The BSC arrive at Camp Moosehead, only to be assigned to separate cabins by the director, Philomena "Meany" Means. Mary Anne befriends Laine over their shared love of theater and the two plan to put on a play. During auditions, it is revealed that Laine is Stacey's former best friend. Stacey and Logan are cast as the leads. Kristy is frustrated at the leadership policies of the camp.
Claudia and Dawn resolve to connect, and express dismay at the extra costs that many campers can't afford. They set up a rogue art session in the woods for the less privileged campers. Claudia is remanded for standing up to Meany, which Kristy sees.
At dress, Laine and Stacey argue, only to fall into a patch of poison ivy.
Tropes:
- Adaptation Deviation: In the book, the girls attend "Camp Mohawk". Although there was likely no ill intent behind Martin's usage of that name (and in fact, campgrounds having Native American names was pretty standard in the 80s), the series changes it to Camp Moosehead to avoid any semblance of cultural appropriation.
- Adults Are Useless: When the camp counselors who are supposedly "supervising" archery practice end up being more concerned with talking to each other than monitoring the children wielding lethal weapons, Kristy tries to take charge of the situtation, only for Director Means to shut her down.
- Almost Kiss: During the first play rehearsal, Logan and Stacey are supposed to kiss. Mary Anne, who has a crush on Logan, calls a stop to it right before they can, justifying it as wanting the opening night performance to feel "fresh". Stacey pretty clearly sees through this but finds it amusing.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Karen for David Michael.Nicky: Dude, your sister is weird.
David Michael: She's my step-sister. - Back for the Finale: Mallory Pike and Logan Bruno show up at the audition for the play Mary Anne and Laine are putting on. Nicky Pike also shows up later.
- Breaking the Fellowship: The BSC, who were looking forward to bunking together, get split up when they arrive at the camp. Kristy and Stacey are assigned to one cabin, Claudia and Dawn to another, and Mary Anne is shunted off to a third.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Kristy looking over at Stacey and upon noticing her, she shouts at her "Oh my God! What happened to your face?!" The next episode reveals she had poison ivy.
- Contrived Coincidence: Mary Anne wonders if her new friend knows Stacey because she's from NYC, only to realize it's ridiculous to assume two people from a city of millions know each other. It turns out that they not only know each other, but were ex-best-friends.
- Creepy Child: Karen. She knows the legend of a woods-dwelling hermit who kidnapped a camp theater group because the singing from their rehearsals drove him insane, and when a prop falls down unexpectedly, blames it on this.
- Damned by Faint Praise: Mary Anne says she can't believe Laine likes theater, because she seems "so cool". This being after she learns Laine's father is a Broadway producer.
- False Reassurance: Mary Anne runs into Karen on the way to her cabin, and Karen, correctly guessing Mary Anne is worried about being seperated from the BSC, attempts to console her by revealing Watson said she'd love the camp. Unfortunately, this is Karen, and her reasons for liking the camp involve snakes, poisonous moths, and the legend of a cursed theater.
- The Friends Who Never Hang: Claudia and Dawn haven't shared a storyline together yet, which is lampshaded when they are assigned to be cabinmates and it's a little awkward.
- Hidden Depths: Karen has up until now been the standard Creepy Child, but when she auditions for the play, recites Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy from memory.
- High Heel Hurt: Claudia wears two-inch platform heels to a wilderness camp. Even Dawn is taken aback when she realizes this.
- Hollywood Economics: The arts counselor tells the campers that they have to buy camp-provided shirts to tie-dye, and the prices are exorbitant: $35 USD for a crewneck (regular) t-shirt, $50 USD for a sweatshirt. One little girl gets frozen out of the activity because her parents couldn't afford to send any extra money with her, with Claudia and Dawn later discussing how unfair this is.
- Internal Reformist: Claudia and Dawn take it upon themselves to combat Camp Moosehead's out-priced tie-dye activity by inviting the kids who couldn't afford it to a "wilderness art" lesson inspired by the works of Andy Goldsworthy
(a British artist and environmentalist who creates his pieces with materials found in nature; i.e., flowers, twigs, thorns, leaves.) - Jaded Professional: Philomena Means, the director of Camp Moosehead, has shades of this: she's been running the camp for twenty-six years, and seems a little depressed when she says that out loud.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Director Means is correct that the members of the BSC aren't old enough to even be junior counselors and that letting them supervise activities opens the camp up to liability issues. However, she seemingly ignores that several of her actual counselors aren't paying any attention to a group of twenty middle-schoolers on an archery range.
- Know Your Vines: When Stacey and Laine fall into the patch of poison ivy, they've both wearing long pants and long-sleeved (if pushed up) shirts, so it would have stayed just on their hands and arms...except they both touch their faces before washing their hands.
- Master Archer: Kristy is pretty darn good with a bow and arrow.
- Old Friend: Just as audtions for the play are closing, Stacey shows up... leading to shock from both her and Laine, neither of whom knew the other was at the camp.
- Pun: It's not clear whether the broadcast was already named this, but when Dawn is making her first announcments, she calls it "News at dawn" (morning).
- Pursue the Dream Job: Dawn takes it upon herself to ask if she can be the camp's morning announcer. Director Means readily agrees, though she overrules Dawn's intent to "personalize" the news.
- Rage Breaking Point: Stacey initially tries to be professional while working on the play with Laine, but Laine's constant interruptions in correcting the blocking leads her to blow a line. Stacey takes the criticisms for a minute, but when Laine asks if her diabetes is to blame, snaps and lets Laine have it before storming off.
- Running Gag:
- The director of Camp Moosehead is interrupted twice by members of the BSC, who introduce themselves by saying some variation of "I'm so-and-so from Stoneybrook, Connecticut." When Mary Anne shows up in her office with Laine, she guesses it before Mary Anne can say anything.
- Dawn trying to inject social commentary into her morning announcements, and getting shut down by Director Means.
- School Play: Mary Anne and Laine intend to put on a performance of Paris Magic in the camp's theater.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness : Dawn when discussing the camp's charging for extra activities.Dawn: It's socio-economic stratification. It's creating haves and have-nots in what's supposed to be a utopian environment.
Claudia: ...You're agreeing with me, right? - Shout-Out:
- Mary Anne hangs a poster from Hamilton on the wall above her bunk.
- After Claudia gets in trouble for running an unsanctioned art class and talking back to a counselor, Dawn and the other kids give her the three-finger "District 12 salute" from The Hunger Games.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Sarah, the camp's art teacher, breaks up Claudia & Dawn's free art lesson. But since art is Claudia's passion, she isn't about to back down and isn't shy about talking back to the older woman.Sarah: Hey. What's going on here?
Claudia: It's an art class?
Sarah: The only sanctioned art and crafts at Camp Moosehead is my class, where most of you are supposed to be right now.
Claudia: Well, "most of us" don't have hundreds of extra dollars for you to show us how to inexpertly tie-dye so we're doing our own class. - You Can't Fight Fate: Laine tries to invoke this as the reason she and Stacey both ended up at Camp Moosehead. Stacey, still quite bitter about the end of their friendship, disagrees.Laine: Stace...maybe it was supposed to be this way. Maybe we were...destined to be at camp together.
Stacey: Or maybe our moms get the same Facebook ads.
