The Day the Music Died

The Day the Music Died
Season	3
Episode no.	7
Production code	5205-62
Written by	Roger Slifer †
Originalair date	February 11, 1988
◄ Previous	Midsummer Night's Madness
◄ Previous	Midsummer Night's Madness
Next ►	That Old Houdini Magic
Next ►	That Old Houdini Magic

The Day The Music Died is the seventh episode of the third season, and the 60th episode overall, of the Jem animated series.

Synopsis

Jem is led away from her responsibilities by Riot on a cruise. When the rest of The Holograms are unable to pay Starlight Music's debt, The Misfits buy out the company, bringing the rest of The Stingers along, and forcing both bands to submit to their control. This turns The Misfits into a mega group ruling the airwaves. Rio, The Holograms and The Stingers have to find Jem and Riot fast in order to get their lives back to normal.

Plot

Overworking as usual, Jerrica is having trouble keeping up with everything involving Starlight Music. When Rio's van malfunctions and he fails to arrive in time to set up The Holograms' next concert, Jem can't handle the pressure anymore and decides to leave everything behind, allowing herself to be led away from her responsibilities by Riot on a cruise to Mexican shores.

When the rest of The Holograms are unable to pay Starlight Music's debts, The Misfits buy out the record company, bringing Minx and Rapture along the way, as they can't keep the popularity of their own band without their lead singer as well, forcing The Holograms and The Stingers to submit to The Misfits' control. This turns The Misfits into a supergroup ruling the airwaves.

However, after realizing the cost of sustaining the Starlight Girls (education, food, clothing, etc.), Pizzazz threatens on not taking care of them at all, but then the girls make it clear that in that case they would have to inform the people at the foster home agency about it, which would result in Starlight Music and the Starlight Mansion being taken away from The Misfits in order to pay for their expenses. So, having no other option, Pizzazz has to submit to their demands.

Meanwhile, both Jem and Riot are living an idyllic existence on the cruiser. During a boat ride where Riot is showing off his skiing skills, he reveals that the whole thing was a scheme devised by him. He sabotaged Rio's van, which was the detonator that forced Jerrica decide to leave everything behind. Jem then realises that she has completely abandoned her duties and loyalties to her life and family back home. Upset by this, she demands him to take her back, but after Riot's refusal, both struggle for the control of the boat and end up crashing on a nearby deserted island, where they resume their new carefree existence.

Meanwhile, The Holograms receive a postcard from "Jem", telling them that she loves Riot and plans to stay with him for the rest of her life. Noticing she doesn't have competence anymore, Minx tries to make a move on Rio, but after seeing how all of her attempts turn unfruitful, she reveals that the postcard was actually written by Riot himself. Hearing this, and knowing that Jem could be in trouble, Rio, The Holograms and The Stingers rush to Mexico to look for them. Fortunately, they eventually find them and, after a small confrontation between Rio and Riot, they decide to go back home... although not before Rio sabotages The Stingers' boat, leaving them with no other option than to row their way out of the island.

Back in Starlight Music, The Misfits, with a little help from Eric Raymond, realize that the cost of maintaining the Starlight Girls is actually making the company to start losing money, not to mention having to deal with the foster girls themselves. When The Holograms arrive, Pizzazz decides to give Starlight Music and the Starlight Foundation back to Jerrica. Eric makes one last desperate attempt to make Pizzazz sell him the company instead, but after realizing the hard task it would be taking care of the girls, he flees in panic after her as well.

Songs featured

• "Under My Spell" - The Stingers
• "Top Of The Charts" - The Misfits
• "All's Right With The World" - Jem and The Holograms

Gallery

Riot and Jem on the boat.

Rio when he finds Jem on the island.

