"Kiddie Crushes" is the 17th episode of Season 1 in The Smurfs: Light and Dark. It is set to run between 8 - 10 minutes in length.
Synopsis
When Lord Balthazar brings his niece, Denisa, to Gargamel's hovel so he may look after her for the day, she remembers how he dislikes the Smurfs and plans to visit them on her own. Scruple decides to befriend her in the hopes of discovering the Smurf Village, which would impress Gargamel. On their outing, however, Denisa runs into Peewit as he is visiting to share his latest song. Almost immediately, she starts to like him, especially after hearing him sing because his voice wails similarly to hers. When she kisses his cheek, he races back to the castle to tell Johan he's being pursued by a crazy love-struck girl.
Is this crush going to continue to develop or will it just fizzle out as most young crushes do?
Story
The episode opens on a clear day with the camera panning up towards Gargamel’s hovel where, inside, the old wizard and his apprentice are arguing. Still sore from losing the Tracing Mirror back in “Beyond the Mirror's Reflection,” Gargamel wants another means of finding the Smurf Village in the hopes of turning them to stone for easy collection. Then, they can be taken back home so he can make gold.
Scruple wants no part in this plan after being scared straight by the “dying Woodsprite” they saw at the river. Their bickering comes to a stop when they hear a stagecoach approaching, and so they open the door to find Lord Balthazar stepping out. The two gasp when he helps little Denisa out, too, and Gargamel tries to close the door before they are spotted.
Balthazar forces the door open, greets his God-son, and informs him that he will be in charge of watching Denisa for the day as he is much too busy to be a “fitting guardian.” Gargamel and Scruple stumble over their words when trying to protest, but the wizard is gone before either can formulate a complete sentence.
"Hello again, Denisa,” Gargamel grumbles through a fake smile. “What a treat getting a day to spend with you, right Scruple?” He nudges his apprentice, who nods along quickly. They are about to ask if she will do a favor for him when she frowns and crosses her arms, prompting his curiosity. She states that she clearly remembers him being mean to the Smurfs the last time they were together, and so she wants to visit them by herself.
The old wizard tries to convince her he won’t be mean this time, but she’s not buying it, so he has no choice but to persuade Scruple into keeping an eye on her. At first, the boy refuses, but when Denisa threatens to start screaming, he gladly accompanies her. With that, they set off into the forest with Gargamel warning them not to get lost before he returns to his spell books.
After some time, Denisa recognizes a Smurfberry bush and starts calling for the Smurfs, and soon she is greeted by the Smurflings and Smurfette. They are thrilled to see her again, especially Sassette, and are about to take her to the village when they notice Scruple. She asks what’s wrong with him accompanying her, so they make it clear he is not welcome in the village, being Gargamel’s mischievous apprentice.
Scruple tries to play it cool: “I’m only here so Balthazar won’t come crashing down on me and Garggy if Denisa’s not happy.” Denisa even assures the Smurfs that he won’t be of any harm, or else she’ll make sure her uncle punishes them, but Smurfette is still not convinced. She suggests they ask Papa Smurf and begin leading them near the village.
Already in the village is Peewit, sharing his new song, but stops when he hears someone approaching from behind. Smurfette greets him, but turns to Papa Smurf to ask him if Scruple can be trusted since he is travelling with Denisa. Curious, Peewit asks if he may meet the girl, to which Papa and Smurfette agree, so she leaves to retrieve her. When she returns, Scruple is left a safe distance away, guarded by the boy Smurflings.
Sassette introduces Peewit to her friend and vice versa, so the two shake hands and take delight in being mutual friends of the Smurfs. Denisa then asks why he is carrying a lute, so he tells her he has created a new song; she wants to hear it, so he happily obliges.
"I once saw a mermaid, a mermaid indeed
She had fins like a fish and hair like seaweeeeeeeeed,
But when I drew near, away did she flee
Back to the deep where she shall be freeeeeeeeeeee!”
He admits that is only the first chorus, but unlike the Smurfs who all have covered their ears, Denisa is thrilled and compliments his “amazing” voice. He gushes before appreciating her ability to recognize good talent, and so she asks if he’d like to hear her sing. Naturally, he is charmed, and so she creates her own improvised lyrics to finish his song.
