Amanda is in the school restroom dressed in what looks like a pair of pajamas when she sees the above written on the stall. Think there might be another kid in the school with the initials AZ?
Amanda complains about the graffiti to Busy, who tells her maybe the way she dresses is a little too boring and matchy. After this, notice that nothing Amanda will wear for the rest of the episode matches at all. Coincidentally, the girls come upon the store where Chrissy shops. "Try shopLIFTS," wisecracks Busy. Amanda can't wait until she grows up because then she can wear stuff like the mannequin above. She asks the salesgirl how much her whole outfit costs. The girl rudely tells Amanda that she probably couldn't afford it. Amanda decides to ask her father for more money for clothes, but not before cutting up and scribbling on a new pair of jeans to make them look like something from that store.
Amanda overhears her parents talking. Apparently her father got fired for no reason and was given no explanation or notice. Sounds fishy, but that's all the information the show will give us.
Check out the first of Amanda's totally non-matching outfits. I also like how colorful this school is. In this scene, she's just telling Busy about her father losing his job. She comes home and hears that her father has had no luck finding another job. Amanda decides to sell some of her possessions and look for a job.
There is a short montage of Amanda looking for work and being turned down. No kidding, she's 12! I don't buy her finding a job at all. Look at all the trouble her father is having finding one. But of course she does, as a waitress. She told the elderly boss she was 15 and he didn't ask for identification or anything.
Unfortunately, Amanda's second customers (after Busy) are Chrissy and her friends. They make her spill water and purposely give her a complicated order before canceling it and walking out. Amanda has been telling her parents she's studying at the library, which is pretty lame. We see that there are some discrepancies in the Zimm's bankbook. Maybe Leonard is using the extra money on a mistress? (Spoiler from a future episode.)
Amanda's boss finally catches on that she's underage. It's never revealed how he found out. She tells him how her father's been fired, but he's pretty unsympathetic.
Monkey Ears has been making some sort of movie throughout this episode, and the next day at school he sticks his camera in Amanda's face and asks "how does a girl from a ritzy family end up slinging pizzas in a diner?" There has been no indication before this that Amanda is from a ritzy family. I think they just now came up with it to suit this episode's purpose. Anyway, Monkey tells Amanda about a dance marathon he is filming that weekend that has a $1,000 grand prize.
Amanda gets Busy to practice with her (who else is going to do it? I guess there is no rule that the dance partner contestants must be hetero pairings) and I find it strange that Amanda still has a record player in 1994.
Everyone else in the contest is about 80 years old. Amanda sees the guy who fired her and freaks out for some reason. It's not like she's breaking any rules being in the contest or anything. Busy shows signs early on of being tired and not being able to last. She twists her ankle and is forced to finally stop dancing. Mr. Mansopolis (I might have his name wrong) sees what's happening and since his partner also quit asks if Amanda would like to complete the marathon with him, a maneuver which only seems to not be against the rules on TV.
Mr. Mansopolis tells Amanda he's had the suit he's wearing since he was married 40 years ago. Amanda marvels at wearing something that long and tells him she likes that it all matches. (You can't tell from the picture, but the tights Amanda is wearing make her outfit very clashy.) Eventually it comes down to them and one other couple. Amanda can see that Mr. Manopolis is very tired and needs to stop. Though he protests, they finally do. Mr. Manoplois sadly gives Amanda the handkerchief from his suit as a consolation prize.
The next day at school Amanda is wearing her plain pajama outfit decorated with Mr. Manopolis's handkerchief tied around her neck. Chrissy makes small-minded comments about Amanda's clothes again. Amanda walks over to her and just when you think she's going to tell her off big time, she merely says "I like it" and saunters off proudly with Busy. Please tell me this is the Disneyfied version of the episode and she actually said something else? Also, it looks like I was wrong about there being another kid with the initials AZ.
Although I think this episode would've been better saved for later on in the series, I like it because it shows a slightly deeper side to Amanda.
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