It's a Little Freaky and Really Geeky

by Mary Richardson

The month of March has us looking into the lives of the high school population in the DVD box set Freaks and Geeks.

I must admit that this short-lived series holds a very special place in my heart. My brother and I are Sam and Lindsey Weir, the brother and sister around whom Freaks and Geeks is centered. No, really. My brother was a complete geek in 1980, and I was a complete freak in 1990. While my brother spent all his free time talking about Star Wars, The Jerk, and Monty Python, I was hanging out with the smokers and tokers in my Dad's old army jacket.

Sam is a freshman, and I assume Lindsey is a junior though the viewer is never told what grade she is in. They both come with a complete cast of freaky and geeky friends who are forced to interact by virtue of knowing the Weir siblings. The show is full of quirky comedy as well some intense drama as each episode delves deeper into the students' lives to reveal the dysfunctions within themselves and the world around them.

The creators of Freaks and Geeks pegged this show's subject matter perfectly, as they remind viewers of how absurd and uncomfortable high school really was. So often with pop culture references, the eighties end up being a series of John Hughes clichés. Executive producer Judd Aptow and creator Paul Fieg make sure the viewer understands it's a realistic 1980's school year. The clothes aren't Wang Chung cool--they are exactly what kids would be wearing; corduroys, striped shirts, jeans, and ringer tees. The music and television are usually dead on to what kids were listening to back then. There are all sorts of cool references to pop culture that feel natural in the show. For example, the poster in Sam's locker is the Darth Vader cover of Time. There is a discussion at the Weir home during family time of "which is your favorite Charlie's Angel?" A sub-plot in the last episode centers on following the Grateful Dead for the summer and another sub-plot deals with the freaks scoring money and permission to see the last tour for The Who. There is also talk about Three's Company being the funniest show on TV; oh that Jack Tripper.

Aside from the pop culture, events in the show aren't reminiscent of high school; they are high school. When Sam dates a cheerleader, his geeky friends Bill and Neil are upset because he won't sit with them at lunch. Isn't that one of the biggest yet most ridiculous fears in high school? There is a great deal of peripheral camera work as the viewer can see the geeks sit at one table, the Mathletes at another, freaks in the corner, and the jocks and cheerleaders in the center of the cafeteria. In the episode "I'm With the Band," Sam doesn't want to take a shower after gym class because, well, he just doesn't want to get naked in front of a bunch of guys. Of course, the most horrible incident happens as the school bully throws a naked Sam out into gym, locking the door. Yet another horrible fear, being in naked in school, and Sam is the skinniest, scrawniest geek you've ever seen.

I mentioned the music earlier, but you have no idea how great it is until you watch the series. I've been waiting for this DVD box set to come out for quite some time, and according to the booklet that comes with it, it was the music that kept it so long off the shelf because of royalty permission. When the freaks are on screen you get a lot of rock such as Rush, Cheap Trick, and Van Halen, particularly if the freak ring leader Daniel and his girlfriend Kim are screeching out of a driveway. There is a heartfelt and hysterically funny scene when stoner Nick sings Styx's "Lady" to Lindsey in a lame attempt to express his feelings for her. The best is when the creative team behind the show decide to use all or almost all of the same band for an episode. In "Carded and Discarded," the geeks hit gold as the new, cute girl doesn't realize they're geeks, and becomes friends with them. Throughout this episode they are constantly scheming to keep her with them and away from the cheerleaders. Every time they hang out with the new girl Billy Joel plays in the background. In "Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers," the freaks are trying to get it together to go see The Who. This episode is awesomeness multiplied as no one does teenage angst and non-conformity like The Who.

Now to the technical side of the discs. The set does have some interesting extras such as the actors' auditions. The behind the scenes footage isn't great, as it's just someone with a camcorder running around the set. It is cute to see John Francis Daley (Sam Weir) acting his age, but it wears thin after a while. Of course there's a gag reel that is somewhat entertaining. By far the best part of the extras lies in the commentaries. They mix it up so you get writers, actors, directors, and producers all doing commentary together to give some great behind the scenes information. Unfortunately, not all of the cast was available for the commentaries, but a good number of them do show up. I really wanted to hear what Busy Philipps who plays Kim Kelly (my favorite freak) had to say, so I was a little sad that Philipps wasn't there for the commentary. Dave "Gruber" Allen who plays Mr. Rosso the ex-hippie school guidance counselor is probably the best at commentary, as he goes into the character of Mr. Rosso. Definitely check the episode commentary for "Tests and Breast's?" when the actors who play Mr. Rosso, Mr. Kowchevski, and Coach Fredricks stay in character for the entirety of the episode commentary. It's just golden, and I wasn't disappointed with the commentary.

The Freaks and Geeks box set gets four hell yeahs out of five. I only slight it for the lame behind the scenes footage that seemed really interesting until viewed. It has an amazing ensemble cast with memorable characters that the viewer really feels for (particularly Bill Haverchuck, the geek who is allergic to everything under the sun). The occasional guest star will surprise you in the fun way, as the guest star idea is not overdone in this series. This DVD set just blows me away with honesty in its interpretation of being a teenager at two very opposite ends of the spectrum. The environment of 1980 is done correctly with just the right pop culture touches and audio pleasure.