mansion to meet with Ba Nee, and while Martin seems to dismiss their claim as being silly, he at least agrees to hear them out.  So, we have Andy Martin and Martin O'Carolan both on their way to Starlight Mansion.  Which one is going to arrive first?



Well, it looks as if it's going to be Andy Martin, who immediately runs towards Ba Nee and gives her what could be the creepiest hug ever.  I mean, seriously, even Shana comments on how horrible a man he is.  But Jem, still under the influence of stupid pills, insists that as long as Ba Nee is happy, that's all that matters.  Ba Nee wastes no time in showing Andy her room which has everything that a girl could ever want - and I can just see the dollar signs glowing more and more green with each item Ba Nee shows her "father".  And yes, I did put that word in quotation marks.



Now, to prove that Jem isn't entirely an idiot, she does try to ask Andy some follow up questions - especially after Andy accidentally calls Ba Nee "Betty".  Again, more red flags pop up, but Jem chooses to ignore them.  And when Andy refuses to answer any questions about Ba Nee's mother or where he was stationed in Vietnam, Jem grows even more frustrated.  Despite this, Jem decides to let Andy take Ba Nee for a car ride because Jem is as dumb as a box of rocks.

Jerrica Benton.  WORST. FOSTER. MOM. EVER.  THERE, I SAID IT!



Not more than ten minutes after Andy leaves with Ba Nee, Kimber and Aja arrive with Martin O'Carolan, who are excited to share with the rest of the Holograms their news.  But Jem responds that they already found Ba Nee's father, and that he's with Ba Nee right now - to which Aja smacks Jem across the face and calls her every name in the book.  Okay, that didn't happen - but it really should have.  Jem does offer to have Martin stay over for dinner, and Martin does accept graciously.  Personally, if Martin does end up being Ba Nee's father, I hope he tells Jem off.  I really do.



So, Andy brings Ba Nee to an old abandoned zoo, and immediately Ba Nee starts to get frightened.  When she starts sobbing, Andy screams at her to shut up which tells Ba Nee that this guy is NOT her father.  It's kind of sad that a preteen girl has more common sense and brain power than a 22-year-old woman who essentially has dual identity disorder.  Andy sneers that Ba Nee is correct.  He's NOT her father.  But she will be his meal ticket towards a better life for himself.  Oh, Jem...you done screwed up good this time.



Ba Nee tries to escape, but she is no match for Andy, and Andy locks her in an area of the zoo with a gigantic high wall that Ba Nee cannot climb up.  In fact, this looks EXACTLY like the bear pit that Ba Nee fell down when she tried to claim that Randy James was her father.  Wouldn't it be something if Ba Nee was at the same zoo and because of the accident involving the bear, the zoo was shut down for safety concerns?  Mind. Blown.  Kaboom.



Back at Starlight Mansion, Dummy...ahem...Jem, along with all of the other Holograms hear the story of Martin O'Carolan...or at least what he can remember.  As Martin finishes up his story, Jem receives a call from Andy who demands a million dollars in exchange for Ba Nee.  She can deliver the money to the abandoned zoo or else she'll never see the girl again.  Yep...Jem's really blown it now.  Fortunately, Martin decides that he will help Jem rescue Ba Nee.  Rio offers to tag along as well, but Martin tells him no, as too many people will cause Andy to flee or cause him to do harm to Ba Nee.  Rio looks like he might cry, but agrees that Martin just might be right.



Once Jem and Martin arrive at the zoo, he tells Jem to go ahead and try to stall Andy long enough for him to track down Ba Nee.  Once Ba Nee is found, he'll double back to assist Jem in apprehending Andy once and for all.  Despite the fact that the duo probably shouldn't stray too far as they don't know if Andy has a weapon, Jem decides it's a good idea.  Besides, she's already done enough to put Ba Nee in harm's way as it is.



And just in case you needed any more indication that Martin O'Carolan is Ba Nee's father, he conveniently has flashbacks to his days in Vietnam as he searches for Ba Nee.  We see him get shot by snipers in Vietnam, we see him meet a young woman, and we see him get nursed back to health by the same woman.  The woman of course is the same one in the portrait that Aja and Kimber discovered.



While Martin is having his flashback episodes, Andy confronts Jem and demands that she give him the money he was promised for Ba Nee's safe return.  Jem stands her ground and informs Andy that she has no money to give him, as all the funds are tied up with Starlight Mansion.  Andy calls Jem a liar, and Jem is beginning to really fear the man.  It's a very tense situation that JEM CAUSED mind you, but still...she must be frightened.



Meanwhile, Martin is having more flashbacks.  This time, he flashes back to his own wedding, where he marries the girl who saved him and nursed him back to health.  He remembers sending the woman to safety as bombs explode all around him.  And the last thing he remembers is getting knocked out by the enemy - right after he says "I'll find you...Keyo-Chinh".



