Post by affrosponge88 on Dec 31, 2012 0:33:24 GMT -6
Freaks and Geeks: "Beers and Weirs" Review
by Stingo the Bandana Origami Pro
The first time your parents leave you without a babysitter while they're gone overnight is a major rite of passage during one's (likely) early teen years, one of the earliest tangible times your parents essentially say, "You're getting old enough now that we don't need to take care of you all the time any more." Of course, this really happens at pretty much every stage of your early life; it's simply harder to get into wacky shenanigans based around the fact that you've graduated from diapers to normal underwear.
That Freaks and Geeks addresses this rite of passage in a way that's both funny and melancholic, without tipping so far to one side that the other loses its effect, shouldn't surprise anyone who's seen even just the single episode of the show before "Beers and Weirs". The pilot firmly established the show's almost uncanny understanding of teenage life, an understanding which it uses to breathe some new life into the otherwise-overused "kids throw a party while the parents are gone" scenario.
The plot of "Beers and Weirs" is a simple one: Lindsay, having been left in charge of the house while Harold and Jean are away, decides to throw a keg party, mainly in order to impress Daniel; meanwhile, Sam, worried that this could lead to trouble (the Super Students Improv Players' performances, and subsequent photos of kids killed in drunk driving accidents, had a real effect on him), puts into action Bill's idea of swapping Lindsay's keg with another one full of non-alcoholic beer. These plots converge at almost exactly the halfway point of the episode, at which point the party begins.
Even though the first half is mostly setup for the party scene, there's some good stuff that happens here. Most of them are minor enough that they'll be brought up below, but there are two small parts that really stand out. Lindsay's slow change from hesitance to throw the kegger to reluctant acquiescence, spurred by Kim's accusation of Lindsay being too lame to allow a party in her house, is well-played by Linda Cardellini. You can practically see her going over the risks and rewards (namely, impressing Daniel) in her head as the Freaks pressure her. The other scene is one that further establishes the show's unusually strong understanding of teenage relationships: the short bit right after Harold and Jean leave on their trip, when Sam tries to convince Lindsay not to have beer at her party, using what he learned "at assembly today" to dissuade her. My brother and I are one year further apart in age than Sam and Lindsay, and it's not hard to imagine that we would have had a very similar conversation under the same circumstances.
Once the party gets started, things quickly spiral out of control - if not on a "breaking the windows and trashing the house" level, then definitely on a personal and emotional level. Some of the problems are played for comedy: Millie arriving and declaring she's "going to have more fun than any of you... sober," (though here again, Linda Cardellini lays claims to being the MVP of the series with her subtle reactions to her former best friend's disappointment, sneaking a little emotional resonance into the poking fun at Millie's persona); Bill getting drunk on the real beer and watching Dallas in Sam's room; and Sam collecting various breakables around the house in an effort to prevent any permanent damage being done. One moment in particular is presented with a sort of sinister edge, when Daniel's cousin Jimmy and his friends (including Not-Harry Dean Stanton) arrive and threaten to "tear this mother down!"
The big event in the episode, the one that has the longest-reaching implications for Lindsay as well as the most immediate emotional impact is the discovery that Kim and Daniel have gotten back together, using Lindsay's bed (is there a bigger unintentional "fuck you" than this in the series?) as a grounds for their making-up make-out/sex session. This is the last straw on the stress-camel's back for Lindsay, who walks out of the house in a daze and ends up going to Nick for comfort, because that's definitely a good idea.
After Nick's ill-timed attempt at a bra removal (Really, man? That's your first move?), Neal gets a chance to step up and put his crush on Lindsey to use to calm her down enough to end the party. Samm Levine is my least favorite performance on the show, and Neal my least favorite character, but he shines here while giving his pep talk to Lindsay. He manages to pull a perfect balance between the character's innate dorkiness and somehow saying the right thing in the moment, occasional "I've been in love with you since I was five years old" slip-up aside.
