"Big Day Today" is the eighth episode of the Disney+ streaming television series The Mysterious Benedict Society, and the eighth episode of the series overall as well as the season one finale. It was released on August 6, 2021.
Synopsis[]
With free will and truth on the line, The Mysterious Benedict Society prepares for a final showdown.
Plot[]
Mr. Benedict, Rhonda, and Number Two escape in the dirigible, only to crash on the island, but survive. Reynie suggests that he tell a joke to Dr. Curtain so that he can fall asleep (they reason that he also has narcolepsy), despite the other kids believing that he is not funny. Kate and Constance decide to get hydrochloric acid to use at their disposal. Meanwhile, Martina rushes to see Dr. Curtain to inform him of her findings. As Kate and Constance journey to the pool house to get the acid, they are found by Dr. Curtain's men. Kate is captured while Constance escapes.
Kate willingly takes the whole blame so that Dr. Curtain stops suspecting Martina. He then orders that she have her mind brain swept. Milligan suddenly begins to remember that he was a scientist and allows himself to be captured so that Kate is spared, but Dr. Curtain quickly deduces that it is a stalling tactic and orders that his mind be swept too; adding that he had done this to him before. He manages to escape however. Before Kate's mind can get swept, Constance arrives to rescue her and returns her bucket.
Sticky gets called by Jackson and Jillson to the Whisperer, but this time, he manages to fight against it. Dr. Curtain realizes this and orders another Messenger get sent up. Outside the tower, Kate and Constance use a rope to climb it. Jackson and Jillson arrive to stop them and Kate sends Constance up. Jackson and Jillson call in backup, but Milligan returns to defend her. Reynie arrives as he, Sticky and Constance confront Dr. Curtain. Reynie tells a joke to him and while he laughs, he does not fall asleep; claiming that he overcame his narcolepsy.
As Mr. Benedict, Rhonda, and Number Two make their way through the tunnels, outside, Jackson and Jillson call more backup, but Martina arrives with her tetherball team to fight them. Milligan sends Kate up the tower and calls her "Katie-Cat"; realizing that Milligan is her father. Reynie tries talking to Dr. Curtain by telling him that he does not need to be evil and that it is okay for him to feel sad. This enrages him and causes him to fall asleep. Just as Kate arrives, Constance decides to go into the machine and be contrary to the machines demands and actions; destroying it in the process.
Mr. Benedict arrives to congratulate the children on their success and tells them to leave so that he can talk to his brother. The brothers argue over their lost time together and their actions. As Mr. Benedict wants to make an effort to patch things up, Dr. Curtain reminds him of a friend of their's who was a terrible dancer and even though Mr. Benedict believed in him, he still made a terrible performance during the pageant. The story humors Mr. Benedict to the point that he laughs and falls asleep. Upon awakening, he discovers that Dr. Curtain has escaped.
All of the people who have had their brains swept are returned home. Kate and Milligan reconnect while Ms. Perumal decides to adopt Reynie. Sticky finally talks to his aunt again as Mr. Benedict makes arrangements for him to attend Boatwright Academy. He further makes plans to adopt Constance, but she turns him down; instead opting to live with him anyway. Number Two decides to take a vacation and see an airshow with Rhonda offering to join her as the two have gotten along. Dr. Curtain escapes with S.Q. on a cruise ship when Dr. Garrison reveals a new and improved plan she has been working on.
Cast[]
- Tony Hale as Nicholas Benedict/L.D. Curtain
- Kristen Schaal as Number Two
- MaameYaa Boafo as Rhonda Kazembe
- Ryan Hurst as Milligan Wetherall
- Gia Sandhu as Ms. Perumal
- Mystic Inscho as Reynie Muldoon
- Seth Carr as Sticky Washington
- Emmy DeOliveira as Kate Wetherall
- Marta Kessler as Constance Contraire
Guest-starring[]
- Saara Chaudry as Martina Crowe
- Katherine Evans as Jillson
- Ben Cockell as Jackson
- Ricardo Ortiz as S.Q.
