Flora enters the magical reality chamber. Professor Palladium tells Flora that the chamber will randomly select a dead planet for Flora. Flora says that she doesn't believe there is a such thing as a dead planet, that they are actually just planets in need; planets that need love. Palladium tells her to save it for philosophy class. A little PC today, Flora? She was well-intentioned, but it was still slightly annoying.
Bloom goes to the nurse's office to check up on Stella. The nurse says Stella was never there. Bloom goes back to her room, angrily, to yell at Flora, Musa, and Tecna about Stella not really being sick. Bloom guesses that Stella didn't want to take the exam. Flora mentions how easy it was, but Tecna says that Stella should be afraid since the test requires "real" skills. Did something happen between Tecna and Stella? Tecna sounds pissed with her.
Bloom intends to stay in Stella's room to help her study, however long it may take. Bloom asks why Stella lied to them about being sick, while Stella just goes on about needing to look beautiful, seemingly not listening to what Bloom's going on about. Stella apologizes for the lie, but says she had something more important to do: get ready for the Miss Magix beauty pageant.
Bloom: There's no way that a beauty pageant is more important than school.
Stella: I knew you'd say that: that's why I couldn't tell you.
Bloom still doesn't get it. Stella talks about how she was the first runner up in last year's Miss Magix pageant, that she'll have to win this year.
Tecna: It's illogical. Why would you want to be a part of something where all that matters is how you look?
Stella: It's not just about looks. It's about grace. And personality! And talent! Bloom, I really need your help with this! This is important to me; it's what I'm best at.
Bloom agrees to help Stella prepare for the pageant, which is tonight, but Tecna makes Stella agree to study hard after the Miss Magix pageant.
Over at Cloud Tower, Mirta and Lucy are in their room. Mirta asks Lucy why she would want to be Miss Magix. Aside from not getting the whole "beauty contest" thing, Mirta mentions that a witch could never win anyway. Lucy says she'll win with Icy's help, that Icy will make her the most beautiful girl in all of Magix. She goes on that she'll be best of friends with Icy, Stormy, and Darcy, and that she'll finally be popular. Mirta still doesn't get the big deal with wanting to be popular, or wanting to be friends with the Trix sisters. Lucy says Mirta's just jealous, and storms off. Mirta needs a hug. Lucy has a big old case of delusional here. So obvious to Mirta that the Trix sisters don't like Lucy, and yet Lucy's just so oblivious.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #1
The Winx girls arrive at the arena where the Miss Magix competition is being held. Flora doesn't really want to enter, but Stella's all gung-ho about it.
The Trix sisters walk down a hallway in the arena. This scene looks suspiciously similar to the hallway scene in Date with Disaster. I suspect it is the same scene with different dialogue, since the Italian version didn't have this scene in Date with Disaster.
Darcy: Icy, this is not the demonology convention.
Stormy and Darcy are upset with Icy for lying to them to get them to go to the Miss Magix pageant. Icy tells them they're there to help "Lucy the Loser" win the Miss Magix pageant. Stormy and Darcy don't understand how Lucy could win to begin with, much less why they'd help her. Icy wants to do it mostly to make sure Stella loses. Plus, Icy's gotten Lucy to agree to do the Trix's homework for the rest of the year. Icy wants Stormy's and Darcy's help to make Lucy beautiful enough to possibly beat Stella. And boy oh boy Lucy needs it. I feel guilty for saying she's unattractive, but Lucy really is fairly homely.
In Stella's dressing room, Stella's trying on dresses. Flora walks in with a botanical beauty booster. Musa, pretending to be the host, asks Stella what she'd do first if crowned Miss Magix, to which Stella gives a reply that has Stella written all over it:
Stella: Help underprivileged princesses everywhere!
It's a blonde answer, all right, but it shows Stella trying to be compassionate without being insincere. Could've always given the cliched "peace on earth." The girls are interrupted by a scream outside, where they find a big-afroed contestant with a Chipette's voice. Stella show a bit of compassion, telling the girl how awful it is--her situation, not her voice--but the girl hears it as her making fun of her voice, and just gets more upset. Bloom gives a "you shouldn't have said that" sigh to Stella. As high strung as the afroed girl was, it's an understandable mistake on her part, but it should've been obvious to Bloom that Stella's comment was really harmless. The girl runs past the Trix sisters, who make a mean comment about the girl sounding like a rooster. Mean, but true. Bloom spots the witches and wonders what they're doing at the pageant.
