News of a home invader called the Phantom Caller sweeps their neighborhood. The girls discuss going to the Halloween Hop dance Friday night. Claudia wants to go because Trevor, a boy in her art class whom she has a crush on, is going. Her older sister Janine suggests that if Claudia gets a good grade on her math class, she can attend. Mary Anne returns home twenty minutes late and is grounded by her father, resulting in Kristy needing to babysit Watson's children, and the two have a fight. After Claudia fails her test, Stacey offers her own aced test for Claudia to pass off as her own so Stacey has a companion.
On Friday, Kristy bonds with her imaginative would-be stepsister Karen, while Claudia prepares for the dance. Feeling guilty, Claudia admits her flunked test to her parents, who appreciate that she told them the truth but forbid her from going. Karen and Kristy are menaced by a phone call from an unknown number, fearing it's the Phantom Caller, but it turns out to be Mary Anne on her old cell phone. Mary Anne gives Kristy advice on babysitting the Brewers and the two reconcile. At the dance, Stacey learns of a rival club, the Baby-Sitter's Agency.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Education: Claudia gets an F while having 64% on her math test. In reality, that would be enough for a D.
- Bait-and-Switch: Twice, both with Kristy and Mary Anne.
- Kristy's mom calls the Baby-sitters Club requesting a sitter to cover Watson's kids for their date night. Claudia and Stacey are going to the dance, and Mary Anne points out Kristy is the only one who hasn't sat for Watson's kids. Kristy nods, takes her mom off hold...then promptly volunteers Mary Anne for the job before hanging up.
- After their argument, Mary Anne attempts to use a signal light to apologize when the girls are getting ready for bed. Kristy lets her flash the entire message before dropping the window blinds and blocking her sight.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Mary Anne usually comes across like, well, a borderline doormat. But when Kristy runs down Mary Anne's father for grounding her, Mary Anne very uncharacteristically snaps that Kristy doesn't know anything about what a "normal" dad would do. She immediately feels guilty, but it's enough to shut Kristy up on the spot.
- The Calls Are Coming from Inside the House: It's left ambiguous if this is really happening here, but for a character as straight-laced as Richard Spier to believe it, there must be some truth to it. He takes away Mary Anne's smartphone when she doesn't call and tell him she'll be late, and Kristy later freaks out when seeing an unknown number on her caller ID.
- Creepy Child: Karen Brewer. She's giving a wake to a doll named Krakatoa, and says there's no need to close the doll's eyes because "it's dark enough in the grave."
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Trevor's dad doesn't have a very high opinion of his son's art, which obviously hurts Trevor. He perks up after Clauda assures him that he has talent.
- Foreshadowing: Stacey meets Charlotte Johannssen's mothers at the dance and asks who's sitting for Charlotte if they're both at the school. The older women look at each other uncomfortably, but the scene cuts before they can answer.
- HA HA HA—No: Claudia gets this from her parents when she hopefully asks if she can still go to the Halloween dance, after confessing she lied about a poor test grade.Kimiko Kishi: Are you insane?
- Halloween Episode: This episode takes place around Halloween and includes a Halloween-themed school dance that Claudia and Stacey plan to attend. A subplot is a phantom caller that keeps inconveniencing the neighborhood.
- Jump Scare: Just as Mary Anne finishes relating the story of the Phantom Caller (complete with suspenseful music), the club phone rings, making all the girls flinch.
- Lightswitch Surprise: Richard Spier is introduced to the audience this way when Mary Anne comes home later than intended; he greets her by turning on the light, revealing himself to be sitting on a chair in the living room while waiting for her this whole time. Mary Anne lampshades the creepiness:Mary Anne: Dad...! Why are you sitting in the dark?
- Now You Tell Me: It's only after Kristy gets mildly freaked out by Karen's behavior that she gets a phone call from Mary Anne, telling her Karen is in "a spooky phase".
- Private Tutor: Stacey acts as one to Claudia in an attempt to help her pass an algebra quiz.
- Sophisticated as Hell: Claudia says that for the Halloween Hop, she may dress up more "soigne" (a French word which means "well-groomed").
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Stacey teases Mary Anne that perhaps Logan (her crush) would be at the dance, Mary Anne puts on a big fake smile and claims she doesn't know what Stacey means.
- Will Not Tell a Lie: Stacey gives Claudia her copy of the algebra test to present as a passing grade, but Claudia ultimately confesses the truth to her parents. They praise her honesty, but won't let her go to the dance both because she failed the test and lied to them about it.
- Winning Over the Kids: Given that he and Elizabeth are now engaged, Watson still tries to bond with Kristy. However she continues to shut him down.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Claudia's parents feel this way about her, but she points out that her talents are more artistic than academic, and she's tired of pretending otherwise.
