Kristy's Great Idea
It’s here, and I have so much to say.
I started reading The Baby-sitters Club in early elementary school, and read them all the way through middle school. I remember being embarrassed about it towards the end; the series was too young for me, but I was unwilling to say goodbye to these characters I’d loved so long. I gave myself a deadline -- when I graduated eighth grade, I would have to move on. I rationalized it by pointing out that the babysitters themselves were in eighth grade, so it was FINE. Just IGNORE the RL 4 on the back, Kim! You are a very cool tween!
And now I’m in my late thirties, and I’m a mom, and it’s the Garbage Times. I was excited for the new show, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t realize exactly how emotional it was gonna be to watch this new Kristy’s Great Idea (at six a.m., with my morning cup of tea, because my family was still asleep and that is when I get the most Me Time these days and wow am I a motherhood cliche).
Something about the Baby-sitters Club will always be a time machine for me. It lets me tap back into the fervent fangirl of my youth. Remember that feeling, the all-encompassing obsessions of childhood?
When you deeply love something, when you can let yourself get completely immersed in it, become a student of it -- the world gets a little brighter. And it turns out, even now in these objectively dark times, that one of my earliest obsessions can still turn up the brightness.
And so here we are. This is a way-too long recap that’s also half reflection, half love letter. Thanks for retreating from the Garbage Times with me, y’all.
You are now entering Stoneybrook, Connecticut
The show begins without fanfare. There’s no real theme song, which is probably wise because how are you gonna compete with say hello to your friends? Instead, we get a couple of notebook pages of credits in Kristy’s upright script. And hand to god, seeing that handwriting 100% did something to me. A single tear might have cinematically dripped down my cheek, I don’t know.
We open on the exterior of Stoneybrook Middle School, school letting out for the day, and Kristy’s voiceover orienting us. Voiceover narration is a wonderful decision -- it lets us into their heads the same way the first-person of the books did. In a world of ironic, meta voiceovers (Ron Howard in Arrested Development, The Narrator in Jane the Virgin) there’s something very Better Days about simply getting inside your P.O.V. character’s head.
Kristy is telling Mary Anne about her run-in with Mr. Redmont and the resulting essay assignment. In a subtle but fantastic update from the book (in which she gets in trouble for cheering when the bell rings), she’s pushing back on sexism within American history, clarifying that “shouldn’t it be all people are created equal?” She’s also well aware that while she’s chewed out for being disruptive, the boys are in the back of the room “wiping sweat on each other” and generally being way more disruptive. Baby Feminist Kristy Thomas is a character update I’m already loving.
Mary Anne is quietly sympathetic, wheeling her pink roller backpack and consoling Kristy with reminders of their upcoming sleepover. “I’ve almost convinced my dad to let us Postmates pizza and ice cream,” she gushes, and in this moment, Malia Baker is a star. On page, Mary Anne’s shy nature can seem a little twee, but on screen, it’s already a more dynamic experience.
There’s some lovely voiceover exposition about why Mr. Thomas is so strict, contrasting his overprotective nature with the absentee Mr. Thomas. Kristy’s contemplations are interrupted by walking past Claudia’s house, where Claudia is talking and laughing with a well-dressed blonde (one Anastasia Elizabeth McGill, of course) and a couple other classmates. Kristy and Claudia wave to each other while Kristy tells us how close they used to be. It’s a really vulnerable moment that feels super real -- who among us can’t relate to fading childhood friendships?
“I miss her,” Kristy thinks.
Chapter Two Paragraph-Long Outfit Description
Claudia, as usual, looked totally cool. Today she was wearing an oversized yellow sweater tucked into a baggy, wide-legged pair of red pants. She held her long black hair back with a bow-tied headband, and finished off the look with a pair of gold and black boots -- with a heel!
A Great Idea is truly timeless
We’re introduced to the Thomas kids, a latchkey gang of four. They’re sitting around the living room when Elizabeth (!!!Alicia Silverstone!!!) walks in with a stack of pizza boxes. The whole Thomas family is really well cast -- Charlie and Sam in particular are so believably high schoolers, a little gangly and awkward and in-between. Thank you for not Riverdale-ing these guys, Netflix/Walden Media team.
They do a great job setting up the spark for Kristy’s Great Idea and why it’s still relevant today. Elizabeth gets a full-on scattered mom montage, trying in vain to get in touch with babysitters after realizing none of her older kids are available to watch David Michael the next night. Alicia Silverstone delivers amazing line after amazing line here.
“Who was that girl we had that time? You know, the one with the face,” she asks a blank Kristy and David Michael.
