As seen in the first two episodes he appeared in; one of the main character traits for Ryan is his love of reading. In this episode, we explore the trait once again.
We start things off with a performance of “Back in My Arms Again”; after which the other kids (along with Riley) discuss their plans to see “Scary Mary: Part 2” (complete with Kid and Riley taking turns giving the play-by-play of the previous film)…except for Ryan, who is engrossed with his “Great Detective Stories” book; again puzzling Kid. The kids return to the stage for “Wouldn’t It Be Good”.
Following that song, Ryan returns to the book; where he imagines himself as Ryan, Ryan P.I. in a Film Noir type setting who is suddenly visited by an attractive librarian who also is named Gloria; who comes to him for help because she’s afraid she’s being followed and targeted for kidnapping by a fiend known only as “The Brain (Kid), who soon shows up and starts monologuing about his plot; having hypnotized the other librarians (Renee and Stacy) in order to gain access to all the library books so the knowledge inside would be “mine! All mine!”; setting up “Dare Me” (during which Ryan uses a comic book to snap the other librarians {and briefly Gloria} out of being hypnotized).which ends with the Brain being tied up and left for the police to pick up (with Renee and Stacy telling Brain his library card was revoked; while P.I. Ryan adding it wouldn’t do him much good where he’s going); and after Librarian Gloria thanks P.I. Ryan, he acknowledges being smitten (after resisting the temptation to make a comment about her “Dewey Decimal System”); leading to “Careless Whisper”.
Back in the real world, Ryan finishes up just as Kid returns complaining about “Scary Mary: Part 2” being a complete flop (“it wasn’t even scary”) before Ryan suggests Kid try reading for fun before we go to closing song “Dance to the Music”note
On a meta-note; Ryan apparently liked the “Great Detectives Stories” book so much that apparently he either checked it out again or bought a copy by the time we get to the following season’s “Peter Pam” episode.
Songs performed in this episode:
- “”Back In My Arms Again” (The Supremes cover; lead vocals by Stacy)note
- “Wouldn’t It Be Good” (Nik Kershaw cover; lead vocals by Ryan)
- “Dare Me” (The Pointer Sisters cover; lead vocals by Gloria)
- “Careless Whisper” (George Michael cover; lead vocals by Gloria)
- “Dance to the Music” (Sly and the Family Stone cover; lead vocals by Kid, Ryan, Gloria, Renee and Stacy)
Characters in the story (in order of appearance):
- Ryan: Ryan, Ryan P.I.
- Gloria: Librarian Gloria
- Kid: The Brain
- Renee: Librarian 1
- Stacy: Librarian 2
- Dancers (Wendy; Mario; Gina; Andrea; Darren): Other librarians
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Bookworm: Ryan’s main characteristic; which again is used in contrast to Kid and Riley wanting to see “Scary Mary: Part 2”
- Dress-Up Episode: Features the cast dressed in 1940s-era costumes.
- Evil Is Hammy: Kid’s role as “The Brain” is the villain and is quite dramatic in his acting.
- Hypno Pendulum: What the Brain uses to force the other librarians to give him access to all the library books.
- Imagine Spot: Most of the episode’s plot takes place as Ryan imagines himself in the story.
- Noir Episode: The primary setting of the episode.
- The Piano Player: During the “Careless Whisper” cover; Mario - normally a drummer - moves to piano.
- "Reading Is Cool" Aesop: Second episode of the season (alongside “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Kid”) to feature this aesop.
- Revenge of the Sequel: “Scary Mary: Part 2”
- Unabashed B-Movie Fan: Kid and Riley.
Noir-specific tropes in evidence include:
- Private Eye Monologue: Ryan speaks this way throughout the sequence.
- Sexophone: Not surprisingly; this takes place during the cover of “Careless Whisper” (in real life one of the most notable examples).
- Sitting Sexy on a Piano: Librarian Gloria does this at the beginning of “Careless Whisper”.
