Episode Report Card Niki: D | 1 USERS: B YOU GRADE IT Sneaky Feelings
By Niki | Season 1 | Episode 14 | Aired on 01.30.2000
The show opens in Jessie's English class, where the teacher is desperately trying to wrench a response from her students on the subject of The Catcher in the Rye. Apparently this school hasn't yet succumbed to the censors' cries for blood and burning books, heard in so many other parts of the nation, because there are curse words in the text. I can only hope that it's a conscious F YOU on the part of the producers toward those borderline illiterates who scan books just looking for naughty bits, but who never actually take the time to read the books to appreciate the context or their message. But I digress. Jessie's teacher asks what Holden's sister, Phoebe, represents to him. When she corners Naomi's kid, Toby, he goes for the painfully obvious: "She's his little sister?" The teacher won't even dignify it with a response. Instead, she turns to Jessie, posing the same question to her. Jessie notes that to Holden, Phoebe "still seems innocent. And he kind of idolizes her for it." The teacher exhales, looking relieved and feeling thankful, no doubt, that her existence isn't entirely futile.
Cut to Eli in his basement bedroom. He's sitting at his desk looking bored and vacant. The camera follows his gaze to Jennifer and Jessie, who are sitting on the couch, flipping through magazines and being very girly. Eli asks Jessie to leave, but Jennifer says she can stay. "I can stay," Jessie echoes, sounding haughty. Jennifer says she always wanted a little sister and, flashing his rapier wit, Eli replies, "You can have her." Jessie ignores him, and tests Jennifer's fashion sense by asking her what she thinks of an outfit in one of the magazines. Jennifer pronounces the clothes hideous and, since Jessie obviously adores her, she scrambles to agree with her. In her magazine, Jennifer finds a pair of shoes she wants Eli to get. Without glancing, Eli agrees that "they're great." She makes him actually look at them, though, and he says they're not really his style. Jennifer points out that Eli has no style. He knows, and explains that not having a style is his style. Clearly they've all given the subject way too much thought. The pair gets playful and starts to wrestle, and Jennifer jumps on Eli's back. Jessie watches them, grinning.
B/W Jessie crops up and, with a big smile, describes the events at a camping trip she and Eli took with their parents. The kids were in one tent, and Rick and Karen were in another. (Yeah, that's right. We can all see where this is going, so feel free to skip ahead.) They must've thought Eli and Jessie were asleep, but they weren't...