“The mermaid, she travelled a great ways away,
But one day her fins, oh, they needed a break
So she found a great beach and basked in the DAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"
Needless to say, Peewit is floored by the last note she hits, which seems to resonate for miles. When he recollects himself, he tells her she could be his competition if she took singing lessons, to which she giggles and kisses his cheek. Red in the face, he is stunned for a moment, and then takes off running while crying out for Johan. Denisa is confused for a moment, but laughs when the other Smurfs start, and soon she is skipping along her merry way.
Back at the castle, Johan is pacing around the marble bench in the courtyard while Dame Barbara is overheard instructing Princess Savina through her crocheting lessons. He is snapped out of his train of thought when Peewit races over, shouting something about terrible happenings in the Smurf Village. Naturally, the knight is concerned and tells him to be clear with his words, so Peewit calms and explains that he is being pursued by a “crazy, lovesick girl” and doesn’t know what to do about her.
His friend starts chuckling, prompting him to ask what’s so funny, to which he replies, “I was just through such an experience with Moxette when she was last here!” Peewit frowns when he hears about them kissing and scolds his friend for having a secret relationship with her. However, Johan explains the situation better and soon his friend understands, so they return to his problem with Denisa.
During a moment alone, Savina hurries over to give her two cents, having overheard them speaking; she suggests being honest with Denisa and telling her he isn’t interested in her romantically. Johan agrees and adds that most young crushes, such as this one, may be “flings” and pass as quickly as they came.
Peewit is relieved to hear this and thanks them before deciding to return to the forest to find her again. Meanwhile, Savina turns to Johan and asks, “So, what did I hear about you and Moxette?” which seems to catch him off-guard.
Back in the forest, Scruple is shocked when Denisa tells him she “likes” Peewit and tries to tell her he’s just a stupid Court Jester who is always singing off-key. She frowns and insists that his singing is good, so they start arguing, which only stops when she starts wailing. He gives up and storms off, but is nearly run over by Biquette when Peewit arrives.
“Sorry!” Peewit cries before realizing who the boy is, and then frowns. “Wait, no I’m not! You’re that kid who tricked me into inviting you to the King’s Golden Jubilee Celebration!” Scruple brushes himself off and tries to dismiss the past; he states that he wants nothing to do with him now. Peewit is just about to sick Biquette on him when Denisa stands between them, telling the jester that Scruple knows the way back to Gargamel’s hovel while she does not.
"You’re lucky she’s here,” Peewit says, pointing to Denisa. Then he faces her and admits that she’s intriguing and talented, but he is not interested in romance yet, to which Scruple snickers. He asks, “What’s so funny?” and the boy replies, “You with Lord Balthazar’s niece? He’d feed you to the moat monster if he found out!”
Peewit gasps, remembering the moat monster from Lord Balthazar’s castle when he and Johan attempted to take shelter one a stormy night, and the man had been cruel. The thought sent shivers down his spine, so he turns to Denisa and cries, “You’re related to Lord Balthazar?!”
When she confirms, he mounts Biquette and nervously states, “Well, maybe we can be friends, Denisa. After all, any friend of the Smurfs is a friend of mine – but only when you visit!"
"I’ll come back soon! I promise!” she cheerfully replies. As he and his goat race away, they wave to one another, and then she orders Scruple to take her home. Balthazar will come for her soon, so he agrees and begins leading her back to the hovel, grumbling about wasting his time doing practically nothing. The episode concludes with Denisa skipping after him, humming the song Peewit sang.
Trivia
- This episode was originally written starting on March 18th, 2014. There are not currently any plans to revise the plot, but a minor update may occur in the future depending on the remainder of the season's status.
- Peewit's statement about the King's "Golden Jubilee Celebration" is a direct reference to the Season 7 episode, "Peewit's Unscrupulous Adventure," which is when he and Scruple first met.
- Likewise, the brief flashback of him and Johan trying to seek shelter from Lord Balthazar only to be rudely turned away is a direct reference to the Season 3 episode, "Handy's Kite."
- The song Peewit introduces to the Smurfs was improvised during this episode's creation, and has been completed by Numbuh 404 to be used as a poetry assignment for a college Creative Writing class. The finished piece can be found here.
Gallery
To see the gallery page for this episode, please CLICK HERE.
Continuation
- Episode 16 -- "Moxette's Crazy, Stupid Love"
- Episode 18 -- "The Thief of Boarsford"