tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post421749171033676286..comments2024-03-28T18:01:28.997-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Freaks and Geeks Rewind: Smooching and MoochingAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-25703066773353075472012-07-30T12:04:43.873-04:002012-07-30T12:04:43.873-04:00I never would have watched this series if not for ...I never would have watched this series if not for this Rewind, and there are a million reasons I'm glad I did so, but the top one might be that moment between Harold and Lindsay over their paternal histories. The part when Harold says "Lindsay, trust me...YOU DON'T" might be the best Chill Scene in TV history. Because the show has set up these characters so clearly and the acting and writing are so good, the subtext of how Harold was abused by his father, how he turned into a man resolving to never treat his kids that brutally, how Lindsay is so smart that she gets this and how it informs everything that happens the rest of the way with Nick and Mr. Andropolous (right down to the notion that Nick's dad might be just a stern dad who doesn't have Flaherty's likable disposition, or he might hit Nick when his son inevitably does childish things). You can't win an Emmy for a single scene, but seeing this, I kind of wish that award had existed in 2000.Bennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-47299216500965960492012-06-14T16:36:17.630-04:002012-06-14T16:36:17.630-04:00I bought Vicki kissing Bill, not so much because o...I bought Vicki kissing Bill, not so much because of its realism, but because its context: It wasn't so much that Vicki was developing a romantic interest in Bill as it was that she was finally seeing him as more than just a tall, lanky geek. And the kiss represented her joy and relief at finally moving away from her "popular cheerleader" image, taking her first step into a larger world (thank you, Obi Wan, for that!). Notice, too, that nothing romantic actually comes out of that kiss during the last couple episodes except for Bill boasting about it to a jealous Neal. I don't think it was meant to imply romanticism so much as it was meant to imply the "head cheerleader" triumphantly beginning to break free of her high school stereotype.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-32509150139039515882011-08-01T11:47:02.239-04:002011-08-01T11:47:02.239-04:00Watching this episode in relation to the rest of t...Watching this episode in relation to the rest of the series, Cindy's interest in Sam is, believe it or not, not all that different from her interest in Todd. She was also interested not so much in Todd himself as the <i>idea</i> of Todd. After all, he was good looking and popular. So, naturally, Cindy had a crush on him. And, when having lunch with Sam in Boyfriends And Girlfriends, she makes it pretty clear that she's mentally established her own illusion of what being with Todd will be like. And then, after her relationship with Todd doesn't work out, Cindy develops a semi-crush on Sam, because he's a nice person. So, really, most of it boils to down to Cindy not yet being mature enough to know the difference between a crush and genuine interest. Sam is in the same boat, but he finally gets a clue once he witnesses what being with Cindy is really like as opposed to what he thought it would be like. Whereas, with Cindy, we don't really know if she learned this important distinction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37577649601836753722011-05-18T16:29:43.080-04:002011-05-18T16:29:43.080-04:00I'm surprised nobody mentioned the believabili...I'm surprised nobody mentioned the believability of the whole make-out party in this episode. After seeing how grossly exaggerated the teenage house parties in a lot of other television shows and movies are (*cough* Scary Movie *cough*), it was nice to see a more realistic teen party that, while perhaps somewhat inappropriate (it does, after all, revolve around making out with people you aren't romantically involved with), is also kind of cute and innocent. <br /><br />Also, despite how badly their relationship turns out, Sam and Cindy actually ARE kind of cute together at the end of this episode. I don't think there's only one single reason why Cindy's dating him. Rather, I think there's a multitude of reasons (Sam's been a good friend to her throughout the series, he's on good terms with at least a few of her friends such as Todd, and he is a "nice guy" - the perfect rebound after Todd's apparently poor treatment of Cindy, etc.). Meanwhile, the Bill/Vicky moment is basically Freaks And Geeks avoiding a common pitfall of many other high school shows (portraying the popular kids as being these one-dimensional, heartless jerks with no emotions or