#i'm not a big rewatcher but i like revisiting this match every once in a blue moon

[busaikuknee]

[btr-rewatch]

Big Time Rush Season 1, Episode 4: “Big Time Bad Boy”

I originally didn't have this on my "episodes to review" list, but I changed my mind. I don't have a whole lot of memories of this one, so it'll be fun to revisit it.

Highlights: To save the band, Kendall Knight is forced to wear dark clothes, eyeliner, and cause thousands of dollars in damage to Rocque Records.

For anyone just finding these posts, I'm not planning to write up commentary/review for every episode. Mostly because I want this to be a fun experience for myself and not feel obligated to make a post for every episode in the series (especially if it's an ep I either don't really like all that much or one that I simply want to sit back and enjoy without taking notes and lots of screenshots, lol)

So..."Big Time Bad Boy." I seem to recall this one being played a lot on Nickelodeon, but my memory of it is fuzzy. What I do remember for this one consists of two things: 1. Kendall dressed all in black and 2. He pees in Gustavo's desk??

All these years, and that's what stuck. Onto the episode!

The guys are in the studio singing "The City is Ours." They sound and look great, but Gustavo isn't super impressed. Something is missing, he says, and that something happens to be A Bad Boy. Someone who will shake up their image a bit and give them an edge. He comes to a quick conclusion.

Kendall looks both surprised and horrified at this suggestion, to which I ask: why?? Need I remind you, Mr. Knight, that this path to L.A. was paved precisely BECAUSE you were exhibiting many bad boy-esque behaviors??

Have we forgotten this? This Kendall who once attacked Gustavo via an enraged 90's pop song performance, fought with security guards, and seemed to have the entirety of his self-control tied together with frayed string is now bewildered that he's being nominated for the position of Official Bad Boy??

I'm sorry, I had no idea that I would get so hung up on how Kendall was handled when I decided to rewatch this show. I don't know what's happening.

Gustavo goes on to explain more about the necessity for a bad boy in every band, and I admit that I can see why Kendall is so opposed to it. The bad boy is being framed as someone who turns his back (quite literally!) on the others, and we all know that's something Kendall could never do. This is a loyalty thing for him, so yeah, okay. Makes sense. However, the other guys quickly jump at the chance to fulfill the role once they learn it comes with lots of money, fame, and girls.

Kendall is unamused.

Over at the Palm Woods, Mrs. Knight is worried that Katie has no friends her own age, so she introduces her to someone named Molly.

Katie instantly doesn't like her, but Mama Knight says you can't judge someone before getting to know them. Mrs. Knight then wildly misinterprets a situation between Bitters and Buddha Bob, assumes Buddha Bob is an axe maniac, and runs away screaming with Katie over her shoulder.

When the guys get back to the apartment, James, Logan, and Carlos are full-swing into the bad boy act. This is no match, however, for the Mom Look.

When James, Carlos, and Logan fail to impress Gustavo at his Bad Boy Audition, he once again tags Kendall for the role. When Kendall again says no, Gustavo has some surprising news for him.

Refusing to do what he's told makes him a bad boy!

Ha! You've been bamboozled, Kendall.

When Griffin comes to take a look at the guys, he's dismayed at the very obvious lack of bad boy. "A bad boy is someone parents would never let their daughters date. And I would let my daughter date any one of these boys," he says, which is one of my favorite lines so far.

Griffin really went, "These boys are sweet and respectful, and it upsets me."

He came prepared with a ready-to-go bad boy: WayneWayne.

The boys don't like him. Gustavo doesn't care.

We return to the Palm Woods where Katie is trying to avoid having to play with Molly. She thinks there's something wrong with her. Mrs. Knight then sees what she thinks is Buddha Bob tossing bodies into a dumpster (they're mannequins).

Meanwhile, at the pool, BTR are angrily watching WayneWayne. After complaining about him, Logan says, "And that's why we're gonna get rid of him. Kendall, get rid of him."

