Remember that time the Misfits kidnapped Jem and put her in a fake house with actors pretending to be her friends? Well, that's the subject of this edition of Weird Episodes. I've made it clear in the past that Jem is a bit of a guilty pleasure show of mine. Yes, it's cheesy, yes it's just a 22 minute toy commercial, but part of me loves it for being such a crazy show.
For the uninitiated, Jem follows the story of Jerrica Benton, a young woman who inherits her late father's music company Starlight Records. However, she also has to deal with the conniving Eric Raymond, who with his rival music group the Misfits, try to constantly find ways to put Jerrica out of business. However, the one edge Jerrica has is that her father was an inventor, and created an AI known as Synergy, which gives Jerrica, her sister Kimber and their friends Shana, Aja and Raya, the instruments necessary to become their own band. What's more, with the use of a pair of earrings connected to Synergy, Jerrica can become the alter ego Jem. And thus we get a series full of music, adventure, romance and plenty of craziness. Like that time they found Shangri-la, or the time that the Holograms attend a renaissance fair where they have to deal with Robin Hood. Or that really weird episode where Jerrica helps the president stop a crazed collector. But the one that stands out as a great weird episode is The Fan from season 2.
We open the episode with the main villains of the show The Misfits (Pizazz, Roxy, Stormer and Jetta), reading a conveniently placed ad in the newspaper offering a reward for the identity of Jem. Now, that would already set off some real concerning signals, but the kicker is that he signs it as "an extremely desperate fan". Dude, if this guy got Jem's actual identity, that's all he needs to take up the luxurious life of a stalker. Seeing this as a way to finally destroy Jem's career for good, the Misfits take up the offer.
And when the ad says desperate fan, does it ever mean desperate. As the Misfits make it inside, they see the mansion is plastered from wall to wall with framed photos of Jem. We meet the man in question, a bratty millionaire named Prescott A. Wentworth III. He immediately asks for Jem's identity and when the Misfits say they don't know, he throws a temper tantrum like a guy who reeeeeaaaaaaly wants to creep on Jem IRL. The Misfits say they don't know BUT they have a plan to find out. All they need is the financial backing of Prescott to do it. At first Prescott is against it since he doesn't want Jem hurt, but his truly outragious boner ultimately has him go forward with this plot.
We then see Jerrica, still as Jem, leaving Starlight Records as a limo is awaiting her. The driver lies, saying that he was sent by Kimber to bring her to her birthday party. But Jem's birthday isn't until June 1st, which means she's a Gemini (or Jem-ini, get it?). Inquiries over certain things about her life should be setting off red flags, but they're more a dull orange at the moment. She arrives to what appears to be her mansion where her friends are celebrating her non-birthday. She's obviously pissed and asks Kimber why her of all people would hold a birthday party. When it is pretty damn clear that this Kimber isn't her sister (swinging and a missing the "my sister would know my birthday" line), she storms off to her room.
Where she has a literal music video nightmare.
Jem wakes up to her boyfriend (and technically Jerrica's boyfriend) Rio trying to calm her down. But just like fake Kimber, he botches things up more by saying that he knows her real identity, despite the fact that the real Rio doesn't actually. So yeah, this mission to find someone's secret identity doesn't quite work so well when you literally KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM.
And they somehow drop the ball even further with a "This is your life" video about the life of Jem. As in Jem as a baby, a child with a mother that also looks like Jem and beyond. Um, if Jem knows her own life and if this doesn't add up, she could easily call B.S. on this. Although if the grand scheme is to just drive her to the brink of insanity, I gotta say this is working so far. Jem is cracking as Kimber asks again who Jem really is, to which Jem immediately does what I said, call B.S. on everyone suddenly acting like they've never really met her. This pisses off Pizazz and the Misfits who chew out the actors playing the roles.
In music video form, of course.
As the actual Holograms finally realize something's up with Jem's absence, Jem is still dealing with the dopplegangers who don't even know how to play instruments. Fake Kimber pretends to not recognize Jem in a woozy state, which almost leads to her finally spilling the beans. After this whole day of insanity, they may have found their out in getting her to reveal her true iden-
Aaaaand they immediately blow it by having a fake Jerrica show up.
The Holograms learn from Synergy about this whole situation. They can't contact Jem because it would put her in danger, but they give them directions. Meanwhile, Jem is now question who the hell she is at this point. Prescott, despite being the creep who technically started this mess, is ready to call it off, but is quickly stuffed in a closet by The Misfits, who are determined to get the answer at all costs. Jem goes to find the hidden room where Synergy should be and...
Yeah.
Jem wakes up in a hospital bed surrounded again by the fake friends who claim that "oh, it was other people as actors who were screwing with you. Not us. Not your REAL FRIENDS." Jem buys it and is just about to finally turn back to Jerrica...
when her real friends show up and reveal the identities of the fake actors. The Misfits stick around until Aja covers up a poorly hidden camera, meaning that the jig is up for the villains as they make their hasty retreat.
Before the Holograms leave the fake mansion, they end up rescuing Prescott who cops to the whole situation. Jem is understandably pissed, but appreciates his honesty. Though hopefully he appreciates a restraining order. Just kidding, he just gets "no hard feelings". He offers to fund their next concert and give all the proceeds to charity, learning the valuable lesson that just because you're a rich manchild, you don't have to be a creepy prick all of the time.
And that's The Fan, an episode of a corny 80s glam rock show that features kidnapping, terrible actors, trust issues, and a character going to the brink of insanity, not knowing who to trust. And all thanks not just to the show's main villains, but somewhat unintentionally to a creepy stalker who didn't care about the privacy of his celebrity crush as long as he gets to know vital information about her. A stalker who gets off way too easily might I add. Yes, this was the Misfits idea, but he could have backed out long before Jem reached her multiple breaking points. I guess if he's not enough of a dick to do something good in the end, that validates the day of literal mental torture that Jem went through. Oh old cartoons, you're so silly.
And this is a good example as to why Jem is a guilty pleasure. It's by no means a well done cartoon, but it can allow itself to be surprisingly insane with a lot of its concepts. And this episode, this weird episode, is definitely the tip of a truly, truly, truly outrageous iceberg.
No comments:
Post a Comment