truly outrageous jem primer

The Beginning (1)

After the death of her father Emmett Benton, Jerrica Benton inherits Starlight House (a foster home for girls) and half of the music company Starlight Music. Unfortunately Starlight House is falling apart, so Jerrica follows the advice of her housekeeper Mrs. Bailey and goes to get money to fix the house from Starlight Music. But when Jerrica arrives she finds that her father's office has been completely taken over by Eric Raymond. He was Emmett's business partner and inherited the other half of the music company - while polite to Jerrica, he soon makes it clear that he thinks she's too young to be co-CEO.

Eric has big plans to make Starlight Music a huge success, so he hires his own band: Pizzazz, Roxy, and Stormer, a.k.a. the Misfits. The girls are wild and out of control and their music is rough, tough, and cutting edge. On top of that they are completely rude to Jerrica (who calls them trash). Eric tells Jerrica that Starlight Music will be holding a Battle of the Bands in the park the next day. The Misfits then inform her that they will win the contest because Eric made sure the other bands would sound terrible compared to them. Jerrica is outraged by Eric's shenanigans and is determined to get Starlight Music back.

Jerrica returns home to Starlight House and is given a package by her younger sister Kimber. The package contains a beautiful pair of star earrings (they will later be called the Jem Star Earrings). When Jerrica puts the earrings on a strange purple woman appears who tells her to follow the directions that are in the earring box.

Jerrica, Kimber, and their friends/foster sisters Aja and Shana are led to the Starlight Drive-In. They drive their van through a holographic wall and are introduced to Synergy, a computer that can project realistic holographic images of any object. Emmett Benton had worked secretly on Synergy for years as his final gift to his children. She appeared in Jerrica's room through the star-shaped microtransmitters that Jerrica now wears. Synergy also shows the other gifts that Jerrica's father left: clothes, musical instruments, and a car. Suddenly Jerrica knows exactly how to stop Eric Raymond and the Misfits and reclaim Starlight Music.

The Misfits perform at the Battle of the Bands and are about to be proclaimed the winners by Eric. He's then cut off Jem and the Holograms, who appear out of nowhere and impress everyone with their smooth contemporary pop sounds. After the Holograms finish performing, we learn that lead singer Jem is really Jerrica Benton disguised by one of Synergy's Holograms! Enraged at Jerrica for interfering, Eric challenges her to a contest. In six months he'll make the Misfits more popular than Jem and the Holograms. The two groups will face off in another Battle of the Bands; whoever wins the contest will gain total control of Starlight Music.

Jerrica confidently accepts this challenge. Then Howard Sands, a movie producer who was watching the contest, steps forward and sweetens the deal by offering the winners of the contest a movie contract and a beautiful mansion. The Misfits are determined to win the contest and steal the Holograms' musical instruments. Jerrica and the Holograms follow them in the Rockin' Roadster and try to get their stuff back, but the Misfits throw their instruments out of the van and into a nearby river.

After chasing the Misfits, the band makes a wrong turn and gets stranded on the edge of a cliff. Jerrica asks Synergy for help and she projects a hologram of Jem further up the road. Rio Pacheco, Jerrica's boyfriend and the band's stage manager at the contest, is flagged down by Jem and told where the girls are. His rescue of the band makes the papers; Eric is outraged by the Misfits' behavior and tells them to leave the Holograms to him.

Back at Starlight House we are introduced to some of Jerrica's foster girls. New girl Ashley steals money from the honor jar, which is a fund the other girls started to buy a refrigerator for the house. Ashley is caught stealing the money by Jerrica, who hands her over to the others to deal with. Lela, Diedre, and Becky are running the fund and they decide Ashley has to earn the last $30.00 for the honor jar as her punishment.

Meanwhile, Eric hires a street thug named Zipper to sneak into Starlight House and scare Jerrica off. After Rio leaves for the night, Zipper breaks into the house and starts stealing things. He's caught by Jerrica and the rest of the Holograms - while running off, Zipper bumps into Kimber and makes her drop her lantern. The flame hits the ground and sets Starlight House on fire, trapping Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, Shana, and the Starlight Girls inside.

