Recap / Kids Incorporated S 4 E 1 A Kids Line

With the first-third of its run in the rear-view mirror, we start the second third with the beginning of Season 4, as with Gloria having been accepted to a distant music school; the remaining members of Kids Incorporated scramble to find a replacement.

After we get a revamped intro and theme song (with the veteran cast each getting a verse), we start off with a performance of “Rhyme and Reason” (notice that Renee and Stacy are playing steel drums here), then when the kids enter their break they begin lamenting on how much more difficult performing has been following Gloria’s acceptance to a distant music school when Kid arrives with two letters - one from Gloria mentioning how much she missed the others; the other coming from a “Rockin’ Rich” before the kids return to the stage for “Bit by Bit”, after which it is announced that there would be open auditions the following day at noon.

Audition Day arrives, with the kids getting a telegram by “Rockin’ Rich” saying he’s on the way…with a truckload of equipment. The focus then turns toward a very nervous young girl named Connie, who walks to the desk to sign up only to spill her malt on the sign-up sheet - not that the day’s going much better for the established members based on the (lack of) skill seen in those auditioning (“Wrong for the Part”). It gets so bad we even get a Creator Cameo by Lynch-Biller themselves as the band members complain to the both of them about the hopeless audition. After receiving yet another telegram saying Rockin’ Rich is en route, Renee tries to encourage a still nervous Connie by sharing what it was like for her when she first tried out for the band, leading to Connie trying out with a portion of “True Blue”. The other kids are impressed and name her the newest member of Kids Incorporated…just as “Rockin’ Rich” arrives late, bragging about having been supposedly invited to tour with Tina Turner.. Between his abrasive demeanor and the increasingly dubious tales, the others are unimpressed, especially when - during a demonstration of his drumming skills - the drum machine blows an amplifier, resulting in his being rejected and Rock…er, Richie, finally coming clean, admitting he’s not a rock star, the equipment was rented, he just got the clothes and his family just moved to town. After that, the kids express their willingness to befriend Richie - if he’s honest with them. Richie then moves to the drum set and performs superbly on the drums, resulting in the band picking him up as their new drummer as they get ready to work on closing song “I Will Be There”.

Needless to say, this marks the first episode for Connie Lew^note for some unknown reason, her vocals this season are performed by Devyn Puett, who would then go on to join the cast at the start of the following season and Richard Shoff^note it’s uncertain whether his vocals were dubbed or not also. This also marks the debut of four dancers (Dee Caspary; Nicole Cropper; Challyn Markray and Brian Poth). Additionally, from a technical standpoint; starting with this episode and continuing through the remainder of the series' run; the series was produced in stereo as opposed to mono sound.

Songs performed in this episode:

• “Rhyme and Reason” (Gregory Abbott cover; lead vocals by Ryan and Kid)
• “Bit by Bit (Theme from Fletch)” (Stephanie Mills cover; lead vocals by Stacy)^note previously used in the late Season 2 episode “A Lad and His Lamp”; only with Kid on lead vocals
• “Wrong for the Part” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Renee, Stacy, Kid and Ryan)
• “True Blue” (Madonna cover; lead vocals by Connie)^note the shortest performance in the show’s history in terms of runtime, running around a minute
• “I Will Be There” (Glass Tiger cover; lead vocals by Ryan, Renee, Kid, Richie, Connie and Stacy)^note this marks one of only two times in a regular episode the cast is shown performing in tuxedos - the other being Season 7's "Music Lessons"; where the kids are briefly seen in tuxedos during the second half of the Imagine Spot for their cover of the Luther Vandross song "Power of Love/Love Power" - even though the intros for this season as well as seasons 5 and 7 depict the cast wearing tuxedos in one of the shots

Tropes associated with this episode:

• The Baby of the Bunch: Upon making the band, Connie replaces Stacy in this role.
• Cute Clumsy Girl: Connie falls into this trope after spilling her soda and stumbling into another kid.
• Evolving Credits: As expected, this being the first season the intro ends with the trademark sparkly tuxedos. Also, the font used for the graphics changes from Helvetica to Cooper Black.
• Face Your Fears: Renee attempts to encourage Connie to try out for Kids Incorporated by telling of how nervous she was when she first tried out.
• Gender-Equal Ensemble: Starting with this season and continuing until the end of Season 5, the main cast expands to a total of 6 kids divided evenly into 3 boys and 3 girls.
• Honesty Is the Best Policy: The lesson Richie learns, and one that appears periodically in episodes focused on him.
• Hopeless Auditionees: The episode’s original song “Wrong for the Part” parodies the trope as the remaining kids find themselves watching a group of twirlers, wannabe opera singers and whistling cowboys (played by the dancers) and even a brief Creator Cameo by Thomas W. Lynch and Gary P. Biller attempt to replace Gloria.
• Put on a Bus: With Martika having aged out, Gloria is written off as attending a distant music school.
• Rearrange the Song: With Martika gone, the veteran cast handle the theme, with (in order) Ryan, Rahsaan, Stacy, and Renee each getting a verse.