Yep.  The man with the art gallery and beard is none other than Ba Nee's father.  And luckily for him, he has super sonic hearing, as he hears Ba Nee screaming from a ways away.  He arrives in time to see his daughter hanging from the wall and manages to catch her before she goes kersplut on the ground.  A tearful Ba Nee grabs Martin and holds him tightly, and Martin is relieved that his daughter is okay.  It is such a sweet moment.  Gimme a minute.  I need to find a Kleenex.



And I'm sure that Jem wants a can of pepper spray to get rid of Andy who chases her through the abandoned zoo.  At first, Jem seems to think that her stupidity has gotten her killed...at least until some lucidity comes back into her brain and realizes that Synergy can save her.  She gets Synergy to project the image of what I can consider to be a gorilla in heat, and it's realistic enough for Andy to run for his life!



Though Martin O'Carolan might be a far scarier sight than a holographic gorilla.  He physically grabs Andy by the scruff of his neck, blasts a glorious "The Reason You Suck" speech, and locks him in the monkey cage like a damn, dirty ape.  And when Jem asks if everyone is all right, Ba Nee remarks that she's fine now that her dad is back...and Martin responds that he is never going to go away again.  Awwww...where's that box of Kleenex?



So the final scene takes place at Starlight Mansion where a "Farewell, Ba Nee party is taking place.  It seems as though overnight, Martin O'Carolan has gotten a DNA test done, signed the birth certificate, won legal custody, and packed up all of Ba Nee's belongings for their new life together.  Boy, he wastes no time, does he?



The Stingers are there at the party, as I assume they made amends with each other following Jem helping Riot reconcile with his family.  Riot insists that Jem deliver on that kiss he was promised, and Jem responds by picking up Ba Nee and making her plant a kiss on Riot's cheek!  Heh...I guess Jem's stupid pills must have worn off.  That was actually pretty clever.  Luckily, Riot's not mad.



The party is somewhat interrupted by the arrival of Pizzazz, Roxy, Stormer, and Jetta, and everyone is shocked to see them there.  Jem even accuses Pizzazz of trying to start trouble.  But it's Stormer who explains the reason why they are there.  They heard that Ba Nee was moving away and they wanted to present her with some gifts to show how much they care.  Well, okay...maybe Roxy and Stormer had some gratitude to show her.  Pizzazz and Jetta...not so much. 



But hey, this ends with a truce between the Holograms and Misfits, so um...yay?  I really wish this was a two parter episode and that the Misfits would have helped Jem find Ba Nee's dad...but I guess this cameo appearance is enough.



It's time for Ba Nee to leave with her father, but Jem is feeling very sad.  Aja tries to talk to her, but Jem reveals that not once did Ba Nee ask to see Jerrica, and she's insecure that Jerrica didn't make as much of an impact on her as she thought.



At least that is until Ba Nee refuses to leave the party until she says goodbye to Jerrica.  With that, Jem changes back into Jerrica, gives Ba Nee a huge hug, and tells her that she'll always be her little girl.  Okay, I need another box of Kleenex now.  And Martin promises that he will bring Ba Nee back for visits with all of them very soon.  For now...this is farewell.  And I'll end this recap off with the final song featuring all of the talented vocalists who sang on this show for 65 episodes.



I can't believe that I made it through the whole series.  I can't believe it's really over.  I can't believe that Rio never discovered who Jem really was!  But hey, as rushed as the finale seemed, I did kind of enjoy it.  And, for a first, I have no Jem Trivia this episode.  I think I used all of it up!

So, stay tuned this Sunday, June 18th - appropriately enough on Father's Day - for my Season 3 recap, as well as my thoughts on the show overall.




Thanks for sticking with me the last 65 weeks!

Thursday, June 15, 2017

June 15, 2012

This week on the Throwback Thursday post, I'll admit that the length of time we're throwing back to is not very long ago.  However, I can say that at least it's an event that I witnessed along with millions of other people all over the world.

I'll get to that in a bit.  In the meantime, we're past the halfway point for the month of June.  Let's see what happened on this date in history.

