[8.5/10] Harold Weir is mostly an object of fun on Freaks and Geeks. He tends to be a source of comic relief, of gags of the “out of touch dad” variety, and of comically horrified reactions to common T.V. phenomena. That’s why it’s great to have an episode that humanizes him a little bit, and shows something of a softer side.
Much of the back half of this series has been about getting to know the secondary characters better, and giving them stories of their own where Lindsay and Sam aren’t the focus. It’s nice to see the results when the show applies that same mentality to Harold, giving him added dimension beyond the hilarious if a little flat goofy parent schtick.
That shading comes when the Weirs decide to play host to Nick after he runs away from his dad’s house after Mr. Andopolis gave away his drums. Nick is pretty shameless in his mooching, heavily hinting that he’d like to be fed and housed, something the kind Weir parents are honor-bound to do. It’s not the best look for Nick (especially when, as Kim prophesized, he tries to use the occasion to romance Lindsay once more), but Harold unexpectedly takes a shine to him.
The two end up bonding over Gene Krupa, leading to some hilarious and well-shot scenes of Nick reacting with euphoria to hearing Harold’s old records, and then dancing to them alongside Mr. and Mrs. Weir. Harold even goes so far as to pay for drum lessons for Nick in exchange for working part time at his store. Harold’s firm but kind with the boy, talking him up to Mr. Andopolis, encouraging him to follow his dreams but in a more practical way, and just generally treating him with an affection and respect that causes Lindsay, and the audience, to wonder why.
Part of the equation is only hinted at, namely that Nick’s relationship with Mr. Andopolis reminds Harold of his relationship with his own father. Harold’s description of Mr. Andopolis as a “hard man” and his gentle but strong admonition to Lindsay that she doesn’t know what it’s like suggests that Harold was once in Nick’s position, and that however unreasonable he may seem to Lindsay and Sam at times, he’s at least trying to be kinder and gentler than his own father, after remembering the effect on him.
But there’s also a certain sexism to it, albeit one mixed with Harold’s genuine love for his daughter and belief in her relative to Nick. It’s hinted at with the dinner table conversation where Harold declares that a woman should never be President -- there’s a double standard here. Harold sees himself in Nick, where in Lindsay, he sees something precious and vulnerable that could be sullied or hurt when not under his protection.
And yet, that also comes from a place of Harold’s belief that Lindsay will be better than Nick and, implicitly, better than him. His “more is expected” of you comment to her grapples with complicated idea that with greater expectations come greater restrictions at times because, to parents at least, more is at stake. Harold admits to a certain amount of parochialism, to knowing that his daughter can’t just stay in the house all the time and has to live her own life and make her own decisions, but his concerns don’t just come from his being backwards; they come from a place of loving and, in his own way, respecting his Lindsay, and it earns the emotion of the hug between father and daughter that ends the story.
And as I often say, that’s only half the episode. The other half is devoted to the Geeks and a make out party at Vicky’s house. Each of the Geeks gets a little slice of the proceedings, so let’s take them in ascending order of significance.
The simplest is Neal, who tries to make himself a lothario and prepare to goose a game of spin the bottle in his favor, but ends up empty handed. It’s easy comedy, but it largely works, and the montage of the guys getting ready for a kissing party is that combination of sweet and silly that the show does well when taking a look at the life of a teenage boy.
The most momentous in terms of season-long arcs is that Sam and Cindy finally get together. Cindy has broken up with Todd who, it turns out, was a jerk! (You see, Sam, your totally biased and baseless assessment turned out to be right!) The silver lining is that she realizes how kind Sam is to her, and wants to be with him.
It’s a bit too much of a nice guy fantasy, to be honest, but the show can coast on the inherent sweetness and chemistry of the two of them and get away with it. I appreciate both that Sam is nervous and has to muster up the courage both to ask Cindy out (even after knowing that she wants him to!) and to kiss her, while Cindy not only has the gumption to set things in motion, but delivers the first kiss and takes charge of the second. It’s a nice way to flip the stereotypes of these situations a bit.
But that stereotype flipping hits its peak when Bill and Vicki end up being paired (through the infinite mysteries of spin the bottle) for “Seven Minutes in Heaven.” What ensues is a really well-written and surprisingly believable detente and affection between the two. Their hook-up is another bit of nice guy fantasy, but it works in the moment and the two young actors sell it well.
Vicky is disdainful of being in this situation with Bill through the vicissitudes of the game, and makes her displeasure known. Bill has the moxie to stand up to her, telling her that he was just trying to be nice and (genuinely) didn’t even want to kiss her. Unable (or rather, unwilling) to pass the time by making out, Bill and Vicky are forced to talk to one another, and from Bill earnestly asking Vicky what it’s like to be pretty, to Vicky remarking that Bill always seems pretty happy, they find a strange sort of compatibility. The way the pair warm to one another is adorable, and their sharing a first kiss (for Bill at least) after Bill’s previous declaration that french kissing was gross, feels earned in a way that no smooch between the head cheerleader and the uber nerd has any right to.
But this is an episode about people finding surprising soft spots for people that you might expect them to consider unworthy of the privilege. Whether it’s Harold Weir having some unexpected sympathy for Nick, or Vicky seeing a different side of Bill, “Smooching and Mooching” is all about its characters having more than meets the eye to them, and it explores that in comic, touching glory.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2018-02-06T22:01:30Z
[8.5/10] Harold Weir is mostly an object of fun on Freaks and Geeks. He tends to be a source of comic relief, of gags of the “out of touch dad” variety, and of comically horrified reactions to common T.V. phenomena. That’s why it’s great to have an episode that humanizes him a little bit, and shows something of a softer side.
