Story:	Lois Bromfield, Pamela Pettler
Teleplay:	Pamela Pettler
Director:	John Bowab
Star:	Crystal Grant (Sierra Jennings),  Alecia Elliott (Alecia Alcott),  Marieh Delfino (Niki Merrick),  Alicia Lagano (Cristina (Cris) Castelli)
Recurring Role:	Mark Correy (Barista),  Eddie Matos (Steven Castelli)
Guest Star:	Joel Anderson (Charlie Alcott),  Shannon O'Hurley (Donna Alcott),  Justin Cooper (Mike Alcott),  Christopher Khayman Lee (Lucas),  Scott Henry (Mr. Henley),  Barry Livingston (Mr. Wermakowski),  Kavan Reese (Riley),  Bryan Burke (Joe Castelli),  Jhoanna Trias (Girl)

Barry Livingston, who plays Mr. Wermakowski, is a veteran actor who has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, but he is still best remembered for his role as Ernie Douglas, one of the sons on My Three Sons, a 1960's sitcom. (edit) Going by the production numbers, it seems that this may actually have been the pilot episode of the series, with some new footage added so the characters could "flash back" to the original show. (edit) NBC seemed to forget that it is November 11, 2001 and not October 2001. Most of the NBC ads were for events from the previous month. Plus one ad stated that the viewers were watching Crossing Jordan instead of All About Us. Also, the promo for the next episode, "Sweet Little Lies," described it as "all new" when in fact it was first broadcast last August. (edit) A B.J. Armstrong Chicago Bulls jersey can be seen in the background during the party scenes. (edit) Alecia Elliot sings a more complete version of the show's theme song, "Brand New Day." Here are the lyrics:
Hey this ain't no dress rehearsal, no
Ain't no preview for the show
This is my life in color black and white
Got your highs and lows
Baby I'll take ins and outs and ups and downs
Cuz I know tomorrow when the stars all fade
Hey hey it's a brand new day
Times are changin' and I do believe I see a ray of light
Why shouldn't I electrify
Gotta get up and get goin'
Say it's a brand new day (edit)

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The girls sit around reminiscing, intercut with flashback scenes. After one of these scenes, Sierra and Alecia have switched places on the couch. (edit) Mikey, in the room with his sister Alecia, is watching the Weather Channel, which says the temperature is 30 degrees. He goes to the window, holds out his hand, and apparently catches a few snowflakes, causing him to say "Cool!" But of course, there is an episode called "First Snow" which takes place after this one in which Alecia supposedly experiences her first snowfall in her new Chicago home. (edit)

Niki: ...we've come a long way, baby.

"You've come a long way, baby" was an advertising slogan for a brand of cigarettes called Virginia Slims that were first marketed in the 1960's. Their advertisements contrasted the modern, active, "liberated" woman with women from the turn of the century for whom smoking was a taboo. In later years when the health risks of smoking were better known, the cigarette's image suffered. Feminists didn't like the association with the women's movement they thought Virginia Slims was attempting to suggest. Also, their sponsorship of women's professional tennis events became a subject of great controversy. (edit) Lucas: ...yeah, you can just keep moving from school to school, kind of like a scholastic Fugitive.

The Fugitive was a TV series that ran from 1963 to 1967 and starred David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimball. In it, Dr. Kimball was unjustly convicted of murdering his wife, but then escaped from custody and conducted a desperate search for her real killer while trying to avoid a police lieutenant who pursued him relentlessly. A popular movie version of the story was released in 1993 starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones as the main characters, and another short-lived TV series of the same name appeared in 2000. It starred Timothy Daly.The inspiration for the story goes back to Victor Hugo's classic 1862 novel Les Miserables. (Yes, it's the same one the modern-day musical is based on.) In that story, a man named Jean Valjean steals a loaf of bread to feed his hungry family and is given a lengthy prison sentence. He escapes from his jail and leads an exemplary life, becoming a benefactor of mankind, but he is doggedly pursued for decades by the obsessive policeman Javert. (edit) Niki: OK, since we have an extra ticket, my honey will come with us to the Blink concert.

A reference to musical group Blink-182, a "post-punk" trio from the San Diego area whse big breakthrough came in 1999 with their multi-million-seling release Enema of the State. (edit)