1215 - King John of England puts his seal to the Magna Carta

1502 - On his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus arrives on the island of Martinique

1667 - Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys administers the first human blood transfusion

1752 - Though the date has not really been confirmed, it is around this time that Benjamin Franklin concludes that lightning is electricity

1836 - Arkansas becomes the twenty-fifth state to join the United States

1844 - Charles Goodyear receives the patent for vulcanization - leading to the process that strengthens rubber

1846 - The Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as much of the official border between Canada and the United States

1864 - Arlington National Cemetery is established

1896 - The deadliest tsunami in Japan's history strikes; 22,000 lose their lives

1916 - Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America

1920 - Sam the Record Man founder Sam Sniderman (d. 2012) is born in Toronto, Ontario

1921 - Bessie Coleman earns her pilot's license, making her the first female African-American pilot to accomplish this

1937 - Country singer Waylon Jennings (d. 2002) is born in Littlefield, Texas

1941 - Singer Harry Nilsson (d. 1994) is born in Brooklyn, New York

1944 - The Battle of Saipan takes place during World War II

1949 - Comedian/actor Jim Varney (d. 2000) is born in Lexington, Kentucky

1970 - The murder trial of Charles Manson begins

1978 - King Hussein of Jordan takes a bride - American born Lisa Halaby (who later becomes Queen Noor)

1984 - Composer and playwright Meredith Willson passes away at the age of 82

1985 - The Rembrandt painting "Danae" is vandalized by a mentally ill man, who throws acid on the canvas and stabs it twice - it would take over a decade for the painting to be restored

1996 - Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald passes away at the age of 79

2014 - Radio host and voice actor Casey Kasem dies at the age of 82

And the list of celebrities turning another year older are as follows; Nini Theilade, Richard Baker, Ruby Nash Garnett, Neal Adams, Muff Winwood, Noddy Holder, Simon Callow, Russell Hitchcock, Steve Walsh, Jim Belushi, Terri Gibbs, Polly Draper, Julie Hagerty, Wade Boggs, Eileen Davidson, Helen Hunt, Courteney Cox, Ice Cube, Leah Remini, Neil Patrick Harris, Laura Imbruglia, and Nadine Coyle.  A very happy birthday to all of you!

And now it's time for the trip back through time.  Let's see what date we will be spotlighting this week...



...Oh...June 15, 2012.  That was only five years ago.  Is this thing broken?

Nope.  It's just one of those rare instances in which the Throwback Thursday post just happens to be from the same decade we are currently experiencing.  And for me to choose a topic that happened so recently, you know it had to be one that everybody was talking about.

I know I remember where I was when I heard of it.

It was the night of June 15, right around 10:15pm, and I remember the time well, as the television at home was tuned into ABC that night.  Normally it's a station that I very rarely watch (at least I haven't watched the network since "The Mole" was cancelled), but I was glued to the tube that night because I wanted to see history being made.

The event took place not too far from where I live.  I'm just a few hours drive away from the community of Niagara Falls - which is considered to be one of the main tourist attractions in the province of Ontario.  The waterfall is one of the most majestic sights to see, and it has inspired many newly married people to get into the mood for romance and passion.

(And maybe the occasional person who has tried to go over the falls in a barrel.)

Of course, everyone knows that there are two different places named after the waterfall.  There's the Niagara Falls in Ontario, as well as the Niagara Falls in New York.  Of course, we Ontarians will be the first to tell you that the view of the falls from our side is much better.

But one man decided that he wanted to see both sides of the falls...in a way that nobody had ever attempted to do so before.  This prompted ABC to air live coverage of the event and millions of people all over the world to tune in to the event.



For June 15, 2012 was the night that Nik Wallenda would cross the length of the falls on a tightrope - the first (and only) time this had ever been done.

Now, doing death-defying stunts was nothing new for the then 33-year-old tightrope walker.  After all, he is a descendant of the famous Flying Wallendas family, a group of stunt performers known for doing wild, crazy, and dangerous stunts.  Perhaps nobody knew the risk of that more that the founder of the group, Karl Wallenda.  Having appeared in circuses since the age of six, Wallenda and his family became well known for doing all sorts of highwire tricks (without the use of a safety net), and he continued to perform right up to his death in 1978 when he fell off of a tightrope suspended between two buildings in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Nik Wallenda followed in the footsteps of Karl, and began working as a professional tightrope walker in 1992, at the age of thirteen.  Over the years, he managed to perform several impressive stunts, which included the following;

- Performing in the "Wheel of Steel" at selected Ringling Brothers performances during 2007 and 2008
- Rode a bicycle across a wire suspended from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on the Today Show in October 2008
- Participated in the Walk Across America tour throughout 2009, which saw him walking a tightrope suspended above or near American landmarks
- Rode a bicycle above a wire suspended above the ocean in the Bahamas in 2010; breaking a record for distance that he first set in 2008
- Walked between two buildings in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2011 with his mother to pay homage to his great-grandfather who died thirty-three years earlier performing the same stunt
- Performed a trapeze act while hanging from a helicopter over Branson, Missouri in 2011

My goodness, I get vertigo just typing out that list!  And to think that all of that was in preparation for the Niagara Falls crossing - a challenge that reportedly took over two years to prepare for.

