Frame Up is the fourth episode of the first season, and the 4th episode overall, of the Jem animated series.
Synopsis[]
Jem and The Holograms are scheduled to play a concert at a casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. When they discover that The Misfits are their opening act, they start to worry. The Misfits bring along Ashley and use her to lure Aja away, hoping that without their lead guitarist, The Holograms won't be able to play and they will headline instead.
Fortunately, Aja comes back in time and they perform. Unfortunately, while the girls are on stage, Eric Raymond's goons steal the money from the concert and frame Jem. Stormer and Ashley team up to tell the truth.
Plot[]
After The Misfits have completely ruined the set and sent Rio colliding into equipment, Jem is stuck in between sparking wires and various appliances that are on fire. Rio uses a deck to reach Jem, pulling her to safety before she is completely crushed, and takes her to rest in Lindsey Pierce's dressing room. The rest of The Holograms have to finish the interview while Jem recovers. In the dressing room, she and Rio share a brief kiss in the heat of the moment as Aja walks in on them. Rio quickly makes an excuse to leave and Aja makes a joke about him finding out Jem's true identity, which Jem dislikes as she feels guilty about potentially hurting his pride.
Back at the Starlight Mansion, Mrs. Bailey informs Jerrica that Ashley, one of the Starlight Girls, goes out all day but doesn't tell anyone where she's been. Ashley hides a t-shirt that promotes The Misfits as Jerrica walks in to question her about what she's been getting up to - but she is quickly taken away again with business about a concert and then Ashley pulls the t-shirt out again as Jerrica leaves. In the office, Jerrica signs what looks to be a contract, as Dirk Hayes, the concert promoter, tells them that The Misfits will be the warm-up band for their exclusive show at a Las Vegas casino. The Holograms are irritated by this, and Dirk simply laughs and tells them he did it "to see sparks fly". Shana finds comfort in knowing that The Misfits will be even more irritated learning that they have to open for them. However, when Pizzazz hears the news, she plans on using Ashley to prevent The Holograms from showing up to the event in order for The Misfits to become the main act. Conveniently enough, Ashley arrives just as she is mentioned and Pizzazz invites her to Las Vegas. Ashley is overcome with excitement, truly believing that The Misfits have good intentions, and accepts while claiming they're the best friends she's ever had.
Jem and The Holograms arrive in Las Vegas via private jet and venture into Gold Dust Casino, where not even the blinding lights of the strip can distract Jem. She tells Shana that she still doesn't know how to tell Rio about her secret and sings about her "Deception" to him. Meanwhile, Ashley seems unsure of something she's been told to, but goes through with it after Roxy asks if she's scared. Aja then spots Ashley in the casino and attempts to ask why she is in Las Vegas, and follows her into the luggage storage under a coach. Ashley quickly climbs out and The Misfits lock the doors of the coach, leaving Aja stuck inside while the vehicle begins to drive to New York. The Misfits are laughing over the plan's success, but Ashley is silent. Pizzazz meets up with Dirk and tells him the bad news, that one of The Holograms seem to have taken off, but The Misfits are ready to take over. Dirk states he'll get to the bottom of it, and comes across The Holograms looking for Aja. Jem assures Dirk that Aja would never run out on them, but he demands for her to be there before the curtain is raised; otherwise, The Misfits will take over.
Aja is banging from inside the coach, screaming to be let out. One of the couples on the coach manage to hear her and suspect that there is a flat tire. They inform the coach driver, who opens up the luggage hold and Aja runs out. She gets whistled at by two men on the side of the road and she asks for directions to the Gold Dust Casino. They both tell her different directions and start arguing. Luckily for Aja, a handsome man on a motorcycle shows up and offers to take her to the casino. They only get so far as they hit a traffic jam and Aja decides to take it by foot, with the man wishing her good luck. Back at the venue, Rio asks The Misfits if he can look around their dressing room. Once he's looked, Pizzazz turns on the charm and suggests Rio should leave Jem for her. A horrified Rio tells her that she isn't fit to even breathe same air as Jem. Rio joins the girls and Dirk says that The Misfits are taking over, just as Aja shows up. They celebrate and announce they're ready to perform and that The Misfits can warm up the audience. Jem and The Holograms perform "Too Close For Comfort".
