Freaks and Geeks Episode 11
"Looks and Books"
Original airdate: Feb. 7, 2000
Writer: Paul Feig
Director: Ken Kwapis
Cast: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, Jason Segal, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps, Becky Ann Baker, Joe Flaherty
For the second episode in a row, Lindsay's relationship with the freaks is fractured. Here, the fracture comes after the freaks pressure Lindsay to steal her parents' station wagon to pick up amps for a gig. She gets into an accident, obviously — as we've established, this world is unfair. And then she gets the worst punishment possible — the we're not mad, just disappointed. Rather than yelling, like he usually does, Harold calmly expresses how little he trusts his daughter anymore, how he could have her arrested if he wants to, and that even he doesn't know long she's grounded for. Linda Cardellini, for her part, does a tremendous job looking absolutely distraught here. Where Lindsay spends her usual confrontations with her parents defensive, here she's defeated–face flushed, tears rolling down her cheeks, unable to defend herself. "I'm so sorry, daddy," she says. When Harold tells her she's not allowed to hang out with those burnouts anymore, she says, "Don't worry. I'm not."