S03.E04: I Caddyshacked The Pool

[Stinger97]

Adam, who's embarrassed by his changing body, is desperate to get out of swimming in gym class; and Erica tries to create her identity at school by starting a club that, to her dismay, Barry joins.

 

Review:

• A.V. Club (B+)

[Kromm]

Caddyshack?

 

I'm in.

[Mrs OldManBalls]

Loved Bev's convo with the gym teacher over Adam's excuses: 

"He can't go in the pool because he's CIA and wearing a wire?"

"That's classified" 

 

I fell hard for We Are The World and had a social justice phase. (I felt so bad for all the people in Africa that wouldn't have snow, or Christmas presents. Catholic school did not prepare me for the fact that not everyone celebrated Christmas)

Edited October 15, 2015 by Mrs OldManBalls

[Dilandau]

This episode made me a bit sad that we didn't have a pool in my school. I would have taken swimming over 100% of the other activities we did in gym, since I swim for recreation. The coach telling them that they would have to swim for the rest of the year would have been like a dream come true for me. 

[barbedwire]

Another good episode.  Though "Big Tasty" is getting a little old.  I really like the guy playing the teacher who had to keep everything PC in Erica's club.  He was the principal in The New Adventures of Old Christine.

[Lawgiver]

"Your son is failing gym class."

"I'd say that's more you failing."

 

Ha! I love Beverly! Everything can be spun to suit her beliefs. This was a very funny ep. Both the song and the rap were great, kudos to the writers. It brings me back to the boundless enthusiasm of high school students in the 80s, of which I was one.

[dcalley]

I had to swim in PE in middle school and hated it. I remember one girl asking me how to spell "menstruating" in the locker room before class so she could fake an excuse note from her mother.

[pookat]

Did anyone else notice the movie poster for "Revenge of the Jedi" with the year 1983 on it?  I wasn't sure if that mistake was intentional or if some (very, very young) PA mixed up Return of the Jedi with Revenge of the Sith.

 

Beverly's delivery of "That's classified" was everything.

[amensisterfriend]

I don't have anything of value to add except that this was my very first episode of this show and I was happily surprised by how enjoyable it was. And I'm not saying that purely because I, too, was weirdly (albeit temporarily!) changed by We Are the World ;) 

[Kromm]

Did anyone else notice the movie poster for "Revenge of the Jedi" with the year 1983 on it?  I wasn't sure if that mistake was intentional or if some (very, very young) PA mixed up Return of the Jedi with Revenge of the Sith.

This is no mixup. This is rather famous actually.

 

That movie was called Revenge of the Jedi for most of it's pre-release and was changed relatively late in the game.  Movie posters with the older name are rare, but do indeed exist.

Watch: (and note the title card at the end)

 

Other famous changes?  Luke's lightsaber is a different color here (blue instead of green).

[pookat]

Ah. I defer to your superior Star Wars knowledge, Kromm. Very cool that Adam has that poster. Must be worth a lot today.

[Texasmom1970]

Okay I was a teenager of the 80s and either I was sheltered or something but I never heard anyone use the word poser. I remember it more in the 90's in reference to grunge and hipster wannabes.

[jackjill89]

Okay I was a teenager of the 80s and either I was sheltered or something but I never heard anyone use the word poser. I remember it more in the 90's in reference to grunge and hipster wannabes.

Thank you! I was saying the same thing to my husband. I don't remember "poser" being an 80s thing -- but 90s grunge -- you bet. The whole grunge look became much more mainstream than any of the music-inspired looks of the 80s. 

[Stinger97]

Seeing an episode of Gimme' a Break in this episode gave me such joy. I'm sure that Adam's "I bet Nell