Win a Date with Renee
Introducing: --
I have a few questions about what is probably one of the funniest
episodes of the 4th season.
Capitalizing on an earlier episode in which the kids bemoan their lack of publicity, the
plot starts with Riley interrupting an intense game of ping pong with an armload of
posters. Richie comes up with the idea of Kids Inc. posters, and the band is
delighted…but also broke. Back before the age where every kid with a computer has a
graphics program, printing up a bunch of posters costs money. This appears to be the end
of it, but Richie has other unfortunate ideas.
By the next number, he’s already elbow-deep into a scheme. Ryan and The Kid catch him
rummaging through the storeroom and when they find out he’s planned a raffle, they
can’t imagine what he’d be raffling off. They’ll soon find out. Later on,
they come upon Richie outside setting up his ticket booth…and his latest victim.
Unbeknownst to Renee, she’s now a prize in Richie’s raffle.
Being Richie’s first season, he has no idea how much of a temper Renee has, despite
everyone’s attempts to fill him in. They’re predicting some carnage, but Richie
seems to think the fact that it will benefit the band will win her over and spare his
life. He conveniently leaves everyone standing around while Renee finally tracks everyone
down and, well…does she look happy?
It takes Renee a whole number to find Richie, but she can smell her prey from several
yards away and under cover of a badly placed plant, she stalks and confronts him 
in what promises to be the best kill this side of Wild Kingdom.
What Renee doesn’t know is that she hasn’t caught Richie before he
managed to sell most of the raffle tickets.
Richie admits that he wasn’t thinking, and his solo manages to calm Renee down. She
agrees to offer herself up for the raffle but is obviously not looking forward to it.
Some time later, the posters are printed and everyone is admiring the “X” Renee
added to all the images of Richie. 
He’s still very much alive, though – but he doesn’t know exactly who won
the raffle. Everyone laughs at the idea of Renee going out with some chess club geek when
up she walks with – okay, even I hadn’t seen this one coming – Brian
Robbins.
They never do explain exactly how or why he’s there, but everyone is freaking out
about it and Renee has done a complete turnaround about the whole date thingy. This sets
Richie off on another dangerous path – until the kids stop him in time.
This episode is hilarious! Everyone turns in a great performance, particularly Ryan and
Kid, who play off of each other really well. After two seasons of indecision, Renee
becomes the diva again, which is hard to do in mismatched clothing. I love her range of
facial expressions; it’s something they use often, which is why most of us love her.
Okay, so it’s why I love her – shut up, it’s my website!
The dialogue is extremely quotable:
“Renee’s gonna clobber you!”
“I’m going to clobber him!”
“Remember the expression, ‘Don’t clobber the drummer!’”
“When I see the gears turning in his head, I know we’re in for trouble.”
“I’m telling you not to worry about a thing. And you know what that means.”
“Yeah – start worrying!”
“I’m a marketing genius!”
“You’re a marketing lunatic.”
The songs for the episode – at least, the ones actually recorded for this
episode – are good, even the original rare Richie solo.
The thing I've always wondered about this episode is, why Renee? Surely not because she
was singing lead at the time. They spend a good amount of time establishing that Stacy is
the more popular of the two, and could they not have dressed Renee more horribly for this
episode?
I wonder if Richie had a crush on Renee. How unfortunate for the poor guy if he did.
Guest star: Brian Robbins as himself
Invention count:
16 in total
Vocab:
“Renee’s gonna clobber you!” with Renee adding “I’m going to clobber
you!”
Continuity, gags and themes:
Renee was already a bit annoyed at Richie from the gorilla
episode. Apparently, he forgot.
The kids always need money for something.
Renee brings up car washes, something they did to raise
money in Season 1.
Those are the sparkly glasses used in “Uptown
Girl”, but Renee’s originally had streams of sequins dangling from them.
New Locations:
Pop culture references:
Apparently they did not get the rights to say Head of the
Class, but they admit to “watching his show last night”.
Solos:
Connie (1) = 3
Renee (2) = 27
Richie (1) = 2
Stacy (1) = 28
Episode Total: 5
Total: 227
Performance outfits:
This is the
second time they use the outfits I started referring to as the “army theme”.
Renee has that horrendous green skirt with the pink sweater
(why??), Stacy has the white fringed shirt and pants, Kid has gray pants and a yellow
striped shirt, Ryan has a red shirt under his black denim this time, Connie has a blue
dress with suspenders, and Richie’s dweeb suit is brown.
Carnival-type clothes for the “If I Say Yes”
number
Denim with yellow
-
Stacy wasn’t in “If I Say Yes” because apparently she missed the rehearsal. She probably just had to mimic Renee the way Connie
can be seen doing in the number.
-
There’s never been a “band fund”.
-
Upon inspection, this version of “One Fine Day” is just the ’85 version
slowed down dramatically. Why couldn’t
they just record another one? The only other
instance of the actual track being reused as
well as the song is with “You Can’t Hurry Love”, which is the ’84
version used again in ’86.
Songs:
Who’s That Girl –
One Fine Day – 
(it was better the first time around)
If I Say Yes –
I’m Only Human –
Only in my Dreams –