September 15, 2009

• Freaks and Geeks- The Garage Door (episode 12)

  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, Girlfriends and Boyfriends, We've Got Spirit, The Diary, Looks and Books.

  
  
  
  
  

  The Garage Door was directed by Bryan Gordon and written by Paul Feig and Gabe Sachs.  This episode also has been called Tries and Lies.

  Plot Summary: Neal learns his father is cheating on his mother. Ken develops a crush on the tuba player in the school's marching band and Lindsay helps set them up.

  I really like this episode because it focuses on some of the other players in the series.  Neal and Ken were basically used to make sarcastic comments and here they are center stage.  Neal gets a story line devoted to his family.  We learn that his father is a dentist and a womanizer.  I also enjoyed how the story revolved around Atari.  God, I loved that system.  There were times when I would rather play that over NES or SNES.  The Neal storyline is somewhat dark for this series but divorce and cheating was a topic that was starting to become common place in American society in the early 80s so it is fitting.  I always thought Sam McMurray did an excellent job playing Dr. Schweiber.  The geeks had him to fall back to to feel cool.  He obviously was cooler than Sam's dad and as for Bill, we'll see in future episodes who he has for a male family role model.  Oh and another thing that is funny is when Bill and Sam discuss the geek code and how Bill told Sam and Neal about a time in class when he meant to fart but something else happened.  I laughed so hard.  I was also creeped out by Dr. Schweiber during his check-up with Sam. 

  The Ken storyline is funny because I sort of related.  He falls for a smart girl that is probably a friend of Lindsay's because Lindsay is a brain.  I remember falling for those smart girls that more than likely would never be caught with a guy like me.  That happened so often in college.  Unlike Ken I couldn't make quips.  I was speechless around this one girl.  I don't know what was wrong with me.  I think she knew that I was interested so to deter me she talked about how her boyfriend was visiting.  Heartbroken...but then I found another girl.  We shared a music class and it was one of the most difficult classes I have ever had.  I swear the professor was a sadist.  All I can remember from that class was how awesome it felt to walk out of the musical hall after class ended.  It was orgasmic.  Anyway, my dorm was right next to the music hall but for some reason I went the other way and there was the new girl of my affection.  I asked her what she thought of the quiz and she giggled out an answer.  We walked across campus and talked about stuff.  I was smitten.  I get to her dorm and I look at the male dorm next and said, "Well I am lost because this isn't my dorm."  She laughed and said I needed a map to find my way around school.  We said our goodbyes but I couldn't muster anything to ask her out.  I kicked myself.  I tell my roommate about it and he says that he would set it up because his fiance was the girl's roommate.  My heart was racing.  He comes back and says that she is actually afraid of me because I smoke and drink.  She had never touched a cigarette or been around a smoker and she had only had one drink in her life excluding of course communion wine.  I was devestated and sank into a depression.  Well for my roommate's wedding, he paired me with this girl.  We had a fun time but low and behold she announced that she is engaged to her roommate's brother.  Apparently they dated through email and letters.  And that is when I think I became a minister and entered my vow of celibacy.  So is that a FML moment?

  Things to Look For:  Nick's not the only one being transparent in his continued feelings towards Lindsay. In an early scene at the Weir dinner table that's otherwise about setting up Jean's inferiority complex towards the Schweiber's, Neal tries to impress Lindsay with a display of his sensitive side, noting that he cried while watching "Ordinary People," and that he intends to see it again.

  The girl who plays Tuba Girl was in one of my favorite movies "Election".  She was was Chris Klein's lesbian kid sister.  Sadly there hasn't been much of her since her appearances on Freaks and Geeks.

  Music: "25 or 6 to 4" (Chicago), "When the Saints Go Marching In" and ["Go, Fight, Win"], performed by McKinley High Marching Band; "Beautiful Loser" by Bob Seger; "Let the Good Times Roll" by the Cars; "Karn Evil #9" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer; "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band; "Amie" by Pure Prairie League; "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

  Trivia: The game of Asteroids being played by Bill, Neal and Sam is different from the Atari 2600 version, which used filled shapes for the asteroids instead of the arcade version's vector outlines

  These Atari games mentioned or pictured in the department store were not released until 1981 or after: Asteroids, Pole Position, Berzerk, Dig Dug, Real Sports Baseball, and Robot Tank. These Intellivision games are seen on the Atari rack in the department store and were not released until 1981 or later: Space Armada and Triple Action.

  A New York State license plate can be seen among many others. This style of license plate (white w/ Statue of Liberty) was not issued in New York State until 1986. License plates in New York were blue on deep yellow until 1986.  Remember the series takes place in Michigan.

  Dr. Schweiber's license plate reads "IFLOSSEM".

  The device Neal's dad puts into Sam's mouth in the scene at the dentist's office was a gag that producer Judd Apatow used to use in his old stand-up routine.  The geeks ride around town on their bikes, trying out the garage door opener to confirm Neil's suspicions about his father.  A door opens when Neil clicks the opener at it, but it turns out someone is pulling in the driveway at that moment.  A relieved Neil says "I almost had a heart attack." Bill responds by saying "I'm coming Elizabeth; it's the big one!"  Bill's joking response is a reference to the 70's sitcom "Sanford and Son". Whenever Fred Sanford, played by Redd Foxx, would get really upset, he would exaggerate and claim he was having a heart attack, allowing him to join his late wife Elizabeth.

  Quotes:
  Kim: Check out the pizza-face dork with the trombone! Why doesn't he just pop those things?
  Daniel: I think if he did, he'd die of blood loss.

  Neal: I'm just going to have my coffee now.
  Bill: Is that before or after you shave?

  Ken: "Nice threads!"
  Amy (perfectly aping Rogen's deep, old man tones): "Nice voice!"

  Ken: "Hey, Sgt. Pepper, where's the rest of the lonely hearts band?"
  Amy: "Looks like you ate them!"

  Here is the episode.  Enjoy!

  • 2:48 PM
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