1x08 We've Got Spirit

[7.9/10] We all know the type. The folks who seem cool and chill when you’re just flirting, and then go a little overboard with the commitment and the devotion once you’re actually dating. (Hell, I’ve been that type.) It’s yet another instance of Freaks and Geeks knowing the archetypes of teenagers in general and teenager romance in particular. Lindsay and Nick’s conflicting responses to this whole thing feel so true, whether they’re cringey or painful.

And that’s the benefit of an episode of “We’ve Got Spirit.” It plays the awkwardness and comedy of Nick’s overdevotion to the hilt, finding laughs in the ridiculousness of him literally coming just to see her face or a few seconds, or the weirdness of his cut out photos. But it also has sympathy for both nick and Lindsay.

For Nick, it’s the sense that however overzealous he may be, he does genuinely care for Lindsay, and he’s genuinely devastated to lose her, particularly in such an unexpected way as having the news broken to him by her mom. The show also takes a little pity and humanizes him earlier, having him explain that his issues with Heidi stemmed from the confluence of him being her rebound boyfriend and him writing her poems that were personal, which she shared with others and humiliated it. We’re only getting one side of the story, and the hushed cautionary responses from the rest of the Freaks suggest there’s more to it, but there’s at least something sympathetic there.

The episode is just as sympathetic to Lindsay, show the inner conflict between the way she wants to be fair to Nick about how she’s not really feeling things, but also doesn’t want to hurt him. And to top it off, the show’s very sympathetic to Mrs. Weir, who is endearingly thrilled to be a confidante and provider of guidance regarding her daughter’s love life, and then just as hurt when Lindsay blames her mom for the misunderstanding that led to Nick finding out about her feelings in a tough way.

And yet, in the end, everyone picks themselves up and gets by. Nick plays sad songs in his car and drives off. But Lindsay goes to her mom, crying from the hardship of hurting someone like that, and Mrs. Weir feels bad for her daughter, but also seems glad to be able to be there to comfort her.

That’s just half of the episode though! The other half centers on Sam becoming the team mascot in order to get closer to Cindy, and things going wrong when she keeps confiding in him about her “obsession” with Todd. What I like about this storyline is that it presents a moment of growth for Sam. He feels jilted, and so is apt to rain on Cindy’s parade, badmouthing Todd and spoiling her great moment.

Then, he actually talks to the guy he’s been badmouthing for a minute, and realizes he’s the jerk, to both of them, for being sour to Cindy about something that makes him happy when neither she nor Todd (who turns out to be nice!) did anything wrong. It’s a sign of maturity from Sam, and his change of heart is admirable.

The rest of the episode is pretty given over to comedy. There’s the amusing skirmish between the Freaks and the troublemakers from a rival school (led by Logan from Gilmore Girls!) that’s mainly for laughs. Mr. Weir tries to impress his bigwig friends at the big regional basketball game (only to be inadvertently undermined by both his kids on that front). And most of all, there’s Sam’s withering critiques of the comedy of the mascot’s capering, eventually donning the costume himself to show ‘em how it’s done. It’s all light and a little broad, but the laughs are there.

Overall, it’s another great episode that shows two strong emotional conflicts for both of the Weir kids, and brings the humor alongside them.