Kid Nation - Halloween Night

Sorry for the delay in the recap. I am working with a sprained wrist and last week I was in a lot of pain. Still have the brace on it this week, so typing is a chore.

After several weeks of being in charge of their own finances, the Kids are acutely aware of the value of their buffalo nickels, and many Kids have started their own businesses to earn extra cash. Divad operates a successful snack bar, using food she gets for free from the kitchen and then charging for the convenience of the food already being prepared. Not everyone though is impressed with Divad's entrepreneurial efforts. Sophia is upset that Divad is stealing food from the town and making a profit by selling it, while Jared doesn't think it's fair that Divad has a monopoly on snacks in Bonanza. As a result Jared decides to open up his own snack bar. But when Kelsey tries to stop Jared from competing, Jared loses his temper and flips over Divad's stand. When Divad discovers her wrecked stand, she calmly cleans up the mess and tracks down Jared. The two Kids talk about the incident and Jared apologizes for his actions, "I guess I was wrong. Well, we're only human!" Divad forgives Jared and leaves him with a hug.

Meanwhile, the Council Members head to the town Chapel to read the latest entry in the Pioneer Journal. The Council Members are astounded to discover an old map to the Bonanza City mine where they'll find hidden treasure. They sneak out of town, deciding to tell the other Kids about the treasure after they've had a chance to look at it themselves."Get the money! Get the money!"While the Council Members are off exploring, Sophia is up to a bit of mischief to see just how far Kids will go for a few extra buffalo nickels. Sophia concocts a gooey slop that looks like vomit, mixed out of rotting vegetables, oatmeal and baked beans. She then drops 50 cents of her own money into the pot. Curious Kids look on as Sophia carries the nasty slop to the center of town shouting, "Free money!" The Kids prove that they don't mind getting a little dirty to score some extra candy money; with little hesitation, they go elbow-deep in the foul slop to fish out free coins!
The Council Members explore the spooky mine, creeping though narrow passageways and encountering bats that cause Laurel to shriek in alarm! They discover a treasure chest filled with 375 buffalo nickels-the combined week's salary of all the kids in Bonanza City! But what to do with all of that money? The Council Members worry that if they just distribute the wealth amongst the TownsKids, the money will be wasted on candy and soda. They instead decide to go on a shopping spree, purchasing toys from the Dry Goods store and distributing them amongst the Kids. That way, everyone will enjoy the windfall, and for a lot longer than the time it takes to chug down a soda! All of the Kids are happy with the Council's decision, even if they didn't have a direct say on how to spend the treasure money themselves. And Bonanza City is filled with peels of laughter, as the TownsKids fly kites, play baseball, jump rope… for a brief period of time just acting like Kids.

But the town can't run itself and Nathan is the first Kid back to work, doing laundry. Laurel worries that Nathan works too hard and advises him to have a little fun and open up to the other Kids. But not all of the Kids are as appreciative of Nathan's efforts. Later that day, Greg antagonizes Nathan as they do dishes, leading the younger boy to hide in his bunk in tears. But Nathan rebounds quickly, determined to carry on, "If I went home just because of Greg, that would really weaken me."

Nathan isn't the only Kid hard at work as Pharaoh has recently started helping in the kitchen and many of the TownsKids are beginning to take notice, placing him in the running for the Gold Star. Pharaoh is determined to show everyone that Kids from the Yellow District can work hard, too. He's also working for the Gold Star, because the prize money would really help with his family's finances, "To be honest, I think I need the money the most."

Divad is back at work, frying potatoes to sell at her snack bar. While she cooks, Divad excitedly reveals that she's currently the richest person in Bonanza City, with an entire $1.25 in her possession! Kennedy notices that there are some spots on Divad's face. Divad explains that while frying another batch of potatoes, she splashed herself with some cooking oil. "But a little grease won't stop me, you know," Divad states, claiming that not only will she continue making potatoes, but she will also keep helping out around the town. "I really want the reward!"

The Showdown is all about money too, as the Kids compete to collect golden eggs. Each District has to catapult raw eggs from one side of a huge field to the other, catching them on a giant pillow. There's an enormous wall standing between the Kids manning the catapults and the catchers; only the Council Members can see both sides and direct their teams. It's messy work as flying eggs smash everywhere and the Districts only have 15 minutes to collect a total of 48 eggs to win the reward for the town.