Broadcast date: 06-Oct-1985
Production #: 008

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Outta My Way" -The Misfits "Only The Beginning" -Jem and The Holograms "Winning is Everything" - The Misfits

Disaster (2) [aka Set Backs]

Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, and Shana manage to get all of the Starlight Girls out of the burning house before the firemen come. Ashley goes back in to save the honor jar. She's rescued just before the front door collapses and Jerrica hugs her and scolds her at the same time. Left with absolutely nothing, Jerrica asks Rio to take the Starlight Girls to Howard Sands's house while they get some instruments and find Jem. The Misfits tail Rio while the Holograms get dressed at Synergy's place.

Jem and the Holograms perform for Howard Sands and some nearby construction workers until the Misfits arrive and stir things up. Jem manages to change back into Jerrica so that she can explain to Mr. Sands what happened and ask if they all can move into the mansion until the Battle of the Bands. The Misfits don't want anyone to live in that mansion until they win it; when Mr. Sands goes to get the keys Pizzazz pushes him into a pond while Roxy starts messing with the constuction equipment. Jerrica almost gets run over by a runaway vehicle but Rio saves her and Aja grabs the keys. The Misfits tear out of there.

Howard lets them move into the mansion, which has more than enough room for everyone (they name it Starlight Mansion). He also provides clothes for all of the Starlight Girls and arranges a photo shoot for the Holograms. The Misfits decide to crash the shoot and pay Ashley the $30 she needs for the honor jar in order to get in. What they don't know is that Eric paid Zipper to plant a bomb in the mansion in order to force the Holograms out. He arrives in time to warn them of the danger and everyone scatters as it detonates in the empty servants' quarters.

Eric tells the press that a hostile Jem fan planted the bomb in order to get the Misfits - fortunately for the Holograms, Mr. Sands doesn't believe a word of it. Everyone is then awestruck by the arrival of the Countess Danielle du Voisin, a famous fashion designer who's also a friend of Howard Sands's. She checks to make sure that everyone is alright and invites the Holograms - whose songs she admires - to her yacht party that night. Eric tries to get the Misfits invited as well, but the Countess is not impressed with them and flatly refuses.

At the party, the Countess introduces the band to famed V-jay Lin-Z Pierce, who advises them to make a music video so she can promote them on her show. She calls Anthony Julian over and enlists his help as director - Jem encourages Shana, who likes him, to talk to him alone. Jem then goes off to look for Rio and finds him thinking about Jerrica. She asks Rio if he likes her, and he complains that he doesn't even know her. Jem is about to tell Rio the truth when the Misfits crash the party and throw the whole yacht into chaos. They hide out in the control room while everyone searches for them. Roxy goads Pizzazz into manning the controls; she accidently causes the yacht to lose control and head straight for a large steamship. The yacht then slants over and Jem falls overboard.

Broadcast date: 27-Oct-1985
Production #: 009
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Like a Dream" - Jem and the Holograms
"Click/Clash" - Jem and the Holograms
& The Misfits "Makin' Mischief" - The Misfits

Kimber's Rebellion (3)

Rio manages to pull Jem back onto the yacht, but when she kisses him out of gratitude he feels like he's betraying Jerrica. The others come and watch the Misfits ride off on their boat. The Countess, Howard Sands, and Anthony Julian offer to help the Holograms film a music video in Paris. While they are off shooting, Ashley runs off and finds the Misfits, who take her in as one of their own. Eric sends Zipper to Paris to sabotage the video - he dislodges a statue that nearly kills the girls.

The Holograms head home after the shoot is done only to find that the entire town is plastered with Misfts posters. They attempt to make up for lost time but are thwarted by the Misfits, Eric, and Ashley. Kimber goes to Starlight Music to lash out at Eric, but he preys upon her jealousy of all the attention Jem is getting by offering her a record contract. Kimber heads home in confusion and learns with the others that Lin-Z Pierce wants an interview since the "Twilight in Paris" video is such a hit. Unfortunately, Lin-Z only wants Jem, and Kimber gets so mad that she quits the band and bolts on the Rockin' Roadster.

