a summer of FUN

The obvious centerpiece of "Break It Up" - the second to last episode of Season One - is CeCe's prayer monologue at the hospital, when she prays to God for Rocky to be healed, on the condition that she herself instead go back to the night before and take on her best friend's injury.

Ranking as probably the most serious moment on the show (with the Add It Up stair scene not far behind), CeCe's mix of vulnerability and silliness to me represents the series' core right there: a mixture of boundless, optimistic energy...and an understanding of the insecurities and longing that come with getting older.

And in its own way, this nod to Bella Thorne's Christianity is way more daring than it purports itself to be. It's honest. It's poignant. Moreover, it's one of several times on SIU where I do wonder if it's not so much acting on Bella's part...as it is thinly veiled recollection and biography, a reframing of real experiences and faith that add much heft.

(Another of those moments occurs minutes earlier in the episode, when CeCe's mom attempts to reassure her daughter that Rocky's surgery will not be too difficult...but that's for another post!)

I absolutely treasure that scene and never get tired of seeing it when it airs, I've reconnected to my faith in the last year so it's a source of much inspiration.

Beyond that, the other appeal of Break It Up appears in a way that may not be noticed by most...as its reference point comes not from 21st century television, but from a 90s classic that predates some of those in the cast!

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As CeCe concluded her hospital scene, cast and all...before thanking "the big guy" for answering her prayer, she repeats the recurring motif of Break It Up to Rocky:

"Summer of fun, eh?"

On its own it's funny enough, after the trials everyone's been through in the "remote" world of no cell phone reception (but clearly some sort of traditional wall phone - how would Rocky have ordered a pizza otherwise?!).

It's a nod though to a classic penultimate-season episode of Seinfeld, "The Summer of George." The similarities between the two cannot be denied, as I realized while watching Break It Up with a friend (two days after watching that particular Seinfeld)

- most obviously, CeCe hashing out "summer of fun" as she looks forward to the rural adventure she and her friends are about to experience...like Costanza's excitement for the "summer of George" after his severance from the Yankees.

- needless to say, what's planned and what actually occurs end up being vastly different, as the Truth or Dare at the camp goes wrong for the kids (and the initial dreams of cell phone access give way to an unwanted Gunter and Tinka visit!), while Costanza falls into a slothful lifestyle.

- although spurred on for different reasons, both end up with leg breaks due to hasty goofiness: Costanza tripping on the invitations that Jerry had him pass out at their building, compared to CeCe falling at the hospital room after seeing Rocky made it out of surgery okay.

- That "summer of" line then reappears once our respective lead characters are stuck on a stretcher.

- Snarky apathy serves as the close-of-episode punchline, though not executed exactly the same: the Shake It Up kids basically ignore Deuce's health after he falls in a quest for elusive cell phone reception, while Jerry and Elaine and Cosmo show no concern for their immobilized friend.

I don't view Break It Up as a derivative of the more famous comedy's episode, bur rather, highly inspired by it...and reinterpreting its basic gag for a younger generation, resulting in the perfect mixture of thoughtfulness and laughs!

One final thought: The dual readings of Break It Up, both at an immediate level, and on its underlying homage...it's a technique pioneered and perfected by Sesame Street, where parodies of TV for older people (Monsterpiece Theatre!) were intentional in getting parents to watch the show with kids. I'm not sure if that's what happened here, I just know it's brilliant writing.