Brodie Mann Films goes... TV?

Brodie Fanns!

Word. To your mothers. As those of you who have been loyally following my cinematic exploits for the past 101 posts, you know that this is a... well... film blog. I talk about film. Movie reviews, lists, essays, what have you. I talk about film.

But occasionally I venture into the realm of Film's awkward younger brother- Television.

I did this once before with Scrubs and I think I'm gonna make this my next big project... discussion on my favourite TV Shows: Past and Present.

One of my all time favourite shows is one that lasted all of 14 episodes on NBC back in the 99-00 season. But in those 14 episodes it proved to be one of the more heartwarming, endearing, original and hilarious shows on television. I'm speaking of course of Freaks and Geeks. From now on, if I write about a film or TV show, I'll link it to the IMDb page for it.

Anyway... Freaks and Geeks. What an amazing show. I had just entered high school at this time. And I had seen a few teen movies, but nothing really ever spoke to me as a new high schooler. It was an awkward time for me. For everyone. And teen movies rarely hit on that. Fast Times at Ridgemont High comes close, the book touches on it better. Breakfast Club, while a good movie, is a tad ridiculous with the stereotypes. I had yet to see/fall in love with the awesomeness that is Dazed and Confused. And 90's teen flicks, basically any after Clueless, were self-indulgent, hipster wannabe flicks. They weren't that good. They tried too hard to be cool and funny.

Freaks and Geeks, however, succeeded where so many had failed. There were the stereotypes of the high school social structure, but just like in real life, they weren't so sharply defined as they were in the late 90's teen flicks. As with any high school, there were the jocks, the geeks/nerds, the smart kids, the popular kids, the theatre kids and so on and so forth. But it wasn't so segregated. They all interacted with each other. And realistically so. It was the anti-Saved by the Bell. Which by all accounts would be reason enough to hate it, because Saved by the Bell is just so gorram awesome.

But like Saved by the Bell, what made it work was casting actual teens in these roles. I think the oldest cast member was Linda Cardellini at 24, the rest were 14-19. It wasn't like Judd Nelson, who was freakin' 30 when he did Breakfast Club. He's still kick ass, though.

So you had teens who had just gone through all this stuff, or still were. They were in the shit. And they knew what was going on. They brought that level of earnestness and reality to the stories they were telling.

And the stories were real stories. They touched on serious subjects, but never got preachy. It was preachy in the way high school guidance counselors are, not like a very special episode of Blossom preachy.

So after only 14 episodes of this much beloved, and now cult classic show, NBC does the smart thing and cancels it. Way to be. You leave ER on well past it's prime... but Freaks and Geeks you cut loose.

So I figured I'd bring you my 10 best Freaks and Geeks moments. For various reasons, these are scenes I just love. They do tend to be Bill or Daniel heavy, but those were the two best characters. I fuckin' hated Neil.

I didn't count these down, cause they're all just classic. So it's just 10 in no particular order. Though the first three really, truly are the best... The rest are just icing on the cake.

Bill Watching Gary Shandling




There are plenty of things that make this clip great. "I'm One" by The Who. The silence of the scene (aside from The Who, of course). It's a brief, yet fascinating look into the world of Bill. He's just a kid who does what he does. It's hard to describe. It's an intensely personal scene, and for a then 14 year old to be exuding that kind of grasp on a character, it's nothing short of brilliant. And it includes Gary Shandling. Who's always delightful.

Daniel Desario is in Track 3



What makes this such a great scene is the fact that it's so poignant, then pathetic, then absolutely hilarious. And he plays it off so well, that you know he's pulled this scam before. Kudos for pulling it on the same person twice in one day. At least trying to anyway.

Homecoming



It was such a relatable moment. Geek finally gets to dance with the girl... and fuckin' Styx totally ruins it. Leave it to Tommy Shaw and Dennis DeYoung to ruin everything. There's this great "DAMN IT" look on Sam's face. But then he rolls with it and has a great time. It's fantastic.

Bill Dances



It doesn't matter if you're cool or not. You're cool with your friends. And that's what matters.

Don't Wake The Dog!!



I've never been this high....

Daniel and Harris



Everyone reaches that point in their life where they wonder not only who they are... but who other people think they are. I love how Harris is who he is, and Daniel is in sheer awe of that.

Vikki and Bill- 7 minutes in heaven?



Coincidentally the 7th video... you have to skip forward to about the 2:30 mark to get the good stuff. To catch you up, the geeks end up at a make-out party, Sam's off with Cindy doin' his thang, while Bill and Neil are playing a rousing game of spin the bottle. Bill ends up with head cheerleader Vikki in the closet. Go Bill! Skip through the bottle spinning and the Sam/Cindy stuff (that storyline doesn't get good till the following episode).

That Punk Rock Music



Thankfully my parents were never that crazy. Or out of it. But luckily I'm that crazy and out of it. I don't know anything about modern music. I'm only 22 and already I'm a TV dad. I don't even have kids. Damn! I talk like that too... "That punk rock I've been hearing so much about." Generally in jest.

Oh yeah... Chicks dig Sam



What's great about this scene, is that with just one tracking shot... Sam goes from king of the world to king of the dorks. He walks in like he owns the place, then the look on his face turns from cockiness to complete terror. Pretty soon, he dies. Not literally, but trust me... he dies.

Stay Cool. Stay Sober. Stay Utterly Lame.



If you say you never had to endure one of these PSA skits in middle or high school... you are a damned liar. Again... DAMNED LIAR! You know how I know you're lying? I used to act in those things. Not because I actually believed them, but I was a theatre kid, what do you expect? Daniel's reaction to the DD is priceless, though. Who hasn't thought that about one of the wicked hot, yet goodly and sober chicks at a party?

So that's it. 10 of the best Freaks and Geeks clips YouTube had to offer. Thanks YouTube.

And thank you America!

-Brodie Mann