feelings) and showing us that, yes, even the most superficial popular girl isn't without her heart (for another example of this, see Cher's evolution during the movie Clueless).Martynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39476116124891178132009-11-11T05:05:47.167-05:002009-11-11T05:05:47.167-05:00So was Segel in bikini briefs some major foreshado...So was Segel in bikini briefs some major foreshadowing to his full frontal nudity in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", or what?domino87http://www.twitter.com/whatthefdididonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84771391482898022752008-06-13T17:06:00.000-04:002008-06-13T17:06:00.000-04:00To this day, we still use the Nick line in our hou...To this day, we still use the Nick line in our household: "let me guess...meat?" Cracks me up. <BR/><BR/>I saw most of the cast at a DVD signing (back in the day) and was stunned by how beautiful the girls were; they really grew up after the filming of that show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2135340147030692202008-02-25T07:35:00.000-05:002008-02-25T07:35:00.000-05:00That Vicki and Bill scene made me like Joanna Garc...That Vicki and Bill scene made me like Joanna Garcia enough to watch "Reba."<BR/><BR/>"Do I smell meat?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9475790208438291772007-08-24T20:28:00.000-04:002007-08-24T20:28:00.000-04:00I also was surprised when Nick mentions his mother...I also was surprised when Nick mentions his mother's cooking in this episode. I had it in my head that his mother was dead, since she's never been seen or previously discussed. Also, an absent mother would explain 1) his father's complete dominance and 2) Nick's obsessiveness with women.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69532409904187281672007-08-23T20:25:00.000-04:002007-08-23T20:25:00.000-04:00Jason Segel is fantastic, as usual. His fearlessn...Jason Segel is fantastic, as usual. His fearlessness at looking like an idiot results in some of the funniest moments ever seen on television. But his ability to deliver heart-wrenching moments of pathos is extraordinary. Check out the expression on his face when Joe Flaherty calls Nick smart. But the real killer is his performance in the argument with Kevin Tighe. By the way,that scene really suggests to me that Nick's father smacks him around. I wonder if the writers thought about this but decided it would be too harsh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-67485723561609076402007-08-22T17:39:00.000-04:002007-08-22T17:39:00.000-04:00why did Feig and company choose that particular ye...<I>why did Feig and company choose that particular year to set these tales in? </I><BR/><BR/>Because Feig was basing so much of it on his own adolescence in Michigan. In fact, his wonder years took place a few years earlier (he would have been graduating high school when the series began), which I guess was a slight compromise to keep it from being "That Other '70s Show."Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-90391539468108417112007-08-22T03:13:00.000-04:002007-08-22T03:13:00.000-04:00Given all the anachronisms that have been pointed ...Given all the anachronisms that have been pointed out by everyone, especially regarding movies that weren't out by 1980, why did Feig and company choose that particular year to set these tales in? Most of the plots would have worked as well in '82 or '83, except the disco stuffAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-15305819416782872932007-08-20T13:03:00.000-04:002007-08-20T13:03:00.000-04:00Mark is in the geeks' freshman gym class in the pi...<I>Mark is in the geeks' freshman gym class in the pilot but is written as a contemporary of the freaks (all juniors) in later episodes. </I><BR/><BR/>That's not unrealistic. We had to take so many PE credits within so many years, and the classes were not segregated by grades. Health class, on the other hand (also taught be the PE staff), was to be taken in specific grades (freshman and junior years).Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16187789921765904795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-63588670815749567422007-08-20T11:35:00.000-04:002007-08-20T11:35:00.000-04:00Cindy is my favorite. She strikes me as incredibly...Cindy is my favorite. She strikes me as incredibly believable. She's all wrong for Sam and is by no means a great person. She is insecure, manipulative, and self-conscious. <BR/><BR/>What teenager isn't?<BR/><BR/>You can tell her character has the makings of a good, compassionate person. I imagine her being a great adult.Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00527020690421880939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53848645393783142802007-08-20T05:27:00.000-04:002007-08-20T05:27:00.000-04:00Re: Vicky and Bill's making out - While I find it ...Re: Vicky and Bill's making out - While I find it very hard to believe that any head cheerleader in the real world would ever kiss the geekiest geek, I still loved this scene. It's one of my most favorite moments of the show! And sometimes, sheer enjoyment triumphs over believability.pandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08908875843909677745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56874768172897434032007-08-19T12:14:00.000-04:002007-08-19T12:14:00.000-04:00Ted asks: (Whatever happened to Melnick anyway?) A...Ted asks: (Whatever happened to Melnick anyway?) <BR/><BR/>Answer: Not much. She got slaughtered in Hillside Strangler, and appeared in a few episodes of Boston Legal. She has, however, fulfilled her promise in other ways and grown into a very attractive young woman.Cinemaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12742365356939303431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78439492533616516192007-08-19T10:31:00.000-04:002007-08-19T10:31:00.000-04:00"Given the contempt with which Cindy's peers regul..."Given the contempt with which Cindy's peers regularly treated Sam in the first part of the season, it's hard to imagine that the Sam-Cindy relationship was just accepted without Cindy being seriously teased."<BR/><BR/>But it's not Cindy's friends who picked on Sam, really. Sam's major tormentors were Karen, Alan, and some faceless older jocks who probably don't even know his name -- he's reasonably friendly with Todd, Maureen, and even Vicki (who visited him in the hospital when Bill was sick). He's not part of Cindy's circle, by any means, but I'm willing to believe that Cindy's friends would give her a pass on dating Sam on the rebound. Or maybe they are teasing her and we just don't get to see it ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55490249524458611162007-08-19T09:08:00.000-04:002007-08-19T09:08:00.000-04:00Worse, Cardellini broke up with Segel because she ...Worse, Cardellini broke up with Segel because she thought he was getting fat.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of Apatow and a lot of money, Steve Bannos had a bigger cameo in Superbad (playing a math teacher, no less!) than Martin Starr's blink-and-you'll-miss-it non-speaking part.<BR/><BR/>Back to F&G: don't the geeks complain elsewhere that they don't get to see R-rated movies? Yet they know a lot about Animal House and Stripes and Caddyshack. Or perhaps that's just the difference between Neal and Sam.<BR/><BR/>Maybe it was different in 1980, but in 1985, the tall cheerleaders weren't willing to kiss the nice 5'1" boys with a crush on them when there were jocks to be had, and I went to a "gifted" school where there wasn't anywhere near the difference between the geeks and the jocks/cheerleaders as at F&G High. Given the contempt with which Cindy's peers regularly treated Sam in the first part of the season, it's hard to imagine that the Sam-Cindy relationship was just accepted without Cindy being seriously teased, and I don't see anything in Cindy's makeup that indicates she would withstand that peer pressure: as the next episode shows, she certainly doesn't have anything resembling feelings for Sam that makes her want to sacrifice one iota.<BR/><BR/>(Whatever happened to Melnick anyway?)Ted Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10486771226983390342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-59105515324469424192007-08-18T18:21:00.000-04:002007-08-18T18:21:00.000-04:00Julie, it sounds like your version is defective. T...Julie, it sounds like your version is defective. There are only two DVD versions: the "basic" one (which I have, and which is the only one available in stores), and the super-mondo-deluxe yearbook version (which was for sale very briefly on the now-defunct FreaksandGeeks.com site). All the scenes you reference are part of the regular episodes.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-44013814435660628262007-08-18T18:04:00.000-04:002007-08-18T18:04:00.000-04:00Alan, I wanted to chime in as another person whom ...Alan, I wanted to chime in as another person whom you inspired to purchase this show on DVD. I had never seen a single episode, but read your blog religiously, and trust your judgement. Thank you. One question: You have made references in past blogs to scenes that were not on my DVDs AT ALL. Specifically, in "Looks and Books" when Lindsay gets yelled at by her parents, looks for her old clothes, and then yells at the freaks. Also, the three scenes in "Noshing and Moshing" that dealt with Daniel's crappy home situation. I am wondering how many different versions of the show are on DVD. I bought the Complete Series at BestBuy. Are there multiple versions of the collection, or is mine defective? Anyone else have problems? Thanks again!