When Tori fills in for her ailing sister Trina during an elite talent showcase, she discovers she has the ability to sing and perform onstage, which gifts her a scholarship at Hollywood Arts High School, a school for talented teens. But Tori finds it hard fitting in at first, especially when she captures the jealousy of rebellious girl Jade.
Tropes:
- Early-Installment Weirdness:
- Trina seems aware of her lack of singing ability, considering she tries a Chinese herb gargle (which gives her an allergic reaction) to help her sing better.
- Tori's hair is straight instead of wavy, while Cat's is curly instead of straight.
- Rex is almost an entirely different puppet, before The Bird Scene.
- Robbie is more nervous around girls than in the rest of the series.
- Jade's makeup is significantly darker, and her hair is styled differently.
- Tori's soon-to-be locker is already occupied.
- Jealous Romantic Witness: Jade walked in on awkward-newgirl Tori rubbing coffee off of her boyfriend Beck's shirt. Immediately, she took this as a threat and repeatedly bullied Tori for the rest of the class. Tori finally got her revenge by kissing Beck on stage... but this only made Jade angrier, leaving a grudge that would last for most of the show.
- The Pilot
- Title-Only Opening: The episode simply starts with the show title, skipping the opening theme all together.
- Tongue Trauma: Trina uses some Chinese herb garble to help her sing better, but she has an allergic reaction to it, causing her tongue to swell up like a balloon.
