Freaks and Geeks – Summer DVD Review – Pilot

freaks & geeks

Freaks and Geeks
Pilot

Original Air Date: Sep 25, 1999

Valentina D. – TwoCents Reviewer
valentina@thetwocentscorp.com

Nothing has ever come close to capturing the desperation and apathetic feelings that accompany high school quite like Freaks and Geeks did, yet its honest portrayal of high school life struggled to find an audience and it’s hard to say why. Brilliantly written and superbly acted, it has taken on the life of a cult classic ever since its early cancellation. It remains, arguably, the best thing Judd Apatow and Paul Feig have ever produced and kick-started the careers of some of the most popular actors today, namely Jason Segel, Seth Rogan and James Franco.

Premiering in the fall of 1999 and ultimately being axed the following spring, the show took place in 1980, Michigan and was told from the perspective of two specific groups: a small group of geeks who are comfortable with each other but still sorting out their place in high school and a gang of burned out misfits. Sam and Lindsay Weir are siblings but they’re also our eyes as we learn more and more about these two very different groups over the course of the series.

Sam enjoys spending his time with Neal and Bill, two fellow geeks who share his passion for Star Wars and comedy icon impressions while Lindsay is in limbo. She’s a stellar student but she’s ready to leave it all behind and is desperate to hang out with the misfits who hang out under the bleachers – the “freaks.” For now, she settles for defending Sam and his friends when they’re targeted by bully Alan, which only causes Sam extreme embarrassment.

Serious conversations at the Weir dinner table are a common occurrence throughout the series and it’s the place where Mr. Weir shares the bulk of his wisdom (“I had a friend who used to smoke. You know where he is now? HE’S DEAD!”) Mrs. Weir wants the Weir kids to go to the Homecoming Dance, in hopes that they learn how to socialize, and Lindsay is forced to either attend the dance or help out in her father’s hardware store.

The next day, Neal approaches the guys at their usually spot in the cafeteria and greets them with a Shatner impression. One thing the show did successfully was portray how comfortable these kids are with who they are and with each other, breaking out into impressions in the middle of the cafeteria and unafraid of who’s watching them, at least until Alan arrives to harass Sam. After lunch, Cindy Sanders, who also happens to be Sam’s crush, finds the geeks and gives Sam back his jacket after he left it in science class. Of course to high school freshmen, this act clearly means that she is in love with him. In gym class, they play dodgeball in what seems like a game of David vs. Goliath. Sam spends most of his time with his back against the wall but there’s even more bad blood between him and Alan when he catches Alan’s dodgeball, automatically ejecting him from the game.

Lindsay meets up with Daniel who takes her to the gang on smoking patio; something she is clearly apprehensive about but quickly gets over because she is desperate to be accepted by these cool freaks. They immediately know her as a high achiever and it doesn’t help that Lindsay’s old friend Millie comes around, demanding to know why Lindsay didn’t submit her application for the prestigious Academic Decathlon. Lindsay blows Millie off and later meets Kim Kelly, a cold and rebellious girl who hangs out with the freaks; basically the embodiment of what Lindsay hopes to become. In true Kim fashion, she’s nasty to Lindsay and ends up dumping her whole purse in the hall, while the guys rush to Lindsay’s defense.

Lindsay sort of returns this favour when she sees kids making fun of Eli, who happens to be mentally handicapped and asking girls to the dance. Lindsay is a character who doesn’t like injustice and always interjects when she sees something wrong, which leads her to ask Eli to the dance in front of everyone who was teasing him. Later during gym, she finds more kids making fun of Eli and explains to Eli that they’re laughing at him because he’s retarded. He explodes towards Lindsay and runs off, only to fall and break his arm. Lindsay earns herself a trip to the “hip” guidance councilor, Mr. Rosso, who’s only concerned with why Lindsay is leaving behind her “mathlete” reputation.

After that disastrous game of dodgeball, Sam and the geeks are more worried about Alan than before and seek the advice of older geeks. They propose the Cressman Conundrum, which dictates that you must fight your bully once because after that, they’ll leave you alone. The boys make a plan to ambush Alan after school and fight him.

Later in class, Nick notices that Lindsay is upset and proposes they cut after class because he’s going to show her something that will make her feel better. Cutting class is still a new concept to Lindsay but the chance to get closer to the freaks wins out and soon, they’re standing in Nick’s garage in front of a massive drum set. It turns out Nick is most passionate about his drums and it shows; this is definitely the happiest we’ve seen Nick so far. He talks about how he was lost before his drums and tells Lindsay she needs to find her own reason for living (“You need to find your big, gigantic drum set.”) This is also the beginning of Nick’s crush on Lindsay and he invites her to hang out with some friends in his garage the night of the dance but she reluctantly declines just in time for Mr. Rosso to catch her skipping class. He proposes he won’t tell anyone about her class cutting if she signs up for the Academic Decathlon but Lindsay refuses and he calls her parents, in addition to making her work the refreshment table at the dance.

After a blowout at the Weir table, Sam finds Lindsay in her room and asks her why she’s throwing her life away, claiming Millie told him to ask but it’s obvious he asks out of genuine concern. It becomes obvious that Lindsay was very much affected by her grandmother’s death and was the only one in the room when she died. Sam asks Lindsay if he and his friends could beat up Alan alone and he leaves her room with new self-esteem. The next day, Neal and Bill meet Alan to fight but Sam gets sidetracked by Cindy at school and discovers she already has a date to the dance. Turns out the geeks didn’t really need him after all because soon enough, Bill has Alan on the floor and rips his shirt, which sends Alan cycling away angrily. Sam meets up with his geeks and the boys discuss the rite of passage they’ve just experienced: their first real fight.

At the Homecoming dance, Lindsay is halfheartedly working the refreshment table and is wearing her usual uniform: her ripped up green army jacket. Sam, instead, is dressed the part and comes in a suit and tie. Excited by the thought of his first slow dance, he finds Cindy who accepts his dance offer and he leads her out to the floor only to have the music speed up and he sadly has to settle for an energetic fast dance. Lindsay spots Eli alone with his broken arm and offers to dance with him, shedding her green army jacket as they run onto the dance floor.

For the Freaks and Geeks fans out there, what did you think of the Pilot? More importantly, can you believe this got canceled? Share your TwoCents below! I’m thrilled to be covering one of my favourite shows for the summer and I look forward to discussing it with fellow fans while hopefully picking up some new converts along the way!

Unfortunately, we’ll have to skip some episodes for time’s sake but I’ve made sure to select all the classics!

Next Week: Beers and Weirs