Orders/Leader of the Pack

Episode 1
Season 1, 1984
 
Introducing: everybody?
Moosie Drier as Riley
Dancers Mario and Shanice (lines, but no names)

[In Medias Res - straight in or into the middle of a sequence of events, especially in a literary narrative that has no introduction. ]

     Season one of Kids Incorporated picks up some time after The Beginning left off and makes no allusions to it whatsoever. While this makes little difference to fans (yes, including myself!) who never actually saw The Beginning when it first aired, it becomes difficult to rationalize everyone’s actions in the first episode. Mickey’s behavior in the first five minutes comes off as only annoying, and staging a mutiny at this point seems drastic. The Kid, on the other hand, benefits from hiding his Beginning behavior; otherwise, he has gone from shy to slick over the course of some unknown time frame. The premiere also falls victim to the Blood by Association assumption: “Look at these two interact. They must be related.” It’s worth noting that Renee’s attitude towards The Kid, or anyone for that matter, is the same as when directed towards Stacy. Nothing sisterly here yet.
     The episode isn’t actually bad on its own, it just would have made more sense later on in the series. The thing with beginning a story in medias res is that at some point, backstory is gradually introduced through flashbacks or another device. Here, we get no indication that Kid ever had social phobias, are told Renee and Stacy are sisters, and gradually get the impression that Mickey can be controlling. (Note: Kid does admit to a little hesitation during the second season, but by that point, it is downplayed due to a character trait.)
     Okay, the first episode. Occasionally (and mostly during the first season) an episode will begin with dialogue instead of a performance. This is fine for now, because we have so many characters to introduce and establish that some backstory doesn’t slow the show down. This one begins with Mickey impatiently waiting for the camera to flash to the remaining members of the band so they can start singing. Renee takes a bit longer than he'd like, because she’s busy setting up the premise.
     The majority of the stage numbers are helmed by Mickey and Gloria, perhaps because their voices are a bit stronger, I really don’t know. They are behind the season’s very first song, Van Halen’s “Jump.” The guy that Renee had been sitting with is pretty disgusted with the performance – he must know that much better songs are to come. He’d be right; it’s a bit flat. The younger kids are pleased with it, though, and The Kid trots out his (presumably) tried and true ratings system that he only uses in this episode and never again. Renee (who at least sticks to the same general M.O.) scoffs at this and virtually everything else anyone says to her. Stacy is Cindy Brady (complete with pigtails), so she just shadows everyone and waits for her opportunity to be cute. Sure, she doesn’t have a lisp, but she does have a frog living in her blue sneaker, which kicks Kitty Carryall’s ass. Thank God most of these stereotypes are broken by the end of the season and the kids become characters you can actually love and don’t get mixed up with every other kid on network TV.
     Just when everything seems to be going from Amazing to Zowie, along comes Mickey with a few adjustments. Stacy needs the right color sneakers. Renee needs to cut her hair  (if only he’d stuck around for the next season). While everyone is arguing, the show decides to remind you that those extra names they threw up there actually belong to people by showing you that even though Kids Inc. doesn’t seem to associate with their dancers, the dancers are actually concerned for them. Well, Mario is, anyway – Shanice just wants to find the right headband.
     Mario wants the show to move along, so he goes to see what the problem is and makes sappy statements that we can’t get behind yet, seeing as this is only the first episode and we don’t really know anyone. Although, looking back, the A-Team did have a de facto leader and they argued among themselves quite a bit…anyway, the kids have decided to mutiny. Mickey’s not worried because hey, where else are they gonna find another bandleader?
     Remember Renee’s little friend? Mickey didn’t. Now, if you had already seen The Beginning, you might be quick to point out that there are dozens of kids in that neighborhood who love to perform. Apparently, they aren’t any good because they don’t know how to organize themselves. They also don’t have their own costumes, instruments, and van complete with a chauffeur named Riley, either. Yes, New Kid is a rich kid, and even though he hasn’t bought himself an actual name, he’s fully stocked as far as band equipment goes. The kids are pretty much sold on him until Mickey arrives and decides that the situation is so dire, it doesn’t even matter that they don’t have sewers – they’re reenacting the “Beat It” video, anyways.
     The moral of this episode isn’t nearly as weighty as future ones will be. After realizing that the new kid is a virtual stranger to them, and doesn’t care to change that,
the gang decides that Mickey probably is a better choice for them. New kid loses his band and his chauffeur (Like you didn’t know that was coming!). I’m not sure who ran The P*lace previously (perhaps Mike from The Beginning, look what a bang-up job he did), but Riley takes the opportunity to tell his jerk of a boss off and become one himself…uh, a soda jerk, that is.
*P.S. The outfit that Stacy is wearing is one that Renee would later wear. I thought hand-me-downs worked the other way around?


     I gave this episode 3 and ½ microphones because it sort of threw us into everything right away. The songs were okay, but I felt they could be better (which is always a danger in a “guest vocalist” episode). Some of the dialogue is cute, and all of the kids get their fair share.


Guest star: Christian Hoff as…uh, the rich kid…

Invention count: 0, first episode

Vocab: Amazing to Zowie scale
“nerd” as a derogatory term

Running gags/themes:
Mickey is controlling and tends to get carried away.
Ziggy, Stacy’s frog
The Kid can play the saxophone
Stacy does cartwheels, back flips, etc.

New Locations:
The P*lace (what appeared in The Beginning was not The P*lace)
Garage, owned by Mickey’s dad

Pop culture references:
The A-Team and Mr. T
E.T.
Michael Jackson

Things Mickey is called: general, badger, shorthair, lizard, odd job, Mr. T, master

Solos:
Mickey (1)
The Kid (1)
Rich kid Christian (1)
Total: 3

Performance outfits:
Denim vests with red shirts (and optional blue shoes)
Red and purple sequined

- The episode starts with dialogue instead of a song
- Season 1’s theme song has a bridge
- The opening credits start with a montage of scenes, and then introduce the cast. This changes next season. Also, Martika is listed by her formal name, Marta Marrero. She doesn't start going by Martika until the next season.
- The order of the kids morphing into letters is: Mickey, Gloria, Kid, Renee, and then Stacy is "Incorporated". You might be wondering "Isn't Renee supposed to be older than The Kid?". It sure seems that way, since he is always with Stacy. Plus, he wasn't in the original cast. Rahsaan is older than Renee in reality, though. Maybe that was it. I can honestly say I don't know why it was done that way.

Songs:
Jump –
Heart of Rock and Roll –  
Beat It –
Against All Odds –
There’s No Stopping Us –  


Back