Yet I always seem to be in the right place to catch my favorite part of that episode, which actually is one of my very favorite moments in the series so far: the "CeCe wins the 2005 Little Cutie Queen Pageant" scene. If anything, those final 55 seconds reveal so much more about CeCe and Rocky - and the show itself - than a simple closing gag would suggest initially.
---
First things first...assuming the show is set in the present day...the pageant CeCe attempts to reenact would've been half-a-decade in the past by the time that scene occurs! Very easy to look at it and say, "It's just a natural reaction to being snubbed by her protege a minute or two ago," and that's one rather straightforward interpretation.
First things first...assuming the show is set in the present day...the pageant CeCe attempts to reenact would've been half-a-decade in the past by the time that scene occurs! Very easy to look at it and say, "It's just a natural reaction to being snubbed by her protege a minute or two ago," and that's one rather straightforward interpretation.
But in the wake of getting on Shake It Up Chicago with your best friend? Interesting that that memory of 2005 still lingers on...I can totally relate to that, but in this case the longing for that past experience seems a little out of place by high school.
Then again, when Flynn compares Tinka's competitiveness to that of hir sister during the Break It Up, we get a little bit of an answer...that there's always a competitive fire for Ms. Jones no matter how long ago those opportunities came to mind.
---
Rocky's interjection to the platform and to wearing the same accessories CeCe donned...those moments represent so much more than simple cleverness.
To me they capture the essence of the character: Rocky's the book-smart girl yes, and the one who on the surface aspires to life beyond dance (at least that's how CeCe perceives her in her Reunion It Up flashforward)...but really, in her heart, loves recognition and success in any form.
CeCe may have been way more blatant about it all day long. Her best friend though wants those same things...success, recognition, achievement. All the talk about grades and "helping others out" sometimes seems targeted towards the same ends...particularly Rocky's desperation to be liked by the grumpy retiree in Give It Up.
That leads to a concluding thought...
---
In Reunion It Up, CeCe and Rocky each comment during their flashforward scenes how their respective compatriot needs to be there to "push [themselves] to be the best they could be." They also seem to think in their horrified future perceptions though...that their respective counterpart has accomplished so much on her own in comparison, leaving only CeCe or Rocky alone to realize what could've been.
Then again, when Flynn compares Tinka's competitiveness to that of hir sister during the Break It Up, we get a little bit of an answer...that there's always a competitive fire for Ms. Jones no matter how long ago those opportunities came to mind.
---
Rocky's interjection to the platform and to wearing the same accessories CeCe donned...those moments represent so much more than simple cleverness.
To me they capture the essence of the character: Rocky's the book-smart girl yes, and the one who on the surface aspires to life beyond dance (at least that's how CeCe perceives her in her Reunion It Up flashforward)...but really, in her heart, loves recognition and success in any form.
CeCe may have been way more blatant about it all day long. Her best friend though wants those same things...success, recognition, achievement. All the talk about grades and "helping others out" sometimes seems targeted towards the same ends...particularly Rocky's desperation to be liked by the grumpy retiree in Give It Up.
That leads to a concluding thought...
---
In Reunion It Up, CeCe and Rocky each comment during their flashforward scenes how their respective compatriot needs to be there to "push [themselves] to be the best they could be." They also seem to think in their horrified future perceptions though...that their respective counterpart has accomplished so much on her own in comparison, leaving only CeCe or Rocky alone to realize what could've been.
Maybe it's something that they more easily see in each other than in themselves...or at least that's the case most of the time, except in some serious contemplation (i.e. Start It Up and Add It Up, where CeCe has to be reassured by Rocky that she is both strong and extremely capable).
For all the silliness of Glitz It Up's ending...it conveys succinctly how much both gals want to be considered successful in their endeavors, in methods that are only divergent in form rather than motivation. Through the excitement of this exercise of assigning themselves first place...the yearning heart of this series once again reveals itself, a mixture of determination and self-realization, of never being quite sure where or how to get to the top, but wanting the validation of achievement.
---
An addendum:
CeCe's "BUSTED!" yell at Rocky as she catches the latter in her own reenactment walk...is reminiscent of the brashness she shows at the start of Break It Up, where she amusingly cuts off Rocky's attempts to explain the origins of summer holiday.
In that brief call-out, we find out two things:
- CeCe totally gets that Rocky is way more like herself than she would care to admit
- Even if her own logic is flawed, CeCe can see through Rocky's attempts to deflect that comparison via her intellect.
No comments:
Post a Comment