A Pain in the Neck
Introducing: --
Despite sounding fine in the first
number, Gloria is off to the hospital for a tonsillectomy.
The kids wish her goodbye as if they are never going to see her again,
except Kid, who thinks the hospital is no big deal. Having
been there once while he was being born was enough for him, thanks. They do take him up on his idea to dedicate the
next song to Gloria, though.
The next day, The Kid is making up his
own rules for a basketball game (to the annoyance of Renee and Ryan) when Stacy arrives
and asks if anyone has talked to Gloria. Kid
got the impression that she was scared, and he knows why – she’s trapped in the
hospital. He decides that they need to rescue
her.
Gloria, meanwhile, seems chipper in
her private room with a robe that doesn’t open in the back (where is this hospital???? Can I go???). After she hangs up the phone, though, we see that
she’s really apprehensive. She confesses
her feelings to Mr. Toucan with a song. The
storm is a nice touch.
As Gloria tries to take a nap, four
little surgeons creep into her room. Surprise! Well, no, not really – Gloria is familiar with
TV clichés. The kids try to drag her out of
the room, but she insists on staying. Turns
out she had been having sore throats and was concerned that she would damage her voice and
have to leave the band. Then she spins a
tempting tale about how great being in the hospital on TV really is. Now everybody
wants their tonsils out!
No one is really talkative after the surgery. Gloria mimes that she’s fine, it wasn’t so painful, and she doesn’t know when she’ll get her voice back…so everyone just sort of leaves her there. Later they are at The P*lace trying to rehearse a dance move when Gloria appears!
Turns out she was worried, but she didn’t let on for their
sake, because she figured they would show up in scrubs and try to break her out of the
hospital…oh, wait, they did that. Kid
gallantly offers to take over singing duties for Gloria, but she proudly declares that
she’s better than ever. Everyone is so
happy that they bring out the lighted boxes for her.
I gave this episode 3.5 mics because I
can’t find any real flaws with it. Fear
of hospitals and operations is a common theme with kid/family shows. As usual, it makes
the whole ordeal out to be more glamorous than it really is, but you would expect that.
Guest star: --
Invention count: 0
for this episode
4 in total
Vocab: --
Continuity, gags and themes:
Riley’s bad magic tricks
The kids play basketball
a miniature pink and black piano that pops up every now and again
The “jail cell” frame might just as well be the same one from Funny Money,
Student Government Day, Rocking Saddles, and others
New Locations: Gloria’s hospital room
Pop culture references:
Solos:
Gloria (3) = 28
Stacy (1) = 6
Episode Total: 4
Total: 95
Performance outfits:
Doctors’ scrubs and caps
Red w/sequins – although Gloria is wearing her oversized white shirt with sparkly
bowties
- Is Gloria in the children’s ward? The locomotive
sheets and toucan doll would lead me to believe so.
- Renee is
afraid of hospitals.
- Kid
declares himself 11 years old. This at least
makes him older than Stacy (who has not been 9 yet)
- Ryan uses
the phrase “in hospital”, which is not something you normally hear unless
you’re European.
- The only
Saturday the 22nd in 1985 was in June. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985
This fits with the show’s known taping schedule, during the summer months.
- Gloria can
allegedly hit a G above high C. I can’t find much of anything about that note, except
that it makes her a soprano. http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/identifying-the-fab-four-singing-voices.html
- There is a
Dr. Davis in the hospital and I didn’t add him/her to Introducing because they never
reappear.
- That dance
move The Kid takes over sort of looks like the one from “Why Do Fools Fall in
Love”, which already happened…
Songs:
Thunder Road –
Jailhouse Rock – 
Some Things are Better Left Unsaid –
What Friends Are For –
Walking on Sunshine – (I HATE this song no matter who does it!
Gloria was fine, but nobody could save this one for me)
Here’s how you voted!
Pain in the Neck -
Thunder Road –
Jailhouse Rock –
Some Things are Better Left Unsaid –
What Friends Are For –
Walking on Sunshine –