Kiff and Barry Visit an Exotic Island Resort That Puts Their Friendship to the Test in the Latest "Kiff" on Disney Channel
Kiff and Barry visit an exotic island that tests their friendship after Kiff runs for class president in the latest episode of Kiff on Disney Channel.
Taily
It’s another boring assembly at the Table Town Middle School, and while the students are restless while waiting, Kiff (for what I think is the first time since the pilot episode of the series) sticks her hand into her tail and uses it like a ventriloquist dummy, naming her character “Taily." The act is full of jokes and fun that keep the class entertained, and the the time Principal Secretary makes his way to the stage, even he seems to know who Taily is.
And why has this assembly been called? It’s time for the election for Class President, and it’s time to take some nominations. Oddly, Mr. RiPeppa leaves the assembly fairly quickly and awfully suspiciously. Did I immediately think this was because elections and schools can cause quite the drama that he didn’t want to be around for? Sure, but that wasn’t the case.
Candle, Reggie and Barry are nominated, but Barry concedes and gives his nomination to Kiff. Knowing that they don’t want to deal with that, Reggie and Candle drop out of the race immediately, leaving Kiff as the sole nominee. It seems that she is running unopposed, so Kiff addresses the crowd, assuming that she has all of their votes. After the assembly is dismissed, the students all discover signs suggesting that they vote for RiPeppa. How is that possible? He’s a teacher!
After some investigation, Principal Secretary says that there is nothing that says a teacher can’t run for a position in student government, and he knows the real reason why he is doing this anyway. The class president position comes with a brand new ergonomic desk chair, which he has had his eyes on for quite some time.
Kiff, along with Campaign Manager Barry are working on their ideas to help Kiff win all the votes. Trevor has snuck into this meeting and suggests more unfair and savage ways of winning. Alas, they ultimately decide on a button-based campaign. Cue the montage of posters and button giveaways that secure her a big lead in the class polls while RiPeppa sleeps in the teacher’s lounge.
After he wakes up and sees how well Kiff is doing, RiPeppa takes over the school’s P.A. System and announces a number of extravagant (and highly unlikely) campaign promises, including making everyday Friday. His numbers start to bounce back, and Kiff launches a campaign (that cites an earlier episode) about how he steals sandwiches from the faculty lounge refrigerator.
Trevor continues to suggest a savage ad campaign, and has even made a video. The video has a stuffed animal (that looks kind of like Candle) at a restaurant when Trevor (as a waiter) approaches and asks if the stuffed animal would like pepper. Throwing his voice, Trevor clearly makes the doll move and says “No, Peppa Stinks," thus launching the Peppa Stinks campaign plan.
Kiff does not approve of this ad, and pushes the Button campaign still but the students are bored. Inspired by earlier events, Kiff starts talking to the crowd in the debate as Taily, much to the crowd’s delight. Without Taily, everyone else is bored with what Kiff has to say. Even better, when RiPeppa tries to do a similar thing with his own tail, the students all hate it and how derivative it is.
The election takes place, and the winner is neither Kiff nor RiPeppa, but rather Taily, securing all but two of the votes from the class. “Taily" tries to give up the position to Kiff, but alas - the voters have spoken. Then, Taily says that her first act as president is to decree Kiff president instead. Since PS can’t find anything forbidding this, Kiff is now the class president.
Worse off for RiPeppa, now he gets to watch Kiff and Barry rolling around in their brand new ergonomic chair.
Cocina Island
In a very dramatic opening, we find Kiff staring at a puddle with a reflection of Barry saying that she thinks after all this time, their friendship is over. This happens very quickly before we flash back to several days earlier when Martin (Kiff’s Dad) has received a totally legitimate e-mail saying that he has won a free vacation to luxurious Cocina Island.
Kiff and Barry suggest that is in fact, a scam, but the email clearly specifies that it is NOT a scam, with Martin clicking a link and claiming his prize.