You see, crossing Niagara Falls meant that Nik Wallenda was essentially crossing the border between Canada and the United States.  That meant that he had to get permission from both countries in order to have the stunt go through in the first place.  That was part of the reason why it took two years for the stunt to get approved.  Add to the fact that both the province of Ontario and New York State at that time had anti-stunting laws in effect, and it proved to be a challenge for Wallenda to even get permission to perform the stunt.

Fortunately for Wallenda, it was fairly easy to get that approval on the American side.  He met with New York senator George Maziarz to draft a bill that would give Wallenda a one-time exemption to the current law in place - a bill that was eventually signed by governor Andrew Cuomo in September 2011.

When it came time to get permission from the Canadian government, it proved to be more of a challenge.  Ontario's Niagara Parks Commission was opposed to Wallenda's stunt, and initially voted not to repeal their own set of anti-stunting laws.  Their worry was that other people would try to mimic Wallenda's stunt, or cause people to try their own dangerous acts around the falls (such as the dropping over the side of the falls in a barrel).  But when Wallenda pointed out the economic benefits of such a stunt and increased tourist dollars being piped into the Canadian economy as a result of the stunt, it managed to get everyone's attention.  In February 2012, the committee reversed the decision and allowed Wallenda to go ahead with the stunt - provided that he pay for his own rigging and commission costs.

Weeks before the walk was to take place, Wallenda practiced for the event.  He set up tightrope wires in the area and walked down the wire with fire trucks spraying water at him (to simulate the conditions that he would face from the rushing water of Niagara Falls.  However, the walk was nearly cancelled on June 4, when the American permits were delayed and the American park officials had claimed that they hadn't been paid.  It was dicey towards the end of the planning, but eventually everything was smoothed out via a wire transfer via ABC (the network airing the coverage), and the date was set for June 15.

When you account for the number of people who watched the event live from both sides of Niagara Falls, there were easily 150,000 people there to cheer him on with millions more watching live on ABC - the actual number of viewers is difficult to pinpoint, but it was estimated that over thirteen million viewers watched the stunt live.

And to end this blog off, let's watch that moment as it took place five years ago...starting from the American side and ending in Canada.



And no...I would NEVER do this!!!

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

"Perfection" for Dummies? I Think NOT...

About two weeks ago, I took part in a charity fundraiser for a children's hospital in the area, where all of the money raised would be donated to said hospital.  I have to say that it was definitely a great experience to take part in it, and the group of people that I worked with in planning some of the events for the fundraising extravaganza were phenomenal.  I don't exactly know what our final total is, but last I heard, we were almost at twenty thousand dollars raised.  Not a bad chunk of change!

Anyway, one of the events that I took part in was a fun day of sorts, where we hosted a barbecue for the employees and their families, we sold candy kebabs, we had face painting and a photo booth, and we had all sorts of carnival games for the kids to play for the chance to win some prizes.  My responsibility was to set up the games area and to try and make it as fun as possible.

I knew that we already had some games set aside for the event (lawn tic-tac-toe, lawn bowling, etc), but I wanted to bring in a couple of my own games to try and make it a more fun experience.  I tried looking for "Toss Across", but I couldn't find it (and we already had a tic-tac-toe game anyway).  I brought in my Jenga game where all the kids had to do was remove five wooden pegs without knocking the tower down for a prize, which proved to be more challenging than they thought!

And, I thought that I would buy a cheap game from the toy department to add to the fun.  Looking around the board game section, the game that was the cheapest and easiest to play was the game "Perfection".  I know I liked playing it when I was a kid, and I knew that it would be a bit of a challenge for younger kids, so I went with it.

At least...I THOUGHT it was challenging.  Take a look at the version I bought.



And now have a look at the version that I played with.



Do you not think that the new "Perfection" seems to be insanely easy compared to the old "Perfection"?  When I took it out of the box to set it up, I actually burst into laughter and exclaimed "What is this?  Perfection for Dummies?"

I mean, at least when I was a kid, "Perfection" was quite a challenging and anxiety inducing game.  You had a set time limit of a minute to try and put twenty-five different shapes into the grid of holes that are presented to you.  It is definitely a lot harder than you think it is because some shapes tend to be more difficult to squeeze in than others.  And with the constant ticking of the clock causing your brain to short-circuit, it doesn't take long for the game board to pop up, pelting you with yellow plastic pieces and suffering a heart attack in the process.  



And don't even get me started on "Superfection", which combined the game of "Perfection" with a jigsaw puzzle.  Extra pieces, same time limit, double the stress levels.  No wonder I gave the game away not long after having it!

It was such a rush to play that game, but it was fun.  And challenging.

