Recap / Kids Incorporated S 4 E 8 Russian 101

This episode is the first of two consecutive episodes where Ryan is the main character; as we get to see him fall for a ballet dancer named Katrina (guest star Iris Julius; for whom this is her only IMDb credit)…from Russia.

We begin with opening song “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”; upon which the kids notice something different on the menu, as Riley is serving “Burgers Romanov”. The reason? Apparently the Russian Youth Ballet is in town; and the girls are thrilled about getting to see the ballet - the guys, not so much^note per the clip of Ryan, Kid and Richie turning away on their stools that was seen in “Video Madness” 5 episodes prior. Thankfully, the kids return to the stage before a “battle of the sexes” could erupt (“Come Go With Me”).

However, during the song a Russian ballet dancer named Katrina arrives at the P*lace; with Ryan immediately captivated by her as the two quickly strike up a conversation. Ryan then rushes to cram some Russian in before the others walk in, with Ryan blowing off Kid’s attempt to discuss vocal assignments for a new song. This leads to a bigger issue confronting the other three of the older kids (Kid, Renee, Stacy); namely how would Ryan take Katrina’s inevitable return to the Soviet Union^note keep in mind, this was originally aired in 1987; about 4 years before the Soviet Union’s collapse. Meanwhile, Ryan is alone singing “I Can Dream About You”. He then continues showing Katrina around as they discuss a brief comparison between the Russian and American ways of life, only for Kid to point out the romance wouldn’t work out due to the fact the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. are so significantly different; setting up “That’s America”^note which is a dead giveaway of the show being produced during the Reagan-era.

Returning to the plot and the older kids’ worries about how Ryan would handle Katrina’s upcoming departure? Well, that “inevitable departure” came must faster than expected, with Katrina having to tell Ryan that, due to a scheduling change, she and her ballet troupe were leaving tonight; pointing out that no one would expect her to leave her family (or Ryan his) before giving Ryan an album for her favorite Russian rock band along with a goodbye kiss. The others then go to console Ryan, but he took the news somewhat better than they expected, even considering a possible trip to Russia in the future (some of the others are open to the possibility as well, though Kid would only go if he could bring lots of American burgers); setting up “One for the Mockingbird”^note perhaps the most guitar-heavy song ever covered on the series

Songs performed in this episode:

• “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (Aretha Franklin and George Michael cover; lead vocals by Stacy and Kid)
• “Come Go With Me” (Expose cover; lead vocals by Renee, Stacy and Connie)^note this is the 3rd of 3 songs; along with “I Heard a Rumor” from the previous episode and “Cross My Broken Heart” from the previous episode, where the original studio recording - with Connie Lew’s vocals being heard on that version vis-a-vis Devyn Puett - has surfaced
• “I Can Dream About You” (Dan Hartman cover; lead vocals by Ryan)^note previously performed by Ryan Lambert’s predecessor as male lead Jerry Sharell in the show’s second episode “The Painter”
• “That’s America” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Ryan)
• “One For the Mockingbird” (Cutting Crew cover; lead vocals by Ryan)

Tropes associated with this episode:

• Culture Clash: The main difficulty regarding Ryan’s infatuation with Russian dancer Katrina.
• Eagleland: The focus of the very-much Reagan-era original song “That’s America”.
• Imagine Spot:
  • “I Can Dream About You” includes Ryan dancing with Katrina in his daydream^note similar to his dancing with his grandmother during the cover of “Forever” in “Grandma, Won’t You Dance With Me” two seasons earlier
  • The aforementioned Eagleland-themed performance of “That’s America”.