The penultimate episode of Season 6 sees the kids scramble to find a missing bracelet belonging to a girl from uptown (guest star Heather Tom in one of her first acting roles for the future Soap Opera regularnote )
Money seems to be an issue for several characters, as following opening song “Straight Up”; we see Kenny examining his worn-out baseball glove and asking if the others had any cash he could borrow to replace it. However, he’s not alone in terms of financial problems (both Robin and Stacy are low on funds as well) - leading Devyn to wish there was a way to make money without working (Robin: “Not everyone can be Vanna White”) while the discussion of the “money blues” leads Flip to a longer-than-usual reprisal of his “Da-na-na-na” Running Gag. Meanwhile Richie is engrossed in a Sherlock Holmes novelnote when a girl (whose name is never stated) walks in requesting a European sparkling water with a twist of lime; and when Flip suggests “American from the tap”, the girl sighs “If you must”. Her bracelet also catches Kenny and Devyn’s attention, with her snootiness also being noticed when Stacy goes to introduce herself. The girl from uptown’s bracelet (with real diamonds) was a gift from her father…as was a baby grand piano she was given even though she didn’t play piano. Flip then reminds the others that money can’t buy love. Cue the next song: “Can’t Buy Me Love” (complete with a shot of Flip jamming while at the counter. The guest: Not so much).
The message of the Fab Four’s song didn’t sink in (with “uptown girl” stating she’d rather have money), and it takes Kenny pointing it out for her to notice her bracelet is missing, causing a brief, frantic search before the guest assumes it’s stolen, threatening “big trouble” if she doesn’t get it back. The kids (with Richie now sporting a Sherlock-style hat) take off to search for the missing bracelet. After no success, Richie (still digging into his book) suggests searching each other, causing Stacy to wonder if he thinks one of them stole itnote . The kids then proceed to empty their pockets; with no bracelet…or anything besides junk (and a spider). Richie’s suspicions then turn to Robin, Kenny and Stacy (all of whom happened to be complaining about needing money) and then Devyn (who was looking at the bracelet; Devyn proceeds to fire back by suggesting that Richie practicing a magic trick could have caused the bracelet to vanish). Everyone except for a forlorn Kenny departs (Kenny: “I thought we were supposed to be friends”); setting up “Trust is What Friendship’s All About”.
Meanwhile, Stacy and Robin - like the others feeling the pressure to find the bracelet in order to clear their names - attempt to get the others to settle down (not helping is Richie reading a Holmes line that went “For every mystery, there is a solution” - to which Kenny answers “There’s a relief. Hope the solution’s not going to jail.”). This sets up the episode’s Imagine Spot; where Holmes (Richie) and Watson (Devyn) are on a case looking for Francis Scott’s (Kenny) key which disappeared when the rockets’ red glare hit. After suggesting Francis get a new dry cleaner, Sherlock notes someone else’s footprints and discovers the key…under the doormat. This then sets the stage for the primary case: looking for the missing bracelet (“Workin’ Overtime”).
Richie is quickly jolted back to reality as our guest returns, threatening to make good on her threats. Unconvinced by the protests that they didn’t have the bracelet; she threatens to go to the cops (snarking “a little early for Halloween” when Richie shows up still in his Sherlock hat). Richie turns the tables by demanding everyone’s whereabouts, then notes Flip was filling syrup containers when the uptown girl reached for a straw and the bracelet slipped off her wrist (theorizing that the clasp was loose); with Richie - after grabbing a handful of chocolate - successfully pulling out the now chocolate-covered bracelet. After this, the kids learn the value of trust and receive an apology from the guest, who then buys sodas for the band (and setting up Flip with the final line of dialogue: “Elementary, my dear kids”) prior to closing number “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”.
Songs performed in this episode:
- “Straight Up” (Paula Abdul cover; lead vocals by Stacy)
- “Can’t Buy Me Love” (The Beatles cover; lead vocals by Richie and Kenny)
- “Trust is What Friendship’s All About” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Kenny)
- “Workin’ Overtime” (Diana Ross cover; lead vocals by Stacy)
- “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” (Jackie DeShannon covernote ; lead vocals by Kenny and Stacy)
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Broke Episode: Apparently 3 of the kids (Kenny, Robin, Stacy) have what Flip calls the “money blues” in this episode.
- Friendship Song: “Trust is What Friendship’s All About”.
- Imagine Spot: A Sherlock Holmes themed segment leading to the plot’s resolution.
- No Name Given: The name of the guest character is not given in this episode.
- Rich Bitch: The unnamed guest character is mentioned as being from a wealthy family and is quite mean to the kids when the bracelet goes missing.
- Shout-Out: To Wheel of Fortune with Robin’s “Not everyone can be Vanna White” remark.
- Title Drop: Done before the closing song when Flip says “Elementary, my dear kids” at the last line of dialogue.
Characters in the Sherlock Holmes-themed Imagine Spot:
- Sherlock Holmes: Richie
- Dr. Watson: Devyn
- Francis Scott: Kenny
- Maids: Stacy and Robin
- The dancers play a group of other detectives.
