Freaks and Geeks Episode 16
"Smooching and Mooching"
Original airdate: July 8, 2000
Writer: Steve Bannos
Director: Jake Kasdan
Cast: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Sarah Hagan, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, Jason Segal, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps, Becky Ann Baker, Claudia Christian, Joe Flaherty, Tom Wilson
In "Smooching and Mooching," Sam's dream comes true at the same time that Nick's worst nightmare becomes reality.
In the cold open, Nick and Ken go to a yard sale, finding a set of bongos that would bring Nick's drum kit to over 30 pieces. They purchase it, then return to his basement, finding that the kit actually is actually down to zilch. Nick's dad has sold his drums.
Nick argues with his father, insisting that the drums were his property, that his dad had no right to take them, and that he owes him the money he received for them. His dad's argument is that Nick's future is more important than the drums, and that they're distracting him from his schoolwork. We've seen Nick go through many life changes since his father's first appearance in "I'm with the Band." But his father has remained the same, as immovable as a brick wall. If Nick's grades don't go up, he has to join the army. And now, with that constantly looming over him, he doesn't even have his drums anymore (his reason for existing, as stated in episode one). So he leaves his house, running from his tyrannical father, and begins couch surfing.
He begins with Daniel's house, staying a single night before blowing it by not flushing the toilet. Then he shows up at Lindsay's place, ignoring her claims that her father will never let him sleep there. But over dinner, Harold shows a lot of sympathy for Nick—his struggling in school, his domineering father, his ambition and passion. He agrees to let Nick stay there, to Lindsay's bafflement (Linda Cardellini's reactions throughout this episode are all gold). Her confusion only grows as Harold's admiration and support of Nick grows, giving him pep talks, showing him jazz drummers like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, and even paying for him to get drum lessons.
And on the other side of the aisle is Sam, who is suddenly confronted with the possibility of a relationship with Cindy (who's just broken up with Todd), not just as a fantasy, but as tangible reality.
Given Freaks and Geeks' honesty about the high school experience, you wouldn't expect Sam to actually get the girl. After all, even The Breakfast Club, a considerably less realistic exploration of Midwestern teenage angst, left The Brain the sole teen without a romantic match. Geeks don't end up with cheerleaders is the common consensus, and in general, it's perhaps accurate. But Freaks and Geeks has spent so much time focusing on Sam and Cindy's relationship, their growing friendship that initially started with Sam trying to get closer to her before blossoming into something more complicated and nuanced. So when Cindy tells Bill that she likes Sam and asks him to relay the message ("I know I can trust you with this because we're lab partners"), it doesn't feel unrealistic or out-of-nowhere. Likability can get someone far, and if Sam has anything, it's likability. He's not the most charismatic kid in the world, and for a geek, he's not a genius—compared to Lindsay, academic pursuits don't seem like a priority to him at all. But he's sweet and caring. He became friends with Gordon Crisp when everyone thought he was too smelly to be around. He embraced his friendship with Cindy even when it seemed like a romantic connection was off the table. He cares about his friends, his sister, even his enemies, and he's funny.
Still, he's scared. Scared from how much he's internalized his place in the small world he inhabits, and scared that he has nothing to offer someone like Cindy. He's even scared of kissing wrong, to which Lindsay says "you can't kiss wrong" (something that's certainly not true, and speaks to her lack of experience in that department). Her advice to Sam is to simply be himself and to not do what Nick did to her— "Don't smother her."
But as Sam points out, it's starting to seem less like Nick is in love with Lindsay, and more like he's in love with Harold and Jean, as he finds a sense of belonging and understanding in the Weirs' house that he's never had in his own home. And then, that time has to come to an end. Nick's dad shows up to retrieve his son, and Nick goes home. Harold tries to get through to Mr. Andopolis, but the man is a brick wall. He just tells Harold to wait until Sam is 16, and leaves it at that.
Harold does his best to explain his affection for Nick to his own daughter—that Mr. Andopolis is a tough man, like Harold's father, and Lindsay can't understand that. For as tough, misguided, and occasionally cruel as Harold is, he's not that level of authoritarian. Lindsay comes away with more understanding and appreciation for her own father.
Meanwhile, the geeks show up to Mona's makeout party, ready to potentially ascend to the next level in the food chain. When Bill points out that Neal previously declared that the popular clique is a cult, he declares, "That's one cult I wouldn't mind joining." But, as per usual, Neal's desperation leaves him an outsider, with his attempts at rigging a game of spin-the-bottle backfiring. Sam's luck isn't any better, as he's forced to watch his date, Cindy, kissing other guys all night. But then he and Cindy find a room together and finally embrace, a romantic relationship blossoming.
Bill, meanwhile, keeps getting to kiss Vicki Appleby (or having to kiss her, given how disappointed she looks every time, fulfilling his worst fears). The two spin on each other over and over, until they have to go into the closet for Seven Minutes in Heaven. There, Vicki's utter disgust at being there with him leads Bill to explode, saying she's a jerk, and that he's no happier to be there than she is. This leads to a heart-to-heart that culminates in Bill describing the plot of The Jerk to her, and then, finally, her passionately kissing him. Unlike with Sam and Cindy, this moment between Bill and Vicki has to be kept in the closet. But like the jock said several episodes ago, "The geeks have inherited the Earth." Sam and Bill aren't complete aliens that can never prosper in proper society. They're both charming and kind, and they have a willingness to be themselves fully, no matter what, that will inevitably break through the walls that separate them from everyone else.
Of course, as the next episode reveals, Cindy is only interested in Sam because she's tired of dating jerks, and Sam is nice. You know nice guy syndrome, where men are upset that women only date assholes instead of "nice guys like me?" Cindy's interest in Sam proves that dating someone only because they're nice is a mistake, as well. But here, for an episode, we get to cheer on the relationship for a bit.
Grade: A+
