| Madeline at the Hotel Riche | |
|---|---|
| Vital Statistics | |
| Season | 3 |
| Writer(s) | Shelley Zellman |
| Original Release | November 24, 2000 |
| Previous Episode | Madeline at Versailles |
| Next Episode | Madeline on Stage |
Madeline at the Hotel Riche is the twelfth episode of the third season of Madeline TV series.
Summary[]
The girls and Miss Clavel stay in a rich hotel while the pipes in the Paris boarding school are being mended.
Plot[]
The Girls return to the boarding school after an afternoon walk. As usual, they break their bread, and brush their teeth...only to be shocked when the pipes break and water erupts into the bathroom. Ms. Clavel calls a plumber, who informs them he must replace the whole pipe network. Ms. Clavel calls Lord Cucuface who invites the Group to stay at the Hotel Riche until the pipes have been replaced.
The Girls are excited to visit the hotel, but Ms. Clavel urgently informs them that they must tone down their behavior. She explains that the Hotel Riche is very high class and their stay will affect Lord Cucuface's reputation. The Girls agree and imagine being wealthy (Danielle sees herself arriving places in a limo, Nicole thinks about buying every fancy food in a bakery and Madeline remembers flying her old prop plane). She then declares that money is meaningless compared to having fun, to which Clavel begs her to not be disruptive.
The Group arrives by taxi at the Hotel Riche and are immidiately impressed by its grandness. Outside they meet a street girl named Cecile playing an accordion. The Girls like her song, compliment her and give her some money. Ms. Clavel calls them and they head inside, albeit having trouble, then fun with the revolving door. This earns them scornful looks from the hotel staff and Ms. Clavel reminds them to dial it back.
The Group passes through the boutique at the Hotel with Danielle stopping to marvel at an antique doll. Ms. Clavel tells her it's too expensive, much to her disappointment. The Girls then encounter another girl at the elevator who is quite rich and elegant. She has a pet doberman hound. Danielle says hello, but the girl ignores her, once again, much to her disappointment. The girl seems regretful that she didn't engage with the Group, but her doberman pulls her on.
The Girls then arrive at the Imperial Suite, Lord Cucuface's personal retreat at the Hotel Riche. It's as big as a penthouse with plenty of room for everyone. Madeline thanks the bellhop with a handshake, much to his chagrin as he was expecting a tip. Lord Cucuface then arrives as another couple who was touring the suite leaves. They are a foreign duchess and duke visiting Paris who Cucuface is trying to impress. However, the only thing on their mind is getting him out of the suite.
The Girls go about marveling at the amenities of the suite, from the packaged soaps to the king-sized bathtub. However, Madeline is feeling homesick. She elects to go exploring in the hall after everyone has gone to sleep. She sees that the other guests have put their shoes out to be shinned. To entertain herself, she rearranges them by color.
The next morning the Girls sneak out of the suite before Ms. Clavel has woken to go exploring. They see a commotion in the hall, the other guests are quite angered as their shoes are completely mismatched. Madeline feels embarrassed and the Girls quietly slip by. They go to enjoy the hotel's amenities, getting their hair curled and toes pedicured at the salon, swimming in the pool (annoying the other guests in the process), and ordering drinks by the poolside.
Madeline and the Girls start to really have fun in the Hotel, only for Ms. Clavel to warn them that their shenanigans could have Lord Cucuface banned from the Hotel. Indeed, the hotel's management has begun to become annoyed with Cucuface, causing him embarrassment. Chloe asks Madeline what they can do now that they've been warned, to which Madeline suggests they play hide and seek, believing it won't bother anyone. They then see the fancy girl who ignored them earlier sitting alone and looking quite bored. Madeline asks if she'd like to play with them, to which she says she can't play with children she doesn't know. The Girls quickly solve this problem by introducing themselves and the girl introduces herself as Collette and is excited to play with them. The Girls play a short game hide and seek, with Collette nearly knocking over a statue and losing her diamond necklace.
Later that night, the Girls are fooling around at dinner in the dinning hall and invite Collette to join them. The Duke and Duchess are sitting nearby. The Duchess is displeased with her cake and orders the waiter to get rid of it. Madeline then notices that the wait staff are throwing a lot of uneaten food out a nearby window. She and Genevieve investigate and realize that Cecile and her parents are collecting the food as they have no money to buy their own dinner.
Madeline tells the other girls who gladly donate the rest of their dinner to send to Cecile and her parents. They order everything off the menu in multiple courses and the Hotel's violinist discretely drops it down to Cecile. That night, Madeline cannot sleep as she's thinking of Cecile's plight living on the streets of Paris. The next morning Collette runs into the room in panic. She's realized that her necklace is missing and fears that her Mother won't let her play with them anymore as punishment. To make matters worse, the Hotel management has had it with the Girls' frolicking and boots Lord Cucuface from the suite.
The Girls organize a search for the necklace. They nearly tear the hotel apart trying to find it. Danielle asks Collette where she last saw the necklace, and Collette remembers she saw it when they played hide and seek. Danielle works backwards and finds the necklace on the statue near the elevator. Collette is so thankful that she buys Danielle the doll she liked.
Fortunately, Ms. Clavel receives a call that the pipes have been fixed at the old house and everyone is excited to return home. On the way out the Girls apologize to Lord Cucuface for getting him thrown out of the Hotel Riche. He is quite depressed over the Hotel's decision. After having fun with the revolving door again, the Girls say goodbye to Collette on the street. Danielle says she respectfully envies Collette for her wealthy lifestyle, but Collette tells her it's not all fun, and she envies the Girls for having each other.
Madeline goes to say goodbye to Cecile, complimenting her for her music. Danielle then difficultly decides to give Cecile her new doll. Cecile is so grateful she names the doll after Danielle. Madeline then informs Cecile that she spoke with the hotel manager who has agreed to hire her as a contract musician for the hotel. She also introduces Cecile to Collette so she will no longer be lonely. The manager is so moved by the Girls' kindness that he invites Lord Cucuface back to the hotel. By now the manager has become fed up with the Duke and Duchess' snobbishness and places them in the cheapest room.
The Girls all say goodbye to their new friends and head home.
Characters[]
- Twelve little girls
- Miss Clavel
- Hotel Owner
- Lord Cucuface
- Colette
- Cecile
- Duke and Duchess
- Various unnamed guests