I
know it seems like it's been a while since I last wrote in this space. The truth is that I've felt mentally
exhausted for a few days now. At first
I thought it was all of the Jem episodes that I reviewed. To this day, I can't hear the word Jem
without adding in "is truly outrageous, truly truly truly
outrageous". I know. I'm sick.
Help me.
But
it's a lot less complex than that. I'm
just a little burned out on writing, and I feel as though I have a case of
writer's block so huge that I don't think the largest chisel in the world could
break through it.
I've had quite a lot of things going on in my mind right now...and I want to be
able to share that with all of you. But
I don't think today's the right day to do that. For one, I don't even know what the heck is causing the writer's
block. Maybe it's the fact that I've
been writing in this blog for six years and have simply run out of stories to
tell. Maybe I fear that I am repeating
myself and unintentionally writing three blogs on the same subject.
Or
maybe the cause is much deeper and psychologically based and I need to stare at
seventy-seven different ink blots before I can come up with a subject to talk
about.
I
definitely don't think it is a lack of interest in writing. As much as I have struggled to come up with
topics, I still have the desire to write every single day. I just think that like many of us, I need
structure in this blog (and life in general).
I seemed to have no problems writing when I was doing the cartoon
reviews every Friday, or Throwback Thursday posts, or even the Christmas advent
calendar every December.
(I know...December is one of the busiest and most stressful months of the year,
and yet it seems to be the only month where I can actually do a blog entry
every day! My brain works in strange
ways.)
So,
while I continue to try and implement some more structure in this blog, I ask
that you please be patient with me. I
know that the Throwback Thursday posts will at least continue on, so you have
one day out of the week where I will write at least something down. But bear with me here. I'm sure this writer's block will pass at
some point.
In the meantime, if any of you have any ideas
for this blog, or suggestions for theme days, send them to me. Maybe you'll help re-spark my creativity!
Welcome
to another edition of the Throwback Thursday post. And this week's entry might seem a little
out of the way considering the range of other topics I could have chosen. Why I went with the selection I chose for
today is because of the story behind this event - as tragic as it may be.
We'll get to that in a moment, but for now, have a look at some of the other
things that happened on June 22 throughout history.
1774 - The Quebec Act is passed by the British
1807 - British warship HMS Leonard attacks and
boards the American frigate USS Chesapeake
1813 - Laura Secord sets out on a journey
spanning thirty kilometers to warn Lieutenant James FitzGibbon about an
upcoming attack by the Americans on Beaver Dams in Ontario
1825 - Feudalism and the seigneurial system
system is abolished in British North America by British parliament
1870 - U.S. Congress creates the United States
Department of Justice
1906 - The Swedish flag is adopted
1911 - George V and Mary of Teck are crowned King
and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
1922 - Fashion designer Bill Blass (d. 2002) is
born in Fort Wayne, Indiana
1928 - Actor Ralph Waite (d. 2014) is born in
White Plains, New York
1941 - Journalist Ed Bradley (d. 2006) is born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1942 - The Pledge of Allegiance is formally
adopted by U.S. Congress
1944 - The G.I. Bill is signed by Franklin D.
Roosevelt
1945 - The Battle of Okinawa concludes
1954 - Actor Freddie Prinze (d. 1977) is born in
New York, New York
1969 - Singer/actress Judy Garland dies at the
age of 47
1978 - Race car driver Dan Wheldon (d. 2011) is
born in Emberton, Buckinghamshire, England
1984 - Virgin Atlantic Airways launches its first
flight from Heathrow International Airport
1986 - Diego Maradona scores the controversial
"Hand of God" goal during the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA Cup
1987 - Actor/singer/dancer Fred Astaire passes
away at the age of 88
1990 - Checkpoint Charlie is dismantled in Berlin
2004 - Mattie Stepanek, the child author of the
Heartsongs poetry books, dies at the age of 13
2008 - Comedian George Carlin dies at the age of
71
2009 - Nine people are killed when a Washington
D.C. Metro train collides with another train parked outside of a train station
2012 - President of Paraguay Fernando Lugo is
impeached
2015 - The Afghan National Assembly building is
attacked by gunmen following a suicide bombing; 18 people are injured and all
six gunmen are dispatched
And
for celebrity birthdays, I'm not going to lie...we have a ton of them
today! A very happy birthday goes out
to George Englund, John Cunningham, Prunella Scales, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Blackwell, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Peter Asher, Howard Kaylan, Todd Rundgren, Larry Junstrom, Alan Osmond, Meryl Streep, Lindsay Wagner, Elizabeth Warren, Christine L. Tudor, Graham Greene, Cyndi Lauper, Green Gartside, Tim Russ, Garry Gary Beers, Bruce Campbell, Erin Brockovich, Tracy Pollan, Jimmy Somerville, Clyde Drexler, Amy Brenneman, Emmanuelle Seigner, Steven Page, Kurt Warner, Carson Daly, Champ Bailey, Stephanie Jacobsen, Dustin Johnson, and Lara Bingle.
