Carded and Discarded (Freaks and Geeks)

Hey, remember when I wrote about Freaks and Geeks? Those were the days, eh? Well, now that I’ve finished “The 007 Files,” among other things, I’ve decided to return to the battlefield of acme and adolescent awkwardness with the episode “Carded and Discarded.” It should be noted that this being my next episode makes the long delay rather apt. During the show’s original run, there was a nearly two-month gap between the airing of “I’m With the Band” and “Carded and Discarded.” So, I really just waited this long to replicate the original viewing experience. I’m a genius, aren’t I?

“Carded and Discarded” was designed to be a stand-alone episode, so it can’t really be placed anywhere within the series’ overarching plot. After several episodes of poor ratings, “Carded and Discarded” acted as a last-ditch attempt to reel in viewers that had ignored the series thus far. On the episode’s commentary track, creator Paul Feig refers to the episode as “the second pilot.” It’s another attempt by the show to introduce viewers to the lay of the land, and the result is a truly fun episode.

In the freak corner, Lindsay and friends want to go see the allegedly rockin’ band Feedback at their upcoming show. The problem: only those of drinking age will be allowed in. Thus begins the most elaborate and ridiculous quest for fake IDs in the history of entertainment. Along the way they meet mall employee Jason Schwartzman and creepy cabin-in-the-woods resident Kevin Corrigan. Their journey is like that of Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone, only they’re looking for fakes rather than a missing father, and they’re in the Michigan suburbs rather than the Ozarks. Other than that, it’s identical.

Meanwhile, the geeks end up befriending a new girl who has just moved in to town. As she does not know how things work in Freaks and Geeks-land, she agrees to hang out with them for the time being. After a few days of fun and friendship, she is seduced by a more popular and appealing lifestyle, and the episode ends as she walks away from the geeks forever. They brought her into their world, but now they have to let the bird leave the nest.

“Carded and Discarded” was intended to be an episode of minimal awkwardness, so that outsiders may be intrigued by the series rather than repulsed. The problem is that a television show can never hide from its true identity. Freaks and Geeks isn’t a show about mere funny-ha-ha, but instead about the pain and suffering that occurs amongst the not-so-elegant population in American high schools. The geeks of the show are used to rejection, but when the new girl Maureen decides to leave them it feels like an especially strong punch to the gut. So long as they remain geeks, the girls they like will never be attracted to them. (Or so they think!)

While the freak storyline ain’t exactly sunshine and roses, it’s a bit more light-hearted than the utter rejection faced by the geeks. They finally work their way into the bar where Feedback is playing (not because they’re particularly convincing) and sit down to watch the show. Things derail a bit when it’s revealed that Feedback’s frontman is Mr. Rosso: school counselor extraordinaire. When he spots them in the crowd, he embarrasses them in front of everyone and demands that the bartenders serve them their "best pop." Dave Allen, always great in the role, absolutely kills it in “Carded and Discarded.” The opening scene, in which he serenades the freaks with an Alice Cooper song, is gold in every way.

If there’s a takeaway from “Carded and Discarded,” it’s that life goes on. Geeks continue to be geeks, and freaks continue to be freaks. Despite the two months that people were without the show, the world remained just as they left it. The next episode, “Girlfriends and Boyfriends,” would bring the series back to its semi-serialized self, but for one week Freaks and Geeks decided to step back and take one more broad look at its environment. It tells you a whole lot about the characters without really doing anything at all. Episodes like this only further prove the show’s greatness.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that not long ago, Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote a far superior piece about the episode "Carded and Discarded." Check it out here.