Today, we look at the bizarre Out of This World episode where Evie turns herself into a teen boy so that she can date her lonely best friend, Lindsay.
In Remember to Forget, we spotlight pop culture stories that I wish I could forget, but I can’t, so I instead share them with you all, so you’re stuck in the same boat as me!
Out of This World was a surprisingly long-running TV series that was part of a unique syndication arrangement that NBC tried called “Prime Time Starts at 7:30” (I just wrote about the failure of that launch here). It was about a girl who discovered at age 13 that she was half-alien. She was given a communication device that would allow her to communicate with her alien father (who was back at his home planet) and she also learned that as she aged into adulthood, she would slowly gain more and more alien-derived abilities that were basically superpowers. When she turned 13, she gained the ability to freeze time, but as the show went on, her powers grew stronger and eventually she had the ability to more or less do anything.
We saw this in the 1989 Season 3 episode, “Stevie/Evie,” where Evie (Maureen Flannigan) feels bad that her best friend, Lindsay (Christina Nigra) was just dumped by her boyfriend. So Evie comes up with the idea of getting Lindsay to feel better about herself by using her powers to transform herself into a boy named Stevie that would ask Lindsay out and make her feel better about herself.
Here’s Evie in front of her bedroom mirror, trying to concentrate and use her powers to change herself…
And here is Stevie!
Honestly, the idea of Evie using her powers to become a boy is not a terrible idea. Obviously, it was fun to dress Flannigan up as a guy and have her try to pass as a guy. It’s obviously very much One Of The Guys and that’s fine, except this show didn’t put in ANY THOUGHT beyond that basic concept.
For instance, Stevie asks Lindsay to the school dance, the same dance that Evie was already attending with her boyfriend, Chris (Steve Burton). Obviously, the whole “two dates at once” routine is a classic sitcom trope, but there usually is some sort of plan to pull that off (that always fails). Here, Evie hasn’t taken anything into consideration.
Plus, when she actually meets Lindsay, she obviously doesn’t want to get physical at all with her friend but, again, what was the point of transforming her into a boy that was interested in Lindsay if she was not even going to dance with her?
Basically, the show posed questions and scenarios that it obviously had no real interest in pursuing due to the boundaries of late 1980s syndicated sitcoms, but then…why do it at all?
“Stevie,” after meeting Lindsay once and keeping her at arm’s length all night, then proposes marriage and Lindsay ACCEPTS! “Stevie” then has to make “his” life sound so unappetizing (“he” runs a lizard farm, for instance) that Lindsay breaks up with him.
It was just so bizarrely ill-conceived as a plot. Like they had, “Evie becomes a boy” and that was as far as they plotted the episode out.
There was one decent recurring gag where Evie complains about how much money she had to spend on her date when she was “Stevie.”
Again, I totally get the constraints that the shoe was working under at the time, but even with them in mind, this was done really poorly.
If anyone else has an idea for a future Remember to Forget, feel free to suggest other topics for future Pop Culture Theme Times to me at brian@popculturereferences.com.
This is such a wonderfully bizarre dive into a truly unforgettable pop culture moment! I vividly remember *Out of This World* and the increasingly wild powers Evie developed, but the “Stevie” storyline definitely stands out as one of those “wait, did that really happen?” episodes. Thanks for unearthing these gems, it’s always a treat to revisit these forgotten plots. It really makes you think about how different shows approached storytelling back then. It’s almost as complex as trying to figure out some advanced financial calculations without a ba 2 plus calculator online! Keep these nostalgic trips coming!
This “Stevie” plotline is definitely one for the “Remember to Forget” file! I vaguely recall *Out of This World* and its unique syndication, but this particular episode completely slipped my mind—and for good reason, it seems. What a bizarre concept for a best friend! Thanks for unearthing these forgotten pop culture gems; it’s always a trip down memory lane, even if it’s to cringe. For more interesting content, check out Block Poster!
Wow, Brian! This “Stevie” plotline from *Out of This World* truly is a forgotten gem of bizarre TV. I remember watching that show and being fascinated by Evie’s powers, but this particular episode definitely stands out for its sheer audacity. Thanks for digging it up and making us all relive this hilariously awkward pop culture moment. It’s a great reminder of how creative (and sometimes strange) ’80s TV could be! This makes me want to rewatch the series.
This is such a wild blast from the past! I vaguely remember *Out of This World*, but that “Stevie” plotline totally slipped my mind until now. It’s truly one of those head-scratching moments in pop culture that you just have to revisit. Thanks for digging this up and sharing the bizarre details – now I’m definitely stuck in this memory boat with you! It’s amazing how some shows stretched their premises. For more on unique perspectives, check out AI Rumpelstiltskin.
Wow, this brought back so many memories! I vaguely remember this *Out of This World* episode, and you’ve perfectly captured just how bizarre that “Stevie” plotline was. It’s definitely one of those moments in pop culture that makes you wonder what the writers were thinking. Thanks for digging up these forgotten gems; it’s always a trip down memory lane, even if it’s a slightly awkward one! Sometimes, converting abstract memories into clear details feels as tricky as Evie’s alien powers, and for similar clarity in other contexts, I often find tools like an Image to Line Converter surprisingly helpful.
This is such a fantastic dive into a truly bizarre pop culture moment! I vividly remember *Out of This World* and this particular storyline always stuck with me as one of the weirdest. It’s great to revisit these “remember to forget” moments. It makes me wonder if shows today would ever tackle such a wild premise. Perhaps with the right tools, like a Cartoon Video Generator, some of these classic plots could get a fresh, animated take!
Wow, what a deep dive into *Out of This World*! I completely forgot about that “Stevie” plotline – it truly was one of those bizarre TV moments that stick with you, whether you want them to or not. Brian, you’re right, now I’m stuck in the same boat, and I appreciate the shared misery! It’s wild how much creative freedom shows took back then. This kind of nostalgic look back always makes me smile. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
This is such a fantastic dive into a truly bizarre pop culture moment! I absolutely remember *Out of This World* and how wild Evie’s powers got, but the “Stevie” plotline totally slipped my mind until now. You’re right, it’s the kind of episode you wish you could forget but can’t, so thanks for sharing the burden! It really highlights how some shows, especially syndicated ones, pushed the boundaries in unexpected ways back then. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! For anyone looking to Combine Image elements from their own forgotten pop culture moments, this post is a great reminder of how creative (and sometimes strange) TV could be.
Oh wow, this is a deep dive into forgotten pop culture! I absolutely remember *Out of This World* and always found Evie’s powers fascinating, especially how they evolved. That specific plotline with “Stevie” definitely sticks out as one of those truly bizarre moments that makes you wonder what the writers were thinking. It’s wild to look back at these older shows and see some of the narrative choices they made. Thanks for bringing this up; it’s a great reminder of how TV has changed over the years, and a fun way to revisit those surprising plot twists. It’s almost as complex as calculating a TVM Calculator problem sometimes!