JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS #25: The secret revealed

[starwolf_oakley]

In the next-to-last issue of the series (but not the story), the Holograms, the Misfits, the Stingers and Rio are all in Hawaii. And Jerrica has just told Rio she's Jem.





In the IDW continuity, Rio is a music journalist and only meets Jem/Jerrica after the "illusion" starts.
Some dialog between Rio and Jerrica had things like "So, if you were more confident, it would be Jerrica and the Holograms?"





Gilfoyle: Does it mean taking a stack of cash and lighting it on fire?
Because there was a joke on Silicon Valley where... forget it.



Synergy isn't "based" on Jacqui Benton this time. That would be weird.

...THAT would be weird?

The Holograms go back to where they are staying, and suddenly Rio is rushing out to go to the airport.




Jerrica goes outside to cry. Riot hears her and offers a handkerchief.
"I am also unhappy myself, and you know what they say about misery and company."
"You don't seem miserable."



I'm sure there are romantic comedies with similar plots. Without holographic disguises.

This series has Jerrica as a great singer, but suffering bad stage fright, explaining the need for a separate personality.

The 1980s cartoon was more like a Silver Age comic. Jerrica hid she was Jem for the show's hook: a serious woman in the music business pretending to be a "truly outrageous" rock star and vice versa.

richardak said:
(Jerrica's) conflict between her desire to be a respectable businesswoman and run her record company and her desire to be a kid in a band with her sister and their friends. The whole point of the story is that it's about duality and the conflicting sides of Jerrica's personality.

icon_uk said:
The cartoon creators on the other hand WERE comic book fans (Christy Marx being only one of them, though an important one), and there are a few nods to that throughout the series, my personal favourite being the sly little reference in a background where a moving truck is from "Earth-2 Removals" which you almost have to squint to see has the tagline "Do you want the Earth-2 Move?"

Comments

[deathcrist2000]

"Gilfoyle: Does it mean taking a stack of cash and lighting it on fire?
Because there was a joke on Silicon Valley where... forget it."

Ah the legacy of KLF... Well that, and the Doctor Who song.

[icon_uk]

The cartoon did a sort of version of the last scene, Riot flirts with Jerrica because he's seen Rio and Jerrica have an argument and seemingly break up, and believes that Rio will immediately start to go after Jem, which is competition he doesn't want. If Riot can make Rio jealous enough to take Jerrica back, then he's got a clear run at Jem himself (It made sense to him at any rate)

Of course, all this not helped by Jerrica (advised by a passing mysterious oracle) to try out a new, THIRD, persona, who then runs into Rio... and he finds himself drawn to her... and it's only resolved when Jerrica discovers the "oracle" was Synergy, who points out that Riot only ever cares about the appearance of the person (So as soon as he thinks he has a chance with Jem again, he rejects Jerrica without a thought), Rio is always drawn to Jerrica's core personality, regardless of her appearance or mannerisms.

The episode is "Midsummer Night's Madness" and in terms of adopting disguises, weird romances, and farcical mistaken identities, it really is almost worthy of the Shakespearean reference of the name. Plus it does have one of my favourite Jem and the Hologram pieces and video, which is delightful for a mythology nut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G139zDwnLb4

[icon_uk]

I'm a little disappointed Rio didn't ask "Sin orgy?"

[shadowpsykie]

shhhh kids comic! lol

[zachbeacon]

Are we NOT supposed to like Riot? These scans make it seem like he thinks more of Jerrica than Rio...though Rio feeling betrayed seems pretty reasonable.

[icon_uk]

As these scans show, and even a fairly distraught Jerrica notices, Riot's primary focus is always Riot. He doesn't care about Jerrica in any way which doesn't involve his own reputation and feelings.

[zachbeacon]

He seems to want to help her while also helping himself. He even seems pretty upfront about his intentions.

Of course, his "help" sort of depends on everyone else involved being as shallow as he is and her secret identity really complicates things.

(I'm just going off the scans but his"don't cry. I'm awesome. You're awesome. Let's show our exes what they're missing" proposition seems pretty kind for someone who is clearly intended to just be the vain ex-boyfriend)

[shadowpsykie]

damn. I am really feeling for Rio here. I mean Jerrica too because double identities is harsh, but Rio seems like he could get past all that (in time) if it wasn't for Riot.

I mean it was probably for publicity, and she is on the spot and probably couldn't articulate it... but this is A LOT to bring on a person...

did Rio come back?

[starwolf_oakley]

The next issue has Rio waiting for Jerrica at the front stoop of the Starlight mansion.

[shadowpsykie]

*squee* in a hopeless shipper

[janegray]

I do like that they talked things out like adults :)

[lbd_nytetrayn]

...why do they have both of Jem/Jerrica's love interests share the first three letters in their names? "Riot" just sounds like an alias for "Rio."

Not knowing the show and such that well, I thought maybe Rio was pulling the same thing when he brought it up.

[viridian5]

My impression is that the masquerade didn't start in the show just for funsies. When Eric Raymond tried to push Jerrica out of her half of Starlight Music, her father's company, and take it all for himself, she got him to agree to a wager. If his new aquisition, the Misfits, outdid whatever musical act Jerrica put up, he'd get the whole company. If her act did, she would. He might have agreed to this because he underestimated her and always intended to cheat in every way possible anyway. Jerrica figured that if she obviously fronted the band she'd have competing against the Misfits it'd just put even more of a target on her and the Holograms' backs (and maybe even on the backs of the orphaned kids she took care of).