Jerrica feels terrible despite Aja and Shana's assurances; after calling Lin-Z to insist that they all be interviewed, the three of them head to KMAX - Kimber's favorite radio station - and beg her on the air to come home because they need her. Kimber hears this and comes back just in time for them to make it to the interview. Before the show, Rio tells Jerrica that he can't be Jem's road manager anymore, but Jerrica tells him he's irreplaceable and begs him to stay. The interview has barely gotten started when the Misfits burst into the studio. They had seen the Holograms perform and want equal time. The Holograms stand up to them and Lin-Z kicks them out; as they leave, Pizzazz knocks Rio into a speaker, setting off a chain reaction that traps Jem amongst the falling equipment.

Broadcast date: 17-Nov-1985
Production #: 010
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Twilight in Paris" - Jem and the Holograms
"Gettin' Down to Business" - Jem and the Holograms
"(Hey Babe) I Got My Eye on You" - Jem and the Holograms

Frame Up (4)

Rio gets Jem to safety before she gets crushed and takes her to Lin-Z's dressing room to recover while the Holograms finish the interview. The Holograms arrive at the dressing room just as Jem and Rio are kissing - flustered, Rio leaves. Jem worries that if she tells Rio the truth now he'll think she was deliberately manipulating and humiliating him.

A few days later Mrs. Bailey tells Jerrica about how Ashley's been running off without telling anyone where she's gone. Jerrica tries to talk to Ashley but is interrupted by a Las Vegas casino owner who wants to make a deal with her. Jerrica signs the Holograms to be headliners at a show at his place, not knowing until afterwards that the Misfits are the opening act. The Misfits are also outraged when they find out, but Pizzazz decides to use Ashley to help them manuever into becoming the main act. Ashley lures Aja out of the casino and into the storage compartment of a bus heading for New York. Roxy and Stomer lock her in as Pizzazz informs the casino owner that the Holograms can't fulfill their commitment to him. Rio searches Pizzazz's dressing room for Aja and throws her aside when she makes some unwanted advances.

Fortunately, Aja manages to get out and run back in time to make the show. The Misfits are so mad they refuse to open - the Holograms then perform and are such a hit that they have to do three encores. Ashley is afraid the Misfits will blame her and hides, but Stormer finds her and assures her that she won't hurt her. Stormer then reveals that she also gets scared of Pizzazz and Roxy. While they are hiding, they see Zipper and two thugs rob the casino and plant the money in Jem's dressing room. The police find the money and arrest Jem, but Ashley and a disguised Stormer tell the chief inspector what they saw and Jem goes free.

The Battle of the Bands is fast approaching and the Misfits are getting desperate. Eric suggests that they might be able to manipulate Jem if they find out her real name. He hires a detective named Malone to follow Jem and the Holograms after they model at the Countess du Voisin's fashion show. He tracks them to the Starlight Drive-In and sees them pass through the holographic wall. After waiting for them to leave, he enters the room and takes some pictures of Synergy, who begins issuing an intruder alert. Frustrated, Malone grabs a chair and smashes Synergy to bits.

Broadcast date: 08-Dec-1985
Production #: 011
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Deception" - Jem and the Holograms
"Too Close for Comfort" - Jem and the Holograms
"Truly Outrageous" - Jem and the Holograms

Battle of the Bands (5)

Malone runs from the explosion while Synergy calls to Jerrica that there is an intruder at the Drive-In. Aja catches up to Malone while Synergy disguises the Rockin' Roadster; she tails Malone to a one hour photo and then to Starlight Music. Realizing that Eric will want to take Synergy and exploit her for his own purposes, the girls rent a moving van and head back to the Starlight Drive-In. They are surprised to see Synergy in a heap on the floor, but it turns out it was just a hologram she projected to scare Malone off. Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, and Shana proceed to take her apart.

