The second half of Season 7 has the most somber plot line of its history; as Kenny finds himself blindsided by the sudden death of his music teacher, Mr. Brown (played by Cliff Bemis; later a longtime spokesman for International House of Pancakes, or IHOP).
Things start off normally enough with “Miss You Much”; but as the kids go on break, Kenny notices that his music teacher, Mr. Brown (who had promised to stop by the P*lace) didn’t show. It’s clear that Kenny admires his teacher, going so far as to defend him against charges by Ana that he’s too hard on the students before they return to the stage (“Dancing Machine”)note . The kids - including a clearly dejected Kenny - walk backstage with very different moods (while the others are still excited about their performance, Kenny is still glum about Mr. Brown not showing up); something Eric notices and turns to get Robin’s attention.
Meanwhile; Flip quietly slips in as Kenny is talking about how he’s going to point out how late Mr. Brown was considering how he would get on Kenny for being late; and Flip gives Kenny and the others devastating news; as he learned that Mr. Brown had suffered a massive heart attack and died on the way to the hospital. The shocking news has left Kenny so rattled that even a week later, he still is struggling to process as the band (with Haylie on drums and Robin on keyboards) practices the following week, as Kenny viewed Mr. Brown as not just a teacher but a friend (with a voice-over of Mr. Brown’s observations and comments as Kenny looks over his papers); setting up the Imagine Spot for “Power of Love/Love Power” (with the cast in tuxedos for the second half).
Meanwhile, Flip walks into the garage; hoping to cheer Kenny up while Flip works on his environmentally-friendly car that he’s trying to build, with no success. Flip then encourages Kenny to build on what Mr. Brown had taught him, much like Flip did when his uncle passed away; which does help Kenny in terms of dealing with Mr. Brown’s death (“How Can I Go On”; with the others walking in near the end). Kenny - after telling the others that he was feeling better - decides to give rehearsal another try; with the kids and Flip discussing what they’ve learned about sharing how they feel with someone before it’s too late and keeping the memory of those one’s lost is like they’re still a part of you, setting up closing song “Tomorrow”.
Songs performed in this episode]:
- “Miss You Much” (Janet Jackson cover; lead vocals by Ana)note
- “Dancing Machine” (The Jackson 5 cover; lead vocals by Eric and Kenny)
- “Power of Love/Love Power”note (Luther Vandross cover; lead vocals by Robin, Haylie and Kenny)
- “How Can I Go On” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Kenny)
- “Tomorrow” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Kenny)
Tropes associated with this episode:
- An Aesop: Two for one; covering both the importance of sharing how one feels before it’s too late and that keeping the memory of ones you’ve lost is like they’re still part of you.
- Bearer of Bad News: Flip is the one who ends up letting the others know that Mr. Brown had died.
- Imagine Spot: “Power of Love/Love Power” takes place as Kenny reminisces on his late music teacher.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Kenny notes how odd it was that Mr. Brown didn’t show up to see the band (especially given how insistent on punctuality he was) until learning of Mr. Brown’s death.
- Posthumous Character: Mr. Brown - save for the Imagine Spot where “Power of Love/Love Power” takes place - is never seen on camera; with only a voice-over as Kenny remembers some of what he had been taught.
- Very Special Episode: Dealing with Kenny struggling to process the death of his music teacher.
