Freaks and Geeks: A Show Worthy of a Weekend Fat Revival

I can't promise that I'm bringing this blog back, but I need a place to discuss Freaks and Geeks.  After a whole lot of prodding harassment from a few friends and access to my cousin's Netflix account, I have finally completed what might be one of the best shows about High School ever made. It is not only captivating with characters and plot, it deals with so many of the agenda based issues that Glee attempted without being heavy-handed, AND it serves as the precursor to so many other shows that are on TV today. Here are some things/moments I loved from the show.

1. The characters are not beautiful. I mean, of course they are all pretty good looking, but they aren't shiny and happy. They are angsty and curvy with clothes that don't fit and asymmetrical faces. Even though they are actors, they make a great attempt at real people. They are flawed. GOSH are they flawed. Angry, obsessive, mean, confused, giving into peer-pressure, socially awkward, not self-aware, spoiled, and more. And yet, even with all of these various personality flaws, they are not caricatures.  I found myself rooting for each of them to rise above whatever kept them down. To study harder, speak up, calm down, soften up, try harder, practice more, because even though these characters are not beautiful people, they are like me and you. We can do hard things, and I found myself believing it for them too.

2. Lindsay's transformation/coming of age. It would have been really easy to make Lindsay's character the vehicle for all of the lessons that needed to be learned in the show. And while there are moments where she is forced to come face to face with the choices she is making, she never strays so far from herself that she can't remember who she really is. As much as she wants to be cool or fit in with the Freaks, she brings her own flavor to it, even if it pisses the other characters off or puts her at risk of being ousted.

We're all unhappy. That's the thing about life. That's the horrible thing about life.

3. Jason Segel is adorable. Whether you like it or not, Jason Segel is a TV actor. His movies may make a splash, but his ability to develop a character through the arc of a TV show is where his strength in acting is. He is doing himself a disservice when he does ridiculous movies. HIMYM and this show are proof that he can bring incredible depth to what writers probably wrote as a pretty basic trope.

4. The episode when Sam wants an Atari and Neal gets one. We find out (spoiler) that Neal's dad is having an affair. Sam sees him out with another woman and is appalled and confused. Neal's dad tries to cover it up by saying he wanted to keep it secret so he could buy Neal the Atari. Neal is thrilled of course when he gets the game console. But at the end of the episode Sam's dad buys him one too just for the heck of it. Sam and Lindsay's parents constantly want the attention of their kids, especially the dad. And the moment when Sam get the Atari, the way he hugs his father is beautiful. It's as if he has a full appreciation of the fact that his dad is a man of integrity, even if an annoying one at times. It's rare that children see their parents for who they are and are able to really commit their emotions to them. But that moment is a perfect and sweet example.

I heard Stevie Nicks is a witch. She casts spells on people. I heard she cast a love spell on Lindsay Buckingham!

5. The best unintentional series finale ever. (Obviously there are spoilers ahead) Somehow in these 45 minutes, the characters get to try on new lives. (Which is the entire basis of High School Musical and Glee) James Franco ends up playing Dungeons and Dragons with the Geeks. Jason Segel has disco fever. And even though we don't realize it until the very end, Lindsay finally really rebels. But she doesn't do it in a mean or spiteful way. Instead of attending the academic event she's destined for, she and Kim (Busy Philipps) get into a van and follow the Grateful Dead around for 2 weeks. It's a sweet merging of personalities and lives that happens without force. Just like in real life, once you graduate, you become more of who you really are. The stereotypes melt away, and you're free to try on who you always wanted to be. Lindsay's last words to her mom are spoken in an unforgettable way, but the joy on her face when she meets up with Kim is hopeful. It's a really strangely perfect ending.

I could go on. I know I'm late to this party, but if you're coming into your Summer without a ton to do, watch this show. You won't regret it. When I finished it on Wednesday night, I looked up the Grateful Dead's American Beauty album and closed my eyes while it played in the background. It seemed like the most appropriate thing to do considering there was no van available for me to jump into with my best friend.

What are your favorite moments of the show? Favorite characters? Tell me what you loved!