Surprisingly, it’s a genuine prize, and we find that Martin, Baryl, Kiff, and Barry are on their way to beautiful Cocina Island. On the boat to the destination, Kiff and Barry are creatively making backstories for the other passengers when one of their subjects overhears them. She gets closer and tells them that she and her best friend used to do that too, before the incident that separated such a strong friendship.
As they arrive, we discover that that woman is Rhonda, the resort manager (who sounds an awful lot like Judy Greer). She takes the Chatterleys (+ Barry) around the resort and to their hotel room, all while Martin confirms that this is all free. Kiff and Barry enjoy everything and do dinner with Kiff’s parents, even clinking their glasses - something that Rhonda and her former best friend used to do all the time. She even whispers in Kiff’s ear that friendships never last - only heartbreak does.
Barry asks Kiff’s mom for a nut so he can tip the piano player, and while he does that, we see Kiff pondering what is going on while Rhonda looks sadly at her.
Her paranoia growing, Kiff wakes up in the middle of the night to find Barry slowly coming back to the bedroom. But where was he? He even suggests he never left at all and Kiff is just being weird. That doesn’t make sense.
Kiff talks about this with her mother, who suggests Barry is on vacation, and must be letting himself loose, explaining the difference in how he is acting right now. Out by the pool, Barry falls asleep, clearly since he didn’t sleep last night, and Kiff sets off to find Rhonda to find out why she and her best friend had fallen out.
When she gets to the lobby though, all she finds is a giant puddle. The spectacular ice sculpture that was newly installed for their arrival has completely melted into a puddle. Who did this? They don’t know but Rhonda suggests that it must be someone staying at the hotel right now.
Considering Barry’s strange behavior…could it have been him? Later that night, Kiff has a nightmare and wakes up to find Barry with a hair dryer attached to a very long cable, remarking at how hot the device gets “melting his face off." Barry suggests some bedtime stories, and Kiff tells him she did something bad, eating numerous helpings of ice cream at the buffet because they were on vacation. This is clearly an attempt at getting him to admit something, but alas he didn’t say anything other than Kiff is good at telling bedtime stories.
When Barry falls asleep, Kiff locks the hair dryer in the safe. Later in the night, Barry wakes up again and checks that Kiff is still asleep before heading out into the night again. This time though, Kiff was covering her eyes with orange peels and followed him out of the hotel room. She unlocks the safe and discovers that he didn’t take the hair dryer with him so what is he doing?!
Back in the lobby, Kiff discovers the replacement ice sculpture melting, which brings us back to the opening scene…and adds on to what she said about the friendship ending is only something she would say "if I was completely crazy, but I'm only a little crazy".
But she won’t let up and plans to get Barry to admit to everything at dinner. At the restaurant, the family is together on their last night of the vacation, and Kiff has revealed a melting ice cube to show to Barry that she knows what he has been doing.
Rhonda sees this and gives Kiff and Barry a microphone so they can confront each other dramatically and publicly, like she wishes she and her friend would have. Kiff accuses Barry of melting the ice sculpture and Rhonda is excitedly ready to arrest Barry (citizen’s arrest, she’s not a cop or anything). Barry denies this, and while gently playing the piano explains that he’s been sneaking out at night to find a way to show the Chatterleys his thanks for letting them come on the trip. How? By learning to play the piano (which we have known he knows how to play though, thanks to a song from last season, but alas).
As it builds up and he starts to sing the song, the music drastically changes to a far more elementary way of playing the piano while Barry sings about being grateful.
But what about the ice sculpture? Duh. They’re on an island and it’s hot. That’s what keeps happening. Rhonda realizes this thanks to Martin and Kiff’s now fully melted ice cube. Rhonda quickly calls her friend to apologize after all this time, having clearly blamed her in the past.
This episode has been fun, but for some reason, it really makes us want to watch a series geared for adults called, The White Lotus. Hmmmm. (Insert thinking emoji here)
This episode of Kiff is now available on Disney Channel and the DisneyNOW app. You can also catch up with earlier episodes, streaming now on Disney+.