Let's Watch Rainbow High!

 

After today's episode, I thought it would be fun to review what we've seen from RH so far. I'm doing commentary as I rewatch, so watch along. 

Episode 1: What Happened on the First Day at Rainbow High?

So we open with the six characters featured in the first series of dolls freaking out because they're about to have their first runway show and they have no fashions to go on. Jade mentions that this never would have happened if Bella was still there, so what happened with her? (Spoiler: We only just found out not long ago.) Amaya's name is also mentioned and we only just met her, too, eight episodes in. 

Then we flashback to the first day. Violet Willow and her best friend Sunny Madison have just arrived. Violet is filming herself. She does this a lot because she has an online reality show called The Vi Life. 

The first people the pair encounter are the As, who are three popular upperclassmen. They also happen to be the prefects on the new girls' floor. Avery has glittery hair and is the leader. She's the one that comes with the overpriced doll set with crappy wigs. Aidan is the boy. Ainsley is the dark-haired girl with great eyeshadow. 

There's some tension with Violet and Sunny, because Violet seems to be embarrassed of the boisterous and filter-free Sunny. It only gets worse when Sunny finds out that they're not in the same room. She thought they'd requested to be together, but from Violet's guilty posture it's clear she changed that. I'll just say it right here: Violet is an asshole. She's my least favorite doll and least favorite character by a long shot. She guiltily escapes quickly into her new room, leaving a sad Sunny in the hall. 

Violet instantly encounters the intimidating Jade, who's right in her face with one of her bold makeup looks. Jade introduces the other two roommates: Ruby and Bella. Bella says "My social feed lives for you" and the four girls take a new roomie selfie. 

Ugh, the slang is honestly too much at some points of this. Just stop. 

Skyler emerges from her room across the hall, followed by Sunny and Poppy. A phone buzzes and Sunny says it's her, only to be disappointed to see Violet's new selfie. Skyler says Violet can still be Sunny's best friend and make new friends at the same time. 

Quick sidenote, but I've seen people say all the RH dolls look like tan white girls. I personally don't think Sunny and Skyler look white at all and this animation goes along with that. 

Poppy tries to cheer Sunny up by playing a song and the three girls dance to another room. They stop suddenly, being alongside the four girls from across the hall and in front of their new principal, who tells them this is their runway group and advisory group. She says not all of them will make it to the end of the year and their first challenge is the first semester runway show. "Fail that and you can kiss Rainbow High goodbye." 

Vi Life 1

In between full episodes, Violet does her reality show, which catches us up on what went on. This time, she mostly introduces Jade, Ruby and Bella, then the principal, and then mentions her drama with Sunny and needing some space. Well, talk to Sunny, ass. 

Episode 2: The Prize at the End of the Rainbow

We begin with Violet shooting her show, of course. Ruby is there, too, as they explain the runway show challenge. Sunny pops in to mention the threat of being cut and then goes on to tell Ruby that she and Violet have known each other forever. 

The voice of their advisor comes over a speaker. Ms. Morton is not there in person, because she's at New York fashion week. She tells them they're about to do the Glam Slam, which is a scavenger hunt designed to help them get to know each other better. 

The first challenge is to find the locker with Ruby's top-selling item. Bella says Ruby sells shoes she custom paints and her top seller is sneakers. Poppy finds the next clue, which is a locker combination comprised of the numbers of awards Bella has won for different things. Skyler opens the locker and pulls out a hair straightener. They're off to find something Violet sponsors. Sunny explains how much Violet does with her photography, videos, etc. They go to the salon and Poppy says to look for hair foam. Skyler finds the container, but there's nothing on it, so Ruby takes it and pushes the nozzle and out pops a new clue. Now they're looking for a magazine cover that's something Sunny published cartoons in. Sunny launches into a story about that day. 

JADE: Amazing story. Loved it. Might even journal about it. WHICH. MAGAZINE. 

Ah, I love Jade. Sunny and Jade are my favorites of the dolls and I already liked Sunny from the first episode. Sure, she's a little on the Pinkie Pie side, but I like that. Jade solidified her top spot with this episode. I love her growly prodding along. 

Sunny finds a framed magazine cover and Bella pulls the clue from behind it. Now they're off to the runway classroom to find fabric Skyler used on a dress that was loved. I like how humble Skyler is about it. Poppy finds the next clue, which is about her and it's a radio station, so the girls turn the radio on. Skyler figures out it's not the radio, but a classroom number. Jade grabs the next clue, which is the name of her makeup line, Look up. 

