Recap / Kids Incorporated S 4 E 12 Connie In Wonderland

While new band member Richie has been the central focus of three different episodes; it’s only now - the penultimate episode of the season - that Connie becomes the central focus of an episode.

We kick things off with “Where’s the Party”^note the third consecutive episode to open with a Madonna cover, but after that song it seems the question on most of the band’s minds are “Where’s the junk food?” as they make their orders during a break (Kid and Renee getting triple chocolate malts; Richie getting a soda; Ryan and Stacy ordering banana splits). Connie happens to be the only sugary entree holdout; just ordering a glass of water, much to Kid’s bewilderment; especially as Connie goes on to suggest adding some healthier items to the menu. When confronted by Renee on what led to Connie suddenly becoming so health conscious; Connie mentions it was related to what she was learning in health class. It’s clear Connie’s concerns in the area of personal health aren’t being taken seriously by the others, as when asked if any of the others jogged, Stacy joked that she ran to the store…to buy a candy bar. The situation reaches an impasse by the time the kids return to the stage for “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”, but no sooner do the older kids resume their snacking that Connie announces plans to start an aerobics class. Said aerobics class starts as a dud, with none of the kids showing up by 5:30 and Riley arriving only to announce he was leaving the P*lace as well, leaving Connie to her thoughts, a stuffed white rabbit and a copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland; which she falls to sleep while reading.

In the Dream Sequence, Connie finds herself as Alice in Wonderland seated in an oversized rocking chair (“Twinkle, Twinkle”) before seeing the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter (Riley and Kid, respectively). After they take the seats Connie…er, Alice was trying to sit in; we see a junk-food smorgasbord as we meet the King of Hearts (Ryan; whose characterization is clearly patterned after the King of Rock and Roll) and Queen of Hearts (Renee), with a confused Alice asking why she was wished a happy birthday when it wasn’t her birthday (Hatter then declares it her “unbirthday”). After taking a seat next to the Queen; Alice then turns down a hunka-hunka piece of cake before learning that the residents of Wonderland love to eat to get their (expanded) shape. At this point Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Richie and Stacy, respectively); who note that “pleasantly plump” is in and cite Humpty Dumpty^note worth noting is that in the original story; neither Tweedledum and Tweedledee are considered to be particularly bright; who had his great fall earlier that day. Connie then suggests that Humpty’s weight lead to his downfall, which doesn’t go over well as the others try forcing her to eat the endless supply of sweets, with the Queen declaring “Off with her head” when Alice persists in refusing; leading to a chase (“Dominoes”) before the Queen captures Alice.

Fortunately, Connie wakes up before the Queen can carry her execution threat out…just in time for Riley to return. Before the class begins, Connie whispers something to Riley. We then jump back to the P*lace counter where the others are trying out a new item Riley introduces, and they were impressed - upon which Connie notes were made with all-natural ingredients (and had fewer calories) (Kid: “Not to mention great tasting.”) This resulted in the other kids finally seeing the light with regards to nutrition (though Connie, upon Kid joking that she had her head screwed on straight, had to ensure she wasn’t dreaming…especially when the other volunteer for the aerobics class); leading to closing song “Never Enough”.

Songs performed in this episode:

• “Where’s the Party” (Madonna cover; lead vocals by Kid and Renee)^note last of three consecutive episodes to open with a Madonna song; the second of those three (along with “Now Appearing” two shows prior with Kid on lead vocals and the last time - mostly due to Madonna’s repertoire increasingly taking more blatantly sexual overtones - until the cover of “Cherish” in Season 7’s “Five Kids and a Dog” that a Madonna song was covered. This is also the only song in this episode where Connie is not featured on lead vocals
• “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” (Culture Club cover; lead vocals by Connie)^note previously used in Season 1’s “Go for the Gold”; with Gloria on lead vocals for that version
• “Twinkle, Twinkle” (Kids Incorporated original; lead vocals by Connie)
• “Dominoes” (Robbie Nevil cover; lead vocals by Ryan, Kid, Renee, Stacy and Connie)^note first of two consecutive episodes to feature a Robbie Nevil cover
• “Never Enough” (Patty Smyth cover^note and a rewritten version of an identically titled song from the Self-Titled Album of the band “Baby Grand” - two of whose members, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, had left to join “The Hooters”; lead vocals by Connie and Stacy)

Tropes associated with this episode:

• Chase Scene: Takes place during “Dominoes”
• Dream Sequence: Most of the plot takes place in one when Connie falls asleep.
• Storybook Episode: This time, in an adaptation of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland characters

• Alice: Connie
• White Rabbit: Riley
• The (Mad) Hatter: Kid
• The King of Hearts: Ryan
• The Queen of Hearts: Renee
• Tweedledum: Richie
• Tweedledee: Stacy
• Cards: Dancers