tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post1380378812441082708..comments2024-03-28T18:01:28.997-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Freaks and Geeks Rewind: The DiaryAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-59774266368311663022012-06-14T11:37:28.437-04:002012-06-14T11:37:28.437-04:00I think Jean and Harold reading Lindsay's diar...I think Jean and Harold reading Lindsay's diary and Jean freaking out at what she says may actually be the most "Generational Divide-centered" plot the series ever had. Lindsay's parents were clearly born sometime during the Great Depression, and were thus, teenagers during the whole "National Reconstruction Period" of the late-40's/early-50's. Thus, to them (especially Harold), a "normal, conservative family life" is the way to live. Whereas, Lindsay (most likely being born at the start of Generation X), prefers a more varied, energetic and unique family life. It's a neat little bit of cultural history, and one I'm glad Apatow and Feig had the awareness to implement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-64095241219371128082011-09-06T09:19:17.181-04:002011-09-06T09:19:17.181-04:00I think the "Bizarro Baseball Game" migh...I think the "Bizarro Baseball Game" might actually be one of the most underrated moments of F&G. Maybe it's just me, but its ending always seemed like another example of the show directly mocking all those lame "high school movie" cliches. Not just in that the Geeks' "victory" was so meaningless in the grand scheme of things (me thinks Bill, Sam and Neil were probably too familiar with movies like Rocky and The Bad News Bears for their own good), but also in the way it demonstrated that the other kids in their gym class (even Alan) probably didn't think one way or another about how they'd perform relative to them, as none of them were particularly surprised when they managed to score the first out of the inning. It's a perfect example of how the geeks think they're more ostracized by the other kids than they actually are. <br /><br />Another good example of F&G openly railing on tired high school stereotypes is with the way Todd is handled. With him, the show openly demonstrates that jocks aren't necessarily the sadistic assholes they're portrayed as in so many other high school shows and movies.Martynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66383628909275664982007-09-08T22:51:00.000-04:002007-09-08T22:51:00.000-04:00i love Jean's nervousness about being in her daugh...i love Jean's nervousness about being in her daughter's room uninvited and her line "My heart is racing, Harold!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-52989607667913482512007-07-29T19:09:00.000-04:002007-07-29T19:09:00.000-04:00Alan: I'm so thrilled you're doing this! I'm sorry...Alan: I'm so thrilled you're doing this! I'm sorry I haven't responded up until now, but it took my husband and I some time to catch up to where you are. In fact we just watched this and a few other eps last night!<BR/><BR/>Dennis: No matter how long you have to save to get the DVD's it will *always* be worth it! :)<BR/><BR/>Do most people posting have the yearbook set?<BR/><BR/>Alan is such a jerk of a character, but his repeating the prank lines to Fredericks and his laughing get my laughing hard every time. That scene actually endeared him to me.<BR/><BR/>Fredericks is a good teacher....<BR/><BR/>One moment of the Bizarro baseball game we love that went unmentioned: close up of Neal getting all fancy pants with his "signalling," then the shot going straight to a very confused, shaking-head-"what?" Sam. Very great little moment of which the show has many.<BR/><BR/>Alan: I, too, love Daniel's moment in his talk with Kim. He's got a great point and he does come across very sweet.<BR/><BR/>BOO to Sassa and Ancier...you're right. I hated seeing Cookie looking all self-righteous.<BR/><BR/>I love the Weir parents/actors. They were so beyond perfect. That dinner scene was heart-breaking. Mr. Weir's "serving you" speech always gets me a wee teary-eyed.<BR/><BR/>Alan: (P.S.) You mentioned back during the band auditions that Nick's audition scene was the one scene you cannot watch. I can watch that one enough, but what I can barely take (and have to cover most of my face with a pillow) is when he talk/sings/pours his heart out over "Lady" by Styx. It kills me!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5879835481446838692007-07-26T13:42:00.000-04:002007-07-26T13:42:00.000-04:00When you consider not only the greatness of the ep...When you consider not only the greatness of the episodes themselves, which not only bear but reward repeated viewing, but also the rich array of special features on each and every episode, the dvd's are well worth the purchase price.Cinemaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12742365356939303431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-91227216506703482332007-07-26T12:58:00.000-04:002007-07-26T12:58:00.000-04:00That's a good point, Alex, and one reason why I wo...That's a good point, Alex, and one reason why I would never even consider buying any WKRP sets. If what you wrote is correct, then it's probably unlikely that Freaks and Geeks will ever come down in price, so I guess I'll start putting a little money aside for it each week so it's not that big a bite.Kensingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745826428431759073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34610386977256768892007-07-25T20:24:00.000-04:002007-07-25T20:24:00.000-04:00The baseball scene was one of the things I describ...The baseball scene was one of the things I described to a friend as I was trying to explain the awesomeness of the series. It's a rare moment of triumph for the geeks, and having Bill's catch be only the first out of the inning keeps it from being too sappy. The storyline also shows Coach Fredericks at his best -- his instinct is to let the jocks run gym class, but he's not above evening the playing field when Bill vents his frustration.