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Holy banana bread!
The personalities in Bonanza City are becoming clearer as Kid Nation moves past the halfway point. But, just as in the outside world, personalities are more complex than they seem at first, and many of the pioneers have changed since the experiment started. Early on, Greg seemed to be a hot-headed fifteen-year-old, and he still acts that way at times, but he’s much more than that. He’s like a big brother to many of the smaller kids, and he’s also willing to admit when he makes a mistake. His apology to Nathan on tonight’s episode was very moving and very mature, and I think it meant a lot to Nathan, who said he doesn’t consider himself an outsider but is obviously different from many of his fellow citizens of Bonanza.

As for the always unpredictable Jared, well, that was the fastest turnaround I’ve seen. One minute he was destroying Divad’s makeshift emporium, and shortly after that he was apologizing and accepting a hug from her. As for Divad’s ill-conceived campaign for the Gold Star, I think she would have been better off without the posters and the free treats. Few people were going to nominate her after such self-promotion, and most of them seemed to think that the money she was making off her enterprise was its own reward. It was just a few extra buffalo nickels, not $20,000, but in Bonanza that can mean almost the same thing.

This episode was supposed to be about how money changes everything, but who could have predicted the town’s reaction when the council members announced that a windfall they had uncovered had been spent on toys and games for everyone, rather than being distributed among the pioneers? I don’t think even the council expected the cheering and jubilation. I give credit to the kids themselves, because they make all the decisions and are in control of their own actions. Nobody is forcing anyone to be generous, and no one is being forced to accept losing the Showdown gracefully, but they always seem to find a way to do just that.

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