“Bunheads” 1.11 ‘You Wanna See Something?’ – Recap and Comments

Airdate: 7 January 2013

Spoilers abound and here’s the first: It’s good. It’s really good.

First series recap: Michelle, a Vegas showgirl marries Hubbell, an admirer and wakes up hungover, en route to his ocean front house in the sleepy town of Paradise.  He lives with his mother-in-law Fanny – Gilmore Girls’ own Kelly Bishop (Emily Gilmore) but dies that evening in a car accident.  Michelle sticks around, bonds with a few of the girls at Emily’s ballet school where the girls wear their hair in buns (hence ‘bunheads’) but at the first performance of the Christmas Nutcracker, Michelle inadvertently sprays the cast with mace and leaves the town in disgrace.  Sasha, the skinny brunette with an attitude is last seen hooking up in the hospital with bad boy Roman.

It’s the end of the summer, so eight months after previous events and we’re opening, naturally, with a dance number: Bjork’s massive ‘It’s oh so quiet’.  They’re in the familiar dance studio, in Paradise and Michelle is teaching.  Two of our quartet of young stars, Ginny and Melanie are having a blonde moment so Michelle steps up centre stage to help them through it. The girl can keep up, despite her mid-dance protestations.

Michelle (muttering between dance sequences): Ugh, my God! This is so hard. Why do you do this?! Jeez.

Wow so Michelle came back then?  That was… easy.  Oh no, it’s cheeky TV panning-back trickery to show Fanny in some unfamiliar room watching this rehearsal on a DVD.  And we’re still pre-credits!  What other surprises have we got coming?  Big close to the dance number and jazz hands to show the dance troupe loving Michelle, with Fanny in the real world looking thoughtful.  Roll opening credits.

Fanny stops the DVD to a crash from the next room and a cry for help. Truly, the town Kirk, is inexplicably wrapped up in massive bubble wrap and as Fanny cuts her out, she begins to regurgitate the kitchen she dreamed. Wow – this is Fanny’s house they’re in, in a state of serious mid-redecorating. Truly takes Fanny inside her head, actually a small box in the garden, a cardboard kitchen with electricity, naturally.

But Fanny doesn’t know what she wants – with the house or with her life now. All she knows is she needs change and at least Truly is there for a comforting hug.

And what of the dancers in the absence of their dance school? Ginny, the small bouncy blonde, has stepped into her realtor mother’s shoes and is holding an open house and holding her own, talking the talk – while her highly strung mother processes Ginny’s dad getting re-married.

Ginny: It’s always better to have the crappiest house on the best street and take my word for it, this is absolutely the crappiest house there is.

Ginny phones Boo, the naive normal one – who is coping / not-coping with a houseful of screaming kids while her pregnant mother readies herself for months of bedrest. Boo confirms she’s received the package sent from Ginny but had to re-route it. Boo puts the phone down, deep sigh.

Boo then calls Melanie, the really tall one, who’s in the middle of giving Jeff the whiny Oyster Bar waiter a hard time while she tends her convalescing grandpa. Melanie confirms she’s received the package from Boo. Melanie puts the phone down, deep sigh.

Fanny and Truly look for teapots in the dance studio, which is full of packed up stuff from the Christmas performance and police tape from the ensuing fiasco. Fanny says she’ll re-open the studio when it feels right and stops outside to look longingly at Michelle’s empty bungalow. Deep sigh.

Change scene to Henderson, Nevada.  A small casino – or rather an empty parking lot in front of a small casino. Cheesy techno music. A stage magician… oh wow. Is it?  It is.  It’s TJ…

… and his dancers, ‘Two Shakes of Stardust’.  Ah, Michelle’s one of them.  He’s linking the Chinese rings, tossing glitter around and her loathing is tangible.

So Michelle’s bunking on her best friend Talia’s sofa and paying for rent with poker chips.  Talia is dating a (much) older guy, Rick – for which Michelle mocks her mercilessly – but seems happy.  She might really like this guy.

Back in Paradise, Ginny and Melanie are in the Oyster Bar, about to pig out on a platter of fried everything. Fanny happens by and even though the girls are missing ballet desperately, they can’t bring themselves to speak more than monosyllabically (you’d think that word would be shorter).  Sasha – the last member of our focal quartet of dancers – has apparently stayed on at the Joffrey special summer dance school for a couple more weeks. As Fanny leaves them with their Pig Platter, Ginny asks if Fanny has heard from Michelle. Fanny says Michelle left a forwarding address, then steals their food. Enter Boo, in distress. A video has been posted on the internet of a news interview that Boo gave after the macing incident. It’s been auto-tuned into a dance tune and in Talia’s flat, we see it’s gone viral and witness Michelle’s freakout.

Boo’s house that same night, Boo’s mum is already fed up of bedrest. Ginny is picking at a whole chocolate cake and Melanie is watching the Nutcracker Macer video again. And again. Boo releases ‘the package’ from the broom cupboard – it’s Sasha! Ah, the quartet is complete. Sasha is reluctant to go back to her parents (in the first series, her dad came out of the closet and apparently her mum wasn’t best pleased).

