Davy’s girl trouble leads to a crazy TV amateur hour and an even crazier stage mom. Loosely based on aspects of the Broadway show “Gypsy”.
Full Recap
During band practice, Davy keeps getting distracted by his radar for attractive girls, helpfully tripped by multiple ladies hiding around the apartment.
Later, the four are out on errands when an older lady and her pretty daughter peek at them from around the corner. The mom has strangely specific information about the Monkees as they stop by the women’s tearoom for a break. Before serving the boys, the mother gets on the phone to confirm that Fern will appear on a TV amateur hour. She gives Fern a nail and some pepper and tells her to carry out the plan.
The mother says she’s a fortune teller and reads the Monkees’ tea leaves, predicting a flat tire for Mike and a brief virus for Peter. Davy is supposed to fall in love so completely that he leaves the group within the next 24 hours. One tire patch and sneezing fit later, Davy’s bandmates swear to keep him away from any woman for the next day.
Fern visits twice disguised as a Girl Scout and a door-to-door photographer. Finally, the guys chain Davy to a chair and set him in front of the TV. Davy gets a letter inviting him to judge a beauty contest at the tea room. Chair and all, he drags his way out.
As the only contestant (of course), Fern meets him in a swimsuit and a long wig. Davy is smitten at first sight. Just as the others find him, the fortune teller predicts Davy will be Fern’s partner and a great success in show business. The Monkees refuse to let him perform with her. Unfortunately, this drives Davy into Fern’s arms and he leaves with the women. Peter intercepts a phone call for the fortune teller and says that her daughter and Davy are confirmed to perform last on the amateur hour. Suddenly, the group realizes they’ve been set up.
At the TV filming of the amateur hour, the winner is determined by the number of phoned-in votes from watchers. The Monkees’ plan is apparently to make the hour so bad that no one’s left to vote by the time Fern and Davy go on. They all do their best to perform at their worst. The Astonishing Pietro (Peter) brings a disastrous magic act, dumps milk on his head and deliberately melts down onstage. Billy Ray Hodstetter (Mike) is next, playing “Different Drum”, rushing the tempo and mumbling the words. The comedian Locksley Mendoza (Micky) is next with a rapid-fire act that’s so old (How old was it?)…let’s just say it was pretty old.
Davy recognizes them and finds it very funny, assuming they’re trying to make sure his act looks good in comparison. Behind his back, Peter weighs down Davy’s jacket and switches his cane for a rubber one while Mike sprays something in Davy’s throat. Fern and Davy gamely try to perform their vaudeville act, but Davy is too distracted to dance as well as usual. It’s Fern’s turn to melt down onstage – but she’s not kidding. Backstage, the fortune teller yells at Davy for ruining her daughter’s big break. Finally realizing he’s been had, Davy rejoins The Monkees.
Song: “I’m a Believer”
The Monkees apologize to each other and make up. The winner of the contest is announced: Fern and Davy!
Later, the four are out on errands when an older lady and her pretty daughter peek at them from around the corner. The mom has strangely specific information about the Monkees as they stop by the women’s tearoom for a break. Before serving the boys, the mother gets on the phone to confirm that Fern will appear on a TV amateur hour. She gives Fern a nail and some pepper and tells her to carry out the plan.
The mother says she’s a fortune teller and reads the Monkees’ tea leaves, predicting a flat tire for Mike and a brief virus for Peter. Davy is supposed to fall in love so completely that he leaves the group within the next 24 hours. One tire patch and sneezing fit later, Davy’s bandmates swear to keep him away from any woman for the next day.
Fern visits twice disguised as a Girl Scout and a door-to-door photographer. Finally, the guys chain Davy to a chair and set him in front of the TV. Davy gets a letter inviting him to judge a beauty contest at the tea room. Chair and all, he drags his way out.
As the only contestant (of course), Fern meets him in a swimsuit and a long wig. Davy is smitten at first sight. Just as the others find him, the fortune teller predicts Davy will be Fern’s partner and a great success in show business. The Monkees refuse to let him perform with her. Unfortunately, this drives Davy into Fern’s arms and he leaves with the women. Peter intercepts a phone call for the fortune teller and says that her daughter and Davy are confirmed to perform last on the amateur hour. Suddenly, the group realizes they’ve been set up.
At the TV filming of the amateur hour, the winner is determined by the number of phoned-in votes from watchers. The Monkees’ plan is apparently to make the hour so bad that no one’s left to vote by the time Fern and Davy go on. They all do their best to perform at their worst. The Astonishing Pietro (Peter) brings a disastrous magic act, dumps milk on his head and deliberately melts down onstage. Billy Ray Hodstetter (Mike) is next, playing “Different Drum”, rushing the tempo and mumbling the words. The comedian Locksley Mendoza (Micky) is next with a rapid-fire act that’s so old (How old was it?)…let’s just say it was pretty old.
Davy recognizes them and finds it very funny, assuming they’re trying to make sure his act looks good in comparison. Behind his back, Peter weighs down Davy’s jacket and switches his cane for a rubber one while Mike sprays something in Davy’s throat. Fern and Davy gamely try to perform their vaudeville act, but Davy is too distracted to dance as well as usual. It’s Fern’s turn to melt down onstage – but she’s not kidding. Backstage, the fortune teller yells at Davy for ruining her daughter’s big break. Finally realizing he’s been had, Davy rejoins The Monkees.
Song: “I’m a Believer”
The Monkees apologize to each other and make up. The winner of the contest is announced: Fern and Davy!
We predict you'll find these tropes in this episode:
- Black Comedy Burst: The big "SQUAWK!" sound effect as Peter smashes his disappearing dove is shockingly funny.
- Bloodless Carnage: Peter's disappearing dove trick involves his smashing the paper bag with the bird inside. As he opens it to look, clean white feathers drift out.
- Reading Tea Leaves: The main form of fortune-telling in Fern's family's shop. The predictions are helped along by fraudulent pranks on the customers.
- Vicariously Ambitious: The mother apparently wanted to be a star but never got further than her tea room. Fern seems ambivalent about the false predictions, but goes along with the plan.
