"Practice Makes Perfect" is an episode of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures.
Summary[]
After everyone takes lessons from Cherry, she decides to hold a recital - but Plum is nervous she will mess up, and tries to find ways to avoid performing.
Episode Review[]
The girls are playing Badminton together while Blueberry and Strawberry are playing cards and Cherry is taking a nap. Plum tumbles to catch the birdie and they comment on how surprising it is that Cherry's cellphone hasn't rung. Not even once. She goes on to inform them that she turned it off, then compliments the lemon sunscreen that Lemon lent to her. She goes on to say she also canceled her upcoming tour, since she never gets to relax and hang out like this - she's having too much fun right now to give it up. Her plans for the day are to just sit down by the lake and read, "Mystery of the Missing Mozzarella", a Patty Persimmon book Blueberry lent to her. Strawberry prepares a special cherry turnover for her picnic, and while Cherry is grateful, she is a bit uncomfortable with how kind and generous everyone has been towards her. She wishes to give them something in return but Strawberry assures her that her presence is enough.
Later, Cherry hears a strange sound while picking something up. She visits Plum to ask her about it, and Plum reveals that Berrykin Bloom wished to learn how to play the bassoon. She continues her dance routine, which Cherry deems to be cute before she pays Lemon a visit. She is startled by the goggles Lemon put on - but she explains that she needs to use them when painting Berrykin toes. They're too small to be seen with just the human eye. Princess Berrykin complains over the noise from the bassoon and Cherry agrees, heading off to find somewhere a bit further to escape from the noise.
She heads to Strawberry's Cafe, who asks how the book reading has been going. She asks if Cherry will be reading another, but Cherry confesses that she is considering ending her so-called vacation now. Strawberry is confused since she just canceled her tour plans, and Cherry explains that she feels she has no real purpose in Berry Bitty City; with Raspberry making outfits and accessories, Plum is a dancer, Orange sells everything, Blueberry owns a Library, and Lemon gives manicures and other beauty-related services. Suddenly, Strawberry gets an idea and suggests to Cherry that she could become a Music Teacher for the City and give everyone lessons.
Cherry likes this idea and since then, starts giving lessons. In no time everyone is beginning to sound much better, and she thanks Plum for allowing her to use the studio for practice, telling Berrykin Bloom to keep practicing. She shows Plum what they will cover during their next lesson, then reveals her plans of putting on a recital by the end of next week. This causes Plum to grow anxious and she asks if it necessary to perform - to which Cherry tries to assure her how much fun it will be before taking off.
Plum resumes practice until she's too tired to continue, and she has a dream where she is in the middle of a performance, but suddenly has no idea how to play or what she should be doing. Cherry lectures her and forces her to keep working when a drumstick suddenly flies out of her hand. Cherry angrily berates Plum for this as the dream ends. She wakes up to find her Studio is empty and resumes practice.
Which continues well into the next week, with her using every waking moment to drum - even when teaching Berrykins how to dance. When they notice how much she is having trouble they decide to end the session early when she realizes how sore her wrists have become.
Meanwhile at Lemon's salon, the girls are practicing and having a bit of trouble. Trying to practice and have a salon visit is beginning to get problematic, but they simply laugh it off anyway as Lemon asks them to practice somewhere else. Cherry comes in and in explains that the recital will now be held on Tuesday since Plum sprained her wrist. She needs a few days to recover and everyone agrees to go, but not before making more appointments.
Meanwhile, Raspberry is showing Cherry how well she's doing with her keyboard playing. She asks for the recital to be on hold for one more day, because she still needs to make a dress for Plum and right now doesn't have the time for a favor.
Later the girls are all grouped together to see Plum model her new gown. She does fine until remembering the recital in which she ends up slipping and stumbling into a cart and hurts herself to the point of not being able to sit down.
She then claims that she's going to be sore for at least a couple more days.
Plum knocks on Cherry's tour bus the next day and claims she has lost her drumsticks. Cherry offers to help her look but she turns it down so Cherry goes to tell Strawberry and all of the berry girls meet up to discuss the many issues they're having. Such as Lemon having too many hair appointments, Raspberry is getting too anxious about the whole thing, and so fourth. Strawberry feels she does understand and asks Cherry to wait a day or so before postponing the entire event and she does to check everything out, only to run into Plum.
Plum admits she's actually really nervous and is beginning to feel bad about the entire ordeal. She only lied about her missing drumsticks and actually hid them. Strawberry tries to tell her that because everybody loves her, they don't mind waiting. Plum then admits she's worried she'll make a mistake while everyone watches, to which Strawberry offers to listen to the problems she's had so far in hopes of helping her feel better.