JADE: What I tell people a zillion times when I'm doing their eyes. 

The girls look up and see a poster. Bella's amusingly prepared to do a human ladder, but Skyler remembers the poster from the classroom where they started. They all dash in and Ms. Morton tells them they've won and they each get a special gift. Jade asks when they get to meet her and she says soon. 

I enjoyed this one, because it was nice to learn about the girls' accomplishments. I  thought Jade had the best showing because she was the funniest, but I also really liked how Skyler is humble, down to earth and intelligent. Lots of points to her. 

Vi Life 2

The most important take away from this mini episode was Violet saying she and Sunny made up, because the scavenger hunt reminded them how much they love each other. Uh, Sunny never forgot that. You did, Violet. 

Episode 3: Poppy Rowan, Keepin' the Beats Goin'

The episode opens with Aidan acting as a teaching assistant for Poppy's Art of Music class. 

Gah, while I do love Poppy's look and her doll, she's probably the most annoying one when it comes to slang. It's kinda horrible. 

Aidan has Poppy play, which creates visual art at the same time. He's impressed, calls Avery and holds out the phone so she can hear what Poppy's doing. 

In the halls, Poppy finds Sunny and Skyler. Poppy and Sunny express happiness about their classes. There's a boy standing by Skyler and she introduces him as Colin. He leaves and Poppy questions Skyler. Skyler says she told them about him. They've been together since sixth grade. 

The girls are about to take a roommate selfie when they're approached by the As. Avery says Aidan played her Poppy's music and she's good, so Avery asks if she'd like to DJ at the As party to kick off the school year. Sunny gives a big "YES!" Ainsley says they need to hear more, so she asks for a new mix by the end of the school day. Uh, you guys are prefects and you're asking her to work on a non-school project during school. Not the best prefects. But Poppy's got a turntable app and apparently gets away with staying plugged into it all day. Except that's not good with Jade, who yanks a headphone away from Poppy's ear and gets her attention. They're in runway class and they need Poppy to be the tiebreaker between two outfits Skyler has drawn. Poppy protests that she needs to stay in her head to finish her mix and Sunny says she has a chance to DJ for the As. Violet tells her to get back to it, while Jade points out that this is their project and they need Poppy to choose. Bella tells Poppy to sing them her opinions to the beat of her music. This part is actually even more cringe-worthy than Musa singing about the pancake in an early Winx Club ep. At least you knew that was supposed to be funny. This is just painful. Anyway, Poppy finishes her mix, the As like it and she gets the DJ job. 

Vi Life 3

Not much in this one except we now know the party is the Color Block Party. We get into Poppy's head a little more, which is nice. I still hate her slang, but I like her better after this.  

 

Episode 4: The Great Hairscape

Jade shows her looks for Poppy, Skyler and Violet, but none of them are satisfied. You get the feeling that this isn't the first time they've asked Jade to make changes. Jade is upset and Bella says everyone is feeling pressure to make this perfect, but Jade says she hasn't done Bella's look yet or Sunny's or Ruby's or her own. Bella says maybe they need to relax with the feedback and Skyler points out that everyone gives her notes on her fashion sketches. Ruby says if they fall behind, they're toast. Ms. Morton clears her throat and says this is apparently a good time for her to meet her advisory group for the first time. She's leaving them there to take a study hall while she figures out the best way to help them. 

Later, Jade is locked in her room. Bella's trying to get her out and Violet says Jade needs to chill, because if she lost it over every comment on The Vi Life, she'd never post again. The difference here though is that this is a big project. Yes, the girls need to give their feedback, but they also can't be such perfectionists that they never get anything done. The lights suddenly go out and it's Avery, saying Ms. Morton sent her. She holds up a blindfold. Avery and Ainsley lead the rainbow girls into the salon, which is now an escape room. They have to all work together to get out. 

Sunny is excited because she loves escape rooms, having even done three of her birthday parties at them. Violet is also excited and it's nice to see a little teamwork there, except then she ruins it because she wants to film but her phone is low on battery, so she goes off to find a charger instead of helping. Sunny finds the first clue and then says "thinky face." OMG, I love her. Skyler says they should check the mirror, which swings open to reveal a bunch of scrambled letters. Sunny and Poppy fail at figuring this out, while Violet holds up a yellow comb. Sunny takes it and sticks it into a comb-shaped space on the wall that's in the corresponding color. Now everyone is looking for combs. They find them, insert them into the wall, and seven of the letters now glow. 

ROY G BIV. Geeeeeeeeeeeee. Wonder what that means. 