Wow...that is a LOT of celebrity birthdays, don't you think?
So,
given everything that happened on June 22, I think I had a lot of possible
topic choices to pick from. But when it
came to making my decision, I wanted to choose a topic that not a lot of people
knew about.
And
the date that this event happened was ninety-nine years ago today on June 22, 1918. And I warn you ahead of
time. This tale doesn't have a very
happy ending. Despite that, it is a
story that should be told, and I admit that I came up with the idea to choose
this topic based on a recent event.
By
now I am sure that you've heard that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Circus has entertained its final audience.
The circus hosted its final performance in May 2017. I seem to recall that not long after its
final performance, a friend of mine posted a photo on their social media page
which depicted the remnants of the circus heading towards its final destination
by train. It certainly is a bittersweet
moment because I can remember being very entertained by the circus and liking
most of the acts performed there. I
wasn't too fond of the acts that featured animals, and truth be told, any of
the circuses that featured only human performers were ones I liked better. But still, it's sad to say farewell to an
institution that lasted nearly a hundred and fifty years.
At
least in that case, the circus performers put on their final show and
presumably went their separate ways.
Unfortunately back in 1918, a train loaded with circus performers didn't
end up with such a happy ending. In
fact, for some of the people aboard the train, it would be the last day that
they would ever be seen alive.
This is the story of the Hammond Circus Train Wreck - a train disaster that
killed at least eighty-six people and wounded over a hundred more.
At
the time of the accident, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus was the second largest
circus operating within the United States (Ringling Bros. and Barnum &
Bailey was the largest), and in 1918, the circus was well on its way to having
another successful year. On June 22,
1918, the train was on its way to its next performance in the city of Hammond,
Indiana. A total of four hundred circus
performers were aboard the twenty-six car train, and it was expected that they
would arrive at their destination as scheduled.
Unfortunately, that train would not make it.
In the early morning hours of June 22, 1918 at around four in the morning, a second
train being driven by Alonzo Sargent was heading on the same track as the
circus train in the same direction by directly behind. And by all accounts, Sargent was in no
condition to be manning the controls.
It was reported that Sargent was extremely sleep deprived prior to
boarding the train, and had hardly gotten any rest in the twenty-four hours
prior. Combine the sleep deprivation
with the kidney pills that he was taking at the time, and you have a combination
for instant sleepiness. Sargent had
fallen asleep in front of the controls, and by the time he woke up and realized
what was happening, it was already too late to stop it.
It
is believed that when he woke up, he had already missed two automatic signals
and warnings posted by the brakeman of the circus train, and the circus train
had actually pulled to a stop to check a hot box on one of the flatcars. So when Sargent's train approached the
circus train, there was not nearly enough time for Sargent to release the brake
and Sargent's train plowed right into the back of the caboose and four wooden
sleeping cars that were right next to it at a speed of 35 miles per hour.
The
train impact was so severe that many of the eighty-six people that died aboard
the circus train died almost instantly - at least thirty seconds after the
crash. A fire erupted almost
immediately after the crash due to the oil lamps that were aboard the train
cars, and since many of the cars on the circus train were made of wood, the
fire spread very quickly. Many of the performers
that were stuck on the train were burned beyond recognition, and those that
survived suffered terrible injuries. It
is estimated that 127 people were injured in the crash as well.
Suffice
to say, the incident left a black mark on the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, as they
mourned the loss of eighty-six of their own.
Five days after the crash, most of the people who died were buried in
Woodlawn Cemetery in a section set aside as "Showman's Rest". Because many of the victims were never
formally identified, graves marked "Unknown Male" and "Unknown
Female" had to be erected.
Surrounding the graves of the victims are statues of elephants in a
mourning position.
As
for the fate of Alonzo Sargent, he and his fireman, Gustave Klauss were facing
charges for the accident and the case was brought forth to trial - but the jury
of the trial was deadlocked, and the judge was forced to rule a mistrial. Since the prosecution decided not to re-try
the case, the charges were dismissed two years after the accident in June 1920.
