"Different Waltz for Different Faults" is an episode of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures.
Summary[]
Plum plots to win a dance contest after losing it so many times. Her competitiveness, however, gets the better of her, causing her to push everyone else too far until they abandon her.
Episode Review[]
While waiting for Dance Class to begin, Strawberry offers everyone a muffin as they stand outside of Plum's dance studio. They can hear music so they know she's there, but she hasn't let them in yet. With a loud whistle she gets Plum's attention and they are brought inside, where Plum explains that she had been so busy she didn't realize the time. The Big Bitty City Dancers always win the upcoming dance competition and she is tired of losing to them, so she has put together a special dance routine in order to impress everyone.
After seeing what she has in mind, the other berry girls are unable to share her enthusiasm.
Hoping to encourage her friends, Plum shows them a video of the Big Bitty City Dancers performance from last year but it fails to inspire them, instead making them excited to see what they'll do this year. An energetic speech also fails to please because the girls know they can't give Plum what she wants since they lack the dancing experience. She refuses to reconsider though, voicing confidence that she is sure with enough practice it will be fine, but when she shows them her plans they note how tired and confused she got doing it and try to remind her that she should focus on having fun.
However, Plum fails to listen. She really wants that trophy and seeing this, the girls offer to do their best, asking to simplify the dance since they are unsure if it will go well. As this tampers with her vision Plum hesitates, eventually refusing to compromise and causing them concern. They offer to at least try and spend the rest of the day and well into the night practicing until Plum finally decides to let them go.
Throughout the passing time the berry girls find themselves growing more and more tired as Plum tries to force them to find more, beneficial ways to practice. She encourages them to dance while they work; resulting in some messy situations until eventually the day of the Dance Competition approaches.
The Berry girls go to greet the Dancers before Plum calls for an emergency practice and gives each girl a specific detail to make her work on. Such as having Raspberry balance a vase on her head, Lemon focuses on designing the team hairdos from a sketch she provided, Blueberry gets a book on dancing to read, and she asks Orange t
Foot stuck in vase... now I've seen everything.
o pick a bunch of Glimmerberries for nutrition, and Strawberry to just keep practicing.
Time proceeds to go by as Lemon is working on Plum's sketch for the perfect hair style, Raspberry drops her vase and accidentally gets her foot stuck inside of it, and Blueberry despairing over having to read an entire book in one night. Orange meanwhile is trying to figure out to reach the Glimmerberries, as they are too high up, but soon solves it with some springs for the Berrykins helping her.
Strawberry meanwhile isn't having any problems, cooking, serving, dancing.
Plum is confident they will win until the very next day when nobody shows up. She pays everyone a visit to find Lemon too horrified to leave her Salon after botching her attempt to style their team hairdo, Raspberry can't get the vase off of her foot, even with Plum's help, Blueberry read the entire book but but it took her all night so now her eyes can't focus, and Orange is now stained with glimmerberry juice after mashing them all.
Things only worsen as Strawberry reveals she danced too much and got several blisters, and in this Plum realizes she doesn't have any dancers and nobody to replace them either. Strawberry suggests that Plum could ask some Berrykins to dance in their place since they were on the team the prior year, but Plum points out that while they are troublesome, she's left with no option and gives them a call. But in the process she is forced to make changes to her dance routine.
Unfortunately, the berrykins refuse to take the dance seriously.
The dance off begins with a performance from the Big Bitty City Dancers. An intermission takes place between performances and Plum decides to just back out now, being unable to handle the humiliation from yet another defeat when Strawberry kindly explains to her that it is her own fault. This entire time she only thought about herself and not what anyone else had to say or think. A lot of people put work into all of this dancing and tried their hardest, and if Plum had focused on having fun this wouldn't have happened.
With nothing left to lose, Plum agrees that the dance should at least be fun for the berrykins and agrees to give them free reign as they take their turn. As the berrykins bounce around and make a commotion Plum finds herself forgetting about her stress and joins them.
After the dance finishes, she finds herself growing anxious after seeing how confused and shocked the audience looks; but after a moment they applaud her team, including the Big Bitty City Dancers, who compliment how fun the dance looked to them.
To Plum's surprise, she is revealed to be the winner of the Competition. She then admits it's because everyone worked together and had a great time, and now she's already anticipating next year's competition, promising to design an even better dance using everyone's ideas with the only rule being it has to be fun.
Quotes[]
- Lemon: I can't wait to see what they do this year!
- Plum: Whose side are you on?!
----
Lesson[]
Plum learns a harsh lesson about letting her competitive nature get the better of her when it alienates her friends after a series of mishaps when she pushes them too hard and ignores their opinions. She is forced to work with a less-than good team unable to cooperate at all, but during this time she eventually learns that having fun is more important than focusing on winning.
Trivia[]
- Plum reveals that in terms of dance, Orange and Strawberry are good at spins and twirls, while Lemon is good with kicks.
Goofs[]
- At one point, Lemon and Orange are sitting behind the ladybug twins, but during the performance they are next to them. When it finishes, they are behind them again.
- In one shot, Blueberry is shown in her dance outfit, but when she falls dizzy she is suddenly in normal clothes.
- This happens to Strawberry, who was in her normal clothing until the dancers arrive and she appears to be in her dance uniform.
- Although flying appears to be allowed, in most competitions it would be viewed as an unfair disadvantage if the rest of the teams couldn't do it and therefore against the rules.
- At the end of the episode, everyone breaks the fourth wall after dancing and later looking at the camera as the episode irises out.
External links[]
- Different Waltz for Different Faults at the Internet Movie Database