Halloween is one of those episodes (along with So-Called Angels) that MSCL fans either really love or really hate. Some people find the other-worldliness of the ghost story hokey while others like the fantasy element. I'll let you guys continue the neverending debate about the merits of this episode
Some observations:
I still laugh whenever I hear Danielle say "Madonna peaked"! Little did Danielle know that Madonna still had years of fame ahead of her, including a Golden Globe for Evita and four Grammys/six MTV awards for "Ray of Light" (which debuted at number one worldwide and number two in the US behind the Titanic soundtrack and included "Frozen" another number one single), another Grammy for "Beautiful Stranger," and another multi-platinum number one album "Music." (Bedtime Stories was released only a few days before Halloween 1994 and went on to be certified double platinum, was nominated for a best pop album Grammy, and contained the single "Take a Bow" which was number one for seven weeks and won the MTV best female video that year)
Patty is getting lax with the kids - Danielle is allowed to stay out until 10pm and Angela is spending the night at Rayanne's on a school night!
Sharon's cat costume - for someone who was sooooo self-conscious about her breasts only a few episodes ago, she now seems pretty comfortable with her physique since she is wearing a unitard to school! She tells Danielle not to "let boys drain all the fun out your life" - what about her relationship with Kyle is draining the fun out of her life? The constant making out? Seriously, I think that she is beginning to see that Kyle might not be everything that she wants. Even though she forgave him for disappearing when she needed him, she hasn't forgotten what happened. Funny that she leaves the chafing dish she was supposed to take home at the Chases' house, ditches Kyle, and goes off trick or treating with Danielle, who apparently ditches her friend Courtney.
Angela seems meaner than usual towards Brian in this episode. First when he mirrors her thoughts about people wearing costumes to school, she insults him. Later when he tries to assist her (offering his hand) when they break into school, she snaps at him to let go of her when in fact she had voluntarily taken his hand first.
Miss Lerner threatens to have Jordan kicked out of school because he has been ditching English, a class where she is the substitute. That doesn't seem realistic to me because my school had very set policies and procedures on getting kicked out. In any case, it doesn't seem right that one teacher could have a student expelled for skipping ONE class repeatedly. Well, unless the student was 18 because then the state is not required to provide an education any longer.
The actual date of the sockhop is still up for debate. Nicky's name is signed in Angela's book with the year 1963 although I suppose we could argue what semester his English class used the book. The sockhop ticket that Angela finds in the sweater pocket says "Class of 1963" which would indicate that the sockhop took place the Halloween of 1962. Sharon says that Nicky died the Halloween right before Kennedy was shot, which would make it Halloween 1963. Angela finds Nicky's picture in the 1963 yearbook, which would indicate the 1962-1963 school year and that would indicate that Nicky died Halloween 1962, but the dates under his picture say 1946-1963 which would indicate he died Halloween 1963. (For anyone who is unfamiliar with the American school system, most school years start late August/early September and end the following June.)
I find it kind of weird that when Angela tells Jordan she has a message for him, he automatically asks, "From Tino?" I guess it's possible that Tino told Rayanne to tell Angela to tell Jordan, but it seems strange that Jordan would think Tino would pass on a message through Angela. Then again, given Jordan's seeming obsession with meeting Tino, it's apropos. Sort of.
Rayanne's personality is becoming more obvious. In this episode, she is drinking again. Her hare-brained scheme starts out as a seance to contact Nicky Driscoll then becomes breaking into the school to write "Nicky Driscoll was here" on the gym floor. She is crossing the line from fun-loving teenager (like asking strangers for change) to risk taking potential felon. Connie says that Nicky is "going nowhere" and she isn't going there with him, but Angela's relationship with Rayanne parallels that statement more than Angela's relationship with Jordan does. In addition, there is a new aspect to the Angela/Rayanne/Jordan triangle. Previously, Rayanne was supportive of Angela pursuing Jordan and encouraged it because it was something to do and it made her feel important to help. In this episode, Angela starts complaining about a REAL problem concerning Jordan - trying to convince him to stay in school - (as opposed to the silly almost made-up stuff she complained about before) and Rayanne blows her off with "Will you forget about Catalano?" because she is more interested in her seance plans. We are now beginning to see Rayanne's truer selfish nature.