Now,
you might think that this story has a sad ending...and well, it does. However, one thing that you might not know
was that the residents of Hammond, Illinois really stepped up to help the
survivors of the crash, providing them with meals, changes of clothing, and a
place to stay while they recuperated from their injuries.
And
in the circus world, the words "The Show Must Go On" are a standard -
and in the case of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, competing circuses in the area
(including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey) lent the circus some
equipment that was lost in the crash so that they could go on and perform the
shows as scheduled. The only shows that
the circus tour missed were the ones in Hammond, and one in Monroe, Wisconsin.
And while some may have the opinion that it may
have been poor taste to continue with the circus so soon after a tragedy, I
would like to think that it was a form of healing for those left behind...and
for those who died, I think they would have wanted the show to go on.
That's
the end? Afraid so, my friends. This is the final recap for the final season
of Jem Reviewed. And let's
just say that there's a lot to talk about.
Season 3 was an abbreviated one where parts of the show didn't make much
sense. We also had the Stingers replace
the Misfits as the main antagonists of the Holograms, which had mixed
results. And unlike the previous season
reviews, I think I'm going to present this a little bit differently.
Before I do that, I should probably give you some links to any and all the
previous links to past reviews...you know, in case you missed some along the
way. Click on the different looking
text to access the links to SEASON 1 and SEASON 2.
And
the following twelve links below will take you to all of the episode recaps for
season three.
Now,
because the third season was so short (and because the Misfits only appeared in
like four episodes), I'm going to do the character profiles over the course of
how they improved (or devolved) over the course of the series. I'm going to rank them from worst to best,
and I'm going to do main characters.
That's all the Holograms, Misfits, Stingers, and I'll even throw in Rio
and Eric Raymond for fun. By my
calculations, that's a total of fourteen characters. (I thought about including
Synergy here, but let's face it, she'd be an easy #1 anyway). Let's begin by the character I can't stand
the most.
14th Place:
Rio
Gee...no shocker here, right? I mean,
I've only practically made fun of him this whole series and inserted plant
kicking references at every opportunity.
To be honest, I have no use for Rio.
Even though in every opportunity, Rio was dating Jerrica, it's hard to
excuse the fact that he'd cheat on her with Jem (and Jaime in "Midsummer
Night's Madness") at a drop of a JemStar earring. His jealousy towards every male who got near
Jerrica/Jem got tiring after a while, and he really just comes across as an
arrogant jerk most times. Sometimes I
think he'd be better off chasing after Kimber.
13th Place: Eric Raymond
I
know...how can I rank Eric above Rio?
His personality is so slimy that you'd think he was born in a vat of
motor oil! This is true. But unlike Rio who always tries to make
excuses for his jerky behaviour, at least Eric owns up to the fact that he's a
complete jerk. That honesty is why he's
ranked higher than Rio. Make no mistake
though...I still can't stand him.
12th Place: Rapture
There
isn't really anything wrong with Rapture of the Stingers...but there's not a
whole lot right either. She's
just...there. I mean, yes, she has the
ability to use hypnosis, she's skilled with magic, and can read tarot cards
like nobody's business. But that's
really all she did. Easily the Stinger
with the weakest sting.
11th Place: Jetta
On one hand, Jetta does personify the real meaning of the term Misfit. She's such a Misfit that even her own
parents seem ashamed of her and vice versa.
The problem is that Jetta is such a Misfit that she almost seems
sociopathic in comparison to the other three.
From hiring people to smash Raya's dad's greenhouse to trying to scam
her own bandmate out of millions, Jetta's unlikable personality leaves me
wondering how she managed to stay in the Misfits in the first place!
10th Place: Shana
I hate to rank Shana so low, mainly because she's probably one of the nicest
characters in the whole show. Her
placement at #10 is merely because she was always shoved to the side in favour
of Kimber and Raya quite often. When
she was heavily featured in a show, it was in a fashion themed one, like when
she designed clothes in Venice, or helping Regine Cesaire out. I wish that there was a way that they could
have incorporated more of Shana into the show because she really deserved more.
9th Place: Minx
Minx was one of the more complex characters in the whole series. Even when she tried to be good after Rio
saved her life, you could tell that it was either misguided, or that she really
was causing mischief behind the goodness.
But I will give Minx a lot of credit.
