Recap / Kids Incorporated S 5 E 4 The Talent Search

This episode pits the kids against each other when they learn of a talent agent looking for talent for a movie.

Things start off rather innocuously with a performance of “La Bamba” (during which Riley hangs a sign advertising the Great Hollywood Talent Search with auditions that day. During the break, the band is discussing their recent performance when Devyn steps away to buy a malt. As she does, Riley announces (after senior members Ryan and Stacy assume it’s another invention - leading to Riley briefly getting defensive about his inventions {“They do work…more or less”}) that there is a Hollywood talent agent in town, a development that caught the younger band members’ attention immediately; especially when Riley mentions that the talent agent was looking for some new actors for a teenage movie^note technically, this would be more of a casting director, getting even the elder members interested (Stacy remarks she wanted to be another Madonna - who had attempted to launch an acting career during this time - while Ryan mentions offhand that he’s been told he looks like Sylvester Stallone; leading to Stacy jokingly suggesting that instead of looking like Rocky, Ryan resembled Bullwinkle. Connie, for her part, imagines herself being like Cher; leading to the kids preparing to head off backstage to put together their costumes…through not before Riley reminds them of some unfinished business…namely, another song (“Expressway to Your Heart”).

Back in the break room, we see the prospect of fame and fortune didn’t take long to begin going to their heads as the trunk containing the costumes is brought in; with Ryan making a quick reference to the P*lace’s history as he and the others begin rifling through the trunk in search of costumes (which happened to have been left behind by performers who played there when it was known as the Palace, all of which conveniently fit each of the kids) for their audition (“In My Dreams” - during which we see a series of inset shots of the kids in their respective costumes). Riley enters and is baffled upon seeing the kids dressed up (and seeing Ryan, Devyn and Richie do fairly decent impressions of Rocky, Dolly Parton and Pee-Wee Herman, respectively). However, at this point Ryan starts thinking “What happens if only one of the kids is chosen?” This results in the kids rapidly competing against each other as audition time arrives (“I Can Be What You Want Me to Be”).

After that song, the talent agent^note which appears to be an uncredited Thomas W. Lynch leaves having made his decision…not to cast ‘’’any’’’ of the kids! Making things worse for the kids, Riley points out that the thing the talent agent wanted to see was how they did as a team…the exact opposite of their one-upmanship display. At the end, this leads to the band realizing what their collective bout with jealousy had caused, and that they were better as themselves, setting up closing song “Mony, Mony”.

Songs performed in this episode^note for this episode, Ryan is playing bass guitar on all three songs performed on stage:

• “La Bamba (Mexican folk song cover^note also recorded by Ritchie Valens and most recently by Los Lobos for the 1987 movie ‘’La Bamba’’; lead vocals by Stacy)^note incidentally, Fergie is of partial Mexican heritage herself
• “Expressway to Your Heart” (The Soul Survivors cover^note also recorded by, among others, the Breakfast Club; lead vocals by Kenny)
• “In My Dreams (REO Speedwagon cover; lead vocals by Stacy, Kenny, Connie, Richie, Devyn and Ryan)
• “I Can Be What You Want Me to Be” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Stacy, Ryan, Richie, Devyn and Kenny)
• “Mony, Mony” (Tommy James and the Shondells cover^note also recorded by Billy Idol; lead vocals by Ryan)^note the first of two Tommy James songs that were covered by other artists in 1987; with “I Think We’re Alone Now” appearing in “The Guitarist” later that season

Tropes associated with this episode:

• Ambition Is Evil: It doesn’t take much for the prospect of fame and fortune to go to the kids’ heads - at the detriment of their friendship.
• Bungling Inventor: Briefly brought up by Ryan and Stacy when Riley attempts to announce the talent search.
• Continuity Nod: Ryan makes a brief mention of the P*lace’s history as the Palace.
  • This also marks the 3rd and final appearance for the trunk backstage, alongside Season 1’s “The Leprechaun” and Season 3’s “O Lucky Me”.
• Creator Cameo: The talent scout appears to be a possible cameo sighting of co-producer Thomas W. Lynch.
• "I Want" Song: “I Can Be What You Want Me to Be”.

Who the kids imagine themselves as

• Ryan: Rocky/Sylvester Stallone
• Stacy: Madonna
• Richie: Pee Wee Herman^note Richie would break out the Pee Wee Herman suit again for "Richie in Love", the next-to-last episode of the season
• Connie: Cher
• Kenny: Michael Jackson
• Devyn: Dolly Parton