August 11, 2009

• Freaks and Geeks- Carded and Discarded (episode 7)

  Previously on Freaks and Geeks:  Pilot, Beers and Weirs, Tricks and Treats, Kim Kelly is My Friend, Tests and Breasts, I'm with the Band

  

  Carded and Discarded is directed by Judd Apatow and was written by Paul Feig and Judd Apatow.  Once again, I am willing to wager that many of you have heard of Judd Apatow.

  Plot Summary: Sam, Neal, and Bill befriend a pretty new transfer student, but soon fear of losing her to the popular crowd and try to win her over with a series of fun things they plan for her. Lindsay, Nick, Daniel, and Ken decide to get fake IDs so they can see a hot local band perform at a bar. However, after they go through the trouble of getting their IDs and getting into the bar, the group is stunned to find out who the hot local bands lead singer is.

  This is a great episode.  The plot line with the fake IDs hit close to home.  When I was in high school Wisconsin still used the old time laminated ID cards although by the time I hit driver's ed. they just started rolling out the new hologram card style.  Well guess who had a fake?  That's right, my crazy classmate Stender.  The photo was of a Hispanic male and Stender was white.  Also the features were funny because everything had been clearly scratched off and handwritten.  It was so bad.  Luckily Stender only paind $25 for the ID.  The card did get him into a bar or two and also a few visits to the liquor store.  I didn't even bother.  I just went in and bought beer despite being well under the age. Apparently I looked quite older.  I almost got busted when one of my alcoholic teachers was in the gas station picking up his nightly 6 pack of 40 ouncers and I was coming out of the beer cooler holding two cases of Bud Ice.  I swear it wasn't for me even if Bud Ice was the only Bud product I enjoyed.  I quick set them down and reached into another cooler and grabbed a pizza.  "Hey my best student!  How are you?"  "Well I'm doing fine sir.  Just going to head home and have this pizza because the little lady is away this weekend.  It looks like you are up for a fun weekend."  "Yeah, I have tests to correct."  "Well I don't think I did my usual A+ work so could you correct mine after you've had a couple of those?"  "Will do."  He leaves.  I buy the pizza and leave and we have to go to another gas station.  I am getting yelled at and I have to explain what happened.  We head down to the next gas station and there was the teacher standing in line with another 6 pack.  I got extra credit on that test.  So when the kids find out who the singer is, well that is how I felt when I was in the gas station.

  Also that opening scene...there were so many times I wanted to pull out my guitar and sing to my students when they came to me with problems but I remembered what a tool Mr. Rosso was and never did that.

  Errors:  When the freaks go to the clothing store in the mall to ask Howie Gelfand about getting fake ID's, Howie makes a reference to how tall Nick is by referring to him as Bill Laimbeer. Laimbeer was a basketball player who was about 6'10" tall. He became fairly famous as a player for the Detroit Pistons (the hometown team for these Michigan students)  But Laimbeer didn't join the Pistons until 1982. In 1980, Laimbeer was an obscure rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Howie would have no idea who Laimbeer was at that point, and wouldn't make that comment to refer to Nick's being so tall.

  As he accosted Vicki for reportedly disliking Three's Company, Eli began to explain why Mr. Roper didn't want Jack Tripper living with two women. However, Mr. Furley had been the trio's landlord for over a full season by this point. Norman Fell and Audra Lindley left the series in the spring of 1978 for the spin-off The Ropers.

  In Millie's cousin's house there's a poster on the wall of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." This movie didn't come out until 1982. In an earlier episode, Nick mentions seeing the film as well. So this makes two times "The Wall" film is out of sync.

  Guest Stars:  Look for Jason Schwartzman as Howie, Kevin Corrigan as Toby, Ben Foster as Eli (he was in the Pilot episode), David Kochner as the waiter, and Joel Hodgson as the Salesman (he'll come back in later episodes).  Joel Hodgson was the creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000.  I loved that show.  He was the original star as well.  If you haven't seen this show, check out this and this.  I also happened to check out what happened to the girl who played Cindy Sanders.  Her name is Natasha Melnick.  It looks like she has primarily done TV but she does have a movie in post-production called 1001 Ways to Enjoy the Missionary Position. 

  Music: "C'Etait Toi (You Were the One)," "Rosalinda" and "Don't Ask Me Why" by Billy Joel; "Stomp!" by Brothers Johnson; "18" (Alice Cooper) and "American Band" (Grand Funk Railroad), performed by Dave "Gruber" Allen and Feedback.  Dave "Gruber" Allen played Mr. Rosso, the guidance counselor.  He and David Koechner would team up for the short lived Comedy Central Series "The Naked Truck and T-Bone Show"

  Quotes:
  Ken: I just want to be older so I can go to bars. Everything fun in this world happens in bars.

  Daniel: I hate astrology. What, everybody born in the same month is gonna have the same life?

  Jean: Nobody's home. You wanna have a little sex?
  Harold: Sex?! Well, okay.

  Neal: Had to bring the big rocket, didn't you?
  Bill: What... I got a big rocket, what am I supposed to do, cut it in half?

  (After Maureen changed the menu to read "Pan Fried Butts")
  Bill: How are we not supposed to be in love with her?

  Tributes: The freaks end up going to Millie's cousin to get better fake ID's than the ones provided by Howie Gelfand. Millie's cousin tells Daniel he can come in for his ID first, saying "McMurphy, you come in first." Daniel is wearing a knit skullcap, so calling him McMurphy is a reference to character Randall McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson, in the Academy Award winning 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Nicholson spent much of the movie wearing a knit cap like Daniel wore in the episode.

  Here is the episode, enjoy!
  

  • 1:23 AM
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