Try doing the same thing with sixteen fewer pieces.  It's not nearly as much fun, and honestly, I could put the game together before the clock stopped with a good forty seconds left.  Somehow the good people of Hasbro found a way to dumb the game down so much that it's become a snoozefest to play.

I suppose there could be a number of factors behind this.  Maybe it's more cost-efficient to make the games with fewer pieces, or maybe someone decided that they could fit more on the shelf by making it smaller.  But I sincerely hope that the reason for the "bite-sized" version of "Perfection" isn't to purposely dumb the game down so that it would be easier for kids to play and make them win more, because if that is the case, I call shenanigans.

There is nothing that angers me more than when people purposely dumb down games and activities so that more people can win at them.  To me, it's the same thing as giving every child at a sporting event a participation ribbon.  It cheapens the value of winning and it ultimately damages the child into thinking that all they have to do is show up and they'll get an instant reward.

Yes, yes...I know what you're saying.  Didn't you just state that you had a Jenga game present at the fundraising event where all the kids had to do was pull five blocks out?  Yes, this is true.  But that was because the event was being hosted for a limited time only.  If I had all day, I gladly would have had a one-on-one Jenga duel where if they beat me, they'd win a prize.

Besides, I don't really have a problem with parents or teachers changing the rules of the game to match the skill level of their child.  I would think they would know what level their child is learning at, and can make the necessary changes to help their child learn while still having fun.



But when toy companies automatically make their games super easy so that the games can produce more winners, I find that to be quite shameful.  We've already had enough examples of television shows and computer games that have given young children a whole bunch of mixed messages.  I mean, just Google the phrase "online games for girls", and there is a huge assortment of games that are extremely sexist and are quite offensive.  And many of these games treat women as if they are braindead.  This annoys the hell out of me, and I'm a guy! 



And it's not just girls that get targeted with this.  The fact that it took decades for the Easy-Bake Oven to be declared a unisex toy is maddening!  Are they saying that guys can't cook?  Try telling that to Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, and Jamie Oliver!

And don't even get me started on common core math.  It's the most uncommon way to teach math, and it only serves to confuse people even more.

Instead of making society dumber, why not celebrate intelligence, and challenges, and using brain power to make the world better?

I say stop dumbing down "Perfection" and other toys for girls and boys.  Make it more challenging.  I guarantee you...it'll be more rewarding in the long run.

Friday, June 09, 2017

Jem Reviewed: Episode 64 - Riot's Hope


Previously on Jem Reviewed, we saw Minx undergo a personality change after Rio saved her from drowning.  Thankfully, she reverted back to her "charming" anti-American brat personality by the end of the episode.

I can't believe that this is the penultimate episode of Jem.  I didn't think I'd make it through to almost the end.  I also can't believe that this episode is all about Riot, who up to this point has been a very nauseating character.  But hey, we have to have one in every show, don't we?



This is Episode 64: Riot's Hope.  It's a play on words as there was actually a soap opera called "Ryan's Hope" that aired from 1975-1989.  And the plot of this episode is one that could be featured in a soap opera.



Before we get into that, we have to watch the intro of the episode which features a rather angry middle-aged man and his timid wife lounging at a patio set next to a swimming pool.  Before I get to thinking that this is Jem and Rio in the year 2017, we learn that this couple are Mr. and Mrs. Llewellyn.  Otherwise known as the couple that brought Riot into this world.  We don't learn Mr. Llewellyn's first name, but his wife is named Mildred.  And we know from "The Stingers Hit Town" that Riot's real name is Rory.

And since we're talking about real names, in this edition of
Jem Trivia, I have some info about the other two Stingers.  Though they are never revealed on the show, the Jem Bible states that Minx's real name is Ingrid Kruger, and Rapture's is Phoebe Ashe.  Now you know.  And frankly, Riot, Minx, and Rapture are better rock names than Rory, Ingrid, and Phoebe.



Riot has dropped by the Llewellyn household to pay his parents a visit, and Riot's mother is overjoyed to see him.  Aw.  Riot's even brought his mother a gift - a copy of the Stingers' debut album.  



But while Riot's mother is happy that he is back in town, Riot's father isn't so much.  Ironically, he launches into a riot about how disappointed he is in his son and how he is not welcome there.  Wow, that escalated quickly.  Riot's mother tries to diffuse the situation, but Riot and his father are at complete loggerheads with each other.  The fight ends with Riot's dad taking the album and throwing it in the swimming pool, which Riot takes as his cue to leave.  He says a sad farewell to his mother and departs from the house.



