truly outrageous jem primer

The Stingers Hit Town (1)

Eric is fed up with the Misfits' antics and vows to control them once and for all. He sells everything he owns and buys Misfits Music from Harvey Gabor, telling the Misfits to shape up or be replaced. Meanwhile, Jerrica wants to find another band to take the pressure off of Jem and the Holograms, who provide most of Starlight Music's income. Eric, Jerrica, and Kimber go to Le Club Cool to check out a new German band called the Stingers. The band - Riot on lead vocals, Rapture on guitar, and Minx on synth - are a sensation and cause a riot among the fans (including Kimber). Riot basks in the glow of this before calming the crowd just by asking them to sit down. Jerrica and Eric are impressed and each offer the Stingers a contract. Riot promises to carefully consider both proposals even though he's taking up Eric's offer to stay at "his" mansion.

Pizzazz is furious that Eric has offered her home for another band. She's ready to kick the Stingers out and humiliate Eric - until she sees Riot and falls head over heels for him. In fact, Pizzazz is acting like such a doof that the other Misfits are disgusted and walk out on her. Pizzazz waits on Riot hand and foot while Eric intercepts all of Jerrica's proposals. Riot hears that Jerrica's band Jem and the Holograms are performing that night and decides to go hear their music. The Stingers nearly upstage the Holograms at their own awards ceremony, but Jem decides to get Riot's attention by singing. Riot instantly falls for Jem, the most perfect woman he's ever seen, and drops Pizzazz like a hot potato.

This does not make Rio happy and a fight breaks out. Rapture manages to con a woman out of her bracelet while Minx sets her sights on Rio. During the commotion, Riot takes Jem out of there. They drive out to the coast to talk about Starlight Music, but Riot is much more interested in this mysterious new beauty he's met. Jem is reluctant to give in to Riot because of Rio, but when she admits that Rio is Jerrica's boyfriend Riot insists she has no claim on him and kisses her.

Broadcast date: 02-Feb-1988
Production #: 058
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Stingers Theme" - The Stingers
"Like a Dream" - Jem and the Holograms
"Perfect Match" - The Stingers

The Stingers Hit Town (2)

Jem is very confused and insists they go home, but Riot wants to see her again and she can't say no to him. She returns to Starlight Mansion to find the Holograms (particularly Aja) concerned about her behavior around Riot. Rio is jealous when Jem tells him how Riot likes her mysterious identity and the two have a fight. It's cut short by the arrival of the Stingers, who are taking Jerrica up on her offer to stay at Starlight Mansion.

Pizzazz, who allowed Minx and Rapture to make a fool out of her so that she could win Riot back from Jem, is crushed to discover in the morning the Stingers have left. The other Misfits vote that Pizzazz must start acting normal again or be kicked out of the group. Pizzazz is too intent on getting Riot back to care and promises to help Eric win the Stingers over to his company.

The Stingers aren't acting very nicely over at Starlight Mansion - they are rude to the Starlight Girls, push Aja, Shana, and Raya into the pool, and virtually ignore Jerrica. Suddenly a huge commotion breaks out outside as a parade in the Stingers' honor halts on the front lawn. Eric organized this using Pizzazz's money to show the Stingers what he could do for them - the conniving businessman then offers the Stingers half of Eric's music company, the soon to be renamed Stingers Sound.

Jerrica can't match this deal and the Stingers go off with Eric. Later on, Jerrica receives a phone call from Riot asking that Jem meet him at the place where they kissed a few nights ago. Jem goes and tries to convince him that Eric is not trustworthy, but Riot is confident he can control him. He then says that he'll change his mind if Jem promises to be his alone. Suddenly Rio shows up and tells Jem that if this is what she wants, he'll leave her alone forever. Jem is heartbroken at this - when Riot kisses her again, she slaps him and runs after Rio.

