BSC TV Series Episode # 13: The Baby-Sitters Remember

Memory Reaction

I don’t remember seeing this before.

Revisited Reaction

I read the episode description of this a few weeks ago and saw that it was about the BSC reminiscing and was worried it was some kind of clip show.  But all the reminiscing was new footage. It’s the end of the school year and the BSC’s having a sleepover before the girls all go away and separate for the summer.  They chat about important times in the clubs history and their friendship.  Some of these discussions are just them mentioning things, but we also get flashbacks.  The flashbacks are pretty much recreations of book scenes, which I thought was really fun.  They were actually pretty accurate with the details, so someone who worked on this show was obviously a fan, or really dedicated to their job.

First up is Kristy getting her great idea for the club.  We see her in school on a really hot day and then cheering when the bell rings, leading to her teacher making her write an essay on decorum. Which all happened in the first book. They even get the name of the teacher right, it’s Mr. Redmont.  I looked that up, because I wanted to see how thorough they were being. Anyway, then we see Kristy later that night, with her mom telling her she can’t find a sitter for David Michael and how has she’s been calling all over town.  However, we don’t see her making phone calls while the Thomas kids are eating and her pizza gets cold. So, they get a few points off for that. 

Next we see Kristy talking about her first sitting job for the club, for Buffy and Pinky who turned out to be dogs.  This is really close to how it happened in the books too, we even get the awkward questions where Kristy things they’re talking about people and the other person thinks they’re talking about dogs.

The next flashback’s about the “snobs.”  We see Stacey sitting for the Delanys and getting them to clean up by making a mess in their playroom.  This scene seems really familiar, more than just reading it in the books.  I almost think I saw part of it before.  But I definitely didn’t see this whole episode, so I’m not sure how.  But anyway, it’s another scene that gets the book details very accurate. 

We get one flashback that’s totally made up.  It’s the girls having traditional Japanese tea with Mimi. They all wear kimonos, Kristy can’t walk in hers, they drink the tea, Mimi says some wise old lady things about how great their friendship is, etc.  All seven girls are there, so I’m not sure when it was supposed to happen.  Mimi died before Stacey moved back to Stoneybrook.  So either she or Mal and Jessi shouldn’t have been in the scene.  Probably Mal and Jessi since it seemed to be before her stroke.

They also talk about the fake wedding that they staged with the kids they were sitting for right before Watson and Elizabeth got married.  This also appeared pretty accurate, they had Karen and David Michael as the bridge/groom, they had the vows be about TV and riding bikes, and they had the kids running off at the suggestion they needed to kiss.  The only thing off is that it took place outside, and I think in the book they had it inside.  The whole reason they did it was because they were looking for something to do while stuck inside in the rain.

The last flashback’s about the time they all had to have pretend egg babies for school.  This doesn’t show any exact scene that they had in the books, but it does get things right, like the names they all gave their babies and who the fake husbands were.  And we see Mary Anne getting upset that Logan doesn’t seem to trust her with the egg baby.  This flashback’s focused on Dawn though.  We see her being careless with the egg baby (putting him loose in her backpack?) and arguing with her fake husband.

After they finish remising it’s midnight and the girls all go to bed.  But they talk about how great/important their friendship is and promise that even if they move apart when they’re older they’ll still be friends and have reunions every year.  It’s very idealistic, but sweet.

High/Lowlights

• Some things that just get mentioned as they’re talking, but have no flashbacks are Jessi learning sign language, Dawn organizing the fundraiser for the Zuni pen pals, Dawn “losing” Buddy Barrett, and Claudia breaking her leg because of practical joke girl. 

• They also talk about how Jessi and Mallory had to take a written test to join the BSC, but that one isn’t accurate.  Mallory had to take a written test, which she failed.  Then the older girls reconsidered and asked her and Jessi to join, with the only requirement being they get observed on a sitting job.

• We see the girls cleaning out their lockers at school, and I have to say, they have really in character decorations inside them.  Kristy has a BSC flier and baseball stuff, Jessi has dance stuff,  Stacey has dried flowers from some dance, Claudia’s is artsy, etc.

• At the sleepover, Stacey keep brushing/styling Kristy’s hair.  I feel like that would never have happened.  Stacey brushing hair seems in character, but Kristy being the subject without complaining seems wrong.

• The girls say the BSC’s phone number is KL5-3231, just like it was in an earlier episode.  I know some current TV shows that don’t have continuity that good. And just for the record I looked that up to see if it matched.  My memory isn’t that good.

• Kristy’s going to softball camp for the summer, and talks about wanting to pitch a no hitter.  But I don’t remember her as a pitcher.

• Jessi’s also going off to some exclusive dance camp for the whole summer, but they don’t mention what the other girls are doing.  Just that they’ll be apart. It seems kind of weird for them all to be going somewhere for two whole months.

• Another nice piece of continuity….Mary Anne has braids in her hair in the flashbacks to the early years.

• Jessi says how even though she isn’t diabetic she has to watch what she eats because of dance.  Mary Anne tells her “it isn’t like that anymore” and that succeeding in dance is about talent, not body type.  I’m pretty sure that’s not true, especially in ballet.

• One weird thing that distracted me is that during this sleepover, Claudia’s bedroom door’s open.  Wouldn’t they have shut the door so her parents didn’t hear them?

• I can’t get over Dawn putting an egg loose in her backpack.  She originally put it in the inside pocket of her jacket, but her partner thought it was unsafe. So she just drops it in her bag.  Then later it somehow falls out and is rolling on the floor.  Miraculously, it doesn’t crack. 

• The Delanys look a lot younger than I pictured in their flashback. But I guess all kids seem younger when I see them as adults versus picturing them as a kid myself.

• Stacey mentioned how she was nervous about making friends with Kristy, Claudia, and Mary Anne at the start of the club, and Mary Anne’s surprised because of how sophisticated Stacey seemed.

• They also talk about the first time Mimi tried pizza.  Which I don’t think happened in the books, but I feel like one of the girls once mentioned seeing her try it in the books. Am I making that up?

• One thing that doesn’t totally match the books in this show.  Here, the girls keep talking about how they’re all best friends and super close and all that.  In the books they always made a point of saying that Mal/Jessi and Claudia/Stacey were actually best friends within the group.  And Mary Anne/Kristy were also best friends originally, but then Mary Anne/Dawn were too.  They show makes it more of an even “group” thing.  Which I guess is nice and gives the show even more of a dream-like angle for tween girls.

One note….this is the last episode in the series, but I am planning on recapping the movie, so that should be posted fairly soon.