Later, at her studio Plum pulls the drumsticks out of the nearby vase and shows Strawberry her playing. She explains the term she has learned, then shows Strawberry the problem. She keeps accidentally dropping or throwing the drumsticks.
So Strawberry makes her keep playing while one by one she calls the other girls to come and see her play. Lemon insists she keeps going as Strawberry calls the other berry girls, then soon Cherry Jam. When Plum insists she's ready for the recital, Cherry then has an idea where everybody can do a number together in order to warm up.
Soon the entire audience is invited in to play as Princess Berrykin comes in to tell them that the rest of the students are ready to join. Everybody then begins to play in a warm up as Princess Berrykin watches.
Quotes[]
- Cherry: I'll tell you my secret Blueberry... that's because I turned it off.
*~*
- Blueberry: Do you have any eights?
- Strawberry: (examines her cards) Um-- Reach for it, Plum!
*~*
- Cherry: (finishes reading the Patty Persimmon novel) I suspected it was the sous chef all along!
- (Berrykin Bloom's bassoon playing makes her drop a cookie)
- Cherry: Huh? (listens when it was quiet) What was that?
- Plum: Hi, Cherry Jam!
- Cherry: Hi, Plum! What is that awful noise?
- Plum: Berrykin Bloom is learning to play the bassoon. He likes to practice in the gazebo.
*~*
- Berrykin Bloom: (playing his bassoon) Ah! Now that is music!
*~*
- Lemon: Hello there, Cherry!
- Cherry: Uh, Lemon, is that you?
- Lemon: (chuckles) Sorry. I need to wear these when I do the Princess' toes.
- Princess Berrykin: (grunts) Berrykin Bloom and his bassooning. But it is his new passion.
*~*
- Cherry: Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow, we'll learn paradiddles.
- Plum: Paradiddles?
*~*
- Plum: Oops! Sorry about that. Again!
- Berrykin #1: Here Plum?
- Plum: Thank you! Uh oh! (Realizes how sore her wrist is) Let’s end class a little early today. Good work, everyone!
- Berrykins: Bye! See you later! Bye! Thanks, Plum! Bye! See you next time!
*~*
- (Orange plays a violin. Her bow gets entangled at Strawberry's hair, and one roller falls off)
- Strawberry: Careful with that thing Orange.
- Orange: That thing is called a bow.
- Strawberry: Oh, sorry. Um, Lemon, could you?
- Lemon: Oh, of course.
- (Lemon places the roll back. Orange makes a very discordant sound from her violin, causing Strawberry and Lemon to scream)
- Orange: Yikes! Pardon me.
- Strawberry: I think this hand is done soaking.
*~*
- Plum: OUCH! I don't think I can sit.
- Lemon: Oh, I'm so sorry. Poor Plum.
- Plum: Um... In fact, I don't think I'll be able to sit at my drum set at all. At least for a couple of days. Until it's... uh... better.
*~*
Lessons[]
Plum learns that evading a problem, rather than dealing with it, only causes more problems. She should have been honest with her worries and confided with her friends- who would have been accepting and most-likely would have tried to help her.
Trivia[]
- Cherry Jam is only called Cherry, starting with this episode, proving that the girls kept true to their word from the prior episode.
- During the episode, Plum at one point says "Applejack". The irony in this is that her voice actor, Ashleigh Ball voices Applejack in "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic " cartoon series and the "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls " film series, thus breaking the fourth wall in the cartoon.
- Patty Persimmon is mentioned for the first time in Season 2.
- During Plum's dream, only yellow, purple, and pink berrykins can be seen.
- The dress Raspberry made for Plum resembles her normal formal gown, but with very small differences.
- It is the only episode in which Orange plays a violin, Jadeybug plays drums, Blueberry - a clarinet, and Berrykin Bloom - a bassoon.
- This is the first episode when someone shows stage fright.
Goofs[]
- Plum should have realized that in most cases, there would have been a spare pair of drumsticks that someone could have lent her, should her own go missing.
- When Cherry shows up in Plum's dreams, the coloring of her outfit is off. But when she shows up a second time, they appear to be accurate.
- Before heading to Plum's, Cherry had on a big sun hat and a purse. At Plum's she only has the purse.
- When Strawberry is first shown with Orange and Blueberry in Lemon's Salon, the bowl of soap that Strawberry is soaking her hand in doesn't show up until Orange accidentally yanks out one of Strawberry's curlers with her bow, so when the scene first begins it looks like Strawberry is soaking her hand in nothing.
- Plum is used to perform before an audience (though dancing rather than playing music). How could she suffer from stage fright?
External links[]
- Practice Makes Perfect at the Internet Movie Database