The thing that tends to get overlooked when talking about rites of passage is that they aren't just indicators of getting older, or more mature; they're also markers of times when our actions start to have real consequences, beyond whether we'll get grounded for throwing a party while our parents are away. They're times when we take steps toward becoming mature adults, and when we have to deal with things like finding out that the guy we have a crush on has just gotten back together with the girl who's always going to have his attention over ours; when the dorky friend of our younger brother tells us he's been in love with us forever; when we realize that the guy we've run to for comfort is maybe just interested in getting our clothes off. These may not be situations that adults have to deal with, but for teenagers? They're the moments that leave them crying on their parents’ bed, wondering what their place in life is.
Stray Observations
- The episode opens with a shot of Joe Flaherty's boxer-clad butt. I'd imagine this is in-depth symbolism for Lindsay's emotional journey this episode.
- OccamsBlazer didn't really mention this in his review, so I will: this show's credits sequence is one of the best ever filmed, and it's especially impressive because you can get an immediate idea of what each character is like based on their reaction during the picture-taking. Martin Starr's especially shit-eating grin followed by pure regret is a highlight.
- Ken is easily the least-developed character for the first, what, two-thirds of the show, but I'll be damned if Seth Rogen doesn't nail every line he gets.
- "Anyone want to see The Wall with me? Thought I might experiment, see it straight once." "Don't do it! You'll regret it. Trust me."
- The way Millie and Harris turn before freezing, single leg up, during the assembly never fails to crack me up.
- "My cousin was at a Freak party once, and someone put angel dust in her drink."
- The guy with the red sunglasses who whispers "PARTY!!" to Lindsay is amazing.
- Lizzy Caplan sighting!
- "IT WAS CALLAHAN!" I love Neal's terrible impersonations.
- Love the cashier's reaction to the Geeks' plan. "Righteous!"
- Neal's belabored Sabbath pun hits the spot of my love of awkward comedy.
- Nick's seemingly unironic singing along with Millie is great. I like that they poke fun at her without completely making her the butt of jokes with no redeeming factors and without anyone ever backing her up, even unintentionally like Nick does here.
by Stingo the Bandana Origami Pro
The first time your parents leave you without a babysitter while they're gone overnight is a major rite of passage during one's (likely) early teen years, one of the earliest tangible times your parents essentially say, "You're getting old enough now that we don't need to take care of you all the time any more." Of course, this really happens at pretty much every stage of your early life; it's simply harder to get into wacky shenanigans based around the fact that you've graduated from diapers to normal underwear.
That Freaks and Geeks addresses this rite of passage in a way that's both funny and melancholic, without tipping so far to one side that the other loses its effect, shouldn't surprise anyone who's seen even just the single episode of the show before "Beers and Weirs". The pilot firmly established the show's almost uncanny understanding of teenage life, an understanding which it uses to breathe some new life into the otherwise-overused "kids throw a party while the parents are gone" scenario.
The plot of "Beers and Weirs" is a simple one: Lindsay, having been left in charge of the house while Harold and Jean are away, decides to throw a keg party, mainly in order to impress Daniel; meanwhile, Sam, worried that this could lead to trouble (the Super Students Improv Players' performances, and subsequent photos of kids killed in drunk driving accidents, had a real effect on him), puts into action Bill's idea of swapping Lindsay's keg with another one full of non-alcoholic beer. These plots converge at almost exactly the halfway point of the episode, at which point the party begins.
Even though the first half is mostly setup for the party scene, there's some good stuff that happens here. Most of them are minor enough that they'll be brought up below, but there are two small parts that really stand out. Lindsay's slow change from hesitance to throw the kegger to reluctant acquiescence, spurred by Kim's accusation of Lindsay being too lame to allow a party in her house, is well-played by Linda Cardellini. You can practically see her going over the risks and rewards (namely, impressing Daniel) in her head as the Freaks pressure her. The other scene is one that further establishes the show's unusually strong understanding of teenage relationships: the short bit right after Harold and Jean leave on their trip, when Sam tries to convince Lindsay not to have beer at her party, using what he learned "at assembly today" to dissuade her. My brother and I are one year further apart in age than Sam and Lindsay, and it's not hard to imagine that we would have had a very similar conversation under the same circumstances.