At the same time, Riot's mother is furious that her husband would just let him leave, and Riot's father is upset that Riot came back in the first place.  I get the feeling that something really big happened between the two, but we don't find out what it is because Mrs. Llewellyn passes out on the patio!  Oh my god, they KILLED her!  Well, not really.  But she's not well at all, and Mr. Llewellyn quickly dispatches an ambulance.



Later that night, the Stingers are throwing a rooftop party celebrating their success.  I can only assume that at this point Riot doesn't know about what happened, as he surely would have cancelled the bash.  Interestingly enough, Riot has asked Jem and the Holograms to be guests at the party, and all five of them are talking in the elevator to the roof of Stingers Sound.  Aja seems to think that the Stingers just want to rub their success in their faces, but Jem seems to believe that the Stingers genuinely want to share their success with them.  



Of course, Kimber can't resist poking fun at Jem by mentioning that she still gets red in the face whenever Riot's name is mentioned, and Jem responds by telling Kimber that she's wrong...as her face turns as red as Kimber's hair.



It's a who's who of celebrity guests at the Stingers' party - minus the Misfits who weren't invited.  Or maybe they were but they chose not to come as the Stingers essentially took their place both in the music industry and on Jem itself!  But Riot is not having a good time at all.  In fact, he barely greets Jem with a hello because he's so down.  Normally, Riot would plant a big wet one on her.  This is very out of character for him.



It's a good time to hear a song about it.  The song "Take It Or Leave It" is the only repeat song by the Stingers.  If you recall, the song was first heard in Episode 55.  The use here is just as good though.  And as the song concludes, an uninvited guest crashes the party and bops Riot one square in the jaw upsetting the punch bowl!



Riot's dad is the uninvited guest and he flat out accuses Riot of causing his mother to collapse and be hospitalized!  Wow, talk about escalation!  Riot has no idea what he is talking about but seems to really respond badly to the fact that his mother is ill.  Riot wants to see her, but Riot's dad basically tells him that he is not allowed anywhere near her before being thrown out by security.  Told you this episode was like a soap opera!  It's interesting to note that Riot's dad is in full army gear - something that you should make a note of for later.  It answers part of the reason why the feud between father and son erupted in the first place.



Jem, Minx, and Rapture run to Riot's side, and Rapture is shocked that Riot even has a father.  I'm guessing Rapture must have slept through the "how babies are born" part in sex education class.  Riot is visibly crestfallen and wants to leave.  Jem offers to take him to the hospital to visit his mother, and Riot agrees.  The other Stingers don't seem to mind, and I get the feeling that even though they can come across as being jerks, the Stingers have a secret admiration for Jem and the Holograms - even if they don't want to admit it.



As Riot sits down by his mother's bedside, Jem tells him that she will wait for him at a nearby coffee shop.  When she arrives, she sees Riot's dad sitting down and tries to get him to talk about his relationship with Riot.  Riot's father is filled with rage over Riot, and doesn't say too much about it.  Just that he had a dream that he would have the perfect family in the perfect home, with a perfect white picket fence...but that dream ended when Riot did something that he did not approve of, and he cut him out of his life ever since.  What did Riot do?  Rob a bank?  Kill an elderly woman?  Threw a Milky Way chocolate bar wrapper in the middle of the street?  I just can't imagine any father disowning their son.



Seeing as how she won't get any info from him, Jem decides to talk with Riot and offers to drive him home.  I should also note that Riot's place is actually quite nice, and surprisingly humble for a rock star - well, minus the Stingers posters, of course.  Riot hands Jem a drink and asks her if she was close with her father.  Given that if it wasn't for her father, Jem would not exist, Jem emphatically says that yes, she and her father were extremely close.  Riot goes "that's good, because me and my dad hate each other."



It all started when Riot was six years old.  Apparently his mother was a music lover and she was determined to teach Riot to appreciate music too.  She tried to teach him how to play the piano and Riot fell in love with the art of music.



Too bad Riot's father didn't share that same enthusiasm.  He yells at Riot, tells him that music is for "sissies" and spanks Riot enough so that he bursts into tears.  Man, Mr. Llewellyn is a grade-A jerk, huh?



It doesn't change much when Riot becomes older.  In his teen years, he is given a gift of a guitar from his mother - only for his father to smash it to pieces when he learns that Riot has been wasting his time playing music.  Okay, I'm starting to see why Riot hates his father.  Riot explains that music was the only constant that he had, as his father's role in the army meant that his family moved around a lot, and he never really had the chance to make long lasting friends.  This might explain why he comes across as a sociopath sometimes.



Jem is saddened that Riot went through so much, and I have to admit, I'm feeling bad for him too.  Riot explains as he builds a fire in the fireplace that he always wanted to get his father to accept him.  And since his father was proud of his service in the army, he decided that the moment he turned eighteen he would enlist in the services.  



