SVH #28: Alone in the Crowd
On the cover, Lynne sits slumped over her guitar, looking Hollywood-ugly, as in, she's be a knockout if only she didn't wear huge glasses. Liz is looking over her shoulder wit an Expression of Concern, the same way she was looking over Caroline's shoulder on the cover of #17, except in that case, her expression was slightly critical.
So we start out in the cafeteria. Jessica has a superawesome idea for a fundraiser to get the new cheerleader uniforms. A rocking chair relay! Get people to pledge money for each hour that one of the cheerleaders rocks in a rocking chair. Yes, it's as lame as it sounds. But there will be a party in the gym during some of it, and even though, as Winston points out, the centennial picnic was like yesterday, she's sure it will be a huge hit. (It is, of course.)
So Jessica is so excited that when she jumps up from the table, she bumps into a girl who's slouching along past her, and acts like it's the other person's fault. That's our Lynne Henry. She wears what Lila calls an "unfortunate outfit," and has zero friends. She's depressed, shy to the point of dissociation, and identifies with Emily Dickinson. But she has musical talent, and dreams of being a famous songwriter. And her dad's dead, and her very glam mom runs a spa where women go to get makeovers. Except Lynne thinks she's makeover resistant because she's tall and skinny and nearsighted. ISTM that all Lynne has to do is wait a few years (this was published in 1986) and she'll fit right in when grunge comes along.
She waits for the bus in the afternoon (where Winston flirts with Caroline Pearce, incidentally), and reflects more on how she's so withdrawn, she can't even sing or play her guitar for other people. And she has hearts for Guy Chesney, the other guy in the Droids. And surprise! he walks home with her from the bus stop, and they talk about music. Then she goes in the house and starts writing a song about him.
And the next morning, her mom can't believe that she stays up so late and sleeps so late. Um, depression much? Or she just might be wired that way: some people are naturally creatures of the night. Musicians certainly are. Mom also starts nagging her about coming to the spa, but Lynne is certain she's steeped in mediocrity, so what's the use. And she walks to school with Guy again, but just as she's starting to think they have a connection, Jessica appears, pleading to talk to him. It's not a situation like in #8; she just wants the Droids to play at the rocking chair gig. But Lynne is good for another two pages of I'm-not-worthy. And I have to say, I know how she feels. I just wish this wasn't so heavy-handed.
Later, the whole gang is at Secca Lake. Including Lynne, on Guy's invitation. Liz notes, from a distance, that when Lynne smiles, she's almost pretty! More talk about music, and Lynn starts envisioning a future as collaborators, with her in the spotlight, where she was formerly convinced she never wanted to be. Then, Dana Larson announces that there will be a songwriting contest, and the winning song will be performed by the Droids at their next big gig. (I love how a band consisting entirely of people who are not only underage, but in high school, is so wildly successful. From what I understand, if you can't play in venues that serve alcohol, you basically have to drop out of school in order to pursue whatever other opportunities there are.)
So Lynne goes home and starts working on her song. And there's a very sad scene in which her mom tries to reach out to her, but they can't communicate because Lynne thinks that if she's not dazzlingly beautiful, there's no hope of her ever having a social life (actually, in Sweet Valley, that's pretty accurate) and her mom never thinks to encourage her music as an outlet. Lynne is sorely tempted to spill to her mom about how wonderful Guy is and how much her music means to her, but instead she goes stoneface and says "Nothing's wrong," so mom slinks out. Then she finishes her song, records it, and labels it "Outside, Looking In," by Anonymous. Because she doesn't want to risk rejection.
Then we get a scene with the cheerleaders. Everyone's down because Helen Bradley's family is going to move. Jessica is the last to arrive and to hear this, and her immediate reaction is, "But how can you leave the squad?!" Others rightly call her on this, but Jess still scoffs. Auditioning replacement cheerleaders is sheer hell, don't'cha know. Except she can't talk about how horrible the audition was that got Annie Whitman in, because she's right there in the room, and even Jessica has enough tact not to mention that, and her subsequent suicide attempt. But imagine if JESS had to go through something like that again. :rolleyes:
Anyway, the Droids and a bunch of hangers-on are listening to the submitted songs. The first four are blah, and then they get to Lynne's song. It's heartrending, and IMO, it better have a pretty good tune to offset the relentless defeatism of the lyrics. Guy gets all choked up, and declares that he MUST find this mystery woman, at whatever cost. And meanwhile, good ol' Mr. Collins is giving Lynne a pep talk, about her superlative Emily Dickinson paper, and about her hopefully realzing that she's "more than okay." But she's still "convinced that she's the biggest zero of all time." Seriously, get some help. I'm almost crying here.
Then she runs into Guy again, who is gushing about the song he just heard. Lynne is convinced that it has to be someone ELSE's song, because how could anything of hers be that good, until Guy adds that it was submitted anonymously. (Might there not have been more than one anon submission? I mean, we are talking about high schoolers here.) And even though he's determined to give the prize to this song, Lynne still does not want to admit that it's hers! I thought she wanted to be famous?