“No one even turns their PHONES ON ANYMORE,” she gripes to Charlie.
An internet care service wants her to renew her subscription at $79.99. She finally finds someone and immediately blanches at the quoted rate, asking “HOW much an hour? What are you going to do, breastfeed him?” with all of the Cher Horowitz indignity one might expect.
And so it all leads to the revelation that started it all (resulting in a wrong-pipe pizza incident that adds an extra touch of chaos to an already hectic evening). In true Thomas fashion, Kristy wastes no time getting the ball rolling, telling Mary Anne about her moment of brilliance at their sleepover the next night.
The set design here is SO GOOD. We get a glimpse into Mary Anne’s little world -- her bedroom is pink, her bed is a fussy white four-poster deal with ballerina bunnies on the pillow shams, her slippers are literal sheep (and not sheep are in sheep). Spools of Gutermann thread line the wall, a nod to her love for knitting and sewing. And I even catch a glimpse of the Humpty Dumpty artwork she’s so embarrassed by in the books.
(And in another moment that helps establish why someone might hire a 12/13 year old babysitter today, Kristy shares “you wouldn’t believe what some of these adult babysitters charge. We could ask for half and we’d be rich!” Fair enough.)
Because it takes more than two to make a club, recruiting Claudia comes next. It’s another moment where Kristy takes on teacher ire, getting called out for passing notes in class. Claudia fakes innocence (“my phone is in my locker”) and Mr. Redmont lets it go, but not before embarrassing her in the front of the class about her grades. She pulls one of those effortless-Claudia-cool moments and answers Kristy with a scribble on her sneaker: OK.
Chapter Two Paragraph-Long Outfit Description
On anyone else, overalls might’ve looked babyish, but Claudia looked awesome. She had covered them with fabric patches, and layered them over a t-shirt and a long-sleeved tie-dyed shirt I knew she had dyed herself. Her sneakers were plain white, but had a funky platform. She’d taken to doodling on them when she got bored in class, turning them into the perfect finishing touch.
Say hello to your original four friends
After school, Kristy and Mary Anne head to Claudia’s house, where we get the pleasure of seeing Mimi, a literal too-good-for-this-world angel. Man. How many of us learned about processing aging and loss through Claudia & Mean Janine and Claudia and the Sad Goodbye? Not ready for those emotional journeys tbh.
Speaking of wonderful tertiary characters, I’m entranced by Janine and her automatic door. Our first glance reads more Daria-style misanthrope (that glare!) than the robotic genius she was through most of the book series (with a couple of notable, plot-driven exceptions). Very interested in getting more of this Janine.
Bit of an aside here -- as Kristy (wearing a turtleneck under a sweatshirt, CLASSIC) and Mary Anne navigate the Kishi’s house on their way to Claudia’s room, I’m struck by how damn normal the place seems. The hallways feel narrow, but aren’t -- I’m just used to seeing giant showpiece home sets, no matter the income level of the characters on screen (Monica’s apartment, etc). This home, and Kristy’s home, and the glimpse we’ve seen of Mary Anne’s home, feel like a middle-class neighborhood in suburban Connecticut.
There’s this great moment where they pause a bit before entering Claudia’ room. You can hear giggling from inside, and Stacey saying “I think he likes you!”, and the popular-girl-ness of it all just slows the pace of both Kristy and Mary Anne (remember in the books that Kristy confesses that they had JUST given up playing with dolls). Mary Anne even takes a deep breath before entering, and it’s so endearing.
And so the quartet comes together. Shay Rudolph definitely imbues Stacey with a lot of cool (even the tone of her voice seems a little bit older than the rest of the girls) but you see a little bit of new-girl vulnerability on her face as Claudia introduces her.
Kristy is characteristically overprotective and territorial (“you told her?”) about Stacey’s inclusion, while Mary Anne is agog at the new girl’s Manhattan origins. Kristy is visibly irritated by this, side-eying Mary Anne for being so quickly impressed with this outsider. Claudia is the consummate candy hostess, offering Twizzlers (Mary Anne refuses after seeing Stacey refuse), and focusing on her money motivations (“excuse me, I thought you said we were going to make money”).
In another clever update, they quickly solve the whole cellphone thing.
“My dad doesn’t let me pick up the phone if I don’t recognize the number,” Mary Anne shares after Kristy talks about parents calling to get sitters.
“Not your phone. An olden-times phone.”
AN OLDEN-TIMES PHONE. Brb, crawling into my grave to rest these weary and decrepit old bones.
Stacey has a couple smart suggestions to add, but Kristy’s still not ready to accept her, asking if she’s even ever babysat.
