S3E5: “Homeland, Heartland”

Hello and welcome to the JEMcast on Hologram Radio. This is Alex Knight and I am joined Aleen Simms, founder of the Less Than Or Equal podcast, and science fiction writer, K. Tempest Bradford.

Synopsis: In Season 3, episode 5: “‘Homeland, Heartland,’ Jem and The Holograms along with Danse travel to Yugoslavia (now Croatia) to star in a play. When Danse finds connections to her mother, the Holograms are put into danger as enemies of Danse’s mother’s past emerge.”

Stay tuned for an action packed episode.

Episode 58 (S3E5) is written by Carla Conway.

This week’s show notes are written by K. Tempest Bradford.

Jem and the Holograms, Video, and Danse fly to Zagreb in Yugoslavia to film a video at the Zagreb Ballet. Danse is full of excitement about this because her mother was from Zagreb. Through a bit of impressive exposition hoops, we’re told that Danse’s mother disappeared many years ago. Aja worries that Danse secretly thinks she’ll find her mother in Zagreb and doesn’t want her to be disappointed.

When they land in Zagreb they’re met by Anton Milich, the government man in charge of welcoming them to the country. This man also warns them that they might not be able to film the video at the Zagreb Ballet because the artistic director, Victor Krosach, doesn’t like their music. Because he’s a powerful man, he can put an end to all their hopes and dreams.

Why this was not mentioned before the band flew everyone and their mother all the way to Yugoslavia is a mystery.

At the Ballet, Victor heaps praise on his male principal dancer, Stefan, but heaps abuse on the women dancers. He’s joined in this abuse heaping by the Prima Ballerina, Vera, who says the girls are only thinking of the arrival of Jem and the Holograms and their “decadent, uncultured noise.” Victor agrees that their music is not art and is complete shit, which Jem overhears and they all walk in.

Victor is about to tell them to all go to hell until he catches sight of Danse. He’s super shocked, Vera is shocked. Everyone is shocked. Especially when Victor does a 180 and agrees to let them film their video at the Ballet.

Why? The answer comes soon enough. During a tour of the building, Victor shows off a giant portrait of the greatest dancer he ever knew, Nadia Dvorak. Everyone gasps because she looks just like Danse! She looks just like her because she’s Danse’s mother. This is why Victor was so shocked.

It’s clear that Victor is super creepy and fixated on Danse because he was fixated on Nadia. Of course, Danse is not even paying attention because Stefan, the hunky dancer dude, is clearly checking her out and she doesn’t mind one bit.

Because Danse is Nadia’s daughter, he allows the terrible Americans to make their music video.

Jem and the Holograms music video: “Music And Danse.”

At the end of the video Stefan and Danse share a kiss and they are clearly smitten. But Danse can’t have dinner with him because she already agreed to have dinner with Victor, who cannot stop creepily touching her.

After dinner, Danse finds a note slipped under her door telling her to go to the village of Bled if she wants to know more about her family. She goes to Jem, who says that they must check out the note right away and agrees to go to Bled.

Meanwhile, in a secret room filled with more pictures of Nadia than is healthy, Victor talks to a large portrait of the woman and says that though she ran away, her daughter will never leave. Dun dun DUN!

Jem and Danse say they want to go to Bled to film and also because Danse may have family there. They ask Victor if they can take Stefan since he’s in the video, too. Victor says yes, and that he will go along, and that’s not sinister at all. Vera, the Prima Ballerina, is not happy with this situation and yells at Victor that he’s only going on the t…