Bella plugs the combination into a lock and reveals a bunch of hair stuff that apparently is exciting. Bella, and then everyone else, wants Jade to do her hair. Jade is confused because she thought they didn't like her looks, but Skyler says it's just that it's a big project. So the girls decide to do makeovers instead of leaving the salon and they're all happy with them...until Ms. Morton comes in. She's pleased that they worked together as a team...but first period is in five minutes. 

Vi Life 4

Not much in this one except for a summary of what happened. Jade did clarify that they never found the way out. They got too distracted with makeovers. And she slept through first period. 

Episode 5: Double Date Disaster

This one opens with a boy talking to Ruby in class. That boy? Skyler's boyfriend Colin. 

But Ruby doesn't know that. 

The As enter and invite everyone to their Color Block Party, which is that night at 8. 

And we get our first (sadly brief) look at Stella Monroe, the fuchsia-themed doll from Series 2. Stella, by the way, is voiced by a friend of mine! So exciting! 

Ruby and Colin chat about the dance and she says "Wanna meet me there?" Now there's a flirt vibe here, but it's also so casual that I didn't instantly hate Colin for it like a lot of people did. I figured what would happen is that he'd show at the dance with Skyler and Ruby would be upset because he misunderstood her invitation. I...was not right. 

In their room, Violet, Jade and Bella are watching The Vi Life when Ruby enters and says she has a date. They start talking outfits and then Poppy bursts in. 

POPPY: Guess what!

BELLA: You're gonna learn to knock?!!

Heh, Bella is so mad. This made me like her a lot more. 

Avery has invited the girls to her studio for a sneak peek at her new designs. There's nothing really of note here, except a brief reminder that Skyler has a boyfriend. The best part is the room glowing as the girls exit and Sunny being drawn back to it like a moth to a flame. She's dragged away, as she sobs "I'll come back for you!" 

I don't know how people don't like Sunny. She's hilarious. 

As you may have guessed, the girls' party outfits are the second fashions that come with the dolls. 

Sunny and Skyler are dancing when Colin runs up and grabs Skyler by the waist, swinging her around. Remember this for later.

The other girls arrive (Poppy is DJing) and exchange greetings. Violet wants to film a date episode for The Vi Life, so she and Ruby go look for Ruby's date. And they find him. Colin is not happy Violet is filming and wants her to delete it. Jade, Bella and Sunny approach and Ruby introduces Colin as her date. He smiles and waves with slight awkwardness. Sunny responds with even more awkwardness because she instantly identifies Colin. Skyler comes over at last, having gotten stuck in the crowd, and Ruby introduces Colin and yeah, it's just bad. To Ruby's credit, she instantly drops Colin's arm and jumps back away from him. Meanwhile, Violet is the queen of oblivious and she's concentrating on finding release forms for her filming. 

Vi Life 5

Violet starts by talking about the drama at the dance, but Bella interrupts and says to let Ruby and Skyler tell about it. So they move on to talking about Avery's studio. There's really nothing here except a little about Bella, which turns out to be major foreshadowing for Ep 7.  

Episode 6: Gurlfriend Take Over

Skyler bumps into River at the beginning there. 

Ruby asks Colin if Skyler is his girlfriend. He says no and that they talked about this. He says they agreed they'd hang at Rainbow High but "keep things chill." Skyler though didn't understand that meant break up. On one hand, Skyler does kinda seem like the type that needs a lot of clarity, which Colin should have known. On the other hand, uh, Skyler, what else could that possibly mean? Skyler runs off crying and Ruby bitches at Colin and then follows Skyler. Then Colin has to face the wrath of Jade. (Scary.)

Meanwhile, Ruby finds Skyler in the salon, where she's crying. Ruby says she's never talking to him again and Skyler calls herself a loser who didn't realize she'd been broken up with. Skyler says they really used to inspire each other and that's part of the reason she got into Rainbow High, but Ruby interrupts. She says there's no way she got in because of Colin and hands Skyler a convenient sketchpad, instructing her to draw the ultimate runway look and show off the skills that got her into the school. She does and the dress is awesome. The girls then goof around and redo their makeup. There's some nice friends building each other up stuff going on here and then Ruby says they should go back to the party. Skyler doesn't want to at first, but Ruby talks her into it.

At the party, the other girls are discussing what to do. Violet shows all the comments from her show, as her audience wants to know how the drama ends. (Really, really do not like Violet most of the time. Sigh.) Then Skyler and Ruby come back in and everything is cool. Skyler and Ruby get Poppy to turn the music down and do a brief inspirational message. And Colin slinks off. And that's it. 

