"A Period Piece" is the first segment of the fourth episode of the second season of The Ghost and Molly McGee, and the forty-sixth episode overall.
It premiered early on April 2, 2023 on Disney+, and had its official premiere on April 22, 2023 simultaneously on Disney Channel and Disney XD, alongside "It's Always Sunny in Sunnyland".[1]
Synopsis
When Libby gets her period before Molly does, the latter feels out of sync with her best friend.[1]
Plot
Molly is excited to have a sleepover with her friends Libby and Andrea, the latter of whom she invited out of goodwill. Libby arrives but is nervous as the last time she had a sleepover was at Andrea's house which led to an unelaborated incident. Andrea arrives, much to Molly's joy, but Libby runs to the bathroom where she ends up freaking out. Molly is confused about Libby's behavior before Andrea tells her that Libby is experiencing her first menstrual cycle. Andrea further tells Molly that she's had hers for three months and asks her to provide any sanitary products for Libby. Andrea also gives Libby a spare set of pajamas to wear and starts acting closer to her. As Molly rushes to find sanitary products, she learns from Pete that they are completely out. Out of sympathy, Pete decides to go to the store to get more, while Scratch tags along to get snacks. Meanwhile, Darryl is making strange deals over the phone.
Pete nervously buys as many hygiene products as he can get while Scratch tricks him into buying snacks for him, under the guise that it is coincidental. Molly tries to hang out with Libby and Andrea, but the two of them begin talking about werewolf movies and other in-jokes that Molly fails to pick up on. Feeling that they are being more adult than her, Molly misinterprets Darryl's transactions over the phone as an idea to act like a grown up to keep up with her friends. She throws away her kid things and decides to make herself up so that she can look more "adult-like," which means putting on tons of makeup and wearing her mother's clothes. She presents her "new" self to Libby and Andrea who are confused by her behavior, though they are amused at her charcuterie platter.
Molly's entire ruse falls apart from the flash from Andrea's phone when she snaps a pic and she spills her snacks all over Libby and Andrea. She frantically admits that she feels less of a grown-up to them and proceeds to leave, only for the two of them to stop her. Andrea then tells Molly that all girls' bodies develop at their own pace and that she does not need to feel left out simply because she hasn't experienced menarche yet. Libby and Andrea agree to be more inclusive with her and not make her feel left out. Just then, Pete and Scratch finally returns from the store with way too many sanitary products and snacks to the point that it filled up the car. Before Pete could do anything about it, Darryl comes up and now wants to use the snacks for his next business transaction over the phone.
Cast
- Ashly Burch as Molly McGee
- Lara Jill Miller as Libby Stein-Torres
- Jules Medcraft as Andrea Davenport
- Dana Snyder as Scratch
- Jordan Klepper as Pete McGee
- Sumalee Montano as Sharon McGee
- Michaela Dietz as Darryl McGee
Additional voices
- Rob Cantor as Collin
- Jules Medcraft as Movie Girlfriend
- Dana Snyder as Shopper
Songs
Titles in other languages
| Language | Title | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Spanish (Latin America)
|
Un periodo especial | A special period | |
 Spanish
|
Un periodo especial | A special period | |
 Japanese
|
大人の仲間入り | Joining the Ranks of Adults |
Trivia
- Morals:
- Everyone grows at different rates and not everyone can be expected to change at a certain age, so it's best not to feel pressured about your future and enjoy your youth while you can.
- No matter how grown-up you may seem, you still have that inner child.
- This episode marks the end of Libby and Andrea's status as enemies.
- This episode is the fifth Disney production to include the topic of menstruation, following the 1946 film The Story of Menstruation, the Sydney to the Max episode "Girls II Women", the 2022 film Turning Red, and the Baymax! episode "Sofia".
- TV Listing Websites like Zap2It and TVPassport erroneously list the episode as "A Period Place".
Revelations and significant events
- Libby experiences menarche during her sleepover with Molly and Andrea.
- Andrea herself experienced menarche three months prior.
- Molly has no knowledge about menstruation.
Continuity
- Molly throws Baby Jessie out of the window before slowly closing it, a callback to a scene from "Scare Tactics".
- Molly asks if Libby's "Aunt Flo" (a euphemism for menstruation) attended the latter's bat mitzvah in "Mazel Tov, Libby!".
Production notes
- Although this episode premiered in the United States in April of 2023, it was actually produced in 2022 according to the credits.
Allusions
- Period piece - The title "A Period Piece" is a pun on this type of dramatic work.
- Andy Williams - The song "Sleepover Night" resembles this singer's 1963 song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".
- Always - The Forever brand of sanitary napkins seems to reference this brand of feminine hygiene products.
- Tampax - The boxes of tampons at Brighton Bargain Bag closely resemble the packaging of this brand.
- Five Nights at Freddy's - One of Molly's stuffed animals bears a strong resemblance to the titular character from this horror video game franchise.
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 April 2023 Programming Highlights. Disney General Entertainment (March 20, 2023). Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved on March 20, 2023.
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 25, 2023). Showbuzz Daily's Saturday 4.22.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals. Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved on December 26, 2023.