[8.8/10] Excellent episode. What I really liked about it is that it’s about relationships, and the complications and reflections of them.
You have that on the romantic side with the Freaks. The most adorable of them is Ken and Tuba Girl, who are at the very beginning of their relationship. I love that Ken is enamored with Amy because she gives his sarcasm right back to him. It’s the wiseass equivalent of pulling a girl’s pigtails and having her pull yours right back, and the way he’s not only suddenly enraptured with her, but that Daniel and Lindsay both find it adorable and encourage him, is a really nice touch. The way they’re both kind of awkward but eventually admit their affections, and end up kissing, is a bit of sweet sentiment.
The same is true for Daniel and Kim. The two certainly have a bit of a messed up relationship, but there's something nonetheless cute about them. The way that Kim is still vocally upset about going to the place where Daniel made out with another girl while they were broken up, and Daniel puts up only passive resistance until Kim gets tired of fighting and they’re back to equilibrium has its own strange sort of sweetness to it. It’s hard to explain, because in a way it’s patronizing, but in another way, it’s just that Daniel doesn’t want to fight with Kim; he just wants things to be good with her, and it’s better for him to take it in stride than try to defend himself.
Last but not least there’s Lindsay and Nick, who are simialrly trying to play it cool, and it ends up “painful.” The way they both try to give the other the cold shoulder -- Lindsay so as not to lead Nick on, and Nick so as to perhaps lure Lindsay back -- only for it to end with Lindsay being pretty direct that she’s no longer interested in Nick, thereby dashing his plans and hurting him, is deft writing. Again, you feel for both of them. Lindsay is trying to be kind and honest. And Nick is just earnestly hurt, especially seeing the romance all around him at the laser dome.
But then, you have the mirror image of that in terms of the relationship between parents and children. I have to admit, I bristled a bit at Sam discovering the Neal’s dad was having an affair. It’s a little too soap opera-esque, and while the show injects both some humanity and just a bit of menace into the interactions between Sam and Mr. Schweiber, it’s a little more narratively dramatic than you expect from Freaks and Geeks.
And yet, the show makes it work by drawing back to the reactions of the kids. For one, I love that they give Neal some emotional notes to play here. He’s initially angry at his friends for even suggesting such a thing, then hurt that they won’t stick with him longer to investigate the phantom garage door opener that he found, and then determined and angry when he finds the house it belongs to, effectively confirming the affair. Neal’s often an object of fun on the show, and so taking his distress seriously, and exploring the dark side of having the “cool dad” is laudable.
On the other end, you have Sam, who feels like a real victim here, mixed up in something he’s totally innocent in. It makes him worry about his own parents, and see the way that Mr. Schweiber basically only bought his son the Atari as a bribe or out of guilt, or as a means to further his cover story with Sam. That’s why the biggest emotional punch in the episode comes when the Weirs get Sam an Atari just because he’s a good kid. Sam’s tears of relief when he hugs his father are heartening as hell, and it’s an extraordinary place to take the episode.
Overall, it’s Freaks and Geeks’s finest hour thus far, one that contrasts and compares a series of relationships, while making each work on its own terms and finding the unique and meaningful distinctions when juxtaposing them.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2018-02-04T04:32:59Z
[8.8/10] Excellent episode. What I really liked about it is that it’s about relationships, and the complications and reflections of them.
You have that on the romantic side with the Freaks. The most adorable of them is Ken and Tuba Girl, who are at the very beginning of their relationship. I love that Ken is enamored with Amy because she gives his sarcasm right back to him. It’s the wiseass equivalent of pulling a girl’s pigtails and having her pull yours right back, and the way he’s not only suddenly enraptured with her, but that Daniel and Lindsay both find it adorable and encourage him, is a really nice touch. The way they’re both kind of awkward but eventually admit their affections, and end up kissing, is a bit of sweet sentiment.
The same is true for Daniel and Kim. The two certainly have a bit of a messed up relationship, but there's something nonetheless cute about them. The way that Kim is still vocally upset about going to the place where Daniel made out with another girl while they were broken up, and Daniel puts up only passive resistance until Kim gets tired of fighting and they’re back to equilibrium has its own strange sort of sweetness to it. It’s hard to explain, because in a way it’s patronizing, but in another way, it’s just that Daniel doesn’t want to fight with Kim; he just wants things to be good with her, and it’s better for him to take it in stride than try to defend himself.
Last but not least there’s Lindsay and Nick, who are simialrly trying to play it cool, and it ends up “painful.” The way they both try to give the other the cold shoulder -- Lindsay so as not to lead Nick on, and Nick so as to perhaps lure Lindsay back -- only for it to end with Lindsay being pretty direct that she’s no longer interested in Nick, thereby dashing his plans and hurting him, is deft writing. Again, you feel for both of them. Lindsay is trying to be kind and honest. And Nick is just earnestly hurt, especially seeing the romance all around him at the laser dome.
But then, you have the mirror image of that in terms of the relationship between parents and children. I have to admit, I bristled a bit at Sam discovering the Neal’s dad was having an affair. It’s a little too soap opera-esque, and while the show injects both some humanity and just a bit of menace into the interactions between Sam and Mr. Schweiber, it’s a little more narratively dramatic than you expect from Freaks and Geeks.
And yet, the show makes it work by drawing back to the reactions of the kids. For one, I love that they give Neal some emotional notes to play here. He’s initially angry at his friends for even suggesting such a thing, then hurt that they won’t stick with him longer to investigate the phantom garage door opener that he found, and then determined and angry when he finds the house it belongs to, effectively confirming the affair. Neal’s often an object of fun on the show, and so taking his distress seriously, and exploring the dark side of having the “cool dad” is laudable.
On the other end, you have Sam, who feels like a real victim here, mixed up in something he’s totally innocent in. It makes him worry about his own parents, and see the way that Mr. Schweiber basically only bought his son the Atari as a bribe or out of guilt, or as a means to further his cover story with Sam. That’s why the biggest emotional punch in the episode comes when the Weirs get Sam an Atari just because he’s a good kid. Sam’s tears of relief when he hugs his father are heartening as hell, and it’s an extraordinary place to take the episode.
Overall, it’s Freaks and Geeks’s finest hour thus far, one that contrasts and compares a series of relationships, while making each work on its own terms and finding the unique and meaningful distinctions when juxtaposing them.