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-2298954510574050012007-08-18T02:18:00.000-04:002007-08-18T02:18:00.000-04:00Jason Siegl's commitment to public humiliation is ...Jason Siegl's commitment to public humiliation is just absolutely superb. <BR/><BR/>Lisa also deserves a lot of credit for the awkwardness of having your ex-boyfriend essentially steal your family. I had on two separate occassions friends of mine essentially move in with me without really asking it first. These were other dudes and even with that it was just super uncomfortable after the 2nd night. <BR/><BR/>The Geeks Big Win storyline is perfectly acceptable. Sam hooking up with Cindy works if you watch the entire show. 1) Sam's a good looking kid. 2) He's a nice kid. 3) Cindy gets to completely dominate the relationship which is why she's attracted to him.<BR/><BR/>Bill hooking up with that girl also works for me. His honesty and goodness shines through. The writers of the show are smart enough to realize that even the most stuck-up young high school girls still have hearts. She felt bad for treating a really nice guy crappy her whole life and the fact he opened up to her made him attractive for that one, fleeting minute.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84922363931261474342007-08-17T17:18:00.000-04:002007-08-17T17:18:00.000-04:00I wouldn't want to make out with Bill. I definitel...I wouldn't want to make out with Bill. I definitely get "lame wish-fulfillment" out of that scene.<BR/><BR/>Otherwise, this is another great ep. In my mind, it marks the point where the show moved from "total humiliation of John Daley" to "total humiliation of Jason Segal."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45588340880307792462007-08-17T15:28:00.000-04:002007-08-17T15:28:00.000-04:00When Vicki tells Bill to leave her alone, we're ho...When Vicki tells Bill to leave her alone, we're horrified. When Bill tells Vicki to shut her fucking mouth, we raise our fist in solidarity. Then when Bill asks Vicki about what it's like to be pretty everyone cries together and we eagerly lose ourselves in ecstasy over Bill's lone triumphant moment. How can you not want to make out with that kid?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-70491166442071264942007-08-17T10:51:00.000-04:002007-08-17T10:51:00.000-04:00I seem to recall that on the commentary for this e...<I>I seem to recall that on the commentary for this episode, certain members of the cast ragged on Linda Cardellini for the scene of Segel in his underpants, since they were dating at the time the commetaries were being recorded. Very cute stuff.</I><BR/><BR/>I listened to the other commentary, the one with Feig, the geek actors and Natasha Melnick, but I can imagine the ladies in the other one giving Linda a hard time about that. <BR/><BR/>(Tangentially-related story: At the first "How I Met Your Mother" press conference, Segel said that he looked forward to playing Marshall because he was at a point in his life where he felt ready to get married and settle down. I got the microphone and was prepared to ask, half joking, "Does Linda know you feel this way?" but the session ended before I got the chance. I mentioned this to somebody (Fienberg?) afterwards, and they told me, "Dude, they broke up. A while ago." Saved by the bell. Apparently, I don't pay nearly enough attention to celebrity relationship gossip.)Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-71174549549785275992007-08-17T10:14:00.000-04:002007-08-17T10:14:00.000-04:00My favorite part of this episode, by far, is when ...My favorite part of this episode, by far, is when Nick arrives at Casa Weir and says, "Smells like...meat!" in that doofy way of his. I also love the choice to interrupt quiet time with "Tom Sawyer." It's a very "Nick" song, and it's a good song to cut through the quiet. <BR/><BR/>Alan, I like your commentary on why Vicki kissing Bill is more believeable than Alan apologizing to Bill. <BR/><BR/>I seem to recall that on the commentary for this episode, certain members of the cast ragged on Linda Cardellini for the scene of Segel in his underpants, since they were dating at the time the commetaries were being recorded. Very cute stuff.AChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12366537635054656441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-30238957633512289302007-08-17T07:17:00.000-04:002007-08-17T07:17:00.000-04:00This episode is responsible for the minor humiliat...This episode is responsible for the minor humiliation of "You'll Accomp'ny Me" showing up on my Most Played.rhamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02697134869139534503noreply@blogger.com