Freaks and Geeks – Summer DVD Review – Beers and Weirs

freaks & geeks

Freaks and Geeks
Beers and Weirs

Original Air Date: Oct 2, 1999

Valentina D. – TwoCents Reviewer
valentina@thetwocentscorp.com

High school is a period that is considered to be our formative years, even more so when you factor in the peer pressure that many succumb to out of fear of being ostracized by others, lest you become a friendless loser for four years. The peer pressure becomes even more real when you’re trying to transition into a new group of friends, like Lindsay Weir. You’d give anything to prove yourself and not be seen as lame and this sense of desperation usually ends with disastrous results.

Lindsay is starting to get friendlier with the freaks, even hanging out with them on the smoking patio, but it’s clear she’s not one of them yet.

When they discover her parents will be out of town for the weekend and she’ll have the house to herself, Daniel immediately starts spouting plans for a kegger and Lindsay’s little crush on him convinces her to agree to the party. Partly, it’s also because Kim comments that Lindsay is too lame to have a party and Lindsay wants to prove her wrong yet impress her at the same time. Weaving the character of Kim Kelley throughout these episodes and having her clash with Lindsay is sort of genius, considering that Kim is pretty much the antithesis to Lindsay. Despite this, Lindsay has a silent admiration for Kim and I get the impression she’d love to be her. Also, Daniel and Kim have a volatile relationship and are currently on the outs, which frees up Daniel for Lindsay.

Over on the geeks’ end, Neal and Bill are watching this scene play out and Neal wonders aloud why Lindsay is choosing to ruin her life. It’s pretty much revealed that Neal likes Lindsay but he claims his concerns are only because she’s Sam’s sister. In the hall, Lindsay tells Sam about the kegger and he’s left feeling worried. These feelings of genuine concern for Lindsay only get worse during the school’s “Sober Students” assembly where the guidance counselor, Mr. Rosso, discusses students who have died in drunk driving accidents. Daniel and Lindsay decide to duck out early and are greeted by enthusiastic students who are excited for the party. It turns out Daniel has spread the word about the kegger pretty far and invited his older cousins (who end up looking about fifty, as you’ll see later). That evening, the Weirs leave for their vacation and Sam almost spills about the party but decides against it, for Lindsay. I always thought the relationship between Sam and Lindsay was interesting, as the show consistently shows how he both looks up to her as an older sibling yet tries to protect her every chance he gets. Sure, Lindsay shows concern for Sam from time to time but it always felt like it was the other way around.

The next day in class, more and more students have heard about Lindsay’s kegger and it’s starting to rub her the wrong way. She gets called out of class for what’s supposedly an emergency phone call from her mother but it ends up being just Nick, who convinces her to cut class with the guys and go buy the keg. She’s clearly uncomfortable but goes with the flow at this point, for fear of being outed as a gigantic loser right before her big party. In the cafeteria, the geeks are devising plans to stop the party from happening until Bill suggests they just buy a keg “without that ingredient that makes you drunk” and switch it with the real keg. Using Neal’s Bar Mitzvah money, they go to a liquor store and convince the shopkeeper to sell them a keg once they explain their plan.

Back at the Weirs, Neal distracts Lindsay while Bill and Sam switch the kegs. The geeks aren’t done yet, as Bill is assigned to watch the keg while he watches Dallas in Sam’s bedroom and Sam and Neal patrol the party, making sure no one dies. Bill eventually gets bored and decides to drink alone, drinking the beer out of a mini plastic baseball cap.

Millie notices cars in the Weirs’s driveway and decides to drop in much to Lindsay’s displeasure, especially as she makes it her personal mission to let everyone know she “prefers to get high on life.” While everyone is feeling the placebo effect and is “drunk” off non-alcoholic beer, she gets her hands on the piano and a “plastered” Nick joins her for an impromptu rendition of “Jesus Is Just Alright With Me,” which is also one of my favourite scenes of the entire series. Lindsay seems to be enjoying the party until she finds Daniel in her room, admiring all her math awards. She quickly dismisses them as stupid but Daniel tells her he’d be happy to have won all those blue ribbons. This scene is an example of how Daniel changes his personality into softer, deeper guy only to become the loud rebel once again. For those who have watched the series, you’ll know the final episode is kind of a complete transition for the character and it would have been interesting to see where F & G would have taken him in Season 2.

Typical party stuff happens next: fights, people drunk in corners, people arriving and going. Lindsay looks around for Daniel and is shocked to find him making out with Kim in her bedroom, a sight that completely ruins the party for her. She heads outside to find Nick sitting by himself, who explains that Daniel and Kim break up every other week and Lindsay should just try to have a good time. They hug until Nick makes a move on her, which Lindsay fiercely rejects and storms back inside while Nick claims he’s “drunk.”

The geeks are still playing babysitter but Neal finds Lindsay crying in her parents’ room and she admits that she only had the party because Daniel wanted it. Her new friends think she’s a goody two-shoes and her old friends think she’s throwing her life away. Neal tries to encourage her and admits he’s loved her since he was five, which just makes her cry more so he puts his talent for impressions to good use and calls the police, posing as an annoyed neighbour. Everyone bails when Neal announces the cops are on their way, including Daniel and Kim who thank Lindsay for being such a good host. Lindsay calls it a night and heads to her room, but not before finding Bill passed out in the hall. And that’s how Bill ended up being the only genuinely drunk person at the party.

What did you guys think of this episode? Share your TwoCents below! Yesterday, F & G was nominated for a Heritage Award by the Television Critics Association. Considering it’s been off the air for nearly twelve years, it’s a real testament to how incredible of a show it really was and how it still holds up today.

Next Week: Tricks and Treats