This episode marks the second of three episodes involving a character on the school paper. This episode, also the first solely centered on one of the established members, sets up a collision between Ryan and the school’s principal (guest star Alaina Reed Hall, best known for her roles as Olivia Robinson on Sesame Street and the character of Rose Lee Holloway on 227note .
We start things off with a performance of “Here I Go Again”; followed by a shot of Ryan at a typewriter working on an article for the school paper (which naturally gives Kenny and Devyn an opportunity to jokingly refer to Ryan as Superman). The article happens to be a review of the school paper - a rather scathing one at that (Devyn comments that the milk was always warm, the hot apple pies were always cold; with Kenny complaining about the portion sizes). Among the “highlights”: poor quality mashed potatoes and burgers made of “mystery meat not even Sherlock Holmes could identify”.before closing with a statement that the school “should stop treating nutrition as a dirty word and start giving us more of it”; leading to “Pop Goes the World”.
Later Kenny and Richie are trying to agree on a baseball card trade involving New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden and Houston Astros legend Nolan Ryan. The light-hearted scene is abruptly interrupted when Devyn arrives with word that serves as Kryptonite to Ryan; as the principal wants to see Ryan in her office…and she’s furious! The ensuing meeting sees the principal blasting Ryan’s article, charging it was a disservice to the cafeteria crew and threatening to block the article from being published barring major changes, leaving Ryan at a crossroads (“Got to Be True to Myself”). Ryan then explains the dilemma to the others and his attempt to decide whether to fight the attempt at censorship or back down, setting up “Think” (in a Nineteen Eighty-Four setting that closes with a graphic of the quote “Those who deny freedom of speech to others deserve it not for themselves.” by Abraham Lincoln).
Meanwhile, Ryan gets an idea: Invite the principal to try the cafeteria food herself while the band prepares to audition for an upcoming spring dance; with the kids attempting (not particularly convincingly) to sell the food as being good). The principal, upon trying it, immediately expresses her disgust, conceding Ryan was right and that the original article would be not only allowed to run but printed on the front page…on the condition they get her some decent food, setting up closing number “Check It Out”.
Songs performed in this episode:
- “Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake cover; lead vocals by Ryan)
- “Pop Goes the World” (Men Without Hats cover; lead vocals by Stacy)note
- “Got to Be True to Myself” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Ryan)
- “Think” (Aretha Franklin cover; lead vocals by Ryan and Kenny)
- “Check It Out” (John Cougar Mellencamp cover; lead vocals by Ryan)
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Imagine Spot: “Think” takes place in a 1984-inspired setting.
- Mystery Meat: Ryan’s article notes that not even Sherlock Holmes could identify what meat was used for the burgers in the school cafeteria.
- School Newspaper News Hound: The main plot involves Ryan’s review of the cafeteria food coming under fire by the principal.
- Shout-Out: The title of the episode’s original song, “Got to Be True to Myself”, is loosely based on the line “To thine own self, be true” from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.
