Every episode focused on Haylie so far has centered on her frustration as to being the youngest member of the band. This episode sees her become the target of two bullies named Marcy and Miles (played respectively by Mandy Carr and Ryan Lathrop).
The episode begins with a cover of “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (with more experimentation with video effects, in this case a strobe-like effect) before we turn our attention to the breakroom; where we see Haylie with platform shoesnote and her hair done up (which she notes made her look three inches taller); only to lose her footing when Kenny and Eric walk in, with both guys using the stumble to set up a joke (“New dance, Haylie?”), after which Robin and Ana enter, hear Eric’s “breakdancing” joke before we see the shoes up close, leading to Haylie unconvincingly claiming that the shoes were “comfortable”; leading to Robin - having not caught on to what was happening yet - lamenting how by the time one’s shoes felt good, they were old and needed to be replaced. Finally, Ana - and eventually the others - catch on to something being off with Haylie, who confides her frustration over feeling too short (Eric then jokes that Haylie wasn’t short, just “close to the ground”. This get him shoved back into his chair by Ana). Why does she feel that way? Haylie reveals she had been picked on by two kids named Marcy and Miles; with the two suggesting during an assignment on doing their family trees that Haylie’s was so short it was a family twig. Robin and Kenny - the two senior members of the band - assure her that size doesn’t make a difference, especially with Haylie still growing (Eric was still launching at the “family twig” line before being the recipient of a Death Glare by Ana), though Haylie still wishes she were taller; resulting in the guys being enlisted to stretch her out (the only thing that got stretched: the video); after which we move to “Little Darlin’”.
At the counter, Miles and Marcy had just gotten their shakes when Haylie walks in, and eventually they resume their tormenting Haylie by grabbing her cap and holding it out of her reach. After eventually getting her cap back; Haylie then decides to practice for a school basketball tournament (when she frets about being uncertain if she’d make the team, Ana notes that the moves she saw would have given Michael Jordan stiff competition; which Eric adds to by calling her “Air Haylie”), with Haylie (after sinking a shot behind her back) got along with everyone on the coaching staff…everyone that is except two people: Marcy and Miles. The final tryouts are then held, and Haylie is playing well against taller competition, though Marcy and Miles seem unwilling to consider her (leading to Kenny at one point questioning if they’re being fair in their final roster selections). The two insist they are. The decision to follow up with yet another “short” joke seems to suggest otherwise as the players (in addition to Haylie, include J.C., Mike and Carol) are ordered to line up on the fence according to height if their names are called, with Carol, Mike and J.C. being chosen and Marcy adding insult to injury by telling Haylie to “grow up” (“When I’m Back on My Feet Again”).
Flip then hands Haylie a soda as she tells him about not making the team, feeling that she’s too short to be good, something that Eric, Kenny and Flip immediately protest (when Flip - while assuring her that one didn’t have to be big to be talented - unintentionally undermines his point by referencing Magic Johnsonnote ; Eric elects to go with an example with a player that was short, in this case 5-foot-7 Anthony “Spud” Webb; while Kenny elects to go with the Biblical reference to David Versus Goliath. Finally, Eric reminds Haylie of the saying “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”, while Haylie repeats to herself before we go to “Wild Child”; with Marcy and Miles are giants and the dancers as mice and ending with Haylie going bowling with the basketball before knocking out the giants). This gives Haylie an idea, as she returns to the court, not for a second chance as Miles and Marcy assume, but with Kids Inc. as her team.
With Haylie’s part of opening song “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” playing on a loop; Kids Inc. gets to a 6-2 lead over the “M and M” team, ultimately scoring a decisive victory (while a final is not explicitly stated, the last score we see had Kids Inc. up 40-28) with Haylie carried on Kenny and Eric’s shoulders (Marcy - having along with Miles been fed a large slice of humble pie - remarks, “Up there she looks…kind of tall”) even into the P*lace stage in time for “Follow Your Dream”.
Songs performed in this episode:
- “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (C+C Music Factory {featuring Martha Wash and Freedom Williams} cover; lead vocals by Haylie, Kenny and Robin)
- “Little Darlin’” (The Gladolias covernote ; lead vocals by Eric and Kenny)note
- “When I’m Back on My Feet Again” (Michael Bolton cover; lead vocals by Haylie)
- “Wild Child” (Heart (Band) cover; lead vocals by Haylie, Kenny and Ana)
- “Follow Your Dream” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Haylie)
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Author Appeal: Once again, the production crew’s love of basketball leads to the sport being featured prominently in the plot.
- All Women Love Shoes: Based on the quote under Comically Missing the Point below; Robin apparently likes buying shoes.
- Comically Missing the Point: Robin’s response to Haylie’s claim that the platform sneakers were “comfortable”.Robin: “I know what you mean. By the time new shoes feel good, they’re old and you have to buy new shoes all over again.”
- Height Angst: Haylie’s short stature is the focus of much frustration for her.
- Imagine Spot: The setup for “Wild Child” has Miles and Marcy as giants; the band members as their prisoners and the dancers as mice.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Both Eric and Flip fall into this; Eric with a wisecrack about Haylie not being short but “close to the ground” and Flip when he undermines the point he’s trying to make about not having to be big to be talented by choosing as his example 6-foot-9 Magic Johnson.
- Recycled Premise: Haylie’s frustration over being the youngest member of the band seems to borrow some elements from Season 2’s “Peer Pressure” minus the Very Special Episode elements regarding smoking.
- Shout-Out:
- In addition to Michael Jordan; the names of Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson and Atlanta Hawks guard Anthony “Spud” Webb are also mentioned.
- Two of the three who are picked instead of Haylie are named Mike and Carol.
