The second straight episode focusing on Stacy sees the kids, after learning of a paper she had written, fearing she was planning to run away.
After opening up with "Never Gonna Give You Up"; we turn our attention backstage to a game of Go Fish between Ryan and Richie where - unknown to Richie - Ryan had enlisted Connie as a spy to tip him off to what card Richie had; only for Richie to quickly catch on, bringing out his "trusty equalizer" - a can of silly string, which ends up resulting in Stacy (in a corner with a notebook) getting inadvertently hit with silly string. Not surprisingly, Stacy is rather miffed as the others head back to the stage ("Paperback Writer"). Following this performance, Round 2 of the Ryan vs. Richie silly string war ensues, this time with Ryan packing his own can of silly string. Once again, Stacy gets caught in the crossfire - which proves the last straw for her as she angrily storms out.
As she does, a page from her notebook falls to the floor in Devyn's line of sight, where she then places the paper on the desk by the mirror, takes another look...and what she reads troubles her due to what's written expresses a seeming desire to want to run away. Devyn then interrupts the silly string war (which has moved outside by this point) to share her concern ("Time for a Friend"). The others' efforts to cheer Stacy up fall flat as she walks to a secluded area, imagining a fairy tale crossover ("Strange But True") before realizing how foolish she had been feeling sorry for herself.
Upon returning to the P*lace, the others attempt to reassure Stacy she's loved and appreciated - with Devyn explaining to a confused Stacy that she saw the paper; allowing her to finally clarify that the paper was part of an English assignment where the students wrote an original story - much to everyone's relief; upon which Richie asks for a hug from Stacy. Instead, he gets Stacy spraying him with silly string prior to closing song "Cherry Bomb".
Songs performed in this episode:
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" (Rick Astley cover; lead vocals by Ryan)
- "Paperback Writer" (The Beatles cover; lead vocals by Stacy)note
- "Time for a Friend" (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Devyn)
- "Strange But True" (Times Two cover; lead vocals by Stacy, Ryan, Devyn and Kenny)
- "Cherry Bomb" (John Cougar Mellencamp cover; lead vocals by Stacy and Ryan)
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Friendship Song: Original song "Time for a Friend".
- Imagine Spot: The fairy tale crossover leading to "Strange But True".
- The Power of Friendship: The motivation behind the kids' actions following their mistaken impression Stacy is intending to run away.
- Wrong Assumption: The erroneous belief that the kids had thinking Stacy wanted to run away.
