Review: The Great North “Stools Rush-in Adventure”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

It’s time for the Spring musical at school, and Judy is excited about the chance to win the lead role—and potentially her kinda ex-boyfriend Steven’s heart. But when his new girlfriend is cast as the lead next to him and Judy has to play a stool, things start falling apart for Judy. And when Moon stays home alone on opening night, things don’t go according to his plan, either.

Our Take:

Musical episodes seem to be more divisive than typical episodes when it comes to online comments. There are people who love them, and people who don’t. Luckily, I’m one of the ones who always appreciates a good song and dance number, so this week’s episode of The Great North was a real treat. Stools Rush-in Adventure has catchy songs, funny moments, and a nice little message tied into it all.

Everything starts out great as Judy prepares to audition for the musical, which is called the Ideal Hurricane. Judy is a drama person, and her bubbly personality and loud singing voice are perfect for the stage. Plus, her kinda ex-boyfriend Steve always plays the male lead, so she’s excited for the chance to get the flame rekindled. But things change when the usual drama teacher is out and the guidance counselor Ms. Mcnamara has to take over the show.

Unfortunately, Ms. Mcnamara seems like a very misguided guidance counselor. She thinks Judy is too loud and too much of an attention hog, so she casts her as a stool with no lines. And to try and help Steven’s new girlfriend Chrissy shine, she puts her in the lead female role despite her inability to sing. It’s a classic case of trying to guide the theatre production as if it were a student in need of saving, and it really messes things up for everyone. She even goes so far as to suggest Judy sing Chrissy’s songs from the pit while Chrissy lip syncs on stage, which is kind of an unacceptable suggestion coming from a teacher in charge?

Basically, Mcnamara is a very hatable villain in this episode. But if there was another villain it would probably be horribly timed events, because first the normal drama teacher is out, and then on opening night Steven and his understudy get into an awful accident and can’t perform. Judy sees her chance, and volunteers herself to play the lead male role AND sing for Chrissy while turning her face upstage. It makes for some really hilarious moments onstage, but surprisingly, Judy pulls it off and everything is going great… until Chrissy starts crying backstage.

While Judy has been stewing about her role the whole time, Chrissy has been also. Turns out, they were both jealous of the other and both of them sort of hate the guidance counselor. They resolve to finish out the show supporting each other instead of worrying about who gets the guy. It’s a sweet ending that had me grinning as well as laughing.

I’d have to say that Stools Rush-in Adventure might be my favorite episode so far in this stretch of episodes. From the theatrical storyline (the stage manager’s lines were all gold) to the B-plot where Moon had to learn to fend for himself at home, this episode really sang—as well as prove that the best drama really is backstage.