Episode Report Card Deborah: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Bully For You
By Deborah | Season 1 | Episode 11 | Aired on 12.11.2003
Sunset over Arcadia, and REM's "Bad Day" is playing. There's a shot of a spinning mirror ball as Frink comments, "That must have been expensive." I screw up my face, confused, and ask, "A mirror ball?" Frink: "No, the REM song." We see Friedman arrive at the dance with his date, Glenys, who's wearing a fur-trimmed cardigan over her dress. And there's Joan, wearing a cute black dress with a very full skirt and a border of large red flowers. She's also wearing a red bolero jacket over it. It's a nice, vintage look. I like how she dresses, Dr. Who scarves and all, and I love that the teenagers on this show don't all dress like they're trying out to be in Britney Spears's next video or Calvin Klein's next TV commercial. She's wearing her hair down, and pulled back at the sides, but in some shots it kind of looks like it's been badly pin-curled. I wonder, in these days of all manner of newfangled hairstyling appliances, how many of you even know what pin-curls are anymore. I remember in the early '70s, before curling irons were a commonplace consumer item, my mother would make me wet my hair completely, and sit in the bathroom while she wound small hanks of hair around her finger and pinned them to my head with bobby pins. Once my whole head was covered with these little knobs, I'd tie a do-rag over the whole mess and try to sleep on it. Yeah, there's a good night's rest. Then in the morning, if you were lucky, your hair would be dry and curly when the pins were taken out. It was never a very good or even job, though. This would go on the night before class pictures and other such momentous events. I liked having curly or wavy hair, but man, was I happy when curling irons came on the market.
Joan notices Steve standing uncomfortably off to the side. He's wearing a grey suit and a white shirt, and no tie. He's got a suit, but needed a tie? Seems weird. When Joan sees him, she says, "Hey." He doesn't really say anything, and Joan kind of shrugs to herself and walks over, asking where his tie is. He pulls it out of his pocket, saying he wasn't going to put it on unless she showed. While he starts putting it on, she says, "Well, I guess you lose." In the background, you can see Price standing against a far wall with his arms crossed, counting off the minutes until one of them commits some infraction or other. Joan offers to help him tie his tie; she says she always does that for her brother. (Luke, I'm guessing; Kevin strikes me as being able to do it himself.) Steve shrugs and lets her. Joan advises him to be glad he doesn't have to wear high heels. Steve watches her with the expression of a hurt child. Behind them, Friedman calls out, "Yo, tie it in a noose." Steve lunges for Friedman, and Joan stops him and yells at Friedman, "Shut up, Brillohead!" Hey. An improvement on "Shut it, Friedman." I may go with that, though I love the stark minimalism of "Shut it, Friedman." As Friedman and Glenys scamper away, Friedman makes sure to call Price's attention to the minor incident -- as if Price weren't watching the whole thing like an animal waiting to pounce. Steve says, "Let's get out of here!" Joan: "No way! I didn't put on this stupid dress for nothing." She finishes with his tie and pulls him toward the dance floor. As they pass Price, he says, "Mr. Ramsay. Joan." Ooh, she's graduated from "Ms. Girardi."