[tranquil music plays]
[Kristy] They say an elephant never forgets.
I don't know how they know that since elephants don't talk.
Your family, on the other hand, they really do remember everything.
The car sickness, the unfortunate haircuts,
the time you pretended to be a dog and bit the mailman.
So cute! [sighs]
You wore this at the safari park at Six Flags
when that gibbon peed on you through the sunroof.
-Look, you can still see the stain. -Ew, Mom, why did you keep that?
[Liz] It wasn't a conscious decision.
You accumulate things, and then you get attached to them.
-You sure you want to be giving this away? -Of course.
We're not gonna use them anymore, so we should give them to people who need them.
[Kristy] After everything my mom had been through this year,
I knew that was a hard thing for her to say.
But sometimes, I guess you have to get rid of the old stuff to make room for the new.
[Watson] New Zealand!
Did you know there are more sheep in New Zealand than people?
Everyone knows that.
-Really? Does everybody know that? -Yes!
Did you also know that there is a certain breed
of miniature New Zealand sheep that burrow holes in the sides of cliffs
and that they were the inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien to create the hobbit holes?
Ha ha! No, you did not know that.
You couldn't have known, because guess what? I made it up. It's not true.
[laughing]
I still think it'd be a cool place to visit though, no? New Zealand? Come on.
[Kristy] Ever since Mom and Watson gave up on trying to have another baby,
Watson has been talking about taking her on some big trip.
I think he's trying to distract my mom from being sad,
which I fully support.
I just got a very interesting email.
I thought there were no phones at the table.
I was on the phone in the kitchen while I was getting the Perrier
that no one else saw fit to refill.
Kristy,
you're going to be in the baby parade.
What is a baby parade?
The Stoneybrook Baby Parade.
It started during World War II
when all the women were going stir-crazy at home,
so they started dressing their babies up in funny costumes
and giving out prizes for the best ones.
Anyway, it became an annual event until about ten years ago,
when, well, they retired or died or something.
This year is the 80th anniversary and the town decided to bring it back.
They want all the surviving winners to get on a special float together,
and that means you, Kristy!
[Watson] That's right!
-[Liz chuckles] -Wait, I won the baby parade?
Were the judges blind that year?
You were so adorable. You were 18 months.
I dressed you up as a little baby Mrs. Claus.
And with those big red cheeks of yours,
you looked like a Christmas card from the 1940s.
-Boom. There it is. -There what is?
You are looking at the 1973 Stoneybrook Baby of the Year.
That's right. Yup.
Grammy Brewer dressed me up as Baby Nixon. Unironically.
Uh, the costume didn't age well, yet the title remains.
We are in this together, girl.
No, we are not.
-Yes, we are. -This is so cute.
I can't even stand it! You have to do it.
-Please say you'll do it. -I'll cheer you on.
[Kristy] I hadn't seen my mom look so excited about something in weeks,
but all I could think was…
Wait, will my friends find out?
[Claudia] The Stoneybrook Baby Parade. It's back.
After all these years, my time has finally come.
It says you have to be aged two or under to enter.
Twelve years ago, Mimi and Alma, Mary Anne's mom,
entered Mary Anne and me in a costume contest.
-They did? -Your mom was already sick.
It was just something to take her mind off everything.
They spent weeks sewing and designing our costumes,
and at first we were going as rag dolls, like Raggedy Ann and Andy.
But Mimi was like, "What's cuter than babies dressed as rag dolls?"
Babies dressed like horses.
[Claudia] Close.
Babies dressed as adorable baby animals dressed as rag dolls.
I didn't know about any of this.
It was so kawaii, we practically redefined kawaii.
But then what happened?
We won, then my dad buried the evidence in his office box of repressed memories?
Liz Thomas shows up at the last minute with Kristy
in some hand-me-down Christmas dress and wins the whole thing because of--
White mediocrity superseding the excellence of two women of color?
Yes, but also because Kristy's Great-aunt Judy
was one of the judges and should have excused herself.
"Recused" herself.
-Point is, we were robbed. -First of all, I had no idea about that.
About my great aunt, whose name is Trudy.
And second of all, it was a Mrs. Claus costume.
And third of all, I wish you guys had won
so then you two would have to be on the stupid float
with Watson and the ghost of babies' past.
-You're gonna be on a float? -[Kristy] Yep.