For some odd reason, Kendall wonders why he has to do it. I dunno, Ken; maybe it's because you're the one who has to do everything, remember? Logan always looks to you to fix things. That's your JOB. You need to get rid of people who are upsetting your friends, solve every problem that comes their way, and do everything. All the time. Forever.

No pressure, though.

After a quick little pep-talk to his scaredy-cat friends, Kendall stands up to WayneWayne, which ends up backfiring immediately. There's only room in the band for four people, so somebody has to go if WayneWayne is going to be added in.

Poor Logan.

Kendall begins another impassioned speech that's interrupted by WayneWayne, who declares that it's going to be KENDALL who gets kicked out of the band. The guys all go running to Gustavo in a panic.

Including this screenshot for no other reason than Kendall's reaction in this moment cracks me up.

James says, "He wants to kick Kendall out of the band!" And Kendall just goes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Gustavo defeatedly tells the boys that Griffin is in charge and there's nothing he can do to help. He's firmly against Kendall's insistence that they can come up with a plan and tells them just to focus on learning the lyrics to the new song they're working on.

When the day comes for Griffin to visit the studio and see the band, Kendall is suspiciously missing. When he does arrive, he's sporting a new look.

Yes, Kendall has evidently dug deep down within himself to salvage the last remaining vestiges of First Episode Kendall and channeled it all into one spectacular burst of Bad Boy Behavior.

He absolutely demolished Gustavo's office. I mean. It is entirely destroyed. I wonder how much that all cost to repair.

In one last desperate attempt to win the "bad boy off", WayneWayne kicks Griffin, which is one step too far. Griffin announces that BTR already has a bad boy—Kendall—so his services will no longer be needed. He will, however be put into a band still. WayneWayne is dragged off by security. Kendall tells Griffin that he doesn't want to wear the black clothes "all the time" and he isn't going to turn his back on his friends, which I guess is his way of officially accepting his bad boy role??

So, like. If this is establishing Kendall as the necessary Bad Boy, as per Griffin's request, does this carry on through the show (even though it's never mentioned again as far as I can remember?). Does Kendall remain BTR's bad boy for the duration of the series?? If so, that's very funny considering who Kendall turns into character-wise.

This guy? This absolute goofball is Big Time Rush's bad boy??

Reminds me of that meme with the polite cat. This one:

Wait, let me fix it

Ok, I've gotta pull it together and wrap this episode up.

Kelly finds out that Gustavo, though enraged as he did appear, was actually in on the plan the whole time. When he'd handed out the lyric sheets, he'd included a secret message for the boys.

Aww, Gustavo did some super sneaky scheming with his dogs. And hooray! The band gets to stay intact (until the next time it's threatened, of course).

Victorious, the guys head back to the Palm Woods to see how WayneWayne is doing in his new band: The Ziggle Zaggles

Need I remind you that this is still the same day. It probably hasn't been more than an hour or two since WayneWayne was dragged from Rocque Records, and he's already ON THE TELEVISION in his new band.

It this level of absolute absurd nonsense that really makes this show such a gem. Ridiculous. The Big Time Rush universe has one foot out of reality at all times, and it's great.

For an added dose of weird, the Ziggle Zaggles is interrupted by a news broadcast warning people of a police chase involving Molly, Katie's new "friend." She was actually a 20-year-old con artist the whole time. She also stole Mrs. Knight's car. The end. Cue the credits.

Decent episode overall. I skipped over most of the Mrs. Knight, Katie, Molly, and Buddha Bob storyline to avoid making this post even longer and because there wasn't much "meat" to that part of the episode anyway. I also feel like this was another episode where James, Carlos, and Logan didn't really have much to say or do? I noticed that with the first episode as well; they acted more like props or sidekicks who were only there to occasionally chime in while Kendall ran the show. I look forward to seeing them get fleshed out a bit more!

As always, thanks for reading :)