Last Resorts is the eleventh episode of the first season, and the 11th episode overall, of the Jem animated series.
Synopsis[]
Jem and The Holograms take a much-needed vacation to a Colorado ski resort owned by Rick Franklin, an old friend of Howard Sands. Mr. Franklin tells The Holograms that his resort is being threatened by another resort owned by Eric Raymond. Eric and The Misfits attempt to sabotage the resort in order to bankrupt Franklin so that he will sell it to Eric. Meanwhile, Rio and Svensson, a handsome ski instructor, battle for Jem's attention. In order to settle the matter of which resort controls the mountain, The Holograms and The Misfits face off in a ski contest.
Plot[]
Jem and The Holograms make their way to Colorado via the Rockin' Roadster after Kimber convinces Jem to take time off from music and have a vacation. They arrive at the Green Fern Ski Resort owned by Rick Franklin, who they overhear yelling down the phone about money. He tells them he is being extorted by his banker, and that if his mortgage isn't paid by the end of the week, he could potentially lose his lodge and resort. Jem signs the registration book and Rick acknowledges that they must be friends with Howard Sands, who sent the band here to drum up some business for Rick. He explains that business has been slow ever since a new resort opened up below him and he's experienced multiple suspicious breakdowns.
The girls decide to head to the slopes for a day of skiing, with Aja loving the peace and quiet. Then, a lump of snow hits the side of her face, and The Holograms look around angrily to see who threw it. They spot The Misfits beneath them on snowmobiles, along with Clash, and they perform "You Gotta Be Fast" where they go around the resort spoiling the slopes. Jem and The Holograms try to put a stop to their mischief, but The Misfits are one step ahead. Clash, who is sat in a tree, stomps on the branches to cause a pile of snow to collapse on Shana, and she gets buried underneath. Kimber and Aja get tripped by a rope that Stormer and Roxy pull in front of their feet. Jem gets a snowball to the face by Pizzazz, and the rest of The Misfits join in to throw snow at her. A male voice calls out, saying four against one is unfair, and The Misfits scatter. The skier helps Jem up, and introduces himself as an instructor working at the resort named Svensson. He picks up her ski goggles and puts them on her just as Rio shows up. He gets jealous immediately and storms off, with Jem apologizing for his behavior.
Back at the lodge, the skiers who The Misfits had tormented were complaining and demanding their money back, as there were a number of broken possessions and items. Kimber gets the idea to help Rick's business by asking the lodgers to give him another chance, and that Jem and The Holograms would perform for them at the end of the week. The customers all agree to the deal, and Jem consults Rick on how much extra time this plan would give him. It's at this time his banker shows up in a sleek black car, and tells Rick he found a possible buyer - none other than Eric Raymond, who also owns the competing resort at the bottom of the mountain. Jem tells the banker her band is doing a concert to help with the payment, and as he drives away with Eric they both agree that Franklin's resort cannot be revived at any cost. It then cuts to Zipper out on the ski-lift late at night, loosening the bolts to help the banker's plans.
In the morning, Jem and The Holograms set out to try and have a better day skiing and they take the ski-lift, in the middle of discussing The Misfits' typical misbehavior. Due to Zipper's tampering, one of the cogs falls off with the weight of the chairs and Jem and Shana's cabin breaks, causing Jem to hang in mid-air clutching onto Shana's ski pole. Rio and Svensson notice the girls are in trouble from the top of the mountain, and Rio starts climbing along the rope attached to the cabins. Just as Jem loses her grip, Svensson catches her with his rope from the helicopter. He then rescues the other three girls and Rio, commending him for his bravery. Rio replies sarcastically, saying that she picked the best man after all. When the girl band are back to safety, Franklin refuses to put up with anymore of the supposed accidents and takes a visit to Eric's new resort. Franklin rushes into his office and blames Eric completely for the "accidents". Eric then tries to settle him with a sporting proposition: that Jem and The Holograms should go face-to-face against The Misfits in a skiing race and both resorts could compete with each other. Svensson offers to train The Holograms, and the deal is set. Both teams have intense workout sessions which are depicted in "It's Workin' Out / It's Doin' Me In".
