|
"My husband and I talk to a lot of people with families in the military." |
iMeet The First Lady is the 23rd episode of Season 4, and the 93rd episode overall. First Lady Michelle Obama makes a guest appearance.The episode was seen by 4.265 million people during its premiere.[3]
Plot
Colonel Steven Shay is not able to make it home for his birthday as planned. Because Carly misses her father so much and is sad that she can't see him now, Sam, Freddie, Spencer and Gibby surprise her by hacking into the communication network of the base he's stationed at and have a video chat with him live on iCarly (although his video is static-filled, so he is not seen on-screen). Carly is extremely grateful, but a few days later, Secret Service Agents come to Carly's apartment because the webcast has attracted the attention of "someone very high up in the US government".
Carly, Sam and Freddie are worried that they are going to be imprisoned for hacking into a military network, so Sam comes up with a plan to leave the country, but the Secret Service Agents pick them up from school.
It turns out that Michelle Obama, an iCarly fan herself, has seen the webcast and is impressed by how much Carly cares for her father and how much Sam and Freddie care for Carly. After expressing her pride to them, she originally had to go to a meeting with the governor, but decides to delay it when Carly, Sam and Freddie invite her to make an appearance on iCarly.
Background
The entire cast and crew of iMeet the First Lady.
Dan Schneider wrote the episode just for Mrs. Obama and her Joining Forces Initiative. Network president Cyma Zarghami has explained that the episode is in no way a political statement for the show, nor the Joining Forces program; rather, it's a "feel-good initiative."[4]
Trivia
- A reference to ILost My Mind is made when Sam and Freddie do something nice for Carly by setting her, Spencer, and her dad up for video chat when in ILost My Mind, Carly did something nice for Sam and Freddie by helping them get into a romance relationship for the first time.
iTunes Rating for Children's TV
- This episode reached #2 on iTunes chart for children's TV. Right behind another iCarly episode IToe Fat Cakes [5]
"iMeet The First Lady" trended
- "iMeet The First Lady" was the #2 trend on Twitter during its East Coast TV broadcast premiere.
- This episode aired on a Monday at 7:30PM because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.[6] It was the second episode to do so, after iSaved Your Life (though that episode aired at 8:00 PM instead).
Production code/working title
- The working title for this episode was "iMajor Guest Star" and production code revealed to be 406 as (noted in the photo with the whiteboard).
- Mrs. Obama is the highest profile person to guest star on iCarly (unless President Obama himself makes an appearance (an unlikely notion), she will likely be the highest profile guest star in the entire show).
- This is the first appearance by the U.S. First Lady, Michelle Obama on a Nickelodeon show, despite appearing for Nickelodeon's 2011 Worldwide Day of Play, an event, which encourages to get out, get active and play instead of being in front of a computer or TV Screen. She was also in the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards receiving her blimp for the Big Help Award.
- Taran Killam who played "Spaulding" in Moody's Point (The Amanda Show) plays a Secret Serviceman in this episode. He is also currently a featured cast member on Saturday Night Live.
- Taran Killam is the second Nickelodeon veteran to join the cast of SNL after Kenan Thompson. (he is also a former cast member of MADtv, SNL's most direct rival, which Mary Scheer was an original cast member of).
- BooG!e guest stars as T-Bo in this episode, as seen by this behind-the-scenes photo of the entire cast and crew.
- Mr. Howards is mentioned in the part before the trio enters the apartment and sees the federal agents.
- Nathan in this said during the first days the episode was in production, no one knew, except Dan, which member of the First Family was guest-starring until rehearsal day.
- The First Lady was only there for one day to shoot her scenes and she had to remember massive amounts of dialogue.
- Miranda said the highlight of this episode for her was getting to do Random Dancing with Mrs. Obama.[7]
- This is the second iCarly episode starting with the words "iMeet...", the first being iMeet Fred. (Coincidentally, that same episode aired on a Monday at 7:30 as well, and had the same director and one of the same writers as this one.)
- The episode was announced in July 2011, more than 6 months before it's scheduled airdate.
- The first daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama were on-set, alongside their mother Michelle, as her "Random Dance Advisers".[8]
- This episode aired one day before Michelle Obama's birthday
- This episode marks the third time that Carly, Sam and Freddie share a group hug after iCook and iMake Sam Girlier
- This is however the first time they shared more than one in an episode.
Dan's cameo
- This is the first episode, where Dan Schneider, the creator and executive producer of iCarly has appeared on-screen. He made a brief appearance as a Secret Service Agent though many references have been made to him, his wife, and his brand "Danwarp" in previous episodes. It is implied that he's playing himself.
- A reference to iScream On Halloween was made, when Spencer was telling the First Lady about when he was trapped in a giant pumpkin and some angry trick-or-treaters pushed him down a hill while he was inside the pumpkin.
- Spencer leans onto, but does not break the fourth wall after remarking that his life is like a sitcom after talking about his pumpkin-carving experience with the First Lady. (An actual fourth-wall breaking would be if he faced the camera and addressed the viewer).
- The Peggy's Nuts & Bolts logo lady is inspired by J. Howard Miller's 1942 "We Can Do It!" poster (featuring "Rosie the Riveter") for Westinghouse Electric.
