TV Guilty Pleasures #12: 'Freaks and Geeks'

Freaks and geeks make the world go round, you know. If it wasn’t for scientists and the like we’d still be living in the Stone Age smacking rocks against other rocks and calling it Dubstep. But just because freaks and geeks are often scientists doesn’t mean they all are, as evidenced by one of Judd Apatow’s earliest works, the short-lived but beloved “Freaks and Geeks.”

For most high-schoolers, life is all about trying to fit in. “Freaks and Geeks” is about exactly what the title says- one group of freaks and one group of geeks. Taking place in 1980, main characters/siblings Lindsay and Sam Weir navigate the halls of school looking for somewhere to call home. Quiety Sam finds a place amongst the geeks, and secretly-brainy Lindsay joins up with the freaks due to having a crush on one of the freaky boys. Lindsay’s a great example of what not to do in high school, going from a straight “A” star student to a slacker and “trouble maker” just to fit in with the freaks. Ultimately though, both her story and Sam’s are tales of self-discover as these two wannabes figure out where exactly they want to be.

You’ll be surprised to see so many young familiar faces are here. In the freaks corner we have James Franco of Spider-Man and Pineapple Express, his pineapple co-star Seth Rogan, obviously most known for his one episode appearance on Dawson’s Creek, Busy Phillips who has also waded the creek of Dawson, and Jason Segel of “How I Met Your Mother” and Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame (although, unlike Forgetting Sarah Marshall, here Jason Segel does not show us his penis.)

In the geeks corner we have John Francis Daley (“Bones,” The Incredible Burt Wonderstone), Samm Levine (Inglourious Bastards, Not Another Teen Movie), and Martin Starr (This is the End, Superbad). The middle link between these two groups is Lindsay, played by Linda Cardellini (Scooby-Doo, “Mad Men”), and that’s not even scratching the surface of all the famous actors as background characters, like Lizzy Caplan, Rashida Jones, and even Shia “No no no no” Lebeouf. This ranks as one of the very first roles, if not the first role, for everyone involved, so expect a lot of babyfaced famous people.

The series experienced an untimely death, only getting to air 12 episodes before receiving the axe. Though this show was quite the indie darling, and created a huge cult following post-mortem, it probably would have benefited from only being a half-hour long- like all of Judd Apatow’s work there are times where “Freaks and Geeks” feels like it’s treading water and going on for way too long. On the positive side, however, this hour-long format gave time to really open up the stereotypes of the freaks and geeks so we could get a more in-depth examination of them and really see their soft underbellies.

On the surface it would appear that the show glorifies slacking off, smoking weed, and picking on geeks; but that’s not the case at all. Take the freaks, for example. They seem to be the cool kids- a little rough around the edges- but as a group they can also kind of be bullying bastards. And yet, when Lindsay gets to know them, she discovers that soft underbelly to each of them. Daniel (James Franco) is really sensitive about his lack of intelligence and future, and Kim (Busy Phillips) has a horrible home life filled with screaming, unsupportive parents. Well, no wonder they act the way they do! Turns out these cool kids are just as unhappy with themselves as every other high schooler.

The geeks might not be afraid to be true to themselves, but that doesn’t mean they like getting picked on. The show elucidates how upsetting it is to be picked on and ridiculed throughout school. After getting their books knocked into the floor by a group of jocks, Sam simply says, “I’m tired of being called a geek. I mean, what’s so geeky about us anyways? We’re just guys.” Exactly! People are people, and they like what they like. Surprisingly “Freaks and Geeks” really teaches a lot about tolerance and understanding, never making one group the butt of all the jokes, but showing everyone’s experiences and loneliness.

The geeks may get picked on relentlessly, but they do get some words of inspiration from a teacher in the last episode. He breaks down the lives of jocks vs. geeks post high school, describing how the jocks may be popular now, but that is the best their life will get, it’s all downhill from there since they probably won’t make the grades to stay in college, or may even get injured so that they can’t play sports anymore. Geeks, on the other hand, may have trouble in high school, but their life will only get better as they discover like-minded people in college and move on to greater successes. While that may not be how it goes for every jock, freak, or geek, it sure does make you feel good, and it’s nice to see a little bone get tossed to the characters you’ve watched get teased for eighteen episodes.

There’s something here for everyone to relate to. Even if you aren’t technically a freak or a geek, Lindsay’s journey evolves more around self discovery, trying to figure out what she really wants to do with life. Does she want to be the good girl, head of “Matheletes?” or would she rather experience more outside of school? Does she want to take a huge opportunity to go to a summer education summit, or would she rather follow Grateful Dead around on tour? Do the responsible thing or the fun thing?

“Freaks and Geeks” only falls into the guilty pleasure category for those who haven’t seen it and think it’s about mocking geeks, doing drugs, and blowing off school. Underneath the veil, it’s about relatable things, including finding yourself, understanding others before judging them… and a little bit about smoking weed.