Season Three: Exploring THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED
Britrock website copyright EA Woolley
THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED
"There won't be a story today. Jem's gone. Jerrica's gone. And Jem and
the Holograms will...never play again!"
Kimber's words as this episode opens. Who she's talking to is anyone's guess,
and why she's mentioning a story is equally odd.
The irony about this particular episode is that, despite the fact NONE of
it makes much coherent sense when thought about, most all the Jem fans I
know really like it as an episode. With a title neatly swiped from Don McLean's
American Pie, we're thrust into a weird world with so many holes it could
be swiss cheese. But since this is the only real Misfit outing between the
Stingers Hit Town and the end (if you look at these in terms of a logical
show chronology rather than air dates), I suppose that's probably why it's
generated so much affectionate support. It also tries something new - surprising
so late on - in that we get the first hand view of several of the characters,
telling their side of the story to link the scenes. And, quite ironically,
one of those isn't Jem.
Plus, one might also say it's something of a relief when Kimber yells "STOP!"
and the Jem Girl Theme is cut off midflow...if you get my drift ;)
THE JEM SITUATION
In all fairness to Jerrica, the opening scene of this episode is really,
really ugly - and it's not her making it that way. Between Shana storming
out in a frustrated huff, Rio calling her a tightwad because she can't afford
new lights, her fuse is understandably short. We get a lot of glimpses into
the mind of the chronically underappreciated Jerrica as her responsibilities
at Starlight Music mount up alongside her engagements as Jem. Though it's
fair to say it's a quagmire she jumped into of her own choice, there is some
excuse for her initial behaviour. Kimber's usual melodramatic response to
Jerrica's impatience kinda tips the scale, setting the ball in motion.
It's fairly common with later episodes for Jerrica to act/be one way as Jerrica,
and then be totally different and carefree as Jem. This is one of those episodes
where Jerrica's problems seep on through her holographic disguise and into
Jem's body too. She's tense and edgy at the concert, and it honestly surprises
me that the Holograms are not more sympathetic to her.
Riot is a major factor in the whole Jem situation here. From the moment he
steps on stage he's manipulating her - through his music, telling her that
he can give her the freedom and relaxation she's looking for. The song "Under
My Spell" is uncannily well chosen, and you can only imagine that this is
another of Riot's extremely sophisticated plots - that he knows full well
that Jem is on edge and means to take full advantage of it.
After the show, he convinces her to run off with him. And yet, even
on a boat headed into unknown waters, Jerrica once more pushes through Jem's
exterior, as she exclaims that she has to go back.
Of course, once stranded on the island, a whole slew of questions start to
pop up. Surely in the shipwreck, Jem must have been underwater for some time
- yet apparently her projection remained intact, because Riot never noticed
anything the matter. For someone stranded away from home with no way of getting
back, Jem seems overly keen to sunbathe and not so very sure about building
a new boat or even trying some desperate means to return to her friends and
family - not even to get a message to them that she is really okay (it takes
Riot to do that, though there is question number three. How do you send a
postcard from a deserted island - was this all done in advance?) Then, of
course, there is Synergy. Why do the Holograms not do what they have done
before (The Fan, for example) and use Synergy to discover Jem's whereabouts?
Perhaps they accept the postcard from her as a sign she doesn't want to be
disturbed, but in the circumstances, I think it's a bit weak that they sit
back and just accept that their lives are falling apart because she's decided
to take off with Riot. It's like the Stingers (see below).
