Freaks and Geeks SE01 EP06 - "I'm with the Band"

Episode Name: I'm with the Band
Original Airdate: November 13, 1999

If Nick can't maintain a C+ average, his father will send him to the military - Nick's dream of being a drummer takes a dive when he realizes this. His nameless band, made up of himself, Ken, Daniel and Sean (a lesser character), but despite their rambunctious energy, they're not that good. More problematic, the others just want to have fun and jam out; they're not invested in the idea of becoming a good band like Nick is. Taking some suggestions from Lindsay, who understands his predicament, he tries to shape the band into a more professional imagine, making them play "Sunshine of Your Love" multiple times until they get it right. This zaps the fun out of it for Ken, Daniel, and Sean, and the band breaks up.

Nick playing drums

Sam, Neil and Bill have a slight problem of their own - the state recently passed a law that requires all students take a shower after P.E., and body-sensitive Sam has zero interest in that. He tries ignore the new requirement, but after a short time, between skipping P.E. so he can avoid the situation all together and hiding in bathroom stalls, decides to do it.

Sam, Bill, and Neil talking about girls

Nick's bummed out now that the band is officially dead. Lindsay tries to talk him up, and gives him a flier of a local band holding auditions for a new drummer. Excited, he practices for the audition, but it very quickly goes terribly for him. Feeling worse than ever, he's resigned himself to going to the military like his father wants. Lindsay, sensing his dismay, cheers him up in the only way she knows how - she kisses him.

Lindsay trying to perk up Nick

Lindsay kissing Nick to make him feel better

Sam's attempt to take a shower gets sidetracked as bullies force him out of the locker room, taking his towel and leaving him nude. Desperate for clothes, he runs to his locker for a pair of shorts, but the bell rings and Sam wildly runs back to the gym, entering from the outside, and is able to get back into the locker room. Deeply embarrassed by the whole thing, Sam considers switching schools, but when his crush, Cindy, tells him she thinks it's cool that he streaked in school, he starts feeling better about it.

Nick makes up with Daniel, Ken, and Sean, and they get back together as a band, though one for fun and not serious intent. More so, because of the kiss he and Lindsay shared, Nick's rather infatuated, and even Kim is impressed that Lindsay took that step. That said, Lindsay doesn't really look as though she's committed to a relationship with Nick.

Note Lindsay's face

Personally, I don't believe the whole Nick/Lindsay storyline is going anywhere positive.

I've long felt that Nick was the nicest, by far, to Lindsay, due to various actions and things he's said in the past, and if Lindsay was so interested, he would be the best guy to get with out of those she hangs out with. But as nice a guy as Nick is, I don't believe Lindsay sees a spark there. They're good friends, but throw in romance, and I don't think it'll work out for either one of them. Unfortunately, given the type of guy Nick is, it may be Lindsay who has to break up with him (if they actually start dating), which will likely hurt him quite a bit.

Really, Nick doesn't have a lot going for him. His father's an insufferable military man - his brothers, according to Nick, are in the same vein. Most of Nick's friends don't really value him, and they certainly don't understand his need to make something of his drumming passion. Lindsay is really the only one who understands what he's going through, or even tries. Because of this, Nick likely feels as though he likes Lindsay more than he actually does - if he does start dating her, I don't think he'll really understand this, though. We'll see what happens, though. It's possible a relationship between Nick and Lindsay could work out, but I just don't see it.

Lindsay already knows she made a mistake in trying to cheer up Nick with a kiss. You could see it in her face. She doesn't want to mislead Nick, but at this point in time, she might be too sweet to forcefully and effectively tell him she's not interested in him romantically. In fact, though so far all we've seen of Nick is his gentle and kind attitude, I can sense that he's prone to illogical anger at points. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, as I don't think that Lindsay's really capable of dealing with that. In fact, if that did happen, I half expect Kim to help her out in some way, maybe even talk to Nick and end the relationship for her. She wasn't really the focus of this episode, but she did really change the course of her senior year.

I can sort of understand Sam's hesitation about showering in front of other guys, but at the same time, I'd be far more concerned about the bullying of Neil and Bill than I would be about the self-conscious reasons he's unable to undress in front of other men. He just needs more confidence, really. Bill does also, but that seems far less likely. This being said, I don't think his sister telling him he has a beautiful body will help (though that was a beautifully delicious and awkward scene). I really don't know where Sam will be at the end of this series - I just can't see where his storyline's taking him. Hopefully down the line he and Lindsay can become as close as they were back in the first few episodes, as I think that would help ground the both of them.

Daniel's not wrong to want to rock out as opposed to playing music seriously, but I do think he should have been more supportive and understanding of Nick's situation. Instead, he angrily leaves the band, mocks Lindsay, and takes leave. He just doesn't seem a great friend. He flirts with other girls even though he's dating Kim. He manipulates Lindsay multiple times. And then here, he shows zero concern for the fact that Nick is likely to be sent to the army if he can't raise his grades. Truth be told, while I started out this series likely Daniel, he's just become a dick as of recently, and I don't see that changing soon.

Ken's much the same way as Daniel. He makes fun of Lindsay's suggestion of band names and her advice of how to become a better band. Was Lindsay overzealous in voicing her opinions to Nick? Possibly, but she knew how important it was to him, whereas Ken and Daniel really don't seem to, or perhaps they just don't care. Ken's not a bad guy, it seems, but he did unjustly attack Lindsay for breaking up the band, which wasn't very fair of him.

While this wasn't a bad episode by any means, Nick's struggles didn't interest me as much as they should, maybe because I've never been one of those individuals who wanted to join a band in high school and get famous. Nick clearly believed he could have, but by the end, he comes down to reality, and realizes that he's not nearly as good as he previously believed himself to be.

This is the first episode of this series I felt indifferent about. There's still good scenes, but overall, it felt amazingly average to me. These last few episodes too were a downgrade from the first two, so I do hope it's not a middle-series slum we're entering. This series has a lot of potential, but this episode doesn't really show us that.


Rating: Average


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