The Open Book
There is some sitcom rule that only one cast member is allowed to “act
strange” at a time. This makes it a lot easier for the rest of the cast to completely
miss the real reason.
Ryan and Richie are engaged in a highly intense game of…Go Fish? (well, it is a
kids’ show, after all) The odds are stacked against Richie, however, as Ryan has
Connie up his sleeve instead of an ace. Richie catches them cheating and, when Ryan
won’t admit it, he whips out the Silly String 
and assaults them with it. Being Richie, he can’t help but squirt
Stacy, too. 
Stacy, however, is not in a silly mood. She can’t get out of her notebook – not
even to be on time for the next number, which she was supposed to be singing.
Now it’s time for Ryan to get even. He pulls out his own can of Silly String,
and the boys turn the storeroom into a war zone. Stacy quickly flees, but
conveniently leaves behind a piece of paper, which Devyn picks up. It’s a letter that
talks about wanting to run away from home.
Distressed, Devyn brings the letter to her friends who are locked in combat outside.
They’re instantly ashamed that they have been neglecting Stacy. She sings them her
plan to cheer their friend up.
Stacy, meanwhile, is relishing her privacy and scribbling away when Kids Inc. swarms upon
her, each saying something nice. It has the exact opposite effect as she runs away again.
Channeling her inner Garbo, a distraught Stacy just “wants to be alone” –
until she somehow realizes that if she were trapped in a fairy tale villain world, her
friends would come rescue her.
(Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the point, but how did she end
up imagining that, anyway?)
As Stacy realizes her mistake and returns to apologize, the group decides to come clean
and confess that they were only worried about her running away. “What you read was a
page from a story I’m writing for English class.” Stacy explains. She was trying
to finish it before the due date, amid the constant interruptions. In order to prove
she’s really happy, she tells her friends how much she loves them – and sprays
them all with Silly String.
I gave this episode 3 microphones because it’s always bothered me how it played out.
Ryan has known Stacy the longest. Even Connie and Richie have known her for a while. Yet
it is Devyn who first suspects that something is amiss. Even before they find the story,
they should have noticed that she was acting differently. Also, Stacy couldn't manage to
say, "Do you mind? I need to finish this story for English class!" I'm sure they
would have left her alone then. It’s basically a failure to communicate all around.
The songs are really good for this season. If you listen carefully, when “Paperback
Writer” starts without Stacy, you can actually hear her voice along with it. Oops!
Songs:
Never Gonna Give You Up –
Paperback Writer –
Time for a Friend – 
Strange but True –
Cherry Bomb –