The two meet at the location of the burned down Starlight House and make up. Riot signs on with Eric yet vows that Jem will be his one day. Through Eric's prompting, Riot uses his influence with Pizzazz to get her to rejoin the Misfits, who are still under contract and provide a huge source of income. Pizzazz sheepishly rejoins the group, who just didn't sound the same without her.

Broadcast date: 03-Feb-1988
Production #: 059
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Lovesick" - The Misfits
"Take It or Leave It" - The Stingers
"Now" - Jem and the Holograms
/The Stingers/The Misfits

Video Wars

Clash pretends to be a film student and gets Jem and the Holograms to let her film a documentary about them so she can convince Pizzaz she's good enough to be a Misfit.

Broadcast date: 04-Feb-1988
Production #: 047
Writer: Cary Bates &Greg Weisman

NOTE: Songs in this episode Jem and The Holograms - "Like A Dream" Jem and The Holograms - "One of Those Days" Jem and The Holograms - "The Last Laugh"

Beauty and the Rock Promoter

Red Johnny Mac gets Jem and the Holograms to star in a rock version of "Beauty and The Beast". Jem becomes obessesed with the beast and her role that it causes a rift between her and Rio. She soon becomes so exausted that she is put on bed rest. The Misfits have to now take over for them.

Broadcast date: 05-Feb-1988
Production #: 053
Writer: Clare Noto

NOTE: Songs in This Episode: Jem and The Holograms - "You'll Never Win My Love" Jem and The Holograms - "Our Love Makes You Beautiful" Jem and The Holograms w/The Beast - "Let Me Go"

Homeland, Heartland

Jem and the Holograms travel to Zagreb, Yugoslavia to shoot a music video and help Danse search for her mother. They visit the Zagreb Ballet where her mother was a ballerina and find a conrolling director, Victor Krosach, whose obsession with Nadia may keep Danse from leaving the country.

Broadcast date: 08-Feb-1988
Production #: 051
Writer: Carla Conway

NOTE: Songs in this episode "Music and Danse" - Jem and the Holograms
"Falling in Love with a Stranger" - Jem and the Holograms
Danse meets her Family for the first time in this episode. Her father promises they will look for Nadia together.

Midsummer Night's Madness

Jem and the Holograms are headlining a concert in Greece along with the Stingers. Rio and Jerrica have a big blowout while setting up the stage - it looks like they are over for good. This sets off a crazy night as Jerrica creates the identity of Jaime to attract Rio, Rapture cons the populace into paying her tribute as an oracle, and Rio and Riot alterately chase Jem and Jerrica through an Ancient Greece festival. Aja exposes Rapture as a fraud and the angry mob chases her through the streets. Minx gets sucked into this as she searches for Rio. Later, Synergy convinces Jerrica that Rio loves her inner personality no matter what outward appearance she is wearing. The Holograms find Rio and Riot fighting in the streets - Rio declares once and for all that Jerrica is ten times the woman Jem will ever be. In the end, Jerrica and Rio make up, Riot stops the mob by throwing them their money, and the concert goes on as scheduled.

Broadcast date: 09-Feb-1988
Production #: 060
Writer: Evelyn A. R. Gabai

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Can't Get My Love Together" - Jem and the Holograms
"Destiny" - The Stingers
"Midsummer Night's Madness" - Jem and the Holograms

The Day the Music Died

After Jem disappears with Riot to Mexico all hell breaks loose when Pizzazz and the other Misfits take over Starlight Music and Starlight Foundation. The Holograms and the remaining members of The Stingers, Rapture & Minx, join the Misfits to make a mega-group. Rio, the Holograms and the Stingers decide to try and track down their friends, who by now, after a boating accident, are stuck on a deserted island. They are found and go back to the states. When Jerrica returns, Pizzazz (who is at her wits end - the Starlight girls have totally run riot) hands over Starlight Music and Starlight House back to her. Alls right with the world after this and everything goes back to normal.

