A Joyful Lens

"A Joyful Lens" is the seventh episode of season two of the Disney+ streaming television series The Mysterious Benedict Society and the fifteenth episode of the series overall. It was released on November 30, 2022.
==Synopsis==
After seeing the adults acting strangely, the kids spring into action. Curtain hosts a celebration.
==Plot==
Mr. Benedict cannot bring himself to poison Dr. Curtain who then leaves. Number Two enters and displays a happy disposition with Mr. Benedict realizing that she has been turned. Rhonda, Milligan, Reynie, and Kate enter the compound where the adults leave to get Mr. Benedict and Number Two, but Kate convinces Reynie that they should go looking for Constance and Sticky. Rhonda and Milligan find the house that Mr. Benedict and Number Two are in, but as they are distracted Auguste enters. Jeffers brings Sticky and Constance to Dr. Curtain. As Sticky calls Dr. Curtain a villain, he attempts to use the method on him.
Reynie and Kate continue to hide around the compound and spot Sticky and Constance, who are lead to their new house. Sticky reveals that he managed to avoid converting by doing long division in his head, but admits that he likes the new Constance. He has has Reynie and Kate put on disguises as they enter a meeting lead by Dr. Curtain who proudly announces that they will be opening more facilities around the world. As the kids notice that all the adults, including Ms. Perumal, have been converted, both Mr. Benedict and Dr. Curtain take notice of another member succumbing to the immobility. Dr. Curtain tells Mr. Benedict that everything is fine as the kids realize what has happened to the adults.
Mr. Benedict spies on Dr. Curtain talking with Jackson and Jillson about the "sleepers" and learns that similar responses have occurred around the world as well. He orders them to keep an eye on people who have started displaying symptoms, particularly a stiff neck, and to hide them. While Constance wanders off, Reynie, Kate, and Sticky see if they can reverse the effects. Having stolen Dr. Garrison's journal, they deduce that an intense flash of light is the solution and create a viewer. They use the device on Milligan, Ms. Perumal, Rhonda, and Number Two, who are all freed from the influence. As they attempt to use it on Mr. Benedict, Jackson and Jillson spot them and tackle Mr. Benedict, resulting in the viewer getting destroyed and Jillson breaking her arm.
Mr. Benedict, still under the influence, willingly goes with the group after they grab Constance and leave. As Dr. Curtain prepares himself for another televised special, he struggles to remain happy after having the knowledge of his faulty method. Kate and Milligan show up and knock him out before bagging him and tossing him into a van. The whole group manage to escape the compound as they try to figure out their next step. In the middle of the night, a restless Mr. Benedict begins to suffer from a stiff neck.
==Cast==
*Tony Hale as Nicholas Benedict/L.D. Curtain
*Kristen Schaal as Number Two
*MaameYaa Boafo as Rhonda Kazembe
*Ryan Hurst as Milligan Wetherall
*Gia Sandhu as Dipika Perumal
*Mystic Inscho as Reynie Muldoon
*Seth Carr as Sticky Washington
*Emmy DeOliveira as Kate Wetherall
*Marta Kessler as Constance Contraire
===Guest-starring===
*Katherine Evans as Jillson
*Ben Cockell as Jackson
*Jed Rees as Jeffers
*Reece Noi as Marlon
===Co-starring===
*Rubén Guevara as Sebastian
*Steve Kehala as Enzo AKA Delivery Driver
*Kannon Hicks as Auguste
==Songs==
*"Sailing" by Christopher Cross
*"Double Vision" by Foreigner
*"Candida" by Tony Orlando and Dawn
==Trivia==
*The episode's title comes from Dr. Curtain attempting to motivate himself. It was also said in "Blank Expression" by Auguste.
==Book comparisons==
*Kate uses Duskwort to knock out Dr. Curtain. In the book, Duskwort played a bigger role, with it being the focal point of Mr. Curtain's evil plan.
==External links==
*A Joyful Lens at The Mysterious Benedict Society Wiki
Category:The Mysterious Benedict Society episodes