Bright (episode)

Bright is the second episode of season one of the Netflix series Julie and the Phantoms. It is directed by Kenny Ortega and written by David Hoge and Dan Cross.

Premise
When Julie starts singing again, the boys and her best friend Flynn encourage her to fight for her spot in the school music program.

Plot
After Julie plays the piano and sings for the first time in a year, Luke, Alex and Reggie are shocked that she kept her musical talent from them and consider asking her to join their band. Flynn, Julie’s best friend, is happy that Julie played and sang again since her mother’s passing, but is also stressed out because they are no longer in the music program together. The pair figures something out to get Julie back in the program.

Meanwhile, Julie’s dad, Ray, takes photos of the house and studio to post on a real estate site. The family is looking to move because of the many memories of their beloved mother and wife that hurt Julie so much she is unable to move on. The photos of the studio, however, have white orbs in them. This sets Julie’s little brother, Carlos, on a search to prove that these orbs are, in fact, ghosts.

The boys teleport to the beach where Reggie’s parents used to live. They find that his whole neighborhood is gone. At the beach, slices of the boys’ troubled histories are revealed: Alex’s parents “were never the same” since he came out as gay, Reggie’s parents were on the verge of a divorce, and Luke’s parents regretted getting him a guitar. The boys also mention their old bandmate Bobby — how he lucked out of the street dogs that killed them — and assume he “got old and moved on”. During a speech to motivate his friends, Luke wishes for his guitar and it suddenly appears in his hands. When Reggie comically fails to summon a list of things he wished for, Luke theorises that their instruments are connected to their souls, making it easy for the three as ghosts to hold them (unlike tangible things in the real world) and how they are also invisible to others, as the trio are. Luke then plays the guitar and Alex improvises the beats to sing “This Band is Back” to cheer up Reggie. When the boys play music and sing, people can hear them but cannot see them.

At the Molina home, Luke persuades Julie to perform a song in front of her music teacher, Ms. Harrison, to convince her to allow Julie back in the program, but Julie reveals that her spot has since been filled. Luke is undeterred, motivating her (with comically violent analogies) to perform even without permission. He hands her a Sunset Curve song that he wrote but was never recorded, “Bright”, as he thinks it is perfect for her range. At the school’s spirit rally, Julie and Flynn’s rival, Carrie, performs “Wow” with her musical group, Dirty Candy. Afterwards, as the school starts to disperse, Julie comes onstage with some encouragement from the guys and begins performing “Bright”. When Julie finishes the pre-chorus, the band suddenly appears onstage with her, playing their own instruments, and equipped with amps and microphones. This grabs the school’s attention, as well as the attention of Principal Lessa and Mrs. Harrison, irritating Carrie. When students begin making eye contact with the boys, they realise that they are visible to everyone when they perform. Mid-performance, Julie walks through Luke, sparking the curiosity of the audience even more. Once the performance ends, the band vanishes, leaving everyone speechless and looking to Julie to explain the sudden appearance and disappearance of her mysterious band.

Cast

 * Madison Reyes as Julie Molina
 * Charlie Gillespie as Luke Patterson
 * Owen Patrick Joyner as Alex
 * Jeremy Shada as Reggie
 * Jadah Marie as Flynn
 * Sacha Carlson as Nick
 * Savannah Lee May as Carrie Wilson
 * Carlos Ponce as Ray Molina
 * Sonny Bustamante as Carlos Molina
 * Victoria Caro as Kayla
 * Sofia Khachi as Dirty Candy singer #2
 * Halle Gall as Dirty Candy singer #3
 * Kyra Leroux as Dirty Candy singer #4
 * Marci T. House as Mrs. Harrison
 * Denise Jones as Principal Lessa
 * Jerry Yang as Know-it-all guy
 * Jaron Scot Melanson as AV student
 * James Hibbard as Janitor #1
 * Amna Elmahdi as Flynn’s dance double

Trivia

 * Julie is seen performing the titular song in a camo jumpsuit, which pays homage to the actress Madison Reyes’s mother, Sergeant Reyes, who has been serving in the Army Reserve for 19 years.
 * Alex’ s love of dancing is revealed in this episode, where he shows interest in and imitates Carrie’s dance moves. He joins Carrie’s dance performance in “Finally Free”.

Songs
“Wow” — Performed by Dirty Candy, led by Carrie Wilson

“Bright” — Performed by Julie & Sunset Curve (not yet called “Julie and the Phantoms”)