Ep 2. 8B

The Electric Company was a children's educational television show that aired from 1971 to 1977. The show aimed to teach children aged 6 to 10 how to read through sketches, cartoons, and songs that emphasized phonics and grammar. The show starred a diverse cast of children and adults who used their literacy skills to defeat villains who tried to mangle the English language.

Season 1, Episode 2 of The Electric Company is called "8B." The show opens with the Electric Company's official song playing over a montage of shots of busy New York City streets, and then the camera cuts to the Electric Company's headquarters, which is housed in a brightly colored building. In this episode, the Electric Company team tries to recruit a new member, and in order to do so, they hold auditions for a job opening at the company.

The auditions take place in a variety of places throughout the episode, including the Electric Company headquarters and on location throughout the city. The auditions include a series of tests to see if the candidates are capable of using their literacy skills to work at the Electric Company.

One of the first candidates is an older man who can't seem to get a handle on phonics, which is one of the key skills needed to work at the Electric Company. Another candidate, a young woman, struggles with grammar, and yet another candidate, a boy, struggles with spelling. As they try to pass these tests, the candidates are shown struggling with their own literacy skills while the Electric Company team looks on, encouraging them to keep trying.

The next audition comes in the form of a challenge: the Electric Company team asks the candidates to complete a series of word puzzles that will test their ability to use phonics, grammar, and spelling. One of the puzzles involves rearranging letters to spell a word, and another involves decoding a sentence that has had its words scrambled. Although some of the candidates are intimidated by the complexity of the puzzles, some of the candidates, like a young girl, are able to complete them with ease.

One of the candidates, a young boy, is brought in for his interview, and he impresses the Electric Company team with his reading skills. However, the boy seems to be more interested in impressing the Electric Company team with his acting skills than he is in using his literacy skills to help the team stop the villains of The Electric Company.

Throughout the entire episode, the Electric Company team is shown using their own literacy skills to foil the villains of the show. One of the villains, the Prankster, is shown trying to steal the letter "B" from all of the signs in the city so that people will have to say "ate" instead of "ate bee." Another villain, the Spell Binder, tries to create a spell that will remove all of the vowels from the English language. The Electric Company team must use their literacy skills to stop these villains from mucking up the English language.

At the end of the episode, the Electric Company team is still in search of a new member. They interview one last candidate, a young girl who struggles with reading, and she seems to connect with the team on a personal level. In the final moments of the episode, the Electric Company team invites her to join the team, and she happily accepts.

Overall, The Electric Company was a groundbreaking show that used humor, music, and engaging storylines to teach children how to read. Season 1, Episode 2 "8B" is an excellent example of how the show appealed to children while teaching them important literacy skills.