So we have to bring Liz into this somehow. She's aware that Guy is getting a fixation on this girl he's never met (heck, at least Lynne is crushing on someone she knows!) and he's so intense, it's worrisome. This mostly plays out at the Beach Disco (since when do brooding musicians go to discos) while back at her house, Lynne finally busts out the designer clothes her mom has pressed on her, puts in her contacts, plucks her eyebrows (ouch!) and makes herself up. When her mom comes home, Lynne reacts as if she's been caught trying on mom's lingerie, but mom is overwhelmed that her daughter is finally taking an interest in herself. They agree on a spa visit, and it's very touching, but it bothers me that this newfound understanding has to be on mom's terms. I'd rather Lynne played some of her music for mom as well as getting the big makeover. Fix the inside first, then take care of the outside.
And the next day, Liz goes to a music store in search of a Billie Holiday album. (Why do people always fall back on either Billie Holiday (with the attendant gender-confusion gag) or Edith Piaf when they want to reference non-rock music? There's much, much more to jazz than Lady Holiday, and Edith Piaf goes right by me.) Lynne is in the back room, giving a music lesson to a little kid. I guess this is the exception to her self-imposed isolation, and it makes me wonder how mom doesn't know this, and realize how much her music means to her. Liz recognizes the voice, and pleads with her to take credit for her song before Guy goes off his nut. But Lynne declines, on the grounds that Guy must have a Linda Ronstadt-looking fantasy woman in his head, and she doesn't want him to be disillusioned when he finds out it's only boring old Lynne. From this, I gather that Lynne really has poor social skills. Guy DOES like her, and if she's so stunted that she doesn't realize this, I don't think a makeover is going to change everything.
So the rockathon is awesome, the premiere performance of the still-anonymous song is awesome, and Lynne's makeover is awesome. Another touching scene in which Lynne's mom does her hair, and they finally talk about her dad and his music. Because of this, Lynne decides to be braver. Because her dad wasn't, and consequently, he died undiscovered. I have something in my eye. And at the rockathon, Guy can't shut up about the mystery singer. Liz alludes to knowing who it is, and mentions Linda Ronstadt, and Guy makes the connection. (Incidentally, the dance has a 1950s theme, because they're rocking around the clock, and I thought it was funny that Guy, who had his hair greased back in a DA, stopped in his angst to say "I can't believe people used to wear this stuff in their hair all the time." Because I can now say the same thing about mousse.)
So now that he knows Lynne is the mystery girl, he starts courting her while pretending to still be in the dark. Except, he got an artist friend of his to draw her for the big announcement of the contest winner. And everyone crowds around congratulating her, and she performs her song in front of the whole school, and then Guy kisses her in front of the whole school, and somehow her inferiority complex is swept away as if it had never been. Uh, yeah.
So we start out in the cafeteria. Jessica has a superawesome idea for a fundraiser to get the new cheerleader uniforms. A rocking chair relay! Get people to pledge money for each hour that one of the cheerleaders rocks in a rocking chair. Yes, it's as lame as it sounds. But there will be a party in the gym during some of it, and even though, as Winston points out, the centennial picnic was like yesterday, she's sure it will be a huge hit. (It is, of course.)
So Jessica is so excited that when she jumps up from the table, she bumps into a girl who's slouching along past her, and acts like it's the other person's fault. That's our Lynne Henry. She wears what Lila calls an "unfortunate outfit," and has zero friends. She's depressed, shy to the point of dissociation, and identifies with Emily Dickinson. But she has musical talent, and dreams of being a famous songwriter. And her dad's dead, and her very glam mom runs a spa where women go to get makeovers. Except Lynne thinks she's makeover resistant because she's tall and skinny and nearsighted. ISTM that all Lynne has to do is wait a few years (this was published in 1986) and she'll fit right in when grunge comes along.
She waits for the bus in the afternoon (where Winston flirts with Caroline Pearce, incidentally), and reflects more on how she's so withdrawn, she can't even sing or play her guitar for other people. And she has hearts for Guy Chesney, the other guy in the Droids. And surprise! he walks home with her from the bus stop, and they talk about music. Then she goes in the house and starts writing a song about him.
And the next morning, her mom can't believe that she stays up so late and sleeps so late. Um, depression much? Or she just might be wired that way: some people are naturally creatures of the night. Musicians certainly are. Mom also starts nagging her about coming to the spa, but Lynne is certain she's steeped in mediocrity, so what's the use. And she walks to school with Guy again, but just as she's starting to think they have a connection, Jessica appears, pleading to talk to him. It's not a situation like in #8; she just wants the Droids to play at the rocking chair gig. But Lynne is good for another two pages of I'm-not-worthy. And I have to say, I know how she feels. I just wish this wasn't so heavy-handed.
Later, the whole gang is at Secca Lake. Including Lynne, on Guy's invitation. Liz notes, from a distance, that when Lynne smiles, she's almost pretty! More talk about music, and Lynn starts envisioning a future as collaborators, with her in the spotlight, where she was formerly convinced she never wanted to be. Then, Dana Larson announces that there will be a songwriting contest, and the winning song will be performed by the Droids at their next big gig. (I love how a band consisting entirely of people who are not only underage, but in high school, is so wildly successful. From what I understand, if you can't play in venues that serve alcohol, you basically have to drop out of school in order to pursue whatever other opportunities there are.)