- Ben Andrusco-Daon as Isaac
- Trenna Keating as Dr. Garrison
- Jed Rees as Jeffers
Co-starring[]
- Chandni Appadurai as Ms. Perumal's Mom
- Darren Dolynski as Mr. Bloom
- John Gillich as McCabe
- Carmela Sison as Van Horn
- Trevor Hinton as Chef/Waiter
- Assia Malapanis as Tetherball Player #1
- Chase Nicholson as Tetherball Player #2
- Mauricio Romero as Gentleman #1
- Arman Nejadi as Ship Steward
- Anna Barker as Tech
Songs[]
- "Barracuda" by Heart
- "Let Your Love Flow" by Bellamy Brothers
Trivia[]
- The title is said by Jackson and Jillson to Sticky to remind him of the importance of the day.
- This episode covers chapter 34 to chapter 39 of the first book.
Book comparisons[]
- In the book, Milligan is captured by the Executives and Recruiters after he finds a note left behind by Reynie and tries to hide it from S.Q. He is then sent to the Waiting Room, but manages to escape. In the series, he willingly lets himself be captured and is to be brain swept, and escapes via his nail clipping like he had initially done.
- The children's plan involved using a root to make all the other students vomit, is omitted in the series.
- In the book, Reynie and Sticky are unexpectedly taken to the Whisperer early in the morning. As Sticky sits in it with Mr. Curtain, Reynie tries to send a message. In the series, only Sticky is called up during the day and Reynie and Constance break in during the session.
- Kate's adventure trying to get to the tower is radically simplified in the series. In the book, Kate had to drag Constance through a series of misadventures while being chased by Executives Jackson, Jillson, Martina, S.Q. and Regina. In the series, they simply arrive with Kate only getting confronted by Jackson, Jillson and several recruiters.
- In the book, Sticky has to stall the Whisperer while Reynie sends a message to Kate and Constance. He ends up getting put in the Whisperer, but gains a boost in confidence that confuses the machine long enough for him and Sticky to bring Constance inside. In the series, Sticky manages to stall long enough for both Reynie and Constance to break in.
- Kate is forced to fight Jackson, Jillson and Martina by herself before getting rescued by Milligan with a tranquilizer gun. In the series, Milligan, Martina and her tetherball team fight Jackson, Jillson and the recruiters so that Kate can scale the tower. In both versions, Milligan remembers that he is Kate's father at that moment.
- In the book, Mr. Curtain attempts to attack the children, but becomes angered and falls asleep when Reynie accuses him of being afraid of children. In the series, Reynie tries to get him to laugh, succeeds, only to see that it did not work. Instead, Dr. Curtain gets angered when he is told that he is upset about his past and falls asleep. Additionally in the book, he awakens and falls asleep a couple of times during the climax.
- The climax is simplified in the series with Constance simply sitting in the Whisperer and destroying it with her thoughts. In the book, the Whisperer cannot be activated until Mr. Curtain is in the machine. He attempts to activate his plan, but Constance hops in and deters it.
- In the book, all the adults enter to rescue the children and Milligan carries Mr. Curtain out while Mr. Benedict continues to dismantle the machine. In the series, only Mr. Benedict enters while Dr. Curtain is still asleep and ushers the children out so that he can confront his brother.
- In the book, Mr. Curtain escapes when he is left on the beach and outruns Milligan's tranquilizer gun. In the series, he tricks Mr. Benedict into falling asleep and escapes via helicopter with S.Q. and Dr. Garrison.
- Milligan is not his real name as it is a recollection of telling Kate that they can go to the "mill again". The series excludes this information.
- The entire escape of the Mysterious Benedict Society, where they outrun the recruiters and reunite with Mr. Benedict who had disguised himself as Mr. Curtain, is omitted from the show.
- The book jumps ahead to the winter time while the show depicts the denouement happening the day after.
- In the book, Sticky reunites with his parents, with the explanation being that they did genuinely miss him and that they actively fought against the Whisperer to find him. They happily make amends with each other. In the series, Sticky speaks with his aunt, but chooses to go to Boatwright Academy, which Mr. Benedict allows.
- In the book, Constance agrees to be adopted by Mr. Benedict and reveals that she is "2 years and 11 months" old and will turn 3 next month. In the series, she refuses to get adopted by Mr. Benedict, but decides to stay with him regardless.
- Number Two and Rhonda's exact relationship with Mr. Benedict is ignored in the series. In the book, they reveal that he adopted them, though they insist that they adopted him. Additionally, the series expands on their relationship and the season ends with their friendship stronger.
- The final scene in the book is of the children and the adults playing in a snowball fight. In the series, the final scene is of Dr. Curtain being given a new plan by Dr. Garrison on a cruise ship.
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