Vi Life 6

Not much here except a summary of the brief love triangle. A little depth from Skyler saying that Colin said his "let's keep it chill" line after a romantic date, quite possibly with his arm still around her. And let's not forget how he spun her around at the party before Ruby showed up. I gave him slight benefit of the doubt at first, but nope. Not anymore. I did love Violet trying to set up the mystery of "who is this boy" only to have Skyler say it's River. Ha. 

Episode 7: Bella's Night Out 

Ah, the most controversial one yet. Have you been wondering since ep 1 why Bella isn't with the runway group when they're freaking out? Yeah, this is why. 

Jade is working on her runway looks when Bella tries to sneak up on her and fails. The vibe between these two is so adorable that I totally get why fans are shipping them. Bella is all worked up because people keep texting her about a contest. She could win an internship with her idol, Ramona Barnes, who designs Broadway sets. The problem? A rule that's casually never been mentioned before. And it's pretty crazy. 

Everything these students do at Rainbow High is student work. And student work cannot be photographed. 

If you're like me, you think this is a load of crap, because well, there's been plenty of this going on already. 

Skyler's clothes. Jade's makeup and hair. Ruby's custom shoes. All things repeatedly in the gajillions of selfies they take. So how are those not student work? 

And let's not forget the most obvious thing: The Vi Life. 

Now I can actually see the stuff for the runway show specifically being off limits, but EVERYTHING? It makes no sense.

Jade says it's a shame Bella can't enter and shows her the runway look she's come up with to help distract her. Then it's off to bed for Jade, while Bella looks sadly at her phone. 

The next day, Bella is sleeping in class and Jade wakes her and covers for her. Bella is certain if she sent a pic of her set design for the runway show that she'd win the contest. Jade says it's not worth the risk. 

That night, Jade stops Bella from sneaking out to take the picture. Bella says this internship could make her career after she graduates. Jade points out what if she takes the picture, gets expelled and doesn't win? Bella gives in and says she won't do it, but then says she's too awake to sleep, so the girls go goofing off through the halls of RH. 

Except that's not enough for Bella. She sneaks out and takes the picture. 

The next day, they're all back in class. Ms. Wright, the principal, singles out Bella to say her work is exceptional...and also that they know she took photos and she's expelled. She won't even let the girls say goodbye and sends Bella off to pack and then sit in the office. Bella flees and the other girls look despondent. Then Ms. Wright brings in Bella's replacement. Just like that. And it's Amaya Raine, looking like her playset doll with the white hair.  

I've never had huge problems with episodes before, but now I do. That rule is stupid. The principal is a bitch. You don't praise someone, then expel them, then not let their friends say goodbye. And how are we supposed to believe Amaya was there already when Bella only just took the photo last night? None of this makes sense. 

Logic of that aside, I don't like how Bella risked not only herself but her entire group for selfish reasons. I get that this is the opportunity of a lifetime for her, but by getting kicked out, she's jeopardized the success...and the enrollment...of all her friends. It's unbelievably selfish and I can't believe Jade didn't address that. 

Vi Life 7

Violet talks a little about the Bella drama, but then decides to skip it because she's too upset. Instead, she focuses on some new students. 

River we saw at the party. He's a performing arts major and on the football team.

We get a brief look at Stella, but nothing new is shown. Just a mention that she's a "royal Brit."

Then we've got some sketches from Skyler of 3rd years Krystal and Kia instead of animation. I hope they get to show them all soon. Krystal is mentioned as the head journalist for the school's magazine. Kia is only mentioned as bringing people together, including possibly the As. 

I pronounce Kia like the car. Key-a. They're saying Kie-a. That's confusing. Kia looks like it should be pronounced like Tia, Nia and Mia. Kie-a should be Kyah or Kaya. Like Myah or Maya. I'm never going to remember to say it right. 

Episode 8: Enter Amaya

Okay, we've got a bit from Amaya's point of view. She's giving herself a pep talk in the hallway, saying she may have been waitlisted but she belongs there. Bella runs past clearly upset and Amaya tries to say hi, but of course it doesn't work. The principal tells her to enter and she's met with confused and angry stares from the other girls. Amaya asks if she missed something and Sunny goes to her side. The others walk back behind their tables without a word. Sunny introduces them all and Ruby and Jade are mad about it. They explain to Amaya that she got in because Bella got kicked out. Sunny says Bella was set design and asks if that's what Amaya is. Amaya says she's fashion focus and Skyler says that's what she is. Violet points out that could be good, because they have so much to do. She, Poppy and Sunny explain how the semester project works, while Ruby and Jade turn their backs on everyone. Sunny tells Amaya the theme: No rain, no rainbows. And after learning they've only got 2 looks out of 7, Amaya gets to work. Skyler likes it and the four of them begin working together. 