- The Paintball Blowtube from iSaved Your Life returns.
- First appearance of Carly's father (but for only a second).
- Carly chats with her father for the first time until the connection is cut off.
- Barack Obama is mentioned 3 times.
- Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia are mentioned
- When the gang sang Happy Birthday to Colonel Shay, they were singing to the tune of US Air Force Anthem.
Goofs
- When Freddie asks Colonel Shay whether he can hear them, the onscreen words say Kernel Shay. It is unknown whether the error was intended.
- After the Secret Service agents pick up Carly, Sam and Freddie from school and bring them to the apartment, Spencer introduces Mrs. Obama to them - then Mrs. Obama stands up and shakes Carly's hand, then while she is shaking Sam's hand Carly turns around to face the door - but after a change in camera angle Carly is suddenly facing Mrs. Obama again without turning back around.
- T-Bo should not be able to burst into the apartment with Mrs. Obama inside. In real life, more secret service agents would be posted outside. Also, Spencer would ordinarily be tasered for touching her, when, on the show, he touches her multiple times before he receives a warning.
Special Live Screenings
Nickelodeon along with the cast members of iCarly hosted screening events at the following locations:
Monday, Jan. 9 — Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Miramar, Calif.
Wednesday, Jan. 11 — Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.
Thursday, Jan. 12 — Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Fort Dix, N.J.
Friday, Jan. 13 — Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Va.
[9][10]
Quotes
Carly: [during webcast] Hi.
Sam:...and I'm Sam!
Carly: [hugging Sam and Freddie] Who gets a hug?
Sam: [in a brunette wig, seeing Secret Service] Alright [getting down on her knees and putting her hands above her head] Put the cuffs on loose, would ya? I don't like when they dig into my wrist.
Secret Service Agent: There is someone high up the government who wants to see you.
Sam: Who, the President?
Secret Service Agent: Higher.
Freddie: [upon seeing the first lady] Is that ... Mrs. ... ?
Carly: Oh..
Freddie: Bama.
Carly: Obama?!
Carly: Please don't put us in federal prison!
Sam: [pointing at Freddie] He's the guilty one!
Freddie: My mom voted for your husband!
T-Bo: [flirtatiously, upon seeing Michelle] Eeeeeeeeey! Who's your friend? Can she be my friend?
Freddie: Stop!
T-Bo: Oh, she married?
Carly: Very!
Sam: So, what are you doing here?
Michelle: [glares at her]
Sam: ...Your excellency
Freddie: You don't call her "Your excellency".
Michelle: No, no. I kinda like it.
Sam: [slaps her chest with both hands at Freddie]
Freddie: [looks at Sam with goofy expression, purses his lips, and looks back at Michelle Obama]
Michelle: My husband and I talk to a lot of people with families in the military.
Spencer: [walks up behind her, grabs her shoulders] Her husband is the President.
[Secret Servicemen begin to take out their weapons]
Spencer: [walks back, whispers] Sorry.
Michelle: Well, I have to go to my next meeting. [points at Sam, who has asked for a sandwich several times before] And somebody get this girl a sandwich!
Secret Service Agent: SANDWICH!!!
[Three agents run into the kitchen]
[After Carly invited Michelle to be on iCarly]
Secret Service Agent: Mrs. Obama, the governor is waiting.
Michelle: Let the governor wait! Come on, let's do iCarly!!!!
Michelle: [After winning a bag of nuts and bolts] Now I can finally finish that robot!
Dan Schneider: [Whispers something in her ear]
Michelle: I'm not supposed to mention the robot?
Dan: No.
[After Spencer has finisned talking to his dad]
Freddie: What's wrong?
Spencer:That was my dad. He..he can't come home now.
Sam: What?
Freddie: No way.
Spencer: Yeah, there's some situation in some country, I dunno...he's gotta help handle it.
Freddie: Well, who's gonna tell Carly?
Spencer: (gets closer to Sam and Freddie, gives them a "please" look)
Sam: I'm not telling Carly.
Spencer: Why?!
Sam: Because its gonna be like slapping a sweet puppy in the face!
Related iCarly.com Blog Posts
Carly's blog: Spot the Differences: USA Edition!
Photo Gallery
See photos for this episode here.
Video Gallery
Click here to see videos for this episode.
See also
- Click here to see the gallery for the cast's special live screening press tours
- Click here to see the video gallery related to the special live screening press tours
External links
- iNews and Reviews summary
- Jerry's full interview with WPIX about iMeet The First Lady
- My Day With the 'iCarly' Cast at My Local Naval Base Jessica Norton, The Huffington Post
References
- ↑ Airdate
- ↑ Production Code
- ↑ Number of views
- ↑ Background into Storyline USAToday.com (June 8, 2011)
- ↑ iTunes Chart
- ↑ Special Day & Time (revealed in 1st promo)
- ↑ Miranda's highlight of iMeet The First Lady ETonline.com
- ↑ iCarly cast dishes on the Obamas to Seventeen Magazine
- ↑ Special Live Screenings and Time
- ↑ More info on Special Live Screenings