Culture Clash is the twenty-fifth episode of the first season, and the 25th episode overall, of the Jem animated series.
Synopsis[]
An eccentric artist, Fitzgerald Beck, is the art director for Jem and The Holograms' new music video. His art dealer is using his sculptures to smuggle stolen diamonds.
The Misfits find this out and set up the sculptures to explode onstage while Jem and The Holograms are filming the video, leading the police to believe it was them and Beck who put the diamonds there. The Holograms must team up with Beck to find the actual culprit before the cops catch them.
Plot[]
Jem and The Holograms touch down in New York for two weeks to shoot their new music video. They're surrounded by fans and press outside their airport gate, with The Misfits watching the live broadcast, and Pizzazz threatens to ruin their time in NYC. Anthony informs The Holograms that he's booked Fitzgerald Beck to be the art director for their video, and Video explains that he's the hottest conceptual artist in the USA. They watch some of his work but are concerned about the unique direction he might take them in. Once they arrive at the party held by Fitzgerald, they notice all his strange gadgets and sculptures dotted around the venue and watch a strange rendition of one of his performance pieces.
The next day, Jem and The Holograms are set up for their video, when Fitzgerald surprises them by pouring buckets of bright paint over them from the top a building. Fitzgerald tells Jem that he finds her fascinating, but she's irritated that he messed things up. Once they're cleaned up, Anthony takes them to the harbor as they'll be lip-syncing from a boat - which is actually a garbage scow. The girls complain about ruining their glamorous image while The Misfits sneak on board and sabotage the controls. During the filming, The Holograms notice their boat is going too fast, and the remote controls have stopped working as they realize they're headed straight toward a huge ship. Kimber and Shana are thrown toward the railings of the boat, while Jem frantically tries to steer away. With a near miss, the passing ship sends a large wave toward their boat, which soaks The Holograms and causes them to fall over. Afterward, the girls tell Anthony their growing concerns about continuing with the project but could potentially ruin their credibility by dropping Fitzgerald.
At the Castello Gallery, Maria Castello questions Fitzgerald why he hasn't been making any new sculptures, and he explains that the music video is important to him. Maria threatens that she wants his new sculptures in a week or else. Meanwhile, Eric Raymond is shocked when he hears that Fitzgerald is helping Jem and mentions that he's looking after some of his pieces while he's in Europe. Eric goes to meet Alex Falk at the gallery and The Misfits decide to follow him. Maria suggests to Eric to invest in Fitzgerald's work, and after agreeing to look after them, The Misfits sneak in and check out the sculptures; only to rattle them about and come up with the theory that diamonds are stashed inside. This gives Pizzazz the idea to put explosives inside the sculptures, so that when they're used in The Holograms' music video, they'll get blown up. They gleefully sing "Surprise! Surprise!".
It is the evening's concert and The Misfits have ensured that the explosive-filled sculptures are on the stage. Jem and The Holograms begin their performance of "I Believe In Happy Endings", when Stormer presses a button and the sculptures explode, revealing the diamonds. Upon inspection, a detective believes they're stolen "Rockwell" jewels. He decides to keep The Holograms in a room until Fitzgerald arrives. Jem uses Synergy to create a hologram of Fitzgerald and sends the policeman after it, which provides them with a chance to escape. They track Fitzgerald down at his apartment, and Jem tells him that despite everything, she thought his sculptures were cute. Fitz then goes to give her a confession, but realizes that it must be Maria who is smuggling the diamonds. The police arrive at this moment, but they make a swift exit down the fire escape. Shana, Kimber and Aja are sent to find The Misfits while Jem goes with Fitz back to his loft. They start up his sculptures, which they believe will lead them to Maria, and Fitz sets up his newest piece titled "Freeze! You're under arrest!"
At Misfits Music, The Holograms overhear the evidence that The Misfits did indeed sabotage the concert and Maria was in fact the smuggler. Jem is convinced that she will be able to get Maria to show her the diamonds and heads inside the gallery. She uses a hologram of Eric, who tells her that they've been caught. Frantic to get there before the police, Maria dashes to their hidden location, and the group follows her. She reveals they've been hidden at her nightclub, and the new sculptures grab her as she uncovers the jewels. The police initially attempt to arrest Jem, but after Fitz's sculpture shows them the diamonds, they release her and arrest Maria.
Back at his loft, Fitzgerald admits that he has feelings for Jem, and that he has never felt this way before. She politely turns him down, explaining that there is already a special someone in her life. He decides to quit their music video due to his immense feelings toward her, and the group finally complete the shooting of their music video.
Songs featured[]
Quotes[]
- Jem: Who's practically made a career of getting us into trouble?
- Aja, Kimber and Shana: The Misfits.
- Fitzgerald: Jem, if anything had have happened...
- Shana: You wouldn't have anybody to dump paint on!
- Kimber: Or cut in the middle of the Pacific!
- Aja: Atlantic.
- Kimber: Whatever!
- Kimber: So much for our glamorous image.
- Aja: I think we lost that the day Fitzgerald Beck walked into our lives.
- Video: Fitzgerald Beck's still not here.
- Jem: Does this guy bother to show up for anything?
- Roxy: Those no talents get the royal treatment and we get nothing.
- Stormer: Looks like Eric botched it again.
- Pizzazz: They better enjoy it cause I'm going to make sure their stay in New York is a disaster.
Gallery[]
Goofs[]
- When Maria is told by hologram Eric that Fitzgerald revealed she was the one who stole the diamonds, she pushed him away; however, it would be impossible for her to touch him since holograms have no physical form.
Trivia[]
- When Anthony is showing some of Beck's past performance works to The Holograms, a video of three men completely clad in white suits appears. This trio resembles real life band/company, the Blue Man Group.
- The Holograms are interrupted when they try to sing "I Believe In Happy Endings" a total of three times in this episode. The first time is when paint is dumped on them, the second time is on a runaway barge, and the third time on stage with the exploding gadgets full of diamonds.
- At the end of the episode, Lindsey Pierce introduces another look at The Misfits video, "Surprise! Surprise!", and another look at The Holograms' outrageous video hit, "I Believe In Happy Endings".
- This is the final episode with a public service announcement at the end.