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-73900053760742777172007-07-25T16:53:00.000-04:002007-07-25T16:53:00.000-04:00Eyebrown, I absolutely don't want to give short sh...Eyebrown, I absolutely don't want to give short shrift to Flaherty and Becky Ann Baker's work in this episode. They're just wonderful. You think of Flaherty as this brilliant comic actor -- see the rifling through Lindsay's drawers improv -- but when he has to go to a serious, sincere place, he really delivers. <BR/><BR/>If I dwelled more on the Daniel/Kim scene, it's only because that one was more of a surprise to me on re-view, where the greatness of Joe and Becky Ann is almost a given. Or should be.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-81027057280624708832007-07-25T16:15:00.000-04:002007-07-25T16:15:00.000-04:00Dennis, the sets cost so much because they had to ...Dennis, the sets cost so much because they had to buy the rights to all of the original music, of which there was tons. Contrast that to the fairly reasonably priced WKRP in Cincinnati, which replaced every scrap of music from the original show for the DVD release. Music was such an important part of F&G that I'm happy to shell out the extra bucks in return for rewatching the show as I originally saw it.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09265347511704954495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28852766540347469422007-07-25T12:42:00.000-04:002007-07-25T12:42:00.000-04:00The series has always been great at montage (Bill'...The series has always been great at montage (Bill's Hallowe'en dressup sequence, for instance) and this episodes best laugh out loud moments come when Fredericks interrogates the students and we get to bear witness to a richly assorted array of interpretations of Bill's already-hilarous insults. Imagine a teacher willingly putting himself in the position of listening to an entire class of 14 year-old's slinging verbal abuse just so's he can find the perpetrator? What a dumb jock!<BR/><BR/>I must say I'm also impressed with Frederick's detailed recall of Bill's phone call. Hmmm...I guess he's not just a dumb jock. He's a dumb jock with a great memory.Cinemaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12742365356939303431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-79516118387296823012007-07-25T09:40:00.000-04:002007-07-25T09:40:00.000-04:00The funniest part of the episode, for me, was the ...The funniest part of the episode, for me, was the line readings of the "stinky butt" speech. The more often you heard it (from different kids) the more surreal and funny it became. Martin Starr, of course, brought it home like the comic zen master he is. His attempts to cover his tracks by deliberately reading in different voices were hysterical. In particular the deleted scene where he tries a version in a suave sophisticated voice had me gasping on the floor.<BR/><BR/>The Kim & Daniel scenes were great, as you said, but for me the standout section of the episode was Mr. & Mrs. Weir. That dinner was heartbreaking. Mr. Weir taunting his wife by making the game hen dance was cruel. Just shut up and eat your damn dinner, all of you, I thought.<BR/><BR/>I disagree that the scene of Weir sex was softened by the scene in an earlier episode, "let's have sex." In my opinion, the earlier scene reinforced the one under discussion. It took the edge off of Mr. Weir's cruelty toward his wife. It showed us that these people frequently have wild monkey sex, and that they geuininely love each other (putting the lie to Lindsay's diary entry). The Weir's know this themselves, thus the diary didn't, perhaps, have the painful sting it could have.<BR/><BR/>Without the earlier scene of them having sex, we have have looked at the current scene as a desperate attempt at restoring a dying relationship, based on guilt from reading the diary. Too painful. Instead, we know that they do this all the time.<BR/><BR/>eyebrownAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8532638359215596422007-07-25T09:25:00.000-04:002007-07-25T09:25:00.000-04:00The best deleted scene in this one is Joe Flaherty...The best deleted scene in this one is Joe Flaherty riffing on objects he finds in Lindsay's room while searching for the diary. <BR/><BR/>The first 11 words of that sentence apply to most of the episodes, come to think of it...Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16187789921765904795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-44458025961282509112007-07-25T03:28:00.000-04:002007-07-25T03:28:00.000-04:00Alan, I'm really appreciating the opportunity to r...Alan, I'm really appreciating the opportunity to relive this wonderful series through your recaps. If only the DVDs were more reasonably priced than they are, I would scoop the set up like *that*.Kensingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09745826428431759073noreply@blogger.com