And there is Rio. Rio, who is obsessively worried about Jem, yet doesn't
seem at all bothered that Jerrica - his girlfriend - is also missing. And
nobody seems to find this even a bit odd. Jem has no legal ownership over
the Starlight Girls or the Foundation, or Starlight Music. All of that is
Jerrica. Yet Pizzazz is able to pull away control of all these things because
Jem is missing, without even stopping to guess at the reasons for Jerrica's
absence. Remember that swiss cheese I mentioned? We just hit it head
on :S
STINGER LOYALTY
It seems important to have a brief paragraph on the Stingers at this
juncture. We know from watching Riot's Hope that the bond the Stingers have
was forged through long years of hard work and adversity, and that their
loyalty to each other is generally pretty much intact. And yet it still amazes
me how the three of them act in this episode. Firstly, Riot. He's known for
his egoism and self-interest, but in other episodes (Midsummer Night's Madness
being a good example) he has come to the rescue of his "girls", getting them
out of a tight spot. Yet in this episode, he abandons any care for what happens
to them at all, in his mad pursuit of Jem. And even despite the fact that
his taking off with Jem to some forbidden spot leaves Rapture and Minx to
fend for themselves, both girls are apparently so bewitched by Riot (or so
loyal to him) that they bite their tongues, knuckle down to playing as part
of Pizzazz's "new" Misfits. This is one heck of a come down and a humiliation
for them. Pizzazz says that they are "nothing" without Riot - and
you have to wonder if really, any part of them ever believes that's the case.
The episode would have us believe that Rapture and Minx simply can't function
without their wonderful leader in town. This is contrary, however, to other
episodes - significantly Rapture's independant swindling in Midsummer Night's
Madness and Minx and Rapture's houdini trick at the end of That Ol' Houdini
Magic. Both are proud girls with ideas of their own. It's especially strange
because, at a later point in the episode, we learn that both Minx and Rapture
are well aware that Jem's disappearance is Riot's manipulation and that the
postcard sent to them was written by him, not her.
To cap it all off, when Riot sees Minx on the island, he wants rid of her
and then makes her and Rapture paddle the boat back to shore after the engine
is "sabotaged" (another of those 'hero' moments for Rio). I honestly dislike
the Stingers' chemistry in this episode. It's disjointed and sits at odds
with everything we've already learnt about them. Not their best episode by
a long shot.
PIZZAZZ and POWER
We see this in One Jem Too Many, but on a small scale. Here, it couldn't
be a bigger one. Pizzazz, far from being lovesick and moony over the absent
Riot, takes matters into her own hands, subjugates the competition - both
Stingers AND Holograms - takes over Starlight Music (since Eric now runs
Stinger Sound, maybe she missed having a music company? Or perhaps it was
a case of showing Eric that she hasn't lost any of her edge, that she can
succeed where he's so often failed.) And the most significant thing about
all of this is that she does it all on the level.- "I knew Starlight Music
was in trouble...and the best part was the Holograms were all under contract
at Starlight Music and since I now own Starlight Music, they now work for
me!" Although the legalities of this episode are hazy to the extreme,
we do see Harvey Gabor being awarded ownership of the Starlight assets in
a court of law, by Kimber's own words.
So how strong is Riot's power over her, anyhow? This episode would suggest
that it only affects her when he's nearby to manipulate her emotion. Without
him there, feeding ideas into her brain, she's able to shake off her "crush"
and get back down to business. She doesn't even seem overly bothered that
he's gone. She does say that Jem has run off with "Riot. MY Riot.", but in
her glee over the consequences, losing him seems a small price to pay. I
find it interesting. In The Stingers Hit Town, Pizzazz chooses Riot over
the Misfits. Here, she clearly prefers success and stardom with them to anything
that he can offer her. Is it the case that the Misfits have talked in between
these episodes, to right the things that were wrong? I often wonder what
happened between the make-up scene of The Stingers Hit Town and the Now video,
to change Pizzazz;s attitude towards Stormer. But we see the Misfits so little
between then and the end, this is really the only episode we have that we
can base Pizzazz's romantic state of affairs on. Perhaps it's simply that
she's bored with Riot's elusiveness and senses her chance to be in the spotlight.
Pizzazz is never a patient character, and watching him swarm all over Jem
is bound to try her patience sooner or later.