“I think you’re confusing real life with Gossip Girl,” Stacey replies, unfazed.
“And Dorota’s actually a maid,” Mary Anne adds, and shrinks under Kristy’s Look.
Sophie Grace is so charmingly salty here -- it’s not bitchy and Mean Girl, but it’s protective, controlling, and uncomfortable with any situation she isn’t 100% certain of. All character traits that could sometimes come across flat on paper but gain new dimensions onscreen. Or maybe it’s my over-developed mom empathy and own set of control freak characteristics overactivating my empathy. Whatever.
Chinese takeout night’s alright for fighting
As they leave, Mary Anne is effusive over Stacey’s city girl cool, and even pushes back on Kristy’s skepticism. Which transitions beautifully into the next scene, Kristy contemplating that maybe new isn’t always bad as she walks in her door . . . and is abruptly confronted with the unwanted new of her mom’s boyfriend.
Watson Brewer is introduced to us making ingratiating dad jokes (even Elizabeth looks mildly embarrassed) and Kristy’s eyes couldn’t roll any harder. He is over-the-top goofy at dinner, making faces at Kristy as he eats an enormous bite of lo mein -- it’s dorky dad stuff that probably works on Karen and Andrew, but isn’t going to win over a sullen twelve year old.
Kristy is hostile from the jump, and the older boys are quiet but visibly amused by her aggression. Watson does better when Elizabeth shares Kristy’s idea -- he moves into business mode, asking Kristy questions about the model for the club (and giving her the idea for club dues in the process) and calling the concept genius. Kristy even smiles.
. . . And then it immediately falls apart when Elizabeth announces their engagement. You can see Watson looking to Kristy as Elizabeth speaks -- as a business man, he knows to focus on the toughest sell in the room. And there’s gonna be no close of business at this particular family meeting. Kristy flips out.
“My whole life, all you’ve told me is how important it is to be independent, and to stand on your own two feet, but then you expect me to kiss the butt of the first rich guy who walks through the door.”
This is a GREAT scene. You really feel for everyone. For Elizabeth, who is in love and excited to have a second chance at life partnership, angry at her daughter for ruining this moment. For Watson, somewhere between embarrassed and taken aback, and also maybe a little bit angry at Kristy on behalf of Elizabeth. The older boys. David Michael. And Kristy, who is so obviously hurt and scared, narrating that she WANTS to go to her room . . . because she’s not going to let Watson Brewer see her cry.
“It’s not that I don’t want my mom to be happy,” she thinks. “It’s that I want us to be enough.”
HOW TO BUILD A BSC IN FOUR EASY STEPS
1. Branding
Luckily, she’s got her project to focus on. Claudia’s already been visited by the muses, and emails Kristy her hand-drawn logo (“pretty grate I think”) for the club. This kicks off an excellent series of ‘club-coming-together’ scenes.
2. Building your c-suite
You’ve got Mary Anne asserting herself (!!!) about her hyper-organized qualifications for Club Secretary (club notes will be kept in a shared Google Doc). At this point I have to pause the episode and just sit with the realization that Mary Anne will grow up to be a project manager, and a really good one. So proud of her and her future Gantt charts!
Stacey attempts to wow the club (or, more likely, Kristy) with her marketing mojo, but the rest of the girls are either disengaged from social media or, in Claudia’s case, wary of it. Queen Janine stops by, 100% embodying Judy Funnie, and witheringly tells them to go analog. Stacey is relieved to abdicate Chief Marketing Officer in favor of Treasurer. And so they print out their version of the iconic original flyer and I LOVE IT.
3. Marketing
The girls distribute the flyer, and a lot happens during this quick running-around-town montage -- things are still tense between Kristy and her mom. Watson is so goofily enthusiastic that Kristy is caught between an eye-roll and a smile. Mary Anne gets gooey watching a cute boy (you know who it is) read to a group of little kids at the local library. And Claudia and Stacey accidentally seed the Baby-sitter’s Agency by giving a flyer to Starbucks-toting high school Mean Girl archetype.
4. Grand opening
Back in Claudia’s room for the first official club meeting, it’s almost 5:25 (I think my only criticism of this entire episode is WHY are the meetings 5:00 - 5:30 instead of 5:30 - 6:00?!) before they get their first official client call.
Unfortunately for Kristy, it’s Watson, looking like a full-on dad snack in that shawl collar sweater. They have a hilarious exchange where Kristy asks “how did you get this number” and Watson answers, bewildered, that she gave him the flyer.
