Flying Solo is the third episode of Julie and the Phantom's first season and the third episode overall. It premiered on Netflix on September 10, 2020. It was written by Sean W. Cunningham & Marc Dworkin and directed by Paul Becker.
Plot[]
With the phantoms gone from the stage, Julie stands sheepishly in front of her entire school as the crowd wonders where and how the band disappeared. Kayla, the purple dancer from Dirty Candy, loudly assumes that the phantoms were high-tech holograms. Julie readily confirms this and gives the excuse that she plugged in a projector to the ceiling of the gym before the rally ("I'd explain it, but it involves algorithms and science stuff.")
The crowd, satisfied with this explanation, gives a final applause for Julie's special effects. Off stage, the phantoms watch the crowd, astounded by the fact that the students can no longer see them. The students walk back to class after a stern prompting by Principal Lessa. Mrs. Harrison approaches Julie, impressed by her performance, but still unable to allow her into the music program as the new student, a short blonde boy with a cello, already confirmed his spot in the class. Principal Lessa interjects at this point. She tells Julie that despite going against the rules, she agrees that Julie, for all of her talents, should be allowed to have a spot within the program.
Ecstatic to be back in the program, Julie goes up to Flynn, whose enthusiasm is muted. Concerned, Julie asks her what's wrong. Flynn asks Julie who the phantoms were, confused as to how Julie could perform so easily with strangers after a year without making music. Julie scrambles up a lie about the boys being from Sweden and that they make music together, with Julie streaming them so that they could perform 'together.' Flynn isn't so easily convinced and Julie quietly admits to lying. At Flynn's indignation, Julie could only apologize lamely. Flynn hurriedly exits the gym, upset.
Julie tries to chase after her through the halls, but were interrupted by some of her peers who wanted to express their admiration for her performance at the spirit rally, comparing it to Coachella. Nick comes up to Julie, complimenting her performance, only for their conversation to be interrupted by a snide remark from Carrie, who is still in her Dirty Candy wig and outfit. Nick tries to intervene and subtly redirect Carrie to leave Julie alone by mentioning their next class. However, Julie and Carrie continue exchange, with Julie's comebacks falling flat and Carrie smugly walking away.
Nick tells Carrie that what she said was 'cold,' pointing out that Carrie and Julie used to be good friends. Irritated, Carrie tells Nick that she earned her position as first vocal chair, and that she worked hard on her songs and dance routines. She points out the unfairness of Julie not performing for a year and all of sudden she upstages her Dirty Candy performance with a hologram gimmick. With the parting remark on how "Julie's no friend," Carrie walks away, leaving a regretful Nick in the hallway as the bell rings.
Meanwhile, Julie walks through the hallway only to be startled by the three phantoms shouting her name, still energetic from their recent live performance. Julie scolds them for scaring her and Luke ignores that to talk about how everyone could see them, which Julie acknowledges as weird and 'kinda freaking [her] out.' Alex quickly agrees with this, going on a short rant about the confusing experiences of being a ghost. Luke, however, dismisses his worries and is more focused on how everyone loved their music, complimenting Julie's performance. Julie easily attributes the success of her performance to their team effort and thanks Luke for the amazing song.
Reggie is also enthusiastic about their performance but is more excited at the prospect of being able to be seen by people, specifically the cheerleaders. Alex, still anxious, laments the lack of rules and guidelines for being a ghost. At this, Julie tells them that because of their performance, every one thinks they are holograms and also reveals the news that she got back into the music program. Confused by her unenthusiastic reaction, Reggie asks what's wrong. Julie explains that she couldn't tell Flynn about the phantoms and how she became upset at Julie's inability to tell her the truth. Julie is afraid that if she tries to tell Flynn, she will become concerned Julie went crazy. At this, the school janitor walks through the conversation between Julie and, unbeknownst to him, the Phantoms, prompting Julie to abandon the conversation and go to class.
In the Molinas' garage studio, Reggie and Luke watch as Alex paces anxiously across the floor. Alex explains his worries, how he isn't good with change and how with his death, becoming a ghost, finding out he can be seen they perform with Julie has become too much for him. Luke doesn't understand what's wrong with the latest change, exclaiming that with Julie, they can "be the band they never got to be." Alex admits the positives of this, but is too worried about the why and how. Unlike Alex, Luke and Reggie immediately focus on the present and plan to ask Julie to join Sunset Curve. Reggie praises her voice and her potential as their new lead singer, to Luke's initial consternation. Alex tells his friends that he needs to clear his head and attempts to leave through the garage doors. He struggles to open them and, at Reggie's prompting, resorts to teleporting his way out.
Walking the streets of Hollywood Boulevard, Alex observes the living people go about their day. From the tourists taking pictures with mobile cameras to the costumed Ghost Busters. Willie then enters the scene, skating the sidewalk, whooping and jokingly yelling at the oblivious lifers he's skating either around or through. Mistaking Alex for another lifer, Willie accidentally crashes into him, causing both of them to fall hard on the ground. Recovering after a moment, Willie complains about his dinged board and Alex shoots back a comment about how Willie practically ran him over.
Any feelings of annoyance between them immediately passes when Alex realizes he was another ghost and Willie realizes that Alex is new to being dead. After a moment of introduction, in which Willie reveals that he died while skating through traffic, the pair found quick attraction and interest in each other.
At Willie's small questions made to prolong their conversation, Alex reveals to Willie that he was experiencing a minor afterlife crisis and how he's getting freaked out by all the new ghostly experiences. Willie spends the afternoon answering Alex's questions about being a ghost and asking questions about Alex himself. He taught him ghost lingo such as "lifers," and some modern-day slang ("woke"), He tells Alex about the concept of "unfinished business" keeping ghosts to the living world, but also told him about the benefits to being dead, such as doing anything you want ("like skateboarding Justin Bieber's empty swimming pool").
Songs[]
| Song | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Flying Solo | Madison Reyes, Charlie Gillespie, Owen Patrick Joyner & Jeremy Shada | 3:04 |
Cast[]
Main[]
Also Starring[] |
Co-Starring[]
|
Trivia[]
- This episode begins immediately after Bright.
- Alex and Willie collide at Dave Hoge's Hollywood Star, who is one of the two creators of the show.
- Behind the scenes, Owen Patrick Joyner (who plays Alex) and Charlie Gillespie (who plays Luke) decided to take both the Dave Hoge and Dan Cross Hollywood Star props back to their apartment, evidenced by an Instagram story and various Instagram lives hosted by Victoria Caro (assistant choreographer, Kayla) and Soyon An (costume designer). After finding out that they couldn't keep the stars (having caused a frenzy in the prop department), the pair returned it.
- Flynn finds out that the Phantoms aren't holograms.
- An earlier version of the scene in which Flynn finds out about the Phantoms was changed, partially because of the rewritten dynamics between Flynn and Reggie as well as rewritten version of the song Flying Solo.[1]
- Julie wrote Flying Solo about Flynn. The first three letters in Flying Solo and Flynn is "Fly".
References
Template:Season 1