So Lynne goes home and starts working on her song. And there's a very sad scene in which her mom tries to reach out to her, but they can't communicate because Lynne thinks that if she's not dazzlingly beautiful, there's no hope of her ever having a social life (actually, in Sweet Valley, that's pretty accurate) and her mom never thinks to encourage her music as an outlet. Lynne is sorely tempted to spill to her mom about how wonderful Guy is and how much her music means to her, but instead she goes stoneface and says "Nothing's wrong," so mom slinks out. Then she finishes her song, records it, and labels it "Outside, Looking In," by Anonymous. Because she doesn't want to risk rejection.
Then we get a scene with the cheerleaders. Everyone's down because Helen Bradley's family is going to move. Jessica is the last to arrive and to hear this, and her immediate reaction is, "But how can you leave the squad?!" Others rightly call her on this, but Jess still scoffs. Auditioning replacement cheerleaders is sheer hell, don't'cha know. Except she can't talk about how horrible the audition was that got Annie Whitman in, because she's right there in the room, and even Jessica has enough tact not to mention that, and her subsequent suicide attempt. But imagine if JESS had to go through something like that again. :rolleyes:
Anyway, the Droids and a bunch of hangers-on are listening to the submitted songs. The first four are blah, and then they get to Lynne's song. It's heartrending, and IMO, it better have a pretty good tune to offset the relentless defeatism of the lyrics. Guy gets all choked up, and declares that he MUST find this mystery woman, at whatever cost. And meanwhile, good ol' Mr. Collins is giving Lynne a pep talk, about her superlative Emily Dickinson paper, and about her hopefully realzing that she's "more than okay." But she's still "convinced that she's the biggest zero of all time." Seriously, get some help. I'm almost crying here.
Then she runs into Guy again, who is gushing about the song he just heard. Lynne is convinced that it has to be someone ELSE's song, because how could anything of hers be that good, until Guy adds that it was submitted anonymously. (Might there not have been more than one anon submission? I mean, we are talking about high schoolers here.) And even though he's determined to give the prize to this song, Lynne still does not want to admit that it's hers! I thought she wanted to be famous?
So we have to bring Liz into this somehow. She's aware that Guy is getting a fixation on this girl he's never met (heck, at least Lynne is crushing on someone she knows!) and he's so intense, it's worrisome. This mostly plays out at the Beach Disco (since when do brooding musicians go to discos) while back at her house, Lynne finally busts out the designer clothes her mom has pressed on her, puts in her contacts, plucks her eyebrows (ouch!) and makes herself up. When her mom comes home, Lynne reacts as if she's been caught trying on mom's lingerie, but mom is overwhelmed that her daughter is finally taking an interest in herself. They agree on a spa visit, and it's very touching, but it bothers me that this newfound understanding has to be on mom's terms. I'd rather Lynne played some of her music for mom as well as getting the big makeover. Fix the inside first, then take care of the outside.
And the next day, Liz goes to a music store in search of a Billie Holiday album. (Why do people always fall back on either Billie Holiday (with the attendant gender-confusion gag) or Edith Piaf when they want to reference non-rock music? There's much, much more to jazz than Lady Holiday, and Edith Piaf goes right by me.) Lynne is in the back room, giving a music lesson to a little kid. I guess this is the exception to her self-imposed isolation, and it makes me wonder how mom doesn't know this, and realize how much her music means to her. Liz recognizes the voice, and pleads with her to take credit for her song before Guy goes off his nut. But Lynne declines, on the grounds that Guy must have a Linda Ronstadt-looking fantasy woman in his head, and she doesn't want him to be disillusioned when he finds out it's only boring old Lynne. From this, I gather that Lynne really has poor social skills. Guy DOES like her, and if she's so stunted that she doesn't realize this, I don't think a makeover is going to change everything.
So the rockathon is awesome, the premiere performance of the still-anonymous song is awesome, and Lynne's makeover is awesome. Another touching scene in which Lynne's mom does her hair, and they finally talk about her dad and his music. Because of this, Lynne decides to be braver. Because her dad wasn't, and consequently, he died undiscovered. I have something in my eye. And at the rockathon, Guy can't shut up about the mystery singer. Liz alludes to knowing who it is, and mentions Linda Ronstadt, and Guy makes the connection. (Incidentally, the dance has a 1950s theme, because they're rocking around the clock, and I thought it was funny that Guy, who had his hair greased back in a DA, stopped in his angst to say "I can't believe people used to wear this stuff in their hair all the time." Because I can now say the same thing about mousse.)
So now that he knows Lynne is the mystery girl, he starts courting her while pretending to still be in the dark. Except, he got an artist friend of his to draw her for the big announcement of the contest winner. And everyone crowds around congratulating her, and she performs her song in front of the whole school, and then Guy kisses her in front of the whole school, and somehow her inferiority complex is swept away as if it had never been. Uh, yeah.