A Recap of the Next Five Babysitters Club Episodes

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Well I didn’t get to watch the rest of Babysitters Club as fast as I wanted, adulting always gets in the way, but NOW I have watched it!

 

 

Episode 6: Claudia and Mean Janine

Aaaaah no Mimi! This is the episode where she has a stroke which I think I remember happening from the books? Then Janine keeps being weirdly emotionless even by her standards and Claudia is obviously upset and I keep thinking, she is DEFINITELY gonna die by the end of the episode, isn’t she?

Nope instead she can’t understand what’s going on around her which is super awful! So Claudia has to deal with that and Mary-Ann not liking the new room Claudia eventually got to design for her and adults asking her questions about her art show which sound much too demanding for a 12-year-old, whyyyy. Poor Claudia. (She was always my favourite I think.)

THEN IT TURNS OUT MIMI WAS ONCE IN AN INTERNMENT CAMP. Oh god. Janine tells Claudia about it in an absolutely heartbreaking scene. It’s so awful and then Janine reminds Claudia (but really us the audience) that internment camps very much still exist. This show is so good and I’m so glad it’s making all these points.

The episode ends on Claudia creating art of a young Mimi with her internment number hanging off her. Oh god these poor kids, I wish they got to keep their innocence a little longer, I guess.

(Mimi’s actress Takayo Fischer was also sent to an internment camp during WW2.)

 

Episode 7: Boy-Crazy Stacey

(I know these titles are taken direct from the books but they just do not sound right in the modern day, I’m sorry.)

MALLORY is in this one! Oh my gosh I remember her, she was one of my favourites too. And her sister Vanessa the weird poetry kid.

While on holiday with the Pikes serving as their babysitters (this seems weird to me but who knows?) Stacey starts talking about bikinis and stuff. NO you’re much too young for bikinis. Stop it! Oh wait I had one at about that age too. Or a tankini at least. Okay never mind.

Then she starts crushing on a seventeen-year-old lifeguard. Wait seventeen seems far too young to be a lifeguard as well. Oh my god I’m so old. Thankfully it doesn’t go anywhere. Dude calls the obviously very young Stacey “cutie” which just sounds super creepy? Hey I mentioned in the last post that most people in this who aren’t the Babysitters or their families are absolutely terrible.

 

Episode 8: Kristy’s Big Day

Oh here we go PERIODS! Periods are obviously the worst. So are issues of money and class which also come up in this episode.

Everyone dresses up super nice for Kristy’s mum’s wedding to her obscenely rich boyfriend, I love everyone’s dresses, I want them all. Mimi is also there and she’s doing a lot better. Please don’t die next season Mimi! Please!

This episode contains the line “When a child says something, believe them” (or something to that extent) and that nicely sums up this entire wonderful little show.

 

Episode 9: Welcome to Camp Moosehead Part 1

Ahh last episode with the wedding seemed like it should be the season finale but there’s more! Nice! Oooh I remember the books where the babysitters went to various camps and I guess this is one of those!

Karen is here! She’s so fucking weird, I love her.

Honest to god I do not understand the camp thing! I went to “camp” a few times as a kid and I HATED it. It was miserable and the food sucked and it rained constantly due to y’know England. Why do people send their kids to those things?!? What’s the deal? THIS particular camp is especially terrible because kids have to pay for activites and the counsellors are dicks to the ones who can’t afford it. Dawn and Claudia take exception to this, as they should. Not even the godawful camps I went to were quite that bad and one of them made us put on wetsuits which were already wet.

JESSIE! omg I remember Jessie! The ballerina! She’s at the camp with Mallory and I am THRILLED to meet this new generation of babysitters!

Mary-Ann makes friends with another girl and it turns out to be Stacey’s ex-best friend who (accidentally?) bullied her because of her diabetes. That’s messed up, kid. (If it happened like that.)

 

Episode 10: Welcome to Camp Moosehead Part 2

Stacey gets poison ivy rash! Okay that I DO remember from the books and very clearly, because I had never heard of poison ivy before and it was a horrifying concept. (We don’t have it here in the UK, hurrah.)

Karen goes missing (she’s fine don’t worry) and none of the adults give a crap! This camp is terrible! Why why why would you send a child here? How are they not all dead already?!

This episode is big on musical theater, hooray! The babysitters put on a play that is obviously inspired by Les Miserables but we don’t get to see the whole thing, booo. Actually many elements of this episode appear to be inspired by Les Miserables! And that puts me in my element. Ba-dum-tish.

This episode ends with Kristy yelling at the mean camp leader lady for letting Karen wander off. Gosh Kristy it would be handy if there was an “extremely wealthy and presumably well-connected stepfather” card you could play here. I guess not? Ah well.

Yay the episode ends with Mallory and Jessie being welcomed into the club! But they are eleven! TOO YOUNG TO LOOK AFTER KIDS! YOU ALL ARE! I think I might be stuck on this point. I’m so so old.


This is a WON DER FUL show you guys! It’s everything I could hoped for both as a reboot of a beloved classic and a show for young girls. But it’s not just me extolling its virtues! See?

It’s fantastic and thoughtful and wholesome and so very very just, for lack of a better word. You gotta watch it.