After The Misfit's performance, Eric Raymond phones Pizzazz and Roxy with a cryptic message telling them there would soon be a commotion, and that if police arrive they should search Jem's dressing room. Stormer finds Ashley hiding behind a cardboard cut-out, scared that Roxy and Pizzazz would be mad at her. Stormer agrees that they both scare her too. They happen to overhear Zipper and two crooks scheming, and they put masks on before blowing a hole through a vault to steal lots of money. They are unaware that Stormer and Ashley are quietly following them as they watch the crooks put the stolen goods in Jem's room, and disappear. Both are unsure as to what they should do, but are too late as Jem and The Holograms come off stage after three encores, only to be greeted with the news that the casino has been robbed and the concert money has gone. Detective Griffin assumes that the crooks will have already gotten away, but Pizzazz does as Eric instructed her and demands they search Jem's room. A police officer has already found the planted money in Jem's bag, and Jem is dumbfounded, saying she didn't steal it. Dirk ignores her, and commands her arrest. The detective handcuffs Jem, and Pizzazz goes even further to say that Rio was probably her accomplice and should be arrested too. But Rio and Jem plead their innocence, even making the point that there was no way she could have stolen it while she was on stage performing. Detective Griffin states that he knows the thieves were men, but she could still be an accessory to the robbery. Ashley runs in, telling everybody that Jem didn't do it, and that she heard the thieves' plan. Nobody seems to believe her, until a woman covered in a hat and cloak mysteriously appears and repeats that Jem didn't do, and wishes to speak with the detective in private with Ashley. The lady says that she can prove Jem's innocence and shows her true identity to the detective. After a short while, Dirk wants an answer about Jem's pending arrest - and it turns out she is free to go thanks to the mystery lady - who is really Stormer, unbeknownst to everybody else.
Back at his office, Eric listens to The Misfits claim that all of his plans so far have failed, and have only helped Jem and The Holograms gain popularity. It is here when Eric comes up with the idea to discover Jem's real name using the private detective Manny Malone. He plans to follow Jem until her secret is revealed, with the first event being the Danielle Du Voisin's fashion show. The Misfits secretly go there too, to give Malone some unexpected help. Jem and The Holograms walk the Countess' fashions and sing "Truly Outrageous". Whilst watching from the balcony, The Misfits use the hot spotlights to set off the sprinklers and ruin the show. Malone then follows Jem and The Holograms home and watches the girls disappear through the holographic wall. The group quickly change into different outfits, and leave again. Malone takes this time to enter through the wall, and Synergy sounds her intruder alarm. Malone tells the strange machine to be quiet, and then starts to smash Synergy to pieces.
Songs featured[]
- "Deception" - Jem and The Holograms
- "Too Close For Comfort" - Jem and The Holograms
- "Truly Outrageous" - Jem and The Holograms
Quotes[]
- Ashley: I'm scared of Pizzazz and Roxy. They'll be so mad.
- Stormer: Yeah, they scare me too sometimes.
- Roxy: Next stop, New York.
- Stormer: So long, Aja.
- Roxy: Yeah, don't forget to write.
- Aja: Oh, uh, warm up the audience for us will you, Pizzazz.
- Pizzazz: I wouldn't warm up left overs for these no talents.
- Shana: Well there is one consolation.
- Jerrica: Is that right?
- Aja: I've got to hear this one.
- Shana: Being our warm-up act will drive the Misfits berserk.
- Detective: (seeing the bag of money) Well.
- Jem: But...I-I didn't.
- Dirk Hayes: Arrest her!
- Detective: All right, come with me young lady (handcuffs Jem)
Gallery[]
Goofs[]
- In Las Vegas, the casino reads "foker game" instead of "poker game".
Trivia[]
- This episode, from The Beginning up until The Battle of the Bands were mini series episodes. The show was picked up for a complete series when it started to become successful. They were originally broadcast as fifteen seven-minute shorts between October and December 1985.
- The three segments for this episode were titled "The Sparks Fly", "The Robbery" and "The Detective".
- This is the second episode without a song by The Misfits.
- Eric reveals that Pizzazz's real name is Phyllis.
- In the compilation movie, most of Aja's run back to the casino from the bus was edited out.
- This episode heavily focuses on Jem's desire to tell Rio her real identity, but fears of losing him because of her constant deception.
- This episode truly shows Ashley's reformation, as she attempted to tell the truth about the stolen money from the casino for Jem's sake. The episode also shows Stormer being a moral person.
- Malone was able to discover The Holograms' hideout at the Starlight Drive-in and Synergy's whereabouts (even discovering Jem's secret identity of being Jerrica).
- The end scene shows Malone smashing Synergy to pieces, but in the next episode, Synergy was able to use her holograms to fool him to look as if she was smashed to pieces.