But then, of course, Pizzazz has her shortcomings too. We've seen her evolution
as a canny manipulator and opportunist from a demanding spoilt brat. But
she doesn't have all the answers, and once in the office chair of Starlight
Music I think she realises it. There are some interesting points here. She
does nothing to try and prevent the money going from Starlight Music to the
Foundation, simply complains about the amount that its costing and the fact
the touring isn't covering the amount. (Another sign of her doing things
legally?). She calls in the other Misfits to help her (who else?) - showing
that even though she's the one with all the power, she still considers it
a team project. And it really seems like Starlight Music is important to
her. It's more than just having something that was Jem's and taking control
over the Holograms. It's more than just being top banana for once. It's almost
like there's a genuine desire somewhere inside of her to follow in Harvey's
footsteps enough to make him proud and to prove he's not the only Gabor capable
of being a bigshot in the business world. Unfortunately, she lacks many of
Harvey's business skills, but her unconscious imitation of her father shows
us once again that Pizzazz's Dad means a lot to her, and that this is, in
essence, a project which they take on together.
TOP OF THE CHARTS?
A moment must be spared to discuss this song. I find it fairly significant
on a lot of levels. As a Misfit fan, the first thing I want to address is
the subliminal message that Pizzazz is unable to be top of the charts without
the input of musicians from other bands. The lyrics to the song constantly
come back to that fact - "I'm finally here at the top of the charts". Yet
this is something of a misnoma. We know they've been top of the charts before
(Glitter and Gold) and that they've won awards (Music Awards). So maybe it's
more a case of her feeling she's finally eliminated and outlived the competition...that
top of the charts is a euphemism for the only one left standing after the
dust settles.
Perhaps there's no accident in the fact that the dress Pizzazz wears throughout
the song performance was named "Designing Woman" by Hasbro. Certainly, that's
what this episode proves her to be. And yet there is more to this than just
her gloating over her success. She's answering her critics, yes - but it's
a very personal song, too. "Always in the running, but never got the vote"
- this line is animated to hint back at the many, many times that Pizzazz
has been second bested by Kimber, generally with men. It's probably no accident
that Kimber is chivvied by Pizzazz for being 'late for the session' earlier
in the episode, either. Jem is Pizzazz's nemesis in the music world, but
Kimber has always been it on a more personal level. Pizzazz is a lonely individual
who seeks attention and adoration but is unable to understand why men flock
to Kimber and not to her. It suggests that the subjugation of the Holograms
was more than simply a business move - but a marked and deliberate revenge
for every time they've made her feel some kind of failure.
And of course, in the final evaluation, Pizzazz is a born performer. To step
out on stage in front of adoring fans as she does in this video is, as she
rightly says, "the dream of a lifelong career." The lifelong career isn't
her foray into the music industry. It's being in the spotlight and getting
the world to notice her.
STARLIGHT POWER!
Yeah, I'm honest. The real stars of the piece are, in some ways,
Ashley and her fellow Starlight girls. It's not the Holograms who manage
to stick up for themselves and their home, but the covert mischief of the
Starlights that finally drives Eric and Pizzazz out of the foundation and
back to their own particular domains. In a climate where their remaining
guardians have given up very easily and succumbed to Misfit overlordship
(even to the point of creating Top of the Charts), at least SOME of the good
guy characters have enough spunk to fight back for what's theirs.
But what are the Starlight Girls really getting back? An Aja who for the
first time has lost her backbone? A Shana and Raya who are powerless to do
anything to stop events? A Kimber who has to climb out of a window rather
than face the music? And, most of all, a guardian so confused with her own
identity and so horrendously overworked and taken for granted that she drops
everything to run away to an island with Riot? Admittedly Jem did not leave
intending to be stranded. But to drop your responsibilities on a whim is
not responsible parenting technique. No wonder the social worker in Alone
Again was so disapproving of her methods!
CONCLUSION
Well, yes. So it's an odd one. I think we all knew that, though, from the
moment Regine's name was mentioned in the scene in Jerrica's office - any
knowledgeable Jem fan will immediately point out that The Day The Music Died
aired before they even *met* Regine Cesaire, and so this reference to her
is just the first in a long line of things that make you go...hey, hang on
a minute! It has been discussed that maybe the plot was rushed to fit a short
time span and would have worked far better as a multi-parter...I tend to
agree with this theory. There are a lot of good ideas in it, and Roger Slifer
has proven his skill with Father's Day, among others...this one was just
too much for a twenty minute episode slot.
All that being said, though, I have a certain fondness for this episode.
As I've said before, why let the plot ruin your enjoyment of a decent show?
Episode rating: 7.5/10.
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This version c.2014
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