She's fiercely loyal to those who respect her. After all, she left a successful group to form the Stingers with
Riot because she opened her heart and trusted him. She didn't get a chance to do a whole lot in the series, but what
she did was noticeable. I mean, she
even got to touch Techrat without him curling up into a ball!
8th Place: Jem/Jerrica
I actually considered ranking her much lower than 8th, to be honest. After all, she annoyed me in both of her
identities and suffers from so much insecurity she has to adopt a second
identity to boost her self-confidence.
And at times, she can be as selfish and pig-headed as a Misfit or a
Stinger. But you know, I have to give
her props for being a foster mother to twelve kids (even though CPS should have
taken them away on like seven different occasions), and running a successful
record company. And despite all of her
flaws, she does have good intentions a lot of the time. Though, I have to say that Rio and Jerrica
deserve each other as do Jem and the person at #7.
7th Place: Riot
Riot really surprised me. He is one of
two characters (the other one is at #5) who as the show progressed, I liked
more and more. He began the show as an
arrogant rock god who believed that he could use manipulation to get anything
and anyone he wanted - but by the end of the show, he became almost the polar
opposite. Sure, he still had confidence
and swagger...but he also had humility and compassion - especially after Jem
reunited him with his estranged father.
And as much as I hate to say this, I think Riot brought out more of the
best in Jem than Rio ever could.
6th Place: Roxy
I was really indecisive about Roxy when she first appeared on the show. At first she was a sociopathic woman who
didn't care who she hurt. She was the
second in command of the Misfits; she had more power than Stormer, but was
portrayed more as Pizzazz's lackey a lot of the time. But it wasn't until Roxy's secret of being illiterate came out
that we learned just how rough Roxy really had it. And it was Ba Nee's gift of a children's book that set Roxy on
the path to self-improvement. Roxy was
already considered the most street smart of the Misfits...here's hoping that by
the end of the series, she could improve her book smarts as well. If any character deserved it, it was her.
5th Place: Kimber
I DESPISED Kimber during the first season in which she changed boyfriends more
than I change my underwear. I mean,
seriously, if you looked up indecisive in the dictionary, her photo would be
right next to it. Over the course of
the series though, she went from being incredibly annoying to a character I
felt major sympathy for. Still not over
the passing of her father, I can see how Kimber would have a hard time with
finding a commitment with a man. By the
time she settled down with Sean Harrison, I have a feeling that moment was the
one in which Kimber finally matured.
How outrageous is that?
4th Place: Pizzazz
I'm really surprised I have Pizzazz ranked so high on this list - mainly
because she's the quintessential spoiled brat (a type of personality I cannot
stand). Ah, but it's the reason why she
became that way that makes me understand why she is the way she is. She feels that if she can finally make
something of herself, she can please her ungrateful father. Her story is very tragic, and I feel like I
have to rank her high just because her character is so complex. That, plus she has some awesome one-liners.
3rd Place: Stormer
Ah, Stormer. The nice Misfit. The pushover Misfit. The Misfit that is secretly good. It's a brilliant concept, don't you
think? Anyway, Stormer is probably even
more complex than Pizzazz, because in many ways she is forced to hide who she
really is in order to gain acceptance from the other Misfits. When in actuality, if she just would be
herself, she'd ironically be loved even more.
Both Ashley and Kimber can testify as to what a great person Stormer is,
and even Aja has to admit that she's a good gal...after all, Aja is dating her
brother. Stormer is far from being a
perfect angel though, and it's hard to excuse the fact that she makes mischief
with the other Misfits...but deep down inside, anyone who knows the real
Stormer knows that they've made a friend for life.
2nd Place: Raya
I was torn between whether to have Raya and Aja as my favourite character of
the whole series. Both characters are
awesome. But I think the reason why
Raya get the silver is because she sometimes has the tendency to be a little
bit too much of a yes woman. When Raya
first came on the scene, she was a little timid, but had a fighting spirit that
came out when she was really fired up.
I wish we got to see more of that in Season 3. But Raya is definitely a loyal friend, a kind-hearted individual,
and a talented drummer. Easily the best
choice the Holograms could have made to replace the then-departed Shana.
1st Place: Aja
Aja is the most valuable player the Holograms have...and she's also my
favourite character of the whole series.
She was calm, cool, and collected most of the time and only brought out
the badass side of her whenever needed.
