History Recap / TheBradyBunchS5E13MissPopularity

This time, Jan is the Brady kid in for a big fall, and it all begins as part of a "Most Popular Girl in Class" competition, a homecoming royalty contest of sorts. Realizing she is in for a tough campaign against classmate and fellow nominee Kathy Williams, she makes an off-the-cuff promise to each of her siblings that she will repay them by doing anything they want her to do. While her entire family helps pitch in and campaign for Jan, she begins making all sorts of promises to her classmates. These include her classmate Herman, who is in desperate need of a tutor as he is failing algebra; Jan, wanting Herman's vote, hastily says that Greg will help out. Jan also promises her friend, Shirley, that she will babysit her little brother at any time.

While the closest episode of "The Brady Bunch" involving politics would be "Vote for Brady" from season 1, which dealt moreso with partisan politics, then Jan would have to learn the repercussions of making promises they can't keep, when she became "'''Miss Popularity'''".

While the closest episode of "The Brady Bunch" involving politics would be "Vote for Brady" from season 1, which dealt moreso with partisan politics, it is "'''Miss Popularity'''" where one of the Brady kids learns the repercussions of making promises they can't keep.

Eventually, Peter, who had tried his best earlier to sympathize with Jan and defend her, has enough when the girl he asked out -- Kathy Williams, the runner-up -- dumped her because she didn't want to be seen "with the brother of a jerky sister." Jan still tries to defend herself, but when she is told that Kathy's replacement date is Billy Garst and that it breaks tradition of the most popular boy and girl going to the dance together ... she still doesn't quite get it. "Congratulations," says Marcia. "You've given the word 'popular' a new meaning."

The next day at school, word gets around quickly that Jan had no intention of delivering on her promises. Herman finds Jan and gives him a piece of her mind; when she tries to blame Greg, Herman doesn't buy it and declares that he and a lot of the other kids wished they could buy their votes back. Jan, still with a swelled ego and unable to see that it is her own attitude that got her into this mess, then begins backing out of her commitments to her own siblings, angering them.

She doesn't get much sympathy from her parents, to whom she had earlier read a draft copy of her acceptance speech which heaps praise upon herself and gives very little to nothing in the way of gratitude or humility. "I thought that winning would be the greatest, but now everybody has suddenly changed," says Jan. Mike suggests that maybe it was ''her'' instead who had actually changed - that she promised everything to get elected but failed to deliver. In a final attempt to save face, Jan decides she's not going to the Senior Night ... disgusting Mike and Carol, because they've had so much trouble booking a vacation, had to cancel because their vacation date fell on the night of Senior Night ... and now Jan is refusing to attend.

In politics, the voters will hold the people they voted for accountable to their promises. Any kind of broken promises will be detrimental to the elected officials' careers. While the closest episode of "The Brady Bunch" involving politics would be "Vote for Brady" from season 1, it dealed more around partisan politics around Greg and Marcia's campaigns for the Student Body president. The one who would have to learn about making all kinds of crazy promises would be Jan, when she became... the "'''Miss Popularity'''".

Jan runs into the house excitedly, having just been nominated for the "Most Popular Girl in Class" competition, alongside Kathy Williams. However, her siblings (and Alice) already congratulate her before she can announce the news, because Peter, having gotten home earlier than her, had already told everyone. However, she's facing a tough opposition against Kathy Williams.

As the girls are planning out Jan's campaign, Jan promises to do anything for Marcia and Cindy in exchange of helping her with her campaign. However, she needs to have a campaign manager from her school, so she goes to Peter, thinking that he'd do it. Except that Peter disagrees. When Jan pulls the "blood is thicker than water" argument, Peter retorts with "so is glue", because Kathy Williams had already asked him to be her campaign manager. When Jan again promises to do "anything he'd want", Peter (and also Bobby) are in, when they both ask her for a small loan, and she wholeheartedly agrees.

Next up, Greg arrives home, while Jan is monopolizing the phone, calling her friends, asking that "if there's anything I could do for you, name it" in exchange of their votes. Greg just wants to make a call, so he bluffs his way to the phone that he could ask his friends' younger siblings to vote for her. And Jan also again promises "anything I can do for you, just name it" also to Greg. So now, the Brady kids and Alice all begin heavily campaigning for Jan. Jan again promises her classmate, Herman, who's flunking Algebra, that Greg could help him with it.

And it works, and Jan wins the contest. Except... Greg, having heard from Herman that he could help him with his Algebra, is annoyed Jan said something like this without consulting with him first, especially since he already has his own studies to worry about. Jan blows it off as "he'll find someone else to help him", but Greg reminds her that she made him a promise, except that Jan suddenly says that "it was just a campaign promise, the election's over and I won, that's the important thing."

Next up, Shirley, Jan's friend whom she was talking to earlier on the phone, and she promised to babysit her little brother, asks if Jan can do it tonight, except that Jan says that "I'm really busy tonight, maybe some other time." And Herman is annoyed that Greg couldn't help him with Algebra, while Jan claims "I was sure he'd help, it's his fault", but Herman reminds her that she was the one who promised it in the first place, and that he (and a lot of the other kids) wishes he could buy his vote back. Except Jan just casually remarks "They're just jealous!" Also Peter tells her that many kids at school are down on her for letting down on her promises, to which Jan remarks that "I don't have time to do everything for everybody."