Much of the back half of this series has been about getting to know the secondary characters better, and giving them stories of their own where Lindsay and Sam aren’t the focus. It’s nice to see the results when the show applies that same mentality to Harold, giving him added dimension beyond the hilarious if a little flat goofy parent schtick.
That shading comes when the Weirs decide to play host to Nick after he runs away from his dad’s house after Mr. Andopolis gave away his drums. Nick is pretty shameless in his mooching, heavily hinting that he’d like to be fed and housed, something the kind Weir parents are honor-bound to do. It’s not the best look for Nick (especially when, as Kim prophesized, he tries to use the occasion to romance Lindsay once more), but Harold unexpectedly takes a shine to him.
The two end up bonding over Gene Krupa, leading to some hilarious and well-shot scenes of Nick reacting with euphoria to hearing Harold’s old records, and then dancing to them alongside Mr. and Mrs. Weir. Harold even goes so far as to pay for drum lessons for Nick in exchange for working part time at his store. Harold’s firm but kind with the boy, talking him up to Mr. Andopolis, encouraging him to follow his dreams but in a more practical way, and just generally treating him with an affection and respect that causes Lindsay, and the audience, to wonder why.
Part of the equation is only hinted at, namely that Nick’s relationship with Mr. Andopolis reminds Harold of his relationship with his own father. Harold’s description of Mr. Andopolis as a “hard man” and his gentle but strong admonition to Lindsay that she doesn’t know what it’s like suggests that Harold was once in Nick’s position, and that however unreasonable he may seem to Lindsay and Sam at times, he’s at least trying to be kinder and gentler than his own father, after remembering the effect on him.
But there’s also a certain sexism to it, albeit one mixed with Harold’s genuine love for his daughter and belief in her relative to Nick. It’s hinted at with the dinner table conversation where Harold declares that a woman should never be President -- there’s a double standard here. Harold sees himself in Nick, where in Lindsay, he sees something precious and vulnerable that could be sullied or hurt when not under his protection.
And yet, that also comes from a place of Harold’s belief that Lindsay will be better than Nick and, implicitly, better than him. His “more is expected” of you comment to her grapples with complicated idea that with greater expectations come greater restrictions at times because, to parents at least, more is at stake. Harold admits to a certain amount of parochialism, to knowing that his daughter can’t just stay in the house all the time and has to live her own life and make her own decisions, but his concerns don’t just come from his being backwards; they come from a place of loving and, in his own way, respecting his Lindsay, and it earns the emotion of the hug between father and daughter that ends the story.
And as I often say, that’s only half the episode. The other half is devoted to the Geeks and a make out party at Vicky’s house. Each of the Geeks gets a little slice of the proceedings, so let’s take them in ascending order of significance.
The simplest is Neal, who tries to make himself a lothario and prepare to goose a game of spin the bottle in his favor, but ends up empty handed. It’s easy comedy, but it largely works, and the montage of the guys getting ready for a kissing party is that combination of sweet and silly that the show does well when taking a look at the life of a teenage boy.
The most momentous in terms of season-long arcs is that Sam and Cindy finally get together. Cindy has broken up with Todd who, it turns out, was a jerk! (You see, Sam, your totally biased and baseless assessment turned out to be right!) The silver lining is that she realizes how kind Sam is to her, and wants to be with him.
It’s a bit too much of a nice guy fantasy, to be honest, but the show can coast on the inherent sweetness and chemistry of the two of them and get away with it. I appreciate both that Sam is nervous and has to muster up the courage both to ask Cindy out (even after knowing that she wants him to!) and to kiss her, while Cindy not only has the gumption to set things in motion, but delivers the first kiss and takes charge of the second. It’s a nice way to flip the stereotypes of these situations a bit.
But that stereotype flipping hits its peak when Bill and Vicki end up being paired (through the infinite mysteries of spin the bottle) for “Seven Minutes in Heaven.” What ensues is a really well-written and surprisingly believable detente and affection between the two. Their hook-up is another bit of nice guy fantasy, but it works in the moment and the two young actors sell it well.
Vicky is disdainful of being in this situation with Bill through the vicissitudes of the game, and makes her displeasure known. Bill has the moxie to stand up to her, telling her that he was just trying to be nice and (genuinely) didn’t even want to kiss her. Unable (or rather, unwilling) to pass the time by making out, Bill and Vicky are forced to talk to one another, and from Bill earnestly asking Vicky what it’s like to be pretty, to Vicky remarking that Bill always seems pretty happy, they find a strange sort of compatibility. The way the pair warm to one another is adorable, and their sharing a first kiss (for Bill at least) after Bill’s previous declaration that french kissing was gross, feels earned in a way that no smooch between the head cheerleader and the uber nerd has any right to.
But this is an episode about people finding surprising soft spots for people that you might expect them to consider unworthy of the privilege. Whether it’s Harold Weir having some unexpected sympathy for Nick, or Vicky seeing a different side of Bill, “Smooching and Mooching” is all about its characters having more than meets the eye to them, and it explores that in comic, touching glory.