High school cliques. What typically comes to mind are the stereotypical geeks, bad boys, freaks, and full of these the run-of-the-mill popular teens in school. Freaks and Geeks is a tv show centered in a high school full of these old school cliques, who are trying to fit in and gain a reputation. The show is based on the idealistic high school vision we all had instead of the real high school experience.
Freaks and Geeks is not exactly a new hit, but it has many familiar faces that have become household names since the show ended in 2000. The show served as a good start out for the now big actors and actresses and it helped develop good work relationships between them. Big celebrities like James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segal, and Dave Allen all appear in this show.
The show’s main character, Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini), tries to find out where she belongs in the high school scene and who she wants to be. She goes from being a “geek” to a “freak”, makes friends with her former bullies. Her new friends (the freaks) who have accepted her into their circle and teach her how to live a little. They have parties, smoke weed, and bash mailboxes with baseball bats. They’re the image of what most kids think high school burnouts are like. I think Lindsay is wrong to leave behind her grades and everything she has worked for over the years, but it’s also understandable because, as a teen, viewers can see where she is coming from. I think most people go through the same thing of joining different cliques and finding new interests as they grow older.
Lindsay goes through some new and interesting things when she becomes friends with the “freaks”. She is pushed out of her comfort zone and it’s evident that she’s only doing it to impress her crush Daniel Desario (James Franco). Daniel is the ultimate bad boy or “freak;” as he gives Lindsay’s little brother Sam an adult film, he drinks copious amounts of alcohol, smokes at least one gram of weed each day, cheats on his tests, and is mostly a bad influence on the people around him.
While Lindsay likes Daniel, she keeps it to herself because she is friends with his on and off-again intimidating girlfriend, Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps). Instead of dating Daniel, like she wanted, she ends up dating his best friend Nick Andopolis (Jason Segal), but that relationship doesn’t last long.
Another main character is Lindsay’s little brother, Sam Weir (John Francis Daley). He is definitely a geek, and his friends are too. He has a huge crush on a girl named Cindy Sanders (Natasha Melnick) His friends are the image of what most people think a geek would look and act like; they love science fiction, have a difficult time talking to girls, facing bullies, and just overall fitting in. They are a stereotypical version of geeks.
Overall the Freaks and Geeks is enjoyable. Though Freaks and Geeks only lasted a single season, I am silently hoping for a reunion, as are many other fans of this cult classic. The stereotypes are to the extreme, but that’s what makes the show unique. It shows a different side of high school and relationships than movies like High School Musical. It’s on Netflix so when you finish binge-watching other high school shows like Gossip Girl, and 13 Reasons Why, check it out.