Me, Watson, and some other old babies.
The Baby-Sitters Club is gonna enter our own float.
We are?
We can build it and design it and get some babies that we sit for to be on it.
Safely, of course.
-This is kind of a great idea. -Yeah!
[Kristy] It was kind of a great idea,
and I always have kind of an issue when the great ideas aren't mine.
Won't it be too expensive?
It's only $15 to enter,
and we have plenty of money in the treasury for supplies.
Plus, it'll be great advertising.
There's gonna be tons of families there, which could get us a lot of clients.
Yeah.
Let's go for it.
[squealing]
Well, what would the theme be?
I mean, we could dress the babies up like animals and make it the zoo.
-Or circus. -Or an ark, like Noah's Ark.
I don't want any first draft ideas. Take some time.
Remember, this is about honor. Mimi's honor.
-And my mom's. -And frankly, Kristy's mom's honor.
Because this way, Kristy can finally and deservedly wear her crown.
I don't think there's, like, a crown.
Oh, there's a crown.
-Whatever. We're family. -Gimme a brownie chunk.
Dude, don't feed me!
Ew, your fingers!
-Guys? -All over my spoon!
-[Liz] Hey. -What?
-[Kristy] Gross! And unnecessary-- -Guys?
I got an email from your father.
Apparently, he and his girlfriend are coming through Stoneybrook
on their way to visit her parents in Maine
with their new baby.
I didn't know Dad was having a baby.
Neither did I,
but he did,
and he and Jocelyn, I think her name is,
thought it would be fun
to be at the baby parade and for you to meet him.
It's a boy?
Do you want us to see him?
It's totally up to you.
Individually, collectively. Whatever you decide.
I have a headache, so I'm gonna go lay down.
Well, if he wants to see us, it's probably the right thing to do.
Dude, come on. He just wants money.
-Sam. -What?
We don't see him for, what, two years or three?
And Mom marries a rich guy,
and suddenly he and some random girlfriend are on their way here.
You do whatever you want. I'm done with this.
[melancholy music plays]
-I'll go talk to him. -Thank you.
What do you wanna do?
Do you wanna see him?
[Kristy] The truth was I had no idea,
but I knew I wasn't going to be able to think about anything else
until I figured it out.
Crop circles visible only from the sky,
made by aliens, visitors from the future, or remnants of a mysterious past.
The float itself will be inspired by the sculptor Richard Serra.
Undulating shapes, earth tones and the babies will match.
Are they supposed to be, like, aliens?
Or creatures at an early stage of evolution.
The sculpture can be like a spaceship! Or it can be primordial, like Stonehenge.
I think Stonehenge was actually Neolithic.
What? It was in a Doctor Who episode.
This is all really cool, Claudia,
but it might be a little too high-concept for the Stoneybrook Baby Parade.
It's on the table. The floor is yours.
I thought it'd be really cool to do something fun for the babies too.
Like a music festival theme.
Babies in flower crowns, hook up some speakers,
the float itself could be a mud pit.
-A mud pit? -Kids love to play in the mud.
I just think if this is supposed to be advertising,
people aren't gonna be thrilled about babies in mud.
Okay. What do you got?
Baby Nutcracker!
-Baby snowflakes, baby Sugar Plum Fairy. -Baby Clara!
Or Marie. The Balanchine version.
-And we can have real snow! -How?
With a snow machine. You can, like, get them for money.
Okay, look, The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.
Like the story,
the float could be a shoe and the babies can be the children!
I thought we were gonna do something more personal.
The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe is personal.
I mean, it's my life.
My mother literally has so many children, she doesn't know what to do.
Kristy has a big family. She knows what I'm talking about.
[Kristy] Honestly, I didn't know what anyone was talking about.
All I could think about was my dad.
Seeing babies dressed up as mud people or coffee or whatever…
Sounds great.
You don't have an idea?
[Kristy] For once, I did not.
-Mallory's is better. -[Claudia] Really?
-Stace? -Mine's kind of stupid.
Like babies on Broadway or whatever.
-God, how did I not think of that? -Oh, no, no, not musicals.
Just like the Manhattan skyline and the babies could wear tuxes.
It's dumb.
What about your dad? He works in marketing, right, Stace?
-Maybe he could help with some ideas. -[Stacey] Yeah, maybe.
I wouldn't count on it though.
Actually, wouldn't count on him for much right now.