She could be counted on coming up with most of the brilliant ideas that
the Holograms executed, and she's sort of the female version of Techrat - only
better dressed and less creepy. For
someone who can take Synergy apart and find all the secrets inside of her, Aja
would make a great detective. And if
you have kept track - aside from Raya, Aja is the only Hologram that NEVER LEFT
THE BAND. Extreme loyalty there.
All
right, now it's time for the music portion of the recap...and like I did for
the character profiles, I'll be posting songs that I loved, and songs that I
didn't love. This time around, I won't
exactly be talking about the songs. I
figure the videos are more than enough.
Instead, I'll post links to all the videos, and you can click on them to
see what the cream of the crop were...as well as the worst of the worst.
I've selected fifteen songs in total for my like list (five from each season),
and ten from the worst. Agree with my
lists? Please comment on it below.
Yes...I
make no apologies...I LOVE the Misfits.
80% of my Top 5 are Misfits songs.
That said, I do have some Jem and Stingers songs on there. I even have Ba Nee's ode to her father. Love the show or not, Britta Phillips, Ellen
Bernfeld, Gordon Grody, Vicki Sue Robinson, Diva Grey, Florence Warner, and all
of the other talented vocalists did a phenomenal job!
Even
on the tunes that I really didn't like so much...they sang their hearts
out! And the ten songs that I didn't
like from bad to worst are as follows...
Interesting
how I find some of the worst songs of the series to be from the latter half of
the show as opposed to the beginning.
Nothing against the singers, but perhaps the songwriting took a nosedive
as the show headed towards cancellation?
Who can say, really? Just
something I noticed.
And
now we come to the episode discussion.
And since we had an abbreviated season for the final one, I'll go ahead
and do three episodes I liked and three episodes I hated.
SEASON 3 EPISODES I LOVED:
1. Episode
64: Riot's Hope - This was the episode that
made me start to see Riot as more than an arrogant rock star. The story behind how the Stingers formed was
very interesting, and unlike Jem and the Holograms, the Stingers really had to
work hard to get their success. That's
to be applauded.
2.
Episode 61: That Old Houdini
Magic - Okay,
so maybe my love of Harry Houdini is clouding my judgment here, but I will say
this...the storyline was very unique and presented well. I really liked the climax of the show where
Astral saved Rapture from drowning after the trick went out of control and
Rapture had to eat a giant slice of humble pie.
3.
Episode 65: A Father Should Be - All right, so this
episode was far from being the perfect finale...however seeing Ba Nee finally
reunited with the father she dreamed of finding. That moment was easily one of the most touching moments of the
whole series.
SEASON 3 EPISODES I DID NOT LOVE:
1. Episode
59: Midsummer Night's Madness - This episode was one hundred percent crap. I mean, it's bad enough that I had to be subjected to the
Riot/Jem/Rio/Jerrica rectangle that was really only a triangle. But having Synergy transform Jerrica into Jamie
to teach her a lesson only served to cause even more confusion and totally
wrecked the episode. The Stingers'
B-plot was lame as well.
2.
Episode 60: The Day The Music Died - Okay, so
maybe hate is a strong word to describe my feelings about this episode. The episode did have the strongest music of
the lot. But the whole way that the
Starlight empire crumbled after Riot took Jem on an island getaway where they
became Survivor contestants...it just seemed way too unbelievable. And it made everybody look like a complete
moron.
3.
Episode 56: Video Wars - The Misfits got hosed this season.
I mean, they really did get forced back to background status so that the
Stingers could be featured more. And on
the one rare occasion that the Misfits headlined a show, they were overshadowed
by Clash, who came up with a plot so twisted that in the end, she was left all
alone without a friend in the world.
It's really one of the few episodes with a bitter ending, and honestly,
it could have been done so much better.
And now, I want to say...thank you to all of you
for reading along with the second cartoon series that I have reviewed. This one wasn't easy to recap at times. Sometimes when I had an episode that I
really didn't like, I found it hard to stay focused and even gave up on one
before it ended (cough cough Aztec Enchantment cough). But for the episodes I really enjoyed, it
was a lot of fun to review. I may even
consider myself to be a fan of the cartoon after all. The storylines were quite complex for a kids show, the music was
fantastic, and the chemistry of the voice actors was off the charts. In a way, I'm sort of sad to see the Jem
Reviewed series come to an end...but in a way I am happy because it gives me
more time to think of other things to write about in this blog.
And you never know...I might begin another cartoon review series before you
know it. But not now. After 65 episodes, I'm exhausted!
So, once again...this is farewell...but not goodbye.
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.