Why does Rickie leave? He obviously was uncomfortable with the idea from the beginning, but he did show up. What makes him finally leave? The prospect of being caught by the police? Or does he feel he put in his face time and can now go home?
How does Brian know where the school security system is located?
When Angela wanders off, Rayanne yells, "Meet us at the gym." Is this because Rayanne is still planning to write "Nicky Driscoll was here" on the floor?
Jordan's sense of loyalty is illustrated in his conversation with Rickie - first he complains about having to be there because it's something he can't get out of, but then adds that they still have to find out who egged Tino's car. Even though he doesn't really want to be there, he feels obligated to fulfill his duties to his friends. Despite this, he alludes to the fact that he cannot control their actions when he tells Rickie "You better get out of here - those guys are pretty ripped" implying that they would probably give Rickie a hard time at the very least. Jordan expresses his need to belong when he says, "But you come because you think, you know, maybe something cool will happen. 'Cause what if something did, happen, and you missed it?"
After Brian's failed attempt to turn off the security system, Rayanne insists that they have to look for Angela and Brian replies, "We can't. We looked. Get over it." Given Brian's protective feelings toward Angela, this seems very uncharacteristic. Is this because he is still mad at her due to their conversation when they broke into school? Or is he so disgusted with the whole situation (and the way he blew his chance to prove he was cool) that he is too busy feeling sorry for himself to bother looking for her? Why couldn't they find her? She was in the gym, where Rayanne told her to meet them.
Lots of previous discussion about whether Rayanne's story was true or not, but one thing that stuck out this time around was that she said her dad locked her in the basement (which would be BELOW the first floor) and she slept at the foot of the stairs so she could see the light in the hallway. The foot of the stairs is at the bottom of the staircase, so she wouldn't be able to see the hallway light from there - she would have to be at the TOP of the stairs to see the light.
I do love Rayanne and Brian's conversation about noticing people/being the stuff that people notice - this is the first sign we see that they have the opportunity to have a symbiotic relationship ("Mini Me, you complete me") but sadly they never see the possiblity through to the end.
Nicky and Billy were expelled - does that explain why Nicky didn't show up at the dance to see Connie?
Nicky says he heard that "Elvis was our age when he recorded [Blue Moon]," but Elvis didn't begin recording demos until after he graduated from high school (and his first sessions with RCA were after he turned 21).
Connie says Nicky is a loser, and Nicky tells Angela that "I'm not in her league." Does Angela believe that Jordan is a loser and that she is out of his league, even subconsciously?
One thing I absolutely HATE about this episode is the "special effects" when we see the door slam repeatedly. Ugh. Jsut had to get that out of my system.
I like that Patty tells Danielle, "You better get out of your sister's room" which falls in line with Patty's previous statement that she isn't allowed into Angela's room without a passport. I like that they respect Angela's space and expect Danielle to do the same. Granted this is a very modern middle class sentiment since only a few generations ago, most children had to share rooms with their siblings and it's debatable whether this kind of "stay out of your sister's room" business panders to spoiled children mentality, but on the surface I see it as Patty and Graham respecting Angela's privacy.
I also like how Patty peeks into the doorway at Danielle in that scene - Patty totally has that "just got laid" vibe going on!
Danielle is nice enough to leave some Halloween candy for Angela, but it's pretty crappy candy. Then again, this was probably to avoid product placement
Why does Patty lie to Camille about missing the party? Given Camille's statements in the last episode (about the nurse blaming her for Andy's heart attack because of her sexual demands) and her not so innocent query to Patty, "So who's into the pillows - you or Graham?" in the Zit, I'm sure that Camille would be very understanding that Patty and Graham stayed home for some good old-fashioned loving.
Poor Brian - he was so excited about what happened, only to find out that Rayanne said that nothing happened and it was a complete waste of time!
Why did Patty decide not to keep the costumes? Was she really being as practical as her rationalization or was it because they had served their purpose in helping her and Graham to see their respective roles?