BSC TV #3: Stacey's Big Break

Finally, an episode focusing on Stacey McGill (obv my favorite baby-sitter)! First of all, look at how sophisticated she is:

She's wearing a BERET. In CONNECTICUT. At a PIZZA PARLOR.

Stacey (Jessica Prunell) risks the wrath of Kristy (Avriel Hillman) by coming to a BSC meeting late, but she has a good reason: her mom's friend asked her to be a model for a department store.

Mallory (Meghan Andrews)'s reaction says it all. Stacey is definitely the coolest member of the Baby-sitters Club. Everyone is freaking out about her news, including Dawn (Melissa Chase), who is a classic one-upper and of course has a cousin who's a model and travels the world and makes fifty dollars an hour. But Kristy is all business: "we have a major Baby-sitters Club production that hasn't been cast yet!" The production is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and it promises to be a trainwreck.

But Stacey shuts it down when she gets a phone call - "they're going to take my pictures!"

Stacey baby-sits for her faaavorite charge, Charlotte Johanssen (Gina Gallagher), and tries to convince her to play Snow White in the aforementioned Baby-sitters Club production. Charlotte is understandably apprehensive after how she royally messed up in the Little Miss Stoneybrook pageant, but Stacey comes up with a "secret code" (which is actually just a tongue-clicking cricket-like noise) to help Charlotte get over her stage fright and remember her lines.

At the BSC meeting Stacey tries on outfits for her modeling audition.

She's basically a 90s teen version of Miranda Priestley. Dawn and Claudia (Jeni Winslow) encourage Stacey to not dress too casually, and to look special. Mary Anne says she "should be comfortable," proving that you should never take fashion advice from Mary Anne. (Or Kristy, who says "you can borrow my cleats and Krushers t-shirt." Shut up, Kristy. As Dawn admonishes, "THIS IS SERIOUS!")

Add another classic Mallory Pike facial expression to the tally. Stacey, don't take any advice from Mallory.

Stacey finally finds an outfit. And she's rocking it. I doubted it when Mallory said "you look fabulous," because how would Mallory know? But then I had to concur - she does look fabulous.

The photographer says he hasn't "seen natural talent like that in years." Meanwhile, back in BSC reality...

Jackie Rodowsky (Danny Tamberelli) is typecast as an awkward dwarf. And Charlotte Johanssen is being a prima donna and freaking out because Stacey isn't at rehearsal.

Kristy is not having it. "She'd better be [here next time] or we won't have a show," she bitches in front of all of the little kids in the cast.

Calm down, Kristy. Stacey is somewhere being pretty.

In fact, Mrs. Stewart marvels at how beautifully Stacey wears all the clothes. But it's not all fun and games. Stacey has to model SUMMERTIME clothes... in the COLD FALL WEATHER.

And she also rollerskates into the street. Whoops. She finally joins her friends at the pizza place, where they want to hear all the details. They don't believe her when she tries to explain that it wasn't all fun and games. As she says "it's not that easy being a model," Kristy sets down a big pizza in front of her. Claudia and Dawn dive in, but Stacey has to watch her weight now.

Friggin' bummer, because pizza is one of life's simplest pleasures. Kristy brings up the fact that a lot of models are anorexic, which Claudia and Jessi (Nicolle Rochelle) poo-poo. "They're all gorgeous... gorgeous faces, gorgeous bodies," Jessi says.

To make matters worse, Stacey has a tense run-in with Charlotte, who is still mad about the missed rehearsal.  Dawn told Charlotte that Stacey's too busy, and Stacey ain't pleased.

Kristy rubs it in by saying "she's doing fine without you." Kristy's kind of clueless, you know, socially. Stacey gets annoyed with everyone discussing her modeling "career" and makes the right decision: to stuff her face with pizza.

Stacey takes part in the New Faces competition, which is held in a JC Penney or something, and of course the BSC comes out in full force to cheer her on.

And, of course, Stacey wins! She's Stacey mothereffin' "sophisticated" McGill. She was made to model!

Side note: I'm troubled, but not surprised, by the fact that Kristy has been wearing the same outfit for the entire episode even though it takes place over multiple days. Classic Kristy.

Sophisticated Stacey quickly grows tired of her burgeoning modeling career. Despite Mrs. Stewart's promises that Stacey will be "a star," Stacey tells her that "whenever I'm here, I'd rather be there" with the BSC. Ugh, Stacey. Have you met Mallory?

Stacey says peace out to the modeling world and hurries to catch the Baby-sitters Club production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves...

...which is, predictably, a total clusterwhoops. For one thing, I don't see seven dwarves. But whatevs. The important thing is that Stacey shows up and clicks her tongue when Charlotte forgets, literally, her first line.

And, of course, Charlotte reanimates and continues with the play. Crushed it.

Of course Kristy is playing the prince, by the way.

Kristy makes a lot of questionable decisions, like saying to Stacey that "anybody can be rich and famous, but not anybody can be a member of The Baby-sitters Club."

LOL.