Meanwhile, Jade and Ruby are upset that the others are working so well with Amaya. Uh, do you two want to get booted, too? Bomb the project, get kicked out. It's a shitty situation, but the principal is the one to blame and of course so is Bella. Get over the shock and get to work or you'll find yourselves out on your asses. 

The bell rings and the two grumps run out to try to find Bella. The others follow and Sunny stops to invite Amaya along. They find her outside the dorm room. Sunny has Amaya stay back because she doesn't want it to get awkward. Most of the girls do hugs and goodbyes, but Violet films, then approaches Amaya with the ubiquitous release form. Turns out Amaya is a fan, so Violet is happy and starts to interview her. Amaya is from a small town and I love how she says "I make clothes." Bella interrupts with a "So you're replacing me." Sunny runs to Amaya and says this is the awkward thing she wanted to avoid. Then Bella's mom is there and she has to go. Last minute hugs. Jade says no one is taking Bella's place, that she'll always be part of the group. Everyone looks sad as Bella gets on the elevator and waves one last time. 

Ms. Morton appears and says Amaya will be moving in with Ruby, Jade and Violet. Jade is mad. "You're giving her Bella's space?" Ms. Morton has some choice words for that, about how Bella chose to break the rules and the space is now Amaya's. And she knows they'll do nothing more than make Amaya FEEL WELCOME. You can hear the "or else" behind those words. The girls don't look happy, but Jade looks downright pissed and seems to also be taking it out on Sunny, who sinks to the floor sadly. 

I hated this episode, but loved moments of it. It's such a conflict. I think it might help if I just run down my opinions of each character so far. 

RUBY: I didn't care for Ruby at first, but she really proved herself during the Colin incident. I loved how she ran after Skyler and then worked hard to build her friend's confidence back up and show her that no boy was the reason she got into the school. But she lost points in the last ep because she's the second worst at handling the Amaya situation. For someone who built up Skyler, she sure didn't welcome Amaya at all. It's conflicting. 

POPPY: I have the least thoughts on Poppy. She's occasionally amusing, but she's just kinda there. 

SUNNY: The best. I liked Sunny from the start and hated how Violet treated her at first. She's a bit of a bubblehead, but she's so sweet that who in the hell cares? She really proved herself when she was the first one to step up and greet Amaya. You can tell Sunny really cares about other people and their feelings. She was the star of ep 8 and if Jade and Ruby give her a hard time, I hope she holds her ground and doesn't cave. Know you're in the right, Sunny. Be a friend and don't let them stop you. 

JADE: Jade is even more conflicting than Ruby at this point. It's clear she also really cares about people. She shows it almost as much as Sunny does, just in a completely different way. I get that she and Bella had a special bond (perhaps more, depending on the level of risks the writers are willing to take), but she shouldn't take that out on Amaya. It's Bella she should be mad at and the principal for handling the transition so poorly. So I don't like seeing her go completely out of character to be rude to Amaya and even Ms. Morton, too. I hope this doesn't last and she has a quick turnaround because I'm not going to like it if she suddenly becomes the mean girl. Aside from that, I like that Jade is more logical and focused than a lot of the others. She cuts right to the chase. 

SKYLER: Skyler is the sweet, demure one, but it wouldn't surprise me if she's also the smartest. She's got the least self-confidence, but I think that will grow over time. She's very loveable. Going into this, Sunny and Jade were my favorite dolls so I hoped they'd be my fave characters and they are (Amaya incident aside, Jade), but Skyler is the one whose show character won me over to the doll more. 

VIOLET: I hated Violet at first. I hated how horribly she treated Sunny and I'm glad that got resolved quickly, though it didn't get as much apology screentime as it should have. Violet tends to annoy me because she misses a lot of things in real life by being too focused on how it's going to look as The Vi Life. You can see her doing this during the Colin incident. But she also just wowed me in ep 8 by being the second after Sunny to be more welcoming to Amaya. That earned her a lot of points from me. I don't mean her going over and interviewing her either. I mean how she treated her when they were in the classroom. Good job, Violet. 

So there you have it. Rainbow High episodes 1-8. I'll be back with another chunk soon.