"Gem Day" is the first segment of the 7th and final episode of the seventh season of Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, and the 88th overall episode in the series. It premiered on August 27, 2019.
Synopsis[]
Poppy accidentally loses Branch's Troll Gem and it gets destroyed, but King Peppy has an idea to put things right.
Plot[]
Poppy starts the episode explaining to the young Trolls about Troll Gems, which are special gems that every Troll has. When the Troll gets their first hair, it is cut and then planted and fertilized by the joy received throughout the Troll's life. As the Troll becomes joyful, the plant grows until it blooms, producing a unique Troll Gem. After this, Poppy's duty is to present the gem to the Troll in front of the entire village. The kids ask when they will get theirs, and Poppy explains most Trolls get theirs around the kids' age, though she notes it sometimes takes longer. Poppy is asked if it is true that the Gem glows when it hears its owner sing, and she demonstrates such thing.
At this moment, Branch enters the scene, asking if Poppy has heard the news: Meadow Spriggs said his Gem sprouted that morning. He is getting a Troll Gem, despite being the village grouch and Poppy corrects him by stating he is actually the village grump. She notes as they talk to the kids that Branch is a "late bloomer". Branch can't believe it, as it means he is a joyful person and Poppy is proud of him. She wants the Gem Day ceremony to show how big a deal this is for him that night. Branch tries to look humble, but it is really a big deal for him.
At Sky Toronto's factory, Sky is getting things ready for Branch's Gem Day ceremony. Poppy is shown cupcakes with gems on them that are a replica of Branch's. Poppy says they are the perfect Gem Day dessert, but Sky notes these are the invites, and every one of them has a gummy replica of Branch's gem on it. Poppy picks one up, and notes how alike it is to the real gem; the gummy gem slips and knocks the real one out of Poppy's hand, landing into the bowl of gummy gems. She walks away, slips, and the gummy gem switch is revealed to her horror. Before she can retrieve the real gem, the invites have been shipped.
Poppy is with Cooper and Smidge, trying to find the gem before it ruins Branch's special day. Cooper uses a megaphone to alert everyone to the issue, but Poppy stops him as she doesn't want Branch to know she lost the gem. The trio split up and begin to inspect cupcakes, squeezing the gummy gems to see if any of them is the real one. Eventually, Poppy sees Biggie, who attempts to feed his invitation cupcake to Mr. Dinkles. Poppy panics and slaps the cupcake out of his hand; Branch notices it and questions why she did it. Everyone gasps, but Poppy comes up with an excuse that this is the latest trend, making everyone slap their cupcakes out of each other's hands. Poppy realizes she just made finding the gem much harder.
They employ DJ Suki, who plays one of Branch's songs. The gem reacts to hearing Branch's voice and glows; they locate it with ease. Their celebration doesn't last long as Biggie appears and slaps the cupcake away, sending the gem into a tree. Biggie doesn't understand why the gem shattered but runs off happy, oblivious to breaking Branch's Gem. Cooper states it may be alright. A branch falls on the gem, Cooper repeats himself and then a bird lands on it. They stop Cooper from talking. Poppy rushes to inspect the gem, which has now been crushed into pieces.
King Peppy appears and explains that there is still hope; they can get another cutting of his hair and regrow the Gem. However, in order to do this, Branch must receive a burst of joy like he has never felt before. Peppy then goes back into the shadows.
That evening at the ceremony, Branch is already in his ceremonial gown, and is getting anxious waiting for Poppy and the rest of his friends. Poppy shows up, telling him that she wants a photo of this moment; she gets Branch to back near a bush, and while she does so DJ takes a piece of his hair. Branch feels the plucking of his hair but doesn't know what is going on. Poppy uses the zoom on the camera to see DJ plant the hair, and give her a thumbs up.
Branch states the photo made him feel good after Poppy compliments him, to which Smidge and Cooper awkward him out trying to give additional compliments. They change tactics and get a Cuddlepup and a Troll baby to say they love him, but this just confuses him. In desperation, they get out feathers and tickle him. There's a brief reaction from his hair, but it ceases when he tells them to stop and asks why they are acting strange.
Poppy has to confess she lost his gem and found it again, but then it was smashed. Branch is sad that his gem is gone, but Poppy tries to cheer him up by saying he can't have a Troll Gem ceremony without a gem, offering hers instead to make him realize all he has achieved. Branch pushes it away, as it's important to her and she can't accept it. Smidge says that Branch is right, then offers her Gem in its place instead; this is followed by Cooper and DJ. They state he's the last Troll who should go without a Gem. The sentimentality of their offerings touches Branch; he feels a burst of joy, and a new gem grows.
The ceremony goes ahead, and Poppy presents the gem to Branch in front of the village, saying that it's her honor as his queen and friend to give him his gem. Branch sings, leading a procession as other Trolls lift up their gems and sing along, filling the air with singing and glowing gems.
Cast[]
- Amanda Leighton as Queen Poppy
- Skylar Astin as Branch
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Smidge and Rufus
- Fryda Wolff as DJ Suki, Satin & Chenille and Dr. Moonbloom
- Sean T. Krishnan as Guy Diamond
- Ron Funches as Cooper
- David Fynn as Biggie
- Gary Cole as Sky Toronto
- David Kaye as King Peppy
- Kyla Carter as CJ Suki
- Abby Ryder Fortson as Priscilla
- Declan Churchill Carter as Keith
- Kari Wahlgren as Bella Brightly, Harper and Ripley Wisp
- Other
Songs[]
- "Vocalize The Gem"
Physical distribution[]
This episode is available on the "Trolls: The Beat Goes On! - Complete Seasons 5-8" DVD.
Trivia[]
- The Gems in this episode are based on named ones posted on the Trolls Facebook account:
- The Gem Day event is the Trolls "coming of age" ceremony, which normally marks when a child is recognized as an adult in real life.
- This is one of the episodes in the story arc of Branch becoming a Troll again.
- Poppy's gem is shaped like a heart. When she hands it to Branch this carries a secondary meaning; she's metaphorically giving Branch her heart. This was one of the subtle hints the series made about the relationship of Poppy and Branch.
- This episode marks the fourth time where Poppy has blundered and lost an item in the series, the first three happening in "Bellow Bug Day", "Fluffleberry Quest" and "Dark Side Of The Lagoon". Coincidentally, the three episodes focused on the Poppy-Branch relationship in one way or another.
- A storyboard animatic version of the Gem Day ceremony was uploaded online.[1]