"Swing on Thru to the Other Side" is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the first season of Recess, which was first broadcast on January 17th, 1998.
Plot[]
Summary[]
After believing to see her swinging over the top of the swing-set, Spinelli starts a cult devoted to Swinger Girl.
Main Story[]
The kids on the playground once again watch as Swinger Girl tries and fails to get over the swing set. Everyone heads home while Swinger Girl tries again. Spinelli forgets her ball and heads back to get in. Upon arriving, she sees Swinger Girl making her second attempt followed by a flash of light from the sun. Spinelli runs back to the Gang to tell them what she saw, but when they return Swinger Girl is nowhere in sight. At Mikey's suggestion, Spinelli becomes convinced that Swinger Girl not only managed to get over the set, but somehow passed through into another dimension and has an epiphany.
The next day, Spinelli creates a shrine around the swing set and takes on a more complacent personality. Soon she gathers a following and has everyone where flight helmets similar to Swinger Girl. The Gang is shocked to see that Mikey has also joined her following as he likes that Spinelli is moving away from her typical brutish behavior for a more peaceful approach. More children join the Swinger Girl cult including the likes of King Bob. Sometime afterwards, Gus also joins, leaving T.J., Gretchen and Vince the only non-believers.
Just as Vince is about to give in, Spinelli announces her intent to join Swinger Girl in the other dimension, only for Swinger Girl to suddenly show up and resume her swinging. She reveals that she failed her second attempt and took a week long vacation because it was the only time her dad was off work. Everyone is upset that what they were told was not true and angrily quit Spinelli's cult. The Gang come by and comfort Spinelli telling that while her belief was ridiculous, she was teaching positive morals and bringing people together. Spinelli then goes and asks Swinger Girl if she can swing with her and she happily accepts.
Goofs[]
- Coloring/continuity error: After King Bob joins Spinelli's cult while T.J., Gretchen, and Vince are sitting on the stairs, Vince's right eye is colored as his skin color.
- Coloring/continuity error: While Spinelli is watching the kids coming to touch the swing, her skin color varies a few times throughout the scene.
- Animation/continuity error: While Gretchen is trying to convince Spinelli not to get on the swing, Gretchen's glasses have no temples.
- Continuity error: In this episode, Vince says "The kids in Miss Furley's class said she [Swinger Girl] never showed up for school today". However, in the episode "The Great Can Drive", Swinger Girl is ready to beat the Ashleys in Miss Grotke's (the gang's) class, meaning she is not in her class.
- Animation/continuity error: When T.J. notices that King Bob is coming, Spinelli has eyelashes for a brief time. This also happens when Spinelli closes her eyes while she has one of her replies to King Bob in the same way.
- Animation/continuity error: When Gretchen, T.J., and Vince follow Gus to see Spinelli trying to swing over the top, T.J. has thick eyebrows for the last few frames of the animation in this scene.
- Animation/consistency error: When T.J. asks King Bob and his guards to quit with the "next dimension" stuff, Lily has thick outlines of her eyes.
- Animation/continuity error: Spinelli has either small eyes or thick lash lines during several scenes of this episode.
Trivia[]
Regular[]
- T.J. shows his concern for Spinelli; when he fears that her drastic attempt to join Swinger Girl on the "other side" is too dangerous and warns her that she could get seriously hurt or even killed if she goes through with it.
- Due to Spinelli's cult around Swinger Girl, this episode is often thought to be critiquing religion in general.
- Disney originally turned down this episode, due to it making fun of religion. Running out of time to make the final episode of the season, Barry Blumberg, a Disney executive, suggested to make the episode — with Recess staff pointing out the fact they weren't allowed. He told them that reasoning was stupid and to do it anyway, and when they did Disney found out and tried to stop them airing it. It wasn't until they were told the contract with ABC refused them to do re-runs in place of new episodes that Disney agreed to air the episode. They stated they would refuse to re-air this episode in the future, out of fear of angry parents, though when no one complained — Disney allowed re-runs of the episode to air.[1]
Continuity[]
- This is the final time T.J. is shown with highlights in his eyes. By the next episode, which starts the next season, they are removed for unknown reasons. His eyes will continue to be drawn with highlights on certain pieces of merchandise and at the beginning of "Bachelor Gus".
- This is the last episode written by series co-creator, Joe Ansolabehere.
- This is the 7th speaking appearance of King Bob.
- This is the only episode where Swinger Girl is a major character.
- This is one of the only episodes where Spinelli is seen having at least one eyelash; the others being "The Break In", "First Name Ashley", "Mama's Girl", and "Prickly Is Leaving". However, this and "The Break In" are the only episodes where Spinelli is seen having one eyelash on both of her eyes (though, both of them happens for brief times). "First Name Ashley" and "Prickly Is Leaving" have Spinelli to have two eyelashes on each eye, and "Mama's Girl" has Spinelli to have only one eyelash on one of her eyes briefly during her eye zoom (though, this is an animation error).
Allusions[]
- The title is a reference to the Doors' song "Break on Through (to the Other Side)".
International Information[]
- In the French dub of the episode, Ashley B.'s voice actress, Marie-Charlotte Leclair, played Ashley A. instead of Patricia Legrand.
Cast[]
- T.J. Detweiler - Ross Malinger
- Vince LaSalle - Rickey D'Shon Collins
- Ashley Spinelli - Pamela Segall-Adlon
- Gretchen Grundler - Ashley Johnson
- Mikey Blumberg - Jason Davis
- Gus Griswald - Courtland Mead
- Sam/Phil/Kid #1/Kid #3/Kid #4 - Klee Bragger
- Swinger Girl/Upside-Down Girl/Kid #2 - Francesca Smith
- King Bob - Toran Caudell
- Ashley Armbruster/Kid #5 - Anndi McAfee
- Kindergartner #1 - E.G. Daily
- Kindergartner #2 - Kath Soucie
Transcript[]
Swing on Thru to the Other Side/Transcript
Gallery[]
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