| Random Acts of Miranda | |
| |
| Episode Information | |
| Episode #: | 14 |
|---|---|
| Air Date: | June 8, 2001 |
| Writer(s): | Terri Minsky Tim Maile |
| Director: | Steve De Jarnatt |
| Prod. #: | 113 |
| Credits | |
| Starring: | ■ Hilary Duff as Lizzie McGuire ■ Lalaine as Miranda Sanchez |
| Recurring: | ■ Kyle Downes as Larry Tudgeman ■ Christian Copelin as Lanny Onasis |
| Guest(s): | ■ Troy Rowland as Mr. Lang ■ Orlando Brown as Travis Elliott |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous: | Come Fly with Me |
| Next: | Lizzie's Nightmares |
| Chronological Order | |
| Previous: | Come Fly with Me |
| Next: | Lizzie's Nightmares |
Random Acts of Miranda is the fourteenth episode of the first season of Lizzie McGuire.
Summary[]
Miranda is angry with Lizzie's negative newspaper review of her acting performance in the school play. Meanwhile, Matt sells all of his possessions in order to buy a set of walkie talkies.
Synopsis[]
Lizzie, who is writing for the school newspaper, asks for the assignment of covering the school's production of Mr. Escobar's play "Greasier." Miranda is overjoyed when she unexpectedly gets the lead in the play. When Lizzie and Gordo go to rehearsal, however, they are dismayed to find that Miranda is not only clumsy, but also a terrible actress. Miranda is confident before the opening of the play, but her performance is no better and she destroys most of the props and scenery. Lizzie can't bring herself to write the bad review Miranda deserves, but Gordo convinces her that Miranda can handle it.
Lizzie writes a review that is honest, but goes easy on Miranda. Her friend doesn't see it that way, though, and thinks Lizzie has betrayed her. At lunch they get into a big fight. Gordo gives Miranda a tape of her performance and a copy of Lizzie's review and asks her to watch and read them both. Lizzie writes a retraction of her review but Miranda now realizes she was just being honest and tells her not to submit it. One month later, Lizzie is in the audience preparing to cringe as Miranda makes her debut with the glee club. But she's pleasantly surprised to hear that Miranda is a fine singer.
Meanwhile, with Matt[]
Matt wants $90 for walkie talkies for him and Lanny. Sam and Jo want him to work for the money himself. The boys have a yard sale with Matt's stuff. Matt gets the walkie talkies, but when his parents enter his room, they find that he's sold everything, including his clothes and the furniture.
Trivia[]
- This episode was filmed from December 6th through December 10, 2000.
- The title of Mr. Escobar's play "Greasier" is probably taken from Grease. (The popular 1978 movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John started out as a play and is still produced onstage.) But the story and characters don't seem to have much to do with the real Grease. Miranda's character is named Rhonda Doppapopoulos.
- Troy Rowland, who plays Mr. Lang, operates an acting school; behind the camera, he served as Hilary's dialogue coach during the second season, and also as her bodyguard.
- In the opening scene, Gordo states that cannibalism existed on Trinidad and Tobago until 1850. A review of several sources shows no evidence that the native Carib Indians continued this practice to the nineteenth century, and in fact, recent archaeological expeditions have cast doubt of the claims that cannibalism was ever practiced there.[1]
- David Alex Rosen and Jeremy Bargiel, the two "big guys" seen in several other episodes, are in this one, too. They appear in some still photos sitting with Jo in the bleachers, but they're not listed in the credits.
- When Gordo films the play and the glee club, he holds his camera at shoulder level, which would presumably get shots of the backs of the head of those sitting in front of him.
- During her Glee Club performance, Miranda sings "Reflection" from the animated Disney Movie Mulan.
Goofs[]
- In the scene where Miranda tells Lizzie and Gordo about getting the lead in the play, there are a couple of loose strands of hair in front of Lizzie's face. A moment later, her hair is all neatly pinned back in her ponytail.
- When Lizzie is in the family room with Gordo writing her review, it doesn't appear that her pen is actually touching the paper.
- Mistakenly believed to be a goof: When Miranda says she'll try out for the Glee Club, Lizzie is worried that she'll be a bad singer. Yet in Here Comes Aaron Carter, Lizzie tells Miranda she's a wonderful singer and should perform for Aaron. (This is a prime example of confusion caused by showing episodes out of production order. This episode was shot before the Aaron Carter episode, but the broadcast order was reversed. Therefore, this is, technically, not a goof.)
Quotes[]
Gordo: Photographers get to wear stuff with lots of pockets. I like that.
Gordo: In the third grade grammar pageant, I played the Question Mark.
Lizzie: Gordo, that might not help you get dates.
Matt: Hey, Mom, can I have three thousand dollars for a jet ski?
Jo: Well, no.
Matt: Can I have a thousand dollars for an electronic keyboard?
Sam: I don't think so.
Matt: All right. I guess I'll just settle for ninety dollars for walkie talkies.
Miranda (as Rhonda): So I'm going with Reb! Even if I have to drop out of school! Now I'll never be... be... be... (pulls up sleeve, reads arm) Valedictorian!
Miranda: How can you write a retraction of the truth? [...] Just because I'm a bad actress doesn't mean you should be a bad journalist.
Pop Culture[]
Gordo: How come this is so lame?
Lizzie: It's just rehearsal. I mean, I'm sure the movie with the hockey-playing chimp wasn't brilliant, the first time they ray through it.
- Lizzie is referring to MVP: Most Valuable Primate, a 2000 movie about a sign-language-speaking chimp who becomes a hockey team's secret weapon.[2]
Animated Lizzie: Wow! Miranda is officially in love with acting! Maybe when she's thirty years old, she can play a teenager on Dawson's Creek.
- Dawson's Creek is a television series that is notorious for casting adult actors in the roles of teenagers.[3]
Lizzie: Hello, Mariah Carey.
- Mariah Carey is an American singer, known for her vocal range.[4]