What's going on?
Um, my dad is in the city right now.
Lucky.
No, like, all the time. He's practically living there.
Not with my mom or with us.
Have they told you anything yet?
They just keep saying it's for work, but they're fighting a lot.
I don't know.
[Dawn] You don't know because they don't know.
And that's okay.
-What if they-- -They might.
But they also might not.
Your only job right now is to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Parents have a way of meeting your expectations.
Whatever happens,
it'll be the right thing, because it has to be.
-Dawn, you should really be a therapist. -I know.
Thank you.
[Kristy] If I was going to tell them about my dad, this would have been the time,
but…
[Kristy] I love you guys.
Okay, so that is two votes for The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.
Right now, Mallory?
David Michael…
[Kristy] That night, I couldn't stop thinking about what Dawn had said,
giving people the benefit of the doubt, expecting the best.
It's never really been my style.
But styles change, or so I hear.
I think I want to see Dad.
If that's okay.
Yes, of course it's okay, sweetie. I'll let him know.
-I want to see him too. -Me too.
Hey, Sam! Buddy!
Honey, give him some space.
Oh, hey, Kristy.
I heard the baby parade people
are discussing some pretty fun costume elements for us winning babies.
You excited?
Oh boy.
[Kristy] It all came back to the baby parade,
and the baby parade was coming here,
right into my sizable and conveniently located backyard.
[Kristy] What is that?
Chicken wire. I'm using it to build the frame of the shoe
then we'll put papier-mâché over it and hitch it on Charlie's car.
-Did Charlie agree to this? -I talked to him.
And Janine helped me figure out a plan to build in a car seat.
Are those Ikea instructions?
I… What are all these numbers?
Great, right?
Yeah, if you like orange.
Um, yes. It's the hot color of the season.
Goodbye, Millennial pink. Hello, Gen Z orange. [giggles]
Kristy, look at the fabric I got.
What's that for?
The costume for the babies.
-[sighs] Is that Millennial pink? -No.
-It's not gonna work with this orange. -Maybe you could repaint the shoe.
You know, the orange and pink might actually look good together.
-Like a psychedelic '60s vibe. -Yeah, that'd be cool.
[Claudia] We'll see when it's painted.
All righty. Okay.
We should figure out who's gonna be with the babies.
Guys, I'm in the old babies float, remember?
-Right. -Actually, it's more of just a large car.
And afterwards, I'm gonna be with my dad.
Yeah! I forgot Watson was in the parade.
-So funny that you guys-- -No.
Uh…
My real dad.
He's… here?
He's coming with his new girlfriend.
They have a baby, I guess.
-Is your mom okay with this? -Are you?
I mean, he reached out, so it must be important to him.
And why not give him the benefit of the doubt, right?
-Hey, how much of this paint do we have? -Oh, no.
-[Kristy] Uh-oh. -Sabotage!
-I'm just kidding. But, oh, jeez. -We should get everything out of the way.
-Okay. -Are you sure you're okay with this?
With your dad?
I mean, I can't complain about not seeing him all the time
and then not see him when he actually wants to see me, right?
I guess.
But what matters is you, Kristy.
What you want. Not him.
[Kristy] Maybe Mary Anne was right,
but there was another person who mattered a whole lot,
and what he wanted
was for me to help make him a little photo album as a present for Dad,
to show him all the things he'd missed.
Look at this one!
What's this from?
That's your first day of preschool.
You were crying so much Mom couldn't even get you to hold that sign she made.
Maybe we should find one where I'm not crying.
That might be hard. You cried a lot.
Oh, that's a good one!
You used to love the roots on the big tree in our old street.
They'd fill up with water, then you'd be like, "Look, a swimming pool for mice."
Do you think Dad has seen any of these before?
Did Mom send them?
I don't know, buddy.
Oh, Kristy,
I think this is you winning the baby parade.
I think you're right.
Is that Dad holding you?
It must be.
I mean, I don't remember, but I do remember that shirt.
He wore it all the time.
We should put this one in too. It's a nice memory.
Even if you don't remember it.
[Kristy] Suddenly, I understood why my dad had reappeared out of the blue.
He must have gotten the same email as my mom did.
He remembered the baby parade.
It meant something to him.
And now, I had a chance to show him who I'd become.
For the first time since this all began,
I was really happy the baby parade came back to Stoneybrook
because it was bringing my dad back too.