The host is on stage, explaining the competition for the audience. The main rule: no magic of any kind. That Miss Magix will be chosen for her natural beauty, that they inspire magic. The host mentions Miss Narcissia was last year's Miss Congeniality. Ironic, I should say. Lucy is disguised as Miss Popularus. She is beautiful. The Trix sisters did well in making her look nice.
Stella is suspicious of Miss Popularus, who wasn't on the list of contestants Stella had requested. Bloom asks Miss Popularus if she's having a nice time as she walks by, but Miss Popularus just gives a shrug and a "hmph!" Bloom questions what's up with Miss Popularus too, stating that people from there are supposed to be really nice. Since when are the popular girls ever the nice ones, anyway? Also, as a friend, Lori, noted, how would Bloom know what people from Popularus are like, anyway? I mean, Bloom is a relative newbie as a fairy, right? Wouldn't that be more of a Tecna observation?
The first contestant is Miss Narcissia, from a realm believed to be in the center of the universe. Love that pun! She performs music by gracefully jumping from box to box. When she lands on the matt in front of the stage, though, the witches put a spell on the matt to flip her accross the audience, at which the witches laugh at her suffering.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #2
Next to perform a special talent is Miss Aquaria, whose talent is to walk on solid ground. Icy covers her feet in ice, and she goes slipping off the stage and tripping over a short wall. Up next is Miss Flexia, a master juggler... at least until the Trix conk the bowling pins on her head.
Cue the "Mean Girls" song. The contestants in the montage include a sunglasses-wearing bird girl who winds up getting badly beat up somehow, a girl in a bunny costume being chased by dogs, a mermaid being dragged off the stage, a purple reptilian-looking girl who gets caught up in the rings she was tossing, and a bland cheerleader type who falls through a crack in the ground. Darcy has a huge smile at one point. I'm not sure whether to be happy or freaked out.
Up next is Miss Popularus, performing a hair ballet, and quite well, too. She is so happy doing this performance, and gives a cute little shy smile after she's finished. It's debatable whether or not the talent was Lucy's own, or if the witches "gave" her the talent. I suspect the former.
Up last is Stella, performing the dance of the great western moon of Solaria. Stella's cute here, just having a ball doing this dance! Icy drops the chandelier, which Stella dodges, as well as cracks the witches form in the ground. In a desperate attempt, Darcy forces Stella to speak her answer backwards when asked what the first thing she'd do if crowned Miss Magix. Except the host understands her answer perfectly.
All the contestants are back on stage, most of them looking worn out and beat up. Miss Aquaria isn't even the right color. The hosts opens the envelope, to find the winner is Miss Popularus, and Stella appears very displeased. Bloom suspects something's wrong, though, and casts a spell to reveal Miss Popularus' true self: the ugly Lucy. The crowd boos, Lucy is disqualified, and she runs off embarrassed. Icy still says Lucy will have to do their homework. The crown goes to the runner-up, which is Stella, as she tears up, thanking everyone.
A while afterwards, while the Winx girls are walking home, Stella thanks "the little people": her friends. She wants to celebrate with manicures and milkshakes. Bloom coughs to get attention, but this custom is lost on Stella, who worries Bloom is coming down with something. Bloom tells her that she can't celebrate, that she must study for her test tomorrow. Stella sighs.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #3
In the auditorium, Professor Palladium mentions that two students have failed the test already. Stella enters the chamber, very sleepy, and decides not only to survive, but to save the dead planet. She brought the perfect potion, but Stella's not sure how much to use, so she just pours the entire vial in the ground. She brings rain and sunshine to the area, and grass and trees start to grow. Too fast, in fact: Stella's practically suffocating, and Palladium turns off the chamber.
Professor Palladium compliments Stella on her strategy. What strategy? He says the chamber will decide whether she fails or passes, and it has decided that she passed. Exactly how badly do you need to perform the test to fail?! Stella decides to celebrate with manicures and milkshakes.
If Darcy actually cared a lick about it, I bet she could've become the first witch to win the Miss Magix competition. She's beautiful, she's smart, and she's great at pretending to be nice at times. Only problem is, of course, that she has absolutely zero interest in becoming Miss Magix.
Was the dancing talent Lucy's, or did the witches give her that talent? It may be debatable, but I tend to think it may have been Lucy's own talent shining through, showing that she didn't really need to befriend the Trix sisters. Just too bad she's so insecure.
I rather liked the ring-wielding purple reptilian girl. Others also quite liked Miss Aquaria and the bird lady.
It would've been fun to see that demonology convention.
7 out of 10 on the old scale.