And not only is she letting down her friends, but also her siblings. Peter and Bobby had put down a $8 deposit on a radio and a $3 deposit on a skateboard, while believing Jan's promises she'd give them the small loans. Annoyed that she just used them to get elected, they even joke at the possibility of putting her up for adoption, which Mike declines, but promises to get them an advance on their allowances. Same with Marcia (Jan promised to wash and iron her clothes; and she needs it done for school tomorrow - having already made plans on her promise, while Jan "also has plans" - as she's typing her acceptance speech) and Cindy (whom Jan promised to help with her book report). Bobby comments on Jan breaking her promises that instead of being voted the "Most Popular Girl", she should have been voted "Most ''Obnoxious''".

Meanwhile, Mike and Carol are planning to have a weekend getaway, first at the beach, then at a ski lodge - which are overbooked, and then at a ranch, which Mike manages to book on time. Except that just then, Jan comes in and reads them her very ego-loaded acceptance speech, which they tell her to review, before Jan tells them that the Senior Night has been moved to Friday, the 8th, just when Mike had booked the ranch.

Next, Jan asks Marcia for advice on her Senior Night dress, to which Marcia retorts with "it depends what creeps are wearing this season." Just then, Peter comes in, and calls her a "Super creep", for Kathy Williams was supposedly going to go the the dance with him, except that she changed her mind and didn't want to be seen with "the brother of a jerky sister, and the most '''Un'''popular girl in school", and is instead going with Billy Garst, the most popular boy in school, who was supposed to go to the Senior Night with Jan, but also changed his mind. Jan is shocked, for the tradition dictates that the most popular boy has to take the most popular girl to the dance, to which Marcia retorts that "You've just given the word 'popular' a new meaning."

Then, when Jan talks to Mike and Carol, saying that "I thought that winning would be the greatest, but now everybody has suddenly changed", they tell her that maybe it was ''her'' instead who had actually changed - that she promised everything to get elected, but then broke all the promises, and she decides she's not going to the Senior Night and face all the hostility. Sure enough, Mike and Carol are shocked that after having to cancel the beach and the ski lodge, and now when they managed to book the ranch, they now have to cancel that as well to go to Jan's Senior Night - where she isn't even going to be.

Next, at the dinner table, everybody is annoyed at Jan, and are about to leave the table, when Jan suddenly asks everyone to stay, having decided that she's going to the Senior Night and give her speech after all - a new, more humble one, where she clearly points out she learned her lesson, and now intends to keep every promises she made, even if it takes her the rest of her life, which is warmly received, and agrees to go to the Senior Night with Peter as her date (as well as lend him the money). Next up, Mike and Carol announce, that they will have their weekend getaway at all. Which they do, when the morning after the Senior Night, Alice brings them the breakfast in bed, and hangs a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on their door.

And not only is she letting down her friends, but also her siblings. Peter and Bobby had put down a $8 deposit on a radio and a $3 deposit on a skateboard, while believing Jan's promises she'd give them the small loan. Annoyed that she just used them to get elected, they even joke at the possibility of putting her up for adoption, which Mike declines, but promises to get them an advance on their allowances.

And it works, and Jan wins the contest. Except... Greg, having heard from Herman that he could help him with his Algebra, is annoyed Jan said something like this without consulting with him first. Jan blows it off as "he'll find someone else to help him", but Greg reminds her that she made him a promise, except that Jan suddenly says that "it was just a campaign promise, the election's over and I won, that's the important thing."

Then, when Jan talks to Mike and Carol, saying that "I thought that winning would be the greatest, but now everybody has suddenly changed", they tell her that maybe it was ''her'' instead who had actually changed - that she promised everything to get elected, but then broke all the promises, and she decides she's not going to the Senior Night and face all the hostility. Sure enough, Mike and Carol are shocked that they cancelled the beach, then the ski lodge, and now the ranch to go to Jan's Senior Night - where she isn't even going to be.

Next, at the dinner table, everybody is annoyed at Jan, and are about to leave the table, when Jan suddenly asks everyone to stay, having decided that she's going to the Senior Night and give her speech after all - a new, more humble one, where she clearly points out she learned her lesson, and now intends to keep every promises she made, even if it takes her the rest of her life, which is warmly received, and agrees to go to the Senior Night with Peter as her date. Next up, Mike and Carol announce, that they will have their weekend getaway at all. Which they do, when the morning after the Senior Night, Alice brings them the breakfast in bed, and hangs a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on their door.

Next, Jan asks Marcia for advice on her Senior Night dress, to which Marcia retorts with "it depends what creeps are wearing this season." Just then, Peter comes in, and calls her a "Super creep", for Kathy Williams was supposedly going to go the the dance with him, except that she changed her mind and didn't want to be seen with "the brother of a jerky sister, and the most '''Un'''Popular girl in school", and is instead going with Billy Garst, the most popular boy in school, who was supposed to go to the Senior Night with Jan, but also changed his mind. Jan is shocked, for the tradition dictates that the most popular boy has to take the most popular girl to the dance, to which Marcia retorts that "You've just given the word 'popular' a new meaning."

* SmallNameBigEgo: Jan's turn to learn this lesson ... and to think she had a big name just by winning a "Most Popular Girl in Class" election.

* GirlishPigtails: Cindy's pigtails are no more. Starting with this episode, she lets down her hair, which extends well below the shoulders.

* Girlish Pigtails: Cindy's pigtails are no more. Starting with this episode, she lets down her hair, which extends well below the shoulders.