[baby babbles]
Is it a dress or a pillowcase?
I did some research about little kids in the olden days and it said
little boys wore dresses until they were five,
so it's historically accurate.
Yeah, well, my brother's not wearing it.
Why? Because it's pink?
My research also said that pink was a boy color till the 1940s.
I don't care that it's a pink dress!
I care that it's missing an armhole!
I'll make another armhole.
By tomorrow?
Plus, the paint dried darker than it was supposed to.
You'll barely even notice the babies in that color.
-It's like camouflage. -It's fine.
Don't worry, buddy. You'll look normal again in no time.
-Oh my God, you're tearing it! -Or just making another armhole.
-I need to get him out of this pillowcase. -It's a historically accurate dress!
[Kristy] So maybe the BSC float wasn't going to impress my dad.
But we had until tomorrow morning.
And anyway, he wasn't there to see the float.
He was there to see us.
Me.
-[Liz gasps] I have a surprise for you! -Ow!
Are you okay, baby?
Is that my mascara?
Uh, yeah, I was borrowing it.
Do you want me to help you?
No. It… It was a stupid idea. What's your surprise?
The organizing committee sent this over for you to wear on the parade car.
Mm-hm. No.
But it'll be so cute, Kristy! Come on.
It'll look ridiculous.
-Do you know the plan for today? -[Kristy] Yes.
Watson and I get picked up here and then we'll ride in the parade.
Then I meet the boys in the baseball diamond at the park
and then Charlie will drive us into town for lunch.
With Dad.
And Jocelyn.
And the baby.
Do you want me to book you guys something nice?
Like maybe The Stoneybrook Inn or--
No. We'll probably just go get pizza. Whatever's easiest.
How are you feeling?
Excited!
[Liz] Okay, good.
And nervous. Uh, I don't know. How are you feeling?
Oh.
Um, well, my feelings about your father
are different than your feelings about your father.
Whatever makes you guys happy makes me happy.
Um…
I'm sorry about the new baby.
Yeah, that was hard to hear at first, but I thought about it
and it's really got nothing to do with me.
You and your brothers are gonna have a new little person to love in your life.
And more love is always a happy thing.
Oh.
Mm, baby. [inhales]
Okay. You're welcome, Stoneybrook.
Oh, yeah.
-[Watson] Yeah! Come on, Kristy. -Yeah!
Come on, don't leave me hanging.
-Get yours on. -[Kristy] No!
I'm waiting till the very, very last minute for this.
Well, suit yourself.
More paci for me!
Oh, baby, um…
It's not drying.
This thing's still wet. It better not get paint all over my car.
I'm frankly more concerned with the costume issue.
-Wow! -[Kristy] Is that done?
What a good-looking pumpkin!
It's supposed to be a shoe.
[Kristy] Great. The whole neighborhood is here.
Like I said, what a good-looking shoe.
[Kristy] To see Watson in his bonnet.
-[Watson] is that papier-mâché? -[Liz] Go and see if we have fans.
-So we can help the kids dry it. -Yeah. Looks wet.
-[Liz] Yeah. -We tried that already!
Oh.
[upbeat music plays]
[babies babbling]
What are those?
I'm sorry. The seam ripped all the way up on the side when I tried to get it on her.
Same, sort of.
I just felt Lucy would be more comfortable in something a bit more polished.
This is the outfit Mimi made. The one I was telling you about.
It still looks brand new.
Well, yes, I know and it's adorable
but I worked really hard on these costumes.
We know you did, Mal, and we really appreciate it. We do.
It's just, well, we think these look a little better.
-They don't even go together! -[Jessi] No.
But at least they all have armholes.
Well, I think Squirt is gonna look awesome.
Here.
I'll show you.
[jaunty music plays]
Whoa!
Oh, God!
That's not good!
[Stacey] No, no!
-Okay. Oh, okay. -[babies crying]
[Mallory] No, no, no, no!
It's the papier-mâché. It's not strong enough!
No, it's the structural integrity of the shoe!
If we'd gone with the crop circle,
the car seat would've sat flat on the floor!
The shoe was a great idea, but it wasn't executed properly!
Uh-huh? Well, how was I supposed to execute it?
[Dawn] This paint's washable, right?
Um, it's supposed to be. I think.
[Kristy] This was turning into a disaster.
