The Baby-Sitters Club Finale Recap: Which Girl Makes a Life-Changing Decision? — Plus, Grade the Episode!

Stoneybrook revives its long-dormant Baby Parade in The Baby-Sitters Club‘s Season 2 finale, giving the BSC members a perfect opportunity to show off both their creative (looking at you, Claudia!) and kid-wrangling talents. Because could there be a group of middle-schoolers more perfectly poised to pull off an excellent float featuring all of their favorite charges?

You’d think, right? But the girls’ project is an unmitigated disaster, from the muddled concept to the armhole-missing costumes to the papier-maché that doesn’t quite dry in time for the event. Even worse, the BSC members — normally so harmonious — can’t come together on pretty much anything parade-related. In the end, though, they do and all is well (but that Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe float is still not their best work. Yeah, we said it.)

But the parade is really just a backdrop for another Kristy episode, and it’s a good one. Liz and Watson have basically given up on getting pregnant, which is sad — especially when she gets word that her ex-husband and his new girlfriend have had a baby together, and all three of them are planning a visit. But Mama Thomas says she’s OK and waxes nostalgic about how Kristy won the Baby Parade contest back when she was a wee one. Turns out, Watson won in his day, too, and now they’re both going to ride a float together during the event.

On the day of the parade, though, Kristy’s dad cancels his visit last-minute, which pushes Watson over the edge. He angrily calls out Liz’s ex, reminding everyone of the many times he has let his kids down; when Kristy tries to see her dad’s side, even Mary Anne is like, “Nope. He’s a loser.”

“I want this family to be our family. One family. I want us to be us,” Watson tells Liz and her kids, who find that they rather like the idea of becoming full-fledged Brewers. “I love you,” Kristy tells her stepfather, crying, as she hugs him.

“So, I got to spend the afternoon with my dad after all,” Kristy says as the episode winds down. “My real dad.” Sniff!

Your turn now! Grade the finale and the season as a whole via the polls below, then hit the comments with your thoughts!