Meanwhile, Malone shows Eric the pictures and offers the theory that, since Jem entered the room and Jerrica left it, the two of them are the same person. Eric doesn't believe it since he's seen the two of them together before, but he does believe that the computer is important to the Holograms' act. He hires Zipper and another thug to come with him to the Drive-In and steal Synergy, but Jerrica and the others manage to leave right before they get there. Eric vows that this is the last time they'll make a fool out of him. The Holograms reassemble Synergy in an unused room in Starlight Mansion. Fortunately, they are able to put her back together correctly without having any blueprints to help them.

The day of the Battle of the Bands has arrived and Pizzazz is very mad. None of Eric's brilliant schemes have worked, so it looks like Jem and the Holograms are going to win. Suddenly Ashley walks into his office to return the $30 the Misfits gave her. The other Starlight Girls wouldn't accept the money without knowing how she earned it, and Ashley is ashamed of herself for getting mixed up with the Misfits in the first place. When Eric finds out that she's a Starlight Girl, he tells the Misfits (much to Stormer's discomfort) to leave her with him while they get ready for the concert. He then calls Jerrica to tell her that he's holding Ashley hostage and that Jem and the Holograms must meet him at the Starlight Drive-In or else.

Jerrica tells the Holograms what happened and all three are determined to go with her. She then tells a suspicious Rio that they have something to do before the concert and the band takes off. At the concert, Eric gives Ashley to the Misfits and tells them to hide her while he goes to a meeting. Pizzazz and Roxy lock her in a chest in a room filled with junk, then head out to tune their instruments. Stormer stays behind to help Ashley, but the others catch her and tell her she has to pick a side. Poor Stormer apologizes to Ashley and goes off with her bandmates.

Jem and the Holograms meet Eric at the Drive-In as scheduled. When Kimber notices that they are surrounded by thugs, she warns Jem to get out of there. Jem is eventually caught by Zipper, but before he drags her back inside Synergy's old room she tosses one of her earrings on the ground. Meanwhile, the concert is underway and the Misfits prove to be a real crowd pleaser. Howard Sands explains to the audience that their applause will be measured by a huge light display. Eric then asks the audience to cheer one more time for the Misfits, and the lights go up very close to the top.

Eric begins to gloat that the Holograms will lose by default if they fail to turn up by intermission, causing Rio to pounce on him and demand to know where the girls are. They are interrupted by the sound of screams coming from a forklift: Ashley's trunk is being dumped with some crates into the trash crusher. Stormer yells for Rio to save her, which he does just in the nick of time. Ashley then tells Rio where the Holograms are - Howard tells him to hurry or else the Misfits will win the contest.

Back at the Drive-In, Jem is giving instructions to Synergy through her remaining earring. Synergy then makes a series of Holograms to fool Zipper's thugs as they stand guard both inside and outside. Unfortunately, Zipper snatches Kimber before band can make it out the door and they are locked back in. Synergy then disguises Jem, Aja, and Shana as Eric, and the three confuse Zipper long enough for Kimber to slip away. They manage to throw a crate over him when Rio arrives with the police. After kissing Rio in gratitude, Jem finds her lost earring before heading off to the concert in a police car.

The audience is chanting for Jem, and Howard is just about to name the Misfits the winners when Jem and the Holograms burst onto the stage and completely blow the crowd away with their act. By now Ashley has rejoined the other Starlight Girls in the front row - she's with the people who really care about her now. Eric hops into the Rockin' Roadster and tries to drive away, but he's surrounded by cops ready to take him into custody for kidnapping. The audience's applause causes the lights to shoot all the way to the top of the light display, making Jem and the Holograms the official winners of the Battle of the Bands and the legal owners of both Starlight Music and Starlight Mansion. As the victory fireworks skyrocket overhead and the defeated Misfits bust up their instruments, Jem creates a hologram of Jerrica to stand next to Rio during the celebration.

Broadcast date: 29-Dec-1985
Production #: 012
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: The songs in this episode: "She's Got the Power" - Jem and the Holograms
"Takin' It All" - The Misfits
"Music is Magic" - Jem and the Holograms

SOURCE: tvtome.com/jem

SEASON ONE | SEASON TWO | SEASON THREE, pt. 1 | SEASON THREE, pt. 2