Broadcast date: 11-Feb-1988
Production #: 061
Writer: Roger Slifer

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Under My Spell" - The Stingers
"Top of the Charts" - The Misfits
(with Minx, Rapture, and the Holograms) "All's Right With the World" - Jem and the Holograms
This is the only episode where the characters (Kimber, Raya, Aja, Pizzazz, Riot, and Ashley) talk directly to the viewer.

That Old Houdini Magic

Broadcast date: 15-Feb-1988
Production #: 062
Writer: Jina Bacarr

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"She's Got the Power" - Jem and the Holograms
"Mind Games" - The Stingers
"Believe/Don't Believe" - The Stingers
/Jem and the Holograms

Straight from the Heart [aka Your 15 Minutes Are Up]

Broadcast date: 17-Feb-1988
Production #: 063
Writer: Buzz Dixon

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Depends on the Mood I'm In" Jem and the Holograms "All in the Style" - The Stingers
"Straight from the Heart" - Jem and the Holograms

A Change of Heart

Minx decides to step up her pursuit of Rio by helping him design a synthesizer. While he's grateful for the help, he makes it clear he's not interested and the two separate in a huff. This changes when Minx gets caught in a dangerous current at the beach and Rio dives in to save her. Minx is so grateful that she vows she's going to change her ways. She becomes nice yet insecure, offering her help to Rio, the Holograms, and the Starlight Girls after Riot and Rapture kick her out for acting strangely. But her efforts to help only disrupt everyone's lives and they are forced to tell her to back off. Minx becomes so offended that she reverts to her old self - she throws the synth she built for Rio out the window, shoots everyone with a squirt gun, and rejoins the Stingers. Rio and the Holograms hope that at least part of this experience will stick with Minx, but based on her attitude at the Stingers' next concert it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Broadcast date: 18-Feb-1988
Production #: 064
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: "Outta My Way" - The Misfits
"Are You Feelin' Alright?" - The Stingers
"Too Much" - Jem and the Holograms

Riot's Hope

Broadcast date: 22-Feb-1988
Production #: 065
Writer: Roger Slifer

NOTE: Songs in this episode:
"Take It or Leave It" - The Stingers
"It's a Hard, Hard Life" - The Stingers
"Let Me Be" - The Stingers
This is the second episode that doesn't feature any songs by Jem and the Holograms.

A Father Should Be...

After all this time, Ba Nee is still convinced that her father is still alive. Jerrica is so worried about how depressed Ba Nee is getting that she decides to take definite steps to locate him. Based on the little information Ba Nee's mother passed on before she died, Riot is able to utilize his father's army contacts and find three possible candidates. The man Rio and Raya visit turns out to be a dead end, but Aja and Kimber have hopes about a gentle artist named Martin who remembers nothing about his Vietnam experience.

Meanwhile, Jem and Shana track down a sketchy gambler who claims to be Ba Nee's father once he hears that the girl lives in a mansion that Jem provides the income for. He abducts Ba Nee and holds her hostage in an abandoned zoo for millions in ransom. Aja and Kimber have brought Martin back with them; he remembers enough of his training to scout for Ba Nee while Jem distracts the kidnapper. During the rescue mission, Martin experiences a series of flashbacks about being wounded and getting married to Ba Nee's mother. Newly motivated, he rescues his daughter and carries her back to Starlight Mansion.

Ba Nee is given a huge going away party and everyone is invited. The Stingers come due to the vital role they played in locating Martin, and the Misfits crash the party bringing presents for Ba Nee and an offer of truce for the Holograms. Ba Nee refuses to leave without saying good-bye to Jerrica, who tells her that she'll always be her little girl. Ba Nee is then scooped up by her father and they leave Starlight Mansion as the whole cast sings good-bye to her.

The last shot of the series is of Jem, who is smiling as she waves good-bye to Ba Nee - and the viewers.

Broadcast date: 02-May-1988
Production #: 066
Writer: Christy Marx

NOTE: The songs in the final episode are: "A Father Should Be" - Ba Nee
"Family" - Jem and the Holograms
"This is Farewell" - The Jem Cast

SOURCE: tvtome.com/jem

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