Bet you never thought you'd see Riot with short hair, huh?  Riot tried to make the best of it, but he genuinely hated being in the service.  He desperately wanted to spend his time making music, but felt obligated to stay in the services to please his father.  Ah, the whole "let's sacrifice my dreams so that others can live theirs" spiel.  I know it all too well.



It wasn't until Riot was stationed in West Germany that his life began to change.  When he was on leave, he frequented a music club that hosted a band named - wait for it - Nirvana.  Gee, that name rings a huge bell.  And get a look at the synthesizer player.  Yes, that happens to be Ingrid "Minx" Kruger herself.  Interesting that she came from an entirely different band. 



Well, one night, Riot was witness to a fight between Nirvana's lead singer, Jerry, and the guitar player.  The fight ends with the guitar player quitting the band right before Nirvana is supposed to play their gig.  Riot volunteers to take the guitarist's place, which Jerry outright opposes as it's HIS band, and HE can decide who he wants in it.  Minx defends Riot and wants to hear him play - in which Riot manages to play a guitar solo so awesome that even Jerry is impressed.  It's also here that Riot adopts his stage name.  It's a nice tale, but we're still quite a ways away from how the Stingers' were formed.



Riot explains to Jem that he made the decision to tour Europe with Nirvana and for the next six months, Riot had the time of his life.  At least until the band returned to Germany and Riot was promptly arrested!  Seems as though Riot had deserted the army and went AWOL which was very bad indeed.  Riot managed to avoid still penalties, but he was given a dishonorable discharge and was barred from enlisting again.  Of course, Riot hated the army anyway so it was no skin off his nose.



But to his high-ranking army father, it was the greatest sin that he could ever have committed, and that was the day that his father disowned his son for good and told him never to come back again.  The fight happened five years earlier, and it left both Mrs. Llewellyn and Riot broken hearted.  But Riot knew that he made the right decision, and when he went back to Europe, he rejoined Nirvana and the band played together in perfect...ahem...nirvana, so to speak.



At least that is until Riot started clashing with Jerry, and Riot began to feel that he was BETTER than Jerry!  Ah, there's that Riot personality shining through!  Jerry responds by kicking him out of Nirvana, but doesn't count on Minx abandoning him to join Riot in starting his own band.  Jerry is very upset...but don't feel so bad.  I heard that he recruited some new guys in time for the grunge movement and by 1991, they were releasing a lot of new songs that had everyone smelling like Teen Spirit.  Or, so I heard anyway.



In the meantime, Riot and Minx began their own group called the Stingers.  Riot's old pal from America, Phoebe "Rapture" Ashe joined the band not long after, and Riot tells Jem that the first year the band was together was a rough one.  



The story is told through the song "It's A Hard, Hard Life" - which coincidentally is my favourite Stingers song.  It shows how the band played on the cold and frozen streets of various European cities for pocket change, and how despite the odds being against them, they developed a following and quickly became one of Europe's greatest success stories.  I also must say that this song also helps me understand why the Stingers have such an attitude when it comes to success.  They legitimately worked hard for it unlike a particular group that only achieved success through a computer named Synergy.  Not that I'm accusing anyone, of course.



And that success pays off, as the last flashback scene shows Minx informing Riot and Rapture that they are about to make their debut at Le Klub Kool in Los Angeles, California - which you might recall was shown in the Stingers' debut episode!  



After Riot concludes his story, Jem is completely on his side.  She tells Riot that she understands him now more than ever before, and Riot seems relieved that he could finally tell someone about all that he went through.  Jem encourages Riot to try and make peace with both of his parents - especially now that his mother is in the hospital, and Riot reluctantly decides that he has to pay his mother one more visit.



And initially, it appears as though Mrs. Llewellyn is doing better, as she's awake and alert and speaking with her husband.  The doctor states that all she needs is a few days of rest and she should be good as new.  But when Riot and Jem arrive at the hospital to visit, Riot's dad immediately launches into a verbal sparring match with his son right in front of his wife!



Unfortunately, the battle between father and son is so intense that Mrs. Llewellyn's heart cannot take it and she FLATLINES RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT!  Now look what the Llewellyn boys have done!



The doctor manages to resuscitate Mrs. Llewellyn back to the land of the living, but angrily throws both of them out of the hospital.  Because when your argument nearly kills a patient, you know that's one intense fight.  Of course, once they leave the hospital, father and son are still at it with both of them accusing the other one of hurting Mrs. Llewellyn.  Jem is visibly frustrated and tells both of them to shut up, but neither man will listen.  It's like trying to referee toddlers with these two!



At Starlight Mansion, Jem is upset that the fight between Riot and his father is still on, and she believes that both men are the reason why Mrs. Llewellyn is doing so poorly.  Raya points out that if Jem could speak to Riot's mother, maybe she could find out how to mediate the situation better, and this causes Jem to come up with a great idea.



