YMMV / All Grown Up S 1 E 2 Susie Sings The Blues

• Alternate Aesop Interpretation:
  • The standard Aesop is to be wary of scam artists and not let bad experiences derail you completely. But another Aesop could be to always involve third parties when dealing with strangers, especially in the performing industries. Had Susie got her parents or Alisa to meet with Beverly Jones, they likely would have exposed the holes in her story.
  • If your child is really keen on pursuing something, like a singing career, sometimes trying to forbid it because you don't approve may just result in them going behind your back anyway. So even if you don't approve of their choices, having some involvement or giving them a chance might be more beneficial than trying to forbid it altogether.
• Character Rerailment: After Rugrats had exaggerated Susie's characterization into near Flawless Token status, this episode served to ground her a bit more. While still a good, positive character, she's given a snarky side and her naivety leads to her easily being conned. Overall, this set the tone for a three-dimensional Susie who's able to be flawed and more human.
• One-Scene Wonder: Alisa only appears in this episode of the spin-off, but she's the one who highlights the horrors in what could have happened to Susie - and it's one of the most remembered scenes in the whole series.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Susie's parents are meant to come across as rational for telling their daughter not to pursue singing, with Lucy in particular saying it's all based on luck. Except that Susie has already been approached by an agent, which would already be half the battle if Beverly Jones hadn't turned out to be a con artist. The fact that Susie clearly has talent just makes them look like Jerkasses. And arguably, if they hadn't been so obstructive and at least tried to help Susie out, Beverly's con wouldn't have worked. The fact that later seasons reveal Lucy herself was a highly successful blues singer as a teenager makes her come across as very hypocritical in hindsight.