Episode Report Card Jacob Clifton: A+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Hard Vs. Mean
By Jacob Clifton | Season 2 | Episode 2 | Aired on 06.21.2011
TO SIR, WITH HAND-HOLDING
As Almighty Shusher, one of Aria's little-used powers is controlling the weather. Since this is Ezra's last day as a high school teacher, and she's kind of dumped him -- in her own mind, at least, with a combination of attrition, boredom, and the teen privilege of seeing each moment as truly momentous -- Aria has made it a rainy, glum sad day. With the most perfect music. This whole episode, actually, has pretty great tunes.
Ezra: "Aw, thanks. More books. I'll miss all of you. Now, pretend that the following speech -- delivered, to my credit, without staring at Aria barely at all -- is about you."
Verbatim: "To be honest, most of what's happened to me here, I didn't expect. I didn't expect to connect with you the way that I have. I never expected to feel this kind of loss over leaving you. Stop me when this gets too maudlin..."
(Stop! Don't stop!)
Verbatim: "...But I'm not going to forget you. I will remember your voices, your questions, your faces. I cherish the time that I've spent here, and I'm more grateful than I even know how to say. There's a quote by Joseph Campbell and it goes, You must give up the life you'd planned, in order to have the life that is waiting for you. I thought I knew what that meant. I didn't. Until I met you."
Lots of hugs -- "Oh! Always read. And have a good life," he mentions as an afterthought, to the students, who are an afterthought -- and one of the little boys sweetly calls out, "We love you, Mr. Fitz!" Spencer, of course, shakes his hand like a good little man. They file out, and it's over.
Aria retires to the lunchroom -- it's so rainy that it seems like the middle of the night -- and then in one big slow-motion drama-filled move sweeps back down the hall, into the classroom. But what is this? The room is empty. Sir has left. She spins in lofty heartbroken misery. If only she knew where he lived! Or where his new place of employment is located! Or what his phone number is!
Just then, the sun bursts into the room, and she slow-mos over to the window, hope dawning on her face... It is he! He is packing his sad shit into his sad car, the rain-flooded gutters crying out for the life he thought he wanted! She makes her way -- slowly, but so quickly too -- out into the parking lot, and calls his name like a grownup, and they kiss! In public, on school grounds, with (imagine there are) millions of extras watching! Believe in love! Believe in the stars!