It's the day of the race, and Jem and The Holograms are ready to win after a hard week of training. They are lined up next to The Misfits, and the teams set off. Zipper watches closely with binoculars, and waves towards his henchmen to start preparing the traps. Clash ties a rope to a tree and rushes up behind Aja to stuff the hook into her ski suit. Aja is pulled back by the rope, and therefore out of the race. Up ahead, Jem is trying to get past Pizzazz and Roxy who are blocking her every chance they get. Jem uses Synergy to create a hologram of a tree so the two Misfits have to separate, and Jem slides in between them. Desperate, Roxy elbows Jem but pushes her ahead of them so she can take the ski path. Little to her knowledge, one of Zipper's crew had switched the sign to the path, so she goes the wrong way. The rest of The Holograms don't have much luck either; Kimber falls through a trap into a ditch, Aja gets covered in snow by a snow blower and Shana is set off course and falls onto an iceberg that flies down a freezing river. Jem finds herself at a dead end, trapped by cliff edges where The Misfits are standing. They laugh, and Clash smashes the cymbals on her wrists together, causing an avalanche to rumble at the top of the mountain. Jem flees to a nearby cave, and the avalanche covers the entrance.
Back at the finish line, the resort begin to worry about how long it's taking them to return. Just as the banker starts to panic, The Misfits come over the hill and cross the line. Svensson and Rio are confused about the whereabouts of Jem and The Holograms, and put aside their dislike for one another to try and find them. Meanwhile, Aja is wandering aimlessly when she hears Kimber's cry for help. Aja runs over to the pit and pulls her out. They then hear Shana's screams, and are horrified to see the iceberg she's on is drifting toward a waterfall. Aja hooks the rope she'd been caught by onto a rock across the stream, allowing Shana to grab on and climb to safety. Svensson and Rio split up to cover more ground, but they don't seem to have much luck. Jem is still inside the cave, using a light source to look around. She discovers she has entered a cave belonging to a grizzly bear, and Rio hears her screams. The bear swipes at Jem, causing one of her earrings to fall to the floor. Jem tries to use Synergy for help, but her other earrings is damaged from when Roxy elbowed her. The bear stalks closer, blocking Synergy's projections, and she glitches into her other identity. Rio manages to dig his way into the cave, and questions why Jerrica is there and not Jem, but there's no time to waste as the bear gets even closer to Jerrica. Rio jumps on its back to distract it, and Jerrica picks up her earring to turn Rio into a horrific monster, and the bear scurries away. Jerrica quickly changes back to Jem, and she tells Rio he is a hero. She then notices a glittering material hidden in the walls.
It is late at night, and Jem and The Holograms finally return to the lodge. Eric mocks them for losing the contest, but Jem and Rio walk in with a pile of silver, which Franklin technically owns as it is on his land and Jem tells him to use it to pay the mortgage. Outraged, the banker tells Eric that he has spoiled everything, revealing they are working together. Svensson brings in proof, with the henchmen that Eric had hired to sabotage the resort and the ski race, who admitted everything. They are sent away from the resort, and Jem and The Holograms perform "Love Is Here" at their lodge concert.
Songs featured[]
- "You Gotta Be Fast" - The Misfits
- "It's Workin' Out / It's Doin' Me In" - Jem and The Holograms / The Misfits
- "Love Is Here" - Jem and The Holograms
Quotes[]
- Kimber: This was the best idea ever if I do say so myself.
- Shana: We didn't argue with the idea of taking a vacation.
- Kimber: You didn't, but she did. (refers to Jem) She never wants to have any fun!
- Pizzazz: Well, look who's here. Little Miss Pink Hair and the Sing-Alongs.
- Kimber: (to Jem) What a hunk! If you don't want Swensen, sis, I'll take him.
- Clash: You're about to come... (puts a hook onto Aja's belt) to the end of your rope, Aja.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Goofs[]
- During "Love Is Here", Kimber's lips turn red for a moment.
- When Jem falls from the ski lift, Shana is holding her ski pole with her right hand and Jem is to her right. There is a commercial break and when the show resumes, Jem is shown to have fallen over the rail to Shana's left. But when Svensson and Rio go to save Jem, she has returned to her position at Shana's right.
- Right after Jem shouts to Rio after she falls off the ski lift, both Kimber and Aja are shown to have red lips.
- During the ski race, right before Clash starts the avalanche, she is shown to have an extra layer of blue hair on the bottom of her hair. Additionally, her rat-tail forelock is on the opposite side.
- After The Misfits and Clash win the race, Clash's hair is completely pink.
- This happens again during a point in "You Gotta Be Fast".
- Right after the bear knocks off Jem's earring, she had to resort using the other one; however, she was shown with both of them.
Trivia[]
- One of five episodes in the series that shows snow; the other four are Danse Time, Journey to Shangri-La, The Middle of Nowhere and Homeland, Heartland.
- Svensson calls Rio "Leo", and Rio calls him "Swanson" as a retort.