Middle School: Wild Overboard

Clueless

What's this? Joslin in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle? Hector, Helga, Harold, Christine, and Buena Girl are all in the audience, but they're dressed strangely in old fashioned clothes. And now we see that Joslin's about to marry Travis!?!? Just before "I do," Marge Simpson comes rushing in wearing a maid's uniform, shouting in a near-incomprehensible Cockney accent about someone being murdered!! Whaaaa?

Let's go back a few days...

Travis tells Joslin that he can't use his own house for a party he had planned, so she volunteers her own house, hoping to get his attention, as always. It's going to be a 1920's murder-mystery party, where all the guests play a character and compete to solve the mystery. When everyone gathers to pick their parts, Joslin can't believe her luck: she picked Travis's wife-to-be! Hector, on the other hand, is disappointed. He tells Joslin that once again he'll be the "low-key" friend that no one notices. Joslin assures him that people do notice him, and that one way to get her attention would be to solve the mystery at the party. She doesn't think he has much chance, though, since she's sure her "Nancy Drew training" will make her the winner.

The aforementioned people all gather at the beach resort, all of them in costume and in character. Also there is Travis's stepmom Tawny, who is so "clue-less" she makes Travis look like a brain by comparison! Arnold shows up uninvited in a Sherlock Holmes outfit, proclaiming he's going to solve the crime. And Homer Simpson is there too, playing the murder victim, though this "corpse" is not too interested in laying on the ground for very long.

Joslin goes right to work on trying to solve the mystery, but every time she finds a clue, Hector tries to steal it so he can solve it himself. Joslin wonders out loud to Helga why Hector is being so competitive about this. Helga has been playing a sweet character all evening, and some of it must have rubbed off on her, because she take Joslin aside and flatly tells her that Hector is trying to impress nobody but her. She says that everyone else has know for a long time that Hector has had a big crush on Christine. Joslin is flabbergasted by this news. Flustered, she says she has to go reveal the identity of the killer to the rest of the group.

Joslin is still reeling from this new information. She knows how important it is for Hector to win, so should she let him? But if she lets him, does that mean Christine likes Hector the same way he likes her? As Joslin reveals to the group how she solved the mystery, she can see that Hector is obviously disappointed that he won't win the game and impress Christine. So at the last minute, Joslin deliberately names the wrong person, Harold, as the killer. (Gerald has had a little romantic interlude of his own that night with Phoebe.) Hector immediately jumps up and correctly solves the mystery. He recieves congratulations from all.

As the party breaks up, Hector and Christine spend a few moments alone on the front porch, with a great deal of romantic tension hanging in the air. Christine tells Hector she was very impressed with him. He's happy to hear this, but tries to hide just how happy he is. The two spend a few more awkward moments talking, then Hector seems to be getting up the nerve to ask Christine out--like a girlfriend. But Angelica makes an untimely appearance at the front door, and the moment is gone. Christine and Hector part as "just friends," like always. Yet after Hector leaves, Christine knows that her feelings are telling her that things aren't going to be the same after this night.

Songs: "Get A Clue"