Ok, The Beginning.  If you get a chance, watch this first; if not, it'll completely throw you later.   Let's just call this Kids Incorporated: Episode One.  It was originally filmed in 1983, and then re-released in '85 when the show took off.  So it's possible that a lot of fans (including me) may not have seen this right away.

    When I first started writing this summary, it turned out to be a criticism, because it's hard to imagine the show that hundreds of people love coming from something like this.  But The Beginning does tie in nicely with some parts of the first season.  The one thing you will definitely notice, though, is that The Kid's segments are during the day, while the rest of the Kids are in twilight!  Plus, the main kids don't really sing until about halfway through.

    As the the show starts, The Kid is flashing back to the events that led to him joining Kids Inc...    He was new to the neighborhood, and too shy to introduce himself.  Then we are introduced to Gloria as she's practicing the piano, and Renee as she's sneaking in with a scheme.  She's trying to get Gloria down to the local malt shop. Along the way, they pass kids playing around and singing in the street. A few are performing at the malt shop just as the girls arrive.  It's not really The P*lace, just sort of a rough draft of the more familiar version - and Mike, who runs the counter, is certainly no Riley.   Renee is trying to get Gloria down there because they're having auditions for regular kid performers.  Gloria doesn't want to audition because she doesn't have a band to sing with.   "You'd be great singing with Mickey's band," Renee declares.   Later, we find out that band's already calling themselves Kids Incorporated.  But Mickey doesn't want girls in his band, and he also appears to be missing.   The girls arrive at the malt shop too late for a number, but Gloria scores a date with the slightly-clueless-but-sweet-in-his-own-way Danny.

    It's here that we meet Stacy, who we are led to believe though not actually told is Renee's sister.   Stacy's the only one who knows where Mickey is, and she refuses to tell unless she can go along.  Mickey, it turns out, is sneaking into an abandoned building with his bandmate, Chris.  According to legend, it was once home to music's biggest stars before it closed(sound familiar?).  They play around with the instruments until something spooks them, and they take off.  Mickey runs one way, and Chris the other. 

    Unfortunately for Chris, he runs into the girls, who berate him about Mickey's whereabouts.  He refuses to crack.  Gloria worries that her mom will find the tape recorder Renee left in place of Gloria practicing, and she inadvertently insults Stacy, who gets so mad that she breaks into song

(of course, the song is "Gloria"). 

A noise in the alleyway startles them (and The Kid, who is still watching)

It's Mickey and his band, who have finally arrived at the malt shop.  Gloria doesn't want to confront him, so Renee calls him out - in song, of course.  You can probably guess what song she sings.

    After the singing is over, the girls ask Mickey if Gloria can sing with him, and he says no.  The boys claim that they can't take on any new members, male or female, right before their audition and take off for the garage, leaving the girls angry and disappointed.  The Kid is still narrating, and he decides that auditions wouldn't make him as crazy as they were making anyone else - if only he could get over his shyness and perform like he does in his daydreams.  Meanwhile, the boys have a daydream of their own as they rehearse, but not before Danny finds out about Gloria being denied an opportunity to join them. 

    Finally, it's the day of the audition. Kid tries one more time to join in, but still can't manage. Gloria arrives just as the last kid is auditioning, and clueless Mike tries to get her to date him by hinting that he could fix the audition for her. Mickey is late, so late that Mike has declared the auditions over and won't let Kids Incorporated play - until Gloria intervenes.  Seems she's had a change of heart, and while Mickey is singing, she jumps up on stage and joins in.  When the performance is over, Mike, true to his word, declares Gloria the winner, but she insists that she needs Kids Incorporated, too.  They agree to work together, and everyone celebrates in song (This is the only time you'll hear the theme song's 2nd verse).

    Some time later, The Kid is lamenting his missed chance to be in the band and sings about how he needs a hero.  Gloria just happens to be walking by and is blown away by his performance.  When Kid realizes she's watching, he bolts, but she catches up with him and invites him to join Kids Incorporated. 

 

The rest of this show is a montage of clips from the first season, which is a confusing way to end, because we never found out exactly when or how Renee and Stacy got into the band.  Also, what appears to have been The P*lace, where Mickey and Chris were breaking into, was too decrepit to have been the building the Kids are in now.  Maybe you don't exactly need The Beginning to follow along with the series, but it's good to at least know about it.