Goofs

• After a while on the boat, Jem tells Riot she wants to return home, because she misses her sister, apparently referring to Kimber, who is Jerrica's sister. Although Riot wouldn't know that and if he heard it might have assumed Jem had a sister of her own.
• When the old Starlight Music sign is smashed and replaced with the new Misfits group, Rapture is seen without shoulders on her outfit, and this is not the first time this happens in an episode.
• When Pizzazz is going through Jerrica's office, and she picks up a picture of Emmett, Kimber and Jerrica; the yellow gloves Pizzazz was wearing momentarily disappear and we see her hands, and then the gloves return.
• In the music video "All's Right With The World", a magazine is displayed called Rock-Out, where Kimber wears the outfit Rock'n Roses, but the pants are blue instead of white.
• Oddly enough, it never occurred to The Holograms to try to use Synergy to pinpoint Jem's exact location, although it's possible that Jem's earrings may have been damaged in the boat crash that she and Riot were in.

Trivia

• The title of this episode is a reference to a real event that happened on February 3, 1959, where rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa.
• This is Britta Phillips' favorite episode.
• The "Jem Girls" theme is interrupted in the middle of the intro by Kimber, who has a message and speaks right out to the viewers. Some other characters do the same throughout the episode as well: Raya, Aja, Pizzazz, Riot and Ashley.
  • This is the only episode in the series to break the fourth wall almost the entire episode, although this stops happening toward the ending.
• One of the frames that is seen for less than a second while the opening theme is being stopped says things like "Universal Leader", "Picture", "Reel No", "Color", "Length", "Roll", "Subject", "Splice", and other things.
• Roger Slifer is the only writer other than Christy Marx who ever included The Misfits in the same episode as The Stingers.
• Kimber admits that she sometimes takes things a little too personally.
• Regine Cesaire is mentioned in this episode, which means it takes place after Straight from the Heart, where she is introduced. However, most episode orders place this episode first, including the official production numbers.
• According to Raya, the day she joined The Holograms was "the happiest day of her life".
• Jem bets on number 22 on the roulette table.
• The Misfits apparently would let The Holograms, Rapture and Minx join her band rather than Clash, the latter who would go to extremes and even put up with constant abuse to be accepted in the band (although this could be because Clash doesn't play any instruments).
• When joining The Misfits, The Holograms are using their outfits from when they played the mean sisters in Beauty and the Rock Promoter.
• Kimber has her own office with a sign on her door at Starlight Music.
• Kimber is not afraid of heights.
• Riot allegedly held Jem hostage on the boat they were on, showing his first criminal act in the show.
• Harvey Gabor owns Starlight Music in this episode, acting pretty cold toward Kimber when she was about to lose everything in court, even though both got along pretty well in the episode Father's Day, also written by Roger Slifer.
• The Misfits actually rename Starlight Music to Misfits Music.
• Riot thinks he is smarter, stronger and more clever than Rio "by far".
• Minx sees Riot as her "guru" and "inspiration". Ever since Rapture first laid eyes on Riot, she knew they belonged together.
• Kimber almost reveals that Jem is her sister, but stops herself.
• We get to see a glimpse of Starlight Music's address on the postcard when Rio holds it. It says 1848 Brook, Los Angeles, Ca..., 90015.
• Pizzazz is on the cover of a magazine called Pop-Time. Jem is on the cover of magazines called POP!, ROCK-OUT, Starscene and VID.
• Kimber, Aja and Rio can't recognize Jerrica's handwriting. However, Minx reveals this was because it was a "perfect forgery" made by Riot.
• According to Minx, Riot is so egotistical that he signs everything he writes with a little "R" in a circle.
• Rio was never able to sense the connection that Jem/Jerrica are the same person, since they have been gone and just happen to have conveniently return at the same time.
• After Jerrica leaves, the episode focuses only on Jem. In fact, Rio never seems to be concerned about his own girlfriend's disappearance and instead only worries for Jem.
• This is the second time The Holograms visit Mexico. The first time was in the episode Aztec Enchantment.
• When they get back home, The Holograms are already accompanied by Jerrica and it's never stated when or where they rejoined. It's also never explained what happened to Jem during their travel back.
• The rivalry between The Holograms and The Misfits clears up in this episode, and Eric Raymond loses his will to try to take over Starlight Music thanks to the Starlight Girls.
• This episode marked Eric's final speaking appearance, in addition to definitively giving up on taking over Starlight Music.
• The song "All's Right With The World" by Jem and The Holograms is reused. It previously appeared in the episode The Talent Search (Part 2).