Kid Nation - Episode 7

Red team member Divad is Upper Class and so has time on her hands. She is selling treats from a snack stand she has set up. Sophia objects to Divad using the communal food for her business but Divad seems to be fulfilling a need, as business is brisk. Fellow Red Jared’s objections come from a darker place, most likely envy that he didn’t think of the idea first. He destroys the stand and its goods when no one is around. Welcome to Day 20 in Bonanza City.

The town council consults the pioneer journal. It contains this howler: “In our Bonanza City, we all waited for boom times, when one of our miners struck gold. Then our leaders would split up and decide who got what.”

Our pioneer journalist isn’t very literate, is he, children? Perhaps he spent so much time developing his beautiful handwriting that there wasn’t any time left to study things like syntax. Perhaps the journalist truly was one of the ones who waited for boom times – not one of the ones who mined for gold. But about those leaders splitting up – once they split up, how did the town decide which ones were still leaders and which ones were now followers? But what the heck; nothing embodies the concept of communal wealth in my mind better than the image of a frontier mining town, know what I mean?

The journal contains a map to an old mine. Without alerting the town, the councilors traipse out into the hills, with visions of “tons of gold the size of this room” dancing in their fevered brains. When they find the mine, they know it's the right one by the two lanterns waiting at the entrance. In they go. When out they come, they bring with them a chest containing 375 nickles. No wonder the town failed, if $18.75 constituted a treasure. But wait: if we adjust the treasure for inflation it was probably worth a thousand dollars! That's $25 per kid. You could take a friend to a movie on that!

The councilors discuss what to do with the wealth. They quickly discard the idea of giving equal shares to everyone. As Laurel says, “If we gave it around to Bonanza City, people would just spend it all on stupid, stupid things.” They decide to spend it on things to “benefit the community.” Zack says, “I think that choice is everything in a democracy, but it’s still important for the smarter people to make the right choice.”

I guess Zack is unclear on "everything" as a concept. And that choice thing - I think that's Genesis, not the Declaration of Independence. And, who says who the smart ones are, Zack? Who determines what the right choice is? Great object lesson on wht democracies need to unseat the government from time to time just on principle. See, Zack, what has happened to you is what happens to all politicians. They get elected for whatever reason and then take their election as validation of some innate superiority.

Back in town the councilors call a meeting, tell the kids about the journal and the mine and give them what they bought with the town's money; bats, balls, kites and some musical instruments. The kids, starved for play things, erupt in cheers.

As they go out to play, Nathan is the only kid who goes back to work (and gets called a nerd for his conscientiousness). Laurel takes him aside and tries to talk him into chilling and acting more like a kid. Nathan reveals he is home-schooled (looks to me like his parents are doing a remarkable job) and he’s just doing what he was raised to do.

We get shots of Nathan, Pharaoh and Divad working hard around town. Laundry seems to be a sore spot. Nathan butts heads with Greg on a daily basis.

Show down time. Teams will launch gold-painted raw chicken eggs over a wall using a stationary sling-shot device. On the other side of the wall two team members must catch the eggs in a large cushion. If 4 dozen or more are caught collectively, the town gets a prize.

Red, poorly directed during the competition by Guylan, only has 5 eggs. Green does 1 better, and it’s enough to save them from being Laborers for a 4th time. Yellow has a respectable 18 and Blue gets the town the communal prize with an amazing 38 unbroken eggs.

The prize is coin operated washer-dryers, which will cost town members 20 cents a load, or a new set of clothes and hand-operated washer/ringer machines. The council chooses the later.

Jared goes into business for himself. Using a magnifying glass, bits of wood and string, he makes necklaces with Bonanza City 2007 burned into the wooden pendants. He uses the money to buy a new outfit and winds up looking like a circa 1870 pimp.

It’s night and Nathan is still working on the laundry. Guylan goes out and orders him to go to bed. As Nathan gets under his covers, nemesis Greg asks to talk to him. We are surprised when Greg praises Nathan for his work ethic (as opposed to all the others who criticize Nathan for not being a kid).

The council asks town members for input on who should get the gold star. Divad is dismissed for being so transparent in her desire to have the council notice her work and kindness. Pharaoh has been working hard and cheerfully and is the front runner. Then Greg nominates Nathan. The nomination shocks the council. “Greg hates Nathan, on a normal basis,” Anjay tells us.

At the town meeting the council gets a unanimous endorsement, Divad gets a dressing down for openly campaigning for the gold star, and Nathan, primarily based on Greg’s recommendation, is awarded the gold star.