Not just a bad look for the club, but, like, for humanity.
[cell phone beeps]
-I can't believe Dad's gonna see this. -Don't worry. He's not.
What?
I just got an email from him. They're not coming.
[Kristy] Why?
He said they're in a hurry to get to her parents' house
and they'll catch us next time. Maybe on the way back.
Seems kind of last minute.
Karen!
But it is!
Well, h… he's in touch.
That's good, right? And there will be a next time.
Maybe I could send the photo album?
Of course, sweetie. Of course, of course.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but are you kidding me with this guy?
-Daddy, don't get upset. -I'm already upset, honey.
I'm so upset, it's probably a good thing he didn't show,
'cause I've have a hard time not breaking his neck.
Can you not do that with the kids?
What? You think the kids don't know how selfish their father is?
You think you're protecting them from that by not calling it out?
Because honestly, what can you say about a guy who abandons his family?
Who… who disappears for years at a time and then, what, suddenly,
"Oh my God. He's coming to visit. Yay!"
Like none of that ever happened?
And then he stands up his own kids?
Watson's right.
We've been best friends our whole lives
and I've seen this happen before.
Birthdays, recitals.
That time in second grade
where you skipped a soccer practice just so you could spend time with him
and what, he canceled?
We want it to be different every time he comes.
My mom died when I was 18 months old.
The same age as a lot of these babies here.
And I'm pretty sure she would've done anything she could
to have even five more minutes with me.
So to see your dad throw away
his chances of being in your guys' lives again and again, it just…
I don't get to see my dad as much as I want,
but he'd never miss a chance to see me or be with me.
Not because he's like a saint, but because he's a parent
and that's what they're supposed to do.
Honey…
We've been through so much these past months,
trying to make our family feel complete.
But maybe what we needed has been here all along.
What do you mean?
The kids.
I want your kids to be my kids, like for real.
-Like adoption? -[Watson] Mm-hm.
-[Liz] It's really complicated. -[Watson] We can work that out later.
But what I mean is, I want this family
to be one family.
Our family.
I want us to be
us.
[Watson chuckles]
What do you think?
I think I'm not the one you need to ask.
[Kristy] Watson Brewer,
from the minute he came into our lives with his dumplings
and his insane enthusiasm, he's been coming on too strong,
trying too hard, turning things upside down.
What do I think?
I love you. [laughs, sniffles]
Oh!
I love you too.
[Kristy] So I got to spend the afternoon with my dad after all.
My real dad. Although there would be a lot of paperwork before it was official,
but still.
Everyone got a little of what they needed that day.
Mallory had a great idea of her own.
Okay, this I'll drive to the parade.
[Kristy] And Claudia entered Lucy Newton in the individual costume category,
where Mimi's amazing costume finally won first prize.
[upbeat music plays]
-Yes! -Let's do this.
-Look at this! -Right?
♪ You can always count on me… ♪
[Kristy] Family might be the people who remember your past,
but they're also the ones riding with you to the future.
Oh, you look great.
[Watson] Love you! See you at the parade!
♪ Sharing wonderful times every day… ♪
[Kristy] And wherever we're going,
the only way to get there is forward.
♪ Our song, growing in every way ♪
♪ Say hello to your friends ♪
♪ The Baby-Sitters Club ♪
♪ Say hello to the people who care ♪
♪ Nothing's better than friends ♪ ♪ Baby-Sitters Club ♪
♪ 'Cause you know That your friends are always there ♪
♪ If I'm feeling down and out ♪
-♪ If I'm feeling blue ♪ -♪ If I'm feeling blue ♪
♪ I know I can lean on you ♪
♪ My friends will see me through ♪
♪ We're growing up together Never to part ♪
-♪ Yeah ♪ -♪ I'm sending you my love ♪
♪ Straight from the heart ♪
-♪ Say hello to your friends ♪ -♪ The Baby-Sitters Club ♪
♪ Say hello to the people who care ♪
-♪ Nothing's better than friends ♪ -♪ The Baby-Sitters Club ♪
♪ 'Cause your friends are always there ♪
-♪ Say hello to your friends ♪ -♪ The Baby-Sitters Club ♪
♪ Say hello ♪
♪ Say hello Say, say hello to your ♪
♪ Baby-Sitters Club ♪
♪ Say hello ♪
♪ Well, say hello to your friends ♪