Kristy’s completely opposed to fulfilling the job request, leading to an argument between her and Claudia (with Mary Anne and Stacey looking on nervously from Claudia’s bed). When Kristy tries to keep Mary Anne from taking the job, Claudia stands firm that this is THEIR club, not hers.
“Quit bossing her around,” she says. “Honestly, you’re making me remember why I stopped hanging out with you so much.”
Chapter Two Paragraph-Long Outfit Description
Claudia was wearing another pair of overalls, short ones covered in paint splatters. “I wore them this summer when I was working on my fast food mural,” she explains. Underneath the overalls was a pink-and-white sweater with big blousy sleeves. Even though we were just in her room, she’d perched a pair of pink plastic sunglasses on her head. The frames were shaped like cherries, with a tall green stem and all.
Kristy & The Secret Of The Hedge Witch
Completely deflated from that bummer of a first meeting, Kristy decides to take a casual jog over to the rich side of town . . . where Watson coincidentally lives and Mary Anne is coincidentally about to babysit. She’s peak Kristy in her grey sweatsuit, Louie on a leash. And what a heartstring pull to see that collie -- I’m not even a dog person and thinking about this dog dying is ruining me already.
Watson’s house is dope as hell, and he bikes off in all his dorky dad splendor (I love it) as Mary Anne gets acquainted with Karen and Andrew. Karen, true to form, leads with the witch next door who put a spell on their cat. And speaking of Morbidda Destiny -- up she pops, yelling at Kristy (rightfully) for hanging out in her hedge.
Kristy is krushed. She’s embarrassed, Mary Anne and the kids witnessed her humiliation, and her beloved dog ran off after the whole in-hedge confrontation. Her sweatshirt tied around her waist (revealing an excellent Stoneybrook Middle School t-shirt) she glumly trudges home, so wrapped up in her thoughts that she nearly gets run over.
By, it turns out, Stacey and her parents. Stacey and Kristy stare at each other through the car window, stricken, as Kristy realizes Stacey lied to the club about going to the city for the weekend.
This series of lows leads to a truly adorable heart-to-heart between Kristy and Elizabeth. Elizabeth (lovingly) calls her out about needing to be in control and suggests giving Stacey the benefit of the doubt. This whole scene pushes me fully into Elizabeth Thomas stan territory -- Alicia Silverstone is so good in this role!
♪ Make amends with your friends, Baby-Sitter’s Club ♪
Kristy shows up to the next club meeting in her security turtleneck, bearing conciliatory pizza (and salad for Stacey). She apologizes to the girls and is forgiven, and it’s a nice moment. There’s one particular angle in which the camera shoots Kristy from behind, sitting apart from the rest of the club as if facing a firing squad, and the three other girls exchange a look and giggle at how seriously Kristy is taking this minor rift. First real bonding moment between Mary Anne and the cool half of the club! It’s very sweet, and so is Kristy’s relief.
Chapter Two Paragraph-Long Outfit Description
Claudia’s bun was bigger than ever -- it sat on top of her head like a tire, a single daisy pin stuck in the side. Her sheer white blouse had big puffy sleeves, and she’d paired it with yellow and black plaid pants. “They’re kind of an ‘as-if’ moment,” she said. Stacey nodded enthusiastically, but I didn’t know what in the world that meant.
And then the calls start coming in. And it’s clients from the books, the Marshalls and Papadakis’ families. They’ve both been referred by Watson, and the girls know a valuable referral source when they see one, beaming at Kristy as they report the news. Kristy even softens enough to text her mom secondhand thanks for the jobs.
As the meeting and episode comes to a close, we see and hear Kristy write her decorum essay, a much more heartfelt version than the perfunctory one she penned in the book. Back in Claudia’s room, Kristy takes a moment to witness and appreciate the little crew she’s built, and relaxes into Claudia’s director’s chair. She grabs a red visor from a lamp and pulls it down over her head.
Iconic. My emotions.
I’m going to have a daughter this September (a Virgo, just like Mary Anne). Since my husband and kiddo couldn’t be with me for the ultrasound, we found out by opening an envelope at home together. As we hugged, he whispered “I’m glad you’re going to have someone to share your Babysitters Club books with.”
Me too. And while I’m guessing she might find the 1990 show a little cheesy and dated, I have a feeling this adaptation is gonna be right up her alley. Either that, or she will be hugely embarrassed by her dorky mom’s over-the-top enthusiasm about getting her to watch it.
It could go either way, really.
KISHI STYLE FILES
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All images painstakingly captured & collaged by yours truly but ultimately copyright Netflix Family and Walden Media