But Seriously Folks

My Review

It’s Danny’s turn to take centre stage and I like the episode but feel that maybe there is too much going on. We get to see both Danny and Doris pursuing work outside the school, which is what they long for but particularly in Danny’s case it only brings him problems and feeling lonely and isolated he turns to uppers to get him through.

Suddenly Danny seems to have been abandoned by his friends, which doesn’t ring true to me. Yes his performance was on late but I’m sure at least some of the kids would have found a way to be there, normally everyone is so inventive in finding ways to get what they want. Leroy and Montgomery aren’t living with parents so surely they would have gone.

Then there is Danny’s relationship with his father and how he treats Danny after his brother Vinny died. For me this is the most interesting aspect to the episode and the drug story leaves me a little cold. With everything else going on in the episode I think they could have left that plot to a later episode, or start it now and finish it in a later episode and have it as a sort of ongoing story for Danny.

Danny’s parents are different to the ones that they use later on but I think there is more of a connection with this actor, who plays his father rather than the later one. The final scene where they hug is very touching and very well acted, when they admit they love each other and hug and it always brings a tear to my eye. Danny’s Mum barely gets a look in, where later in the series she will be more prominent.

Albert is missing from this episode and most of the other characters get very little to do but Carol is very strong in her scenes with Carlo and I love her line “He’s been taking Leroy lessons”. Her scenes with Danny in the cafeteria a very good where she assures Danny that his Father cares.

Also a lot of the humour in this episode comes from Doris’ subplot with the advert audition which is very funny. I love the part where she describes the audition process and talks about Gloria who keeps coming in to do her hair. I’m sure this is an in joke because the hair stylist on Fame was called Gloria too.

Step up to the Mike was never one of my favourite songs but it serves as a nice ending to the show. It is performed in a very different way to the album version.

Carlo gets to sing Come What May, with different lyrics to the version Gene performed earlier in the series, which I always liked. I wonder why on the album they didn’t put Gene and Carlos versions together to make it into a duet, especially as Carlo wasn’t featured on the Kids From Fame Again album at all.

SONGS

"Come What May" performed by Carlo Imperato

Written by David Wolfert and Henry Gaffney

"Another One Bites The Dust - Instrumental

Written by John Deacon

"Hankburger Jingle" performed by Erica Gimpel, Gene Anthony Ray, Valerie Landsburg and Ensemble

Written by Bill Burch

"Step Up To The Mike" performed by Valerie Landsburg, Erica Gimpel, Carlo Imperato & Gene Anthony Ray

Written by Alan Gordon

MP3s Available:

"Come What May"

"Step Up To The Mike" album version

"Step Up To The Mike" episode version

"Step Up To The Mike" Instrumental/Karaoke Version

TV Guide Ad