It's Your Move/Pajama Party

Pajama Party
Season 1, Episode 5
Airdate	October 31, 1984
Written by	Fred Fox, Jr.
Directed by	John Pasquin
← 1x04 Night Work	1x06 → Love Letters
It's Your Move — Season One

Pajama Party is the fifth episode of the first season of It's Your Move, and the fifth episode overall.

Guest Stars: Adam Sadowsky (Eli), Justine Bateman (Debbie), Shara Blue (Stacey), Lisa Alpert (Angela), Kristin Murphy (Lisa), Nancy Calabrese (Connie)

Plot Overview

Matt has sent his sister Julie out on a wild goose chase to buy tortillas that he claims their Mom Eileen simply 'must' have. While she is out, Matt cleans the apartment in an effort to butter up his Mom so that she will allow him to have his friends overnight so that they can spy on their neighbors, the Millers. Julie returns just in time to hear Matt ask permission, and breaks down crying to divert their Mom's sympathy and get permission to have a slumber party of her own. She explains to her Mom that she and her friends want to get together and fill in their 'slambooks,' a notebook in which they can write gossip about friends. Julie further puts salt on Matt's wounds by telling him that she will invite Stacy, a girl on whom he has a crush, and then telling their Mom to please be sure that Matt is not around during the party.

Matt is furious at her ploy and decides to enact revenge by discovering the location of the slambook, distributing it around school, and ruining her reputation. Matt plans to do this by planting a bug at the party and then listening to and recording the girls' conversations from across the hall at Norman's apartment. Matt intercepts Debbie as she is heading to the party and attempt to form an alliance with her. Debbie is the team mascot and is unfavorably treated by Julie and the other cheerleaders, so he tries to convince her to get Julie to reveal the location of the slambook and help him 'destroy her', but she declines.

Norman is heading out with Eileen for the night, and is aghast to find out that Matt is bugging the party. Although interested in hearing what Eileen has to say about him, ultimately he first tries talk Matt out of his deed, and then smashes the bug when he goes over to pick up Eileen. Fortunately Matt has a spare bug planted and he and Eli listen in on the party. Debbie nearly changes her mind and helps Matt find the Slambook, but when Julie apologizes to her, she changes her mind again. Matt also almost loses reception on the bug when Stacy puts Matt's track medal (where the bug is hidden) around her neck.

Matt has to go across the hall to get Stacy to take the medal off (by telling her that tradition dictated that she must date the last person who had worn the medal...Eli). This causes the girls to speak ill of Matt and accuse him of just wanting to see them in their pajamas. Julie intervenes and tells the girls that Matt is her brother and that she loves him. This prompts Matt to stop the tape just as Julie about to reveal the location of the slambook.

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Julie's friend Connie makes her first appearance in the show. She wouldn't be seen again until the last episode Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.

Referbacks

• Julie invites Stacey Hall to her slumber party, and notes that Matt "is hot" for her. During this episode she agrees that she would be willing to date Matt again, but never makes another appearance on the show. Matt had actually taken her out in the previous episode Night Work.

Trivia

The Show

• Julie's friend Debbie is played by Jason Bateman's sister Justine, fresh from elsewhere in the studio where her show Family Ties was being filmed.

Behind the Scenes

• Julie reads a mocked up teen magazine called Hot in this episode. Adam Sadowsky who played Eli stated that stagehands would put fake covers on medical journals such as Spine, so the actors would often be shocked by what they saw as they thumbed through magazines on the show.

Allusions and References

• After she thwarts his plans for a sleepover,Julie tells Matt that he looks like the bad guy at the end of Mission: Impossible.
• Mr. Donatelli sings a perverted version of Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead - "which old witch? YOU, crazy witch!...or to put it non-musically..." to which Matt replies, "You just did."
• After Norman destroys Matt's bug, Matt tells Eli "if there's anything we learned from Watergate, it's have a backup"

Quotes

• Norman: You are bugging your sister's pajama party??
  Matt: No Norman, this is a record of stupid girls talking.

• Eli: Haha, you had a crush on the Ace hardware lady?
  Matt: I wouldn't laugh Mr. that-Pebbles-Flintstone's-a-real-looker...and that was last month.

• Eli: I want to see Julie in her pajamas! I'm at that age!

• Matt: If I hear one more tip for making their nail polish last longer, I won't need the Slambook. I'll go in there with a flame-thrower.

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