Henderson Nevada again, Jo-Jo Divine (TJ!) is finishing the performance by leading a great big man out of the box. After show, Michelle mouths off in frustration and TJ curtails her bird-holding privileges but doesn’t fire her. Furious, Michelle  fumes back at Talia’s place, Rick isn’t happy she’s eaten his hummous and from the streets outside there’s the echo of someone playing Nutcracker Macer, really loud.

In her newly re-decorated lounge, Fanny finds a DVD of Hubbell and Michelle’s wedding.  In the video, Michelle is awesomely drunk and while she hunts around for the chapel bathroom, Hubbell starts talking to the cameraman about Michelle and it’s clear he’s nuts about her.

Then Fanny turns up in Henderson, Nevada. She has a great bit with the waiter and a martini but she’s actually there to remind Michelle that she has a home in Paradise and a family – a mother-in-law at least – and yes she was angry about Michelle’s well-meant meddling in her relationship with Michael and the mace thing, but running away isn’t the grown-up thing to do. In trying to bring about the life that Hubbell wanted for Michelle, Fanny says she’s honouring his memory – and she leaves the wedding DVD for Michelle.

Melanie’s in the Oyster Bar playing checkers with comatose grandpa when Sasha turns up incognito, in a black hoody and dark sunglasses. Melanie tells Sasha she can’t stay at her grandpa’s place any more. Boo’s place isn’t an option either, with her mom going stir crazy and Ginny’s open house is now sold and in escrow (isn’t it pronounced ‘ESK-A-ROW’?).

Michelle’s watching the rest of Hubbell’s chat with the wedding video cameraman. He’s so happy.

Hubbell: But look at me now! Ducky got Molly… Oh my mother’s going to have a fit not being here to see this. It’s my prediction however, that eventually she’s going to love Michelle more than she loves me.

Michelle’s a… well she’s special. Have you ever met a person that had no idea how incredible they are, but you do, you see it? That’s Michelle. I mean you spend five minutes with her and first, you’re gonna be exhausted because she’s smart, she’s fast and you have to work hard to keep up. But then you take her in – you see her – and it’s spectacular. She doesn’t know it yet but she’s going to do some really great things. I’m gonna make sure that happens.

Dammit Hubbell.  You got me again.

Sasha steals into Michelle’s vacant bungalow with the spare key hidden in a planter, followed shortly by ever-so-slightly-Gothed-up Roman. They’ve been apart over the summer due to a forgettable plot point but Sasha says somewhat portentously, that she ‘learned things’ at Joffrey. A clumsy pass from him ends in an almost kiss, interrupted by – dun dun daaaahh – Michelle turning the light on. She’s back! Michelle’s face is like ‘what the?’and Sasha’s is an emotional change in temperature. She runs for the door – no, she runs for Michelle, arms outstretched and hugs her tight. She’s so forceful, Michelle is taken aback, but falls into the hug. ‘Hey kid’, she says. ‘I’m so glad you’re back’, says Sasha and I’m fairly sure I’m not just projecting my own happy tears onto her. ‘Yeah, me too’, Michelle replies and gestures Roman a non-negotiable quick exit. Happy tears and sudden snort equals snotty mess and general wetness.

Next morning, Michelle walks into the now pristine studio, where Fanny has a full ballet class not only present, but dancing. In front of the class, Michelle and Fanny lay out some simple, silly terms but for now, at least, she’s back, they’re back and we’re off. In celebration of her return, Fanny and the class have prepared a modern dance, to the Nutcracker Macer’s ‘It’s Time to Dance’.

Comments?

Even in the first few minutes, they set the bar high – and boy, did they clear it. It’s punchy, laugh out loud funny and I’d forgotten how much I missed these characters already. Truly brings the Stars Hollow nuttiness twice over (how can teh same woman tape herself into a tube and build a wired-in cardboard kitchen overnight?! With a pasta tap?!!) In the pre-credits sequence I was glad that somehow Michelle had found her way back to Paradise already – but true to form, ASP giveth and she snatcheth away.  Did you fall for it?

TJ!! It’s TJ!! Seriously, the guy just stand there flailing around and it feels like Christmas again. Thank you, Gilmore Gods.  How was he for you?

ASP said she’d find ways to bring Hubbell back and this one’s a corker.  The wedding DVD is inspired and can only be a one-off, just like Hubbell. He says those things you wish you could say – or the things you wish someone would say to you.  I think it’s a worthy companion of the speech in the series pilot, but how was this for you?

The girls are back and surprisingly trim considering they’ve had 8 months off dancing.  I revelled in seeing their other lives and moreso in how certain they are that their true calling is in dance.  I found it warming to see how close they were and open with each other about their lives and how lucky they are to have each other.  I don’t know if it’s the writers playing to these actresses’ strengths or them growing into their characters, but they were great, the whole ensemble.  Can you tell them apart yet?

Sutton Foster and Kelly Bishop as Michelle and Emily – doh! – Fanny (I keep doing that) were similarly on top form with such, such great lines.  Their scene in the casino was a ripsnorter.  If they’ve set the bar this high for the series, I can’t wait for more.  How about you?

Pics courtesy of ABC Family