She uses Synergy to disguise herself as a nurse so she can gain access to Riot's mother's room, and even though the pink hair and JemStar earrings are a dead giveaway, Jem manages to sneak in without any suspicion.  She sits down by Mrs. Llewellyn and takes care of her as she babbles on about being tired.  Tired of all of the fighting between both her husband and son, and how all she wants to do is take a really long rest.  I'm guessing that Mrs. Llewellyn is dying of a broken heart and all it will take is one more fight and she could die.  And of course, Jem wouldn't want that. 

You know, I've given Jem a lot of flak for being selfish - and rightfully so, might I add.  But this episode is one that really makes me realize that Jem truly does have great intentions, and that maybe she's not so bad.  Heck, I'm actually thinking that Jem and Riot would make a great couple - and NOT because they are narcissistic snobs.  They really do bring out the best in each other - whereas all Rio does is make Jerrica hide her true self.  It's definitely got me thinking about what to write in my recap for the final season.



So Jem begins the quest to reunite father and son by visiting Mr. Llewellyn at home, and interestingly when Jem arrives, the man is looking at the album of the Stingers that he threw in the pool the day his wife became ill.  Jem tries to talk to him, but Riot's dad won't hear of it.  He calls his son selfish for abandoning the service to waste his life playing music and doesn't call it much of a life.  It's here that Jem impresses me even more by defending Riot's choice.  She says that Riot is one of the finest musicians in the world, and he got there by playing for pennies in the streets of Europe.  She tells him that Riot worked hard for all of the success he shares now, and that if he would just go to one of his concerts, he'd see just how much of a success he is.  I don't know if she got through to him, but as she leaves, he's incredibly silent.



Later on, she goes to visit Riot and tells him about the discussion that she had with his father, and Riot is initially pissed that Jem would interfere.  But Jem simply tells him that he has to trust her.  Riot has an incredibly puzzled look on his face as Jem leaves.  What is she planning?



Apparently, Jem's plan is simple.  Get Riot's dad to see him in concert, and have him judge Riot for himself.  Riot's father comes to the show dressed like a soldier going into battle - making him look totally out of place compared to the rest of the crowd!  Luckily, the guy sitting next to him doesn't mind at all, and he tells him all about how wonderful the band is and how Riot is the best part of it all.  Wow, that had to make Mr. Llewellyn's heart strings tug a little bit.



And by the time the Stingers hit the stage, we see one of the most emotional songs ever performed on the series.  Okay, so the music video imagery is incredibly cheesy - but then again weren't most music videos in the 1980s a little bit cheesy?  The song "Let Me Be" is certainly a song that could best be written and performed by a son who wants to stand up to his overbearing father and to live the life he wants for himself.  I'm not sure if Gordon Grody ever had those feelings himself, but his performance as Riot's singing voice is excellent. 



After the show ends, Riot's father tries to go backstage to see his son, but is stopped by security.  Mr. Llewellyn tries to explain that he's Riot's dad, but the security guard doesn't believe him and says that Madonna is his sister.  Snarky...but then again, doesn't Madonna have like nine siblings?  It could be possible!



Of course, Jem vouches for him and leads him to the Stingers' dressing room where Riot is stunned to see him there.  It takes a little bit of small talk to get the ball rolling, but Riot's dad admits that Riot was amazing on stage and he understands why he followed that path that he did.  Riot in turn explains that he didn't mean to hurt anybody, but he wanted to have the freedom to make his own way in the world.  It has taken five years, but both Llewellyn men have seemingly come to terms with each other, and realize that they have one final thing that they have to do.



And with Jem happily watching along the sidelines, both Riot and his father make a plea to Mrs. Llewellyn that the feud between them is over and that their main concern is making sure that she gets well.  The show ends with a warm embrace by the Llewellyn family and an admitted change of heart from this blogger.

When the Stingers first came on, I saw them as arrogant, mean, hateful schemers who had no concept of real love.  That, plus they demoted the Misfits to background extras which I felt was unnecessary.  This episode changed my opinion completely.  At least, when it comes to Riot.  There's always going to be that side of Riot that is smarmy and cocky, but that comes from the fact that he enjoyed success too quickly...before he had a chance to really be humbled by it.  But as we can see, he also had a troubled childhood - one that he managed to overcome with the love of his friends, his mother, and the faith he had in himself.  That has to be respected.  So, I no longer hate Riot.  Truth is, after this episode, he has moved up on my like list a lot.



And that marks the end of Episode 64.  Next week is the finale of the series, and while there are some questions that remain unanswered...we at least see the resolution of one loose end.