Anjay cleverly figures out a system of hand signals to direct his team to catch plenty of eggs. Zach also does well leading his Yellow District, but the Green and Red Districts have little success. When the 15 minutes are up, Red has only caught 5 unbroken eggs, falling from the Upper Class back down to Laborers; Green has 6 eggs and becomes the Cooks; Yellow collected 18 eggs to get second place and become the Merchants. The Kids are all worried about winning the reward, but the Blue District saves the day, as they've collected 38 eggs! But what reward will the Council choose? Old fashioned hand-crank washers and a change of new clothing or electric washers & dryers that won't require any work, but cost 40 cents a load? The Council selects the hand washers, realizing that the Cooks and Laborers would find it nearly impossible to pay for their own laundry. The Kids applaud the Council's decision and happily head back to town, excited about their new clothing. "I'm the Bill Gates of Bonanza City!"

In the aftermath of the snack shop smackdown, Jared still has entrepreneurial aspirations. He opens a souvenir stand, selling wooden necklaces onto which he's cleverly burned the words "Bonanza City 2007" using a magnifying glass. Jared's shop is a success; he sells out his entire stock in no time at all. With a hefty $2.90 burning a hole in his pocket, Jared purchases a set of Pioneer duds and a gigantic lollipop. He strolls through the town and does an impromptu fashion show for Migle, much to her amusement.

Later that evening, Zach checks in on Pharaoh in the Saloon and the two boys have a heart-to-heart. Pharaoh shares a bit about his home life, revealing that his mom is a single mother and that his family is really struggling to pay the bills. Pharaoh explains to Zach that he's working so hard for the Gold Star because he knows that the money would make a huge difference in his family's life. Nathan continues washing clothes late into the evening until Guylan, as a Council leader, tells him he must stop working for the night. When Nathan does stop working and returns to his bunk, Greg apologizes to Nathan for giving him such a hard time. The older boy concedes that he made a mistake in the way that he behaved toward Nathan and that he'll do his best to make amends so that they can become friends with each other, "You're a good kid and a good man and just know that inside--no matter what anyone ever says about you." "The Gold Star isn't about being the coolest Kid."

Taking a cue from the recent elections, Divad makes posters promoting herself for the Gold Star and posts them throughout the town. Later, as the Kids wait in line to make nominations for the Gold Star, she passes out free fried potatoes since Kids will be waiting for so long and might get hungry. Greg doesn't look kindly upon this action and calls Divad a briber. Divad, however, insists that's not her intention. After Divad nominates herself for the Gold Star, Laurel thinks that Divad is trying too hard to get noticed and doesn't consider her for the Gold Star. Instead, after listening to the nominations presented by the TownsKids and sharing their own opinions, the Council is ultimately torn between two candidates: Nathan and Pharaoh.

The TownsKids start their Town Hall Meeting in good spirits; most of the Kids are very pleased with the Council's recent decisions: they're thrilled about the new toys, new outfits and hand-crank washers. Mike reveals that cranking the new washers provides a good workout and is even a bit fun! The Council is relieved that the Kids approve of their latest choices. After Greg jokingly chides Divad for spending too much time on her snack shop, she defends herself by saying she's also done laundry and scrubbed toilets, and she lets out a sigh of frustration since people haven't been noticing.

Laurel tells the Town that the Council is keeping an eye on who's working and that the Kids need not brag about it. The Council then has a frenzied last minute discussion about whom to award the next Gold Star…and the winner is Nathan! When Jonathan hands Nathan the shiny golden trophy, the hard-working boy from the Blue District is overcome with joy and literally struck speechless. Nathan thanks the Council, revealing that the money will help his family to pay for his music schooling. Nathan and the other Pioneers leave the remarkably trouble-free Town Hall Meeting. As Nathan walks to the Bonanza City phone booth, he reveals that his mother always tells him that he's earned a gold star when he's achieved a noteworthy goal. Now, he's very excited to tell her that he's earned a $20,000 Gold Star. Nathan calls his mother and sister with the news. Nathan's mother is proud of her son and is unsurprised at his success, "Nathan is an independent kid and he doesn't care what other people think. And he always wants to do the right thing." And after briefly basking in the glory of his success, Nathan heads right back to work for Bonanza City.