I was lying in bed fighting the effects of the flu last week. When I was not sleeping I needed something to occupy my time. However, reading was too hard to focus the eyes on due to the fever and headaches I was enduring. So I decided it was time to watch something out of the Netflix queue.
I picked the TV show Freaks and Geeks which was a TV show that only lasted one season on NBC back in 1999. The show gained somewhat of a cult following. This show was executive produced by Judd Apatow. He would gain more notice later with such films as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. Those movies had over the top gross out moments. However, the thing that makes his movies different is he develops his characters and storylines to be more than just simple stereotypes. I am looking to writing more fiction in the upcoming year. So I was looking for something to refer to when it comes to developing characters over time.
This show features many young actors who would go on to have regular roles in Judd Apatow’s movie. This series really showcases what would be central ideas and themes to his movies,
This series was about kids in a fictional suburban high school in the early 1980’s. However, this show is really not about those times exactly. I really do not think high school has advanced that much at all over time. The music might change along with the clothing styles but on an emotional level it has remained pretty much constant. Technology has changed for sure but it has really has not done much for human emotions. But that is not entirely true. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have had an effect on those emotions. But “outrage” is not a very good long term “catalyst”.
I have always wondered why high school has this major effect on people. Why is it that this one “finite event” has to be “infinite” in its scope? Why of all the events in your life this one that has to revisit it via a reunion? High school takes place over 4 years but in reality is only about 800-900 days in all. Speaking for myself, the events that really shaped my being at that time took place in settings other than high school. Plus, out of about the 450 in my class there are at most 20-30 people I would be “curious” about what happened to them. Remember. A person restarting relationships because of the “reunion” only happens in the movies. The reality is life moves on. And not everyone moves on with you. When you look at it over time most of what happened to you in high school was just “temporary”. And it was also “arbitrary”.
Back to this show. I like the characters of the show. These characters were all relatable to watch. However, with only one season there is no way of knowing how they would change over 4 years of high school. The only problem I had was the show’s story arcs were inconsistent. There are things that happen to them but are not addressed in the next episode but then come back 3 or 4 episodes later.
I like shows that balance the line between the humor and drama. This show balances the “hopes and fears” or the “sense and sensibilities” that many of us felt at some point in high school.
Joan Jett’s song Bad Reputation was the show’s theme song. And here is an updated version featuring the Foo Fighters.
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