Once the party gets started, things quickly spiral out of control - if not on a "breaking the windows and trashing the house" level, then definitely on a personal and emotional level. Some of the problems are played for comedy: Millie arriving and declaring she's "going to have more fun than any of you... sober," (though here again, Linda Cardellini lays claims to being the MVP of the series with her subtle reactions to her former best friend's disappointment, sneaking a little emotional resonance into the poking fun at Millie's persona); Bill getting drunk on the real beer and watching Dallas in Sam's room; and Sam collecting various breakables around the house in an effort to prevent any permanent damage being done. One moment in particular is presented with a sort of sinister edge, when Daniel's cousin Jimmy and his friends (including Not-Harry Dean Stanton) arrive and threaten to "tear this mother down!"
The big event in the episode, the one that has the longest-reaching implications for Lindsay as well as the most immediate emotional impact is the discovery that Kim and Daniel have gotten back together, using Lindsay's bed (is there a bigger unintentional "fuck you" than this in the series?) as a grounds for their making-up make-out/sex session. This is the last straw on the stress-camel's back for Lindsay, who walks out of the house in a daze and ends up going to Nick for comfort, because that's definitely a good idea.
After Nick's ill-timed attempt at a bra removal (Really, man? That's your first move?), Neal gets a chance to step up and put his crush on Lindsey to use to calm her down enough to end the party. Samm Levine is my least favorite performance on the show, and Neal my least favorite character, but he shines here while giving his pep talk to Lindsay. He manages to pull a perfect balance between the character's innate dorkiness and somehow saying the right thing in the moment, occasional "I've been in love with you since I was five years old" slip-up aside.
The thing that tends to get overlooked when talking about rites of passage is that they aren't just indicators of getting older, or more mature; they're also markers of times when our actions start to have real consequences, beyond whether we'll get grounded for throwing a party while our parents are away. They're times when we take steps toward becoming mature adults, and when we have to deal with things like finding out that the guy we have a crush on has just gotten back together with the girl who's always going to have his attention over ours; when the dorky friend of our younger brother tells us he's been in love with us forever; when we realize that the guy we've run to for comfort is maybe just interested in getting our clothes off. These may not be situations that adults have to deal with, but for teenagers? They're the moments that leave them crying on their parents’ bed, wondering what their place in life is.
Stray Observations
- The episode opens with a shot of Joe Flaherty's boxer-clad butt. I'd imagine this is in-depth symbolism for Lindsay's emotional journey this episode.
- OccamsBlazer didn't really mention this in his review, so I will: this show's credits sequence is one of the best ever filmed, and it's especially impressive because you can get an immediate idea of what each character is like based on their reaction during the picture-taking. Martin Starr's especially shit-eating grin followed by pure regret is a highlight.
- Ken is easily the least-developed character for the first, what, two-thirds of the show, but I'll be damned if Seth Rogen doesn't nail every line he gets.
- "Anyone want to see The Wall with me? Thought I might experiment, see it straight once." "Don't do it! You'll regret it. Trust me."
- The way Millie and Harris turn before freezing, single leg up, during the assembly never fails to crack me up.
- "My cousin was at a Freak party once, and someone put angel dust in her drink."
- The guy with the red sunglasses who whispers "PARTY!!" to Lindsay is amazing.
- Lizzy Caplan sighting!
- "IT WAS CALLAHAN!" I love Neal's terrible impersonations.
- Love the cashier's reaction to the Geeks' plan. "Righteous!"
- Neal's belabored Sabbath pun hits the spot of my love of awkward comedy.
- Nick's seemingly unironic singing along with Millie is great. I like that they poke fun at her without completely making her the butt of jokes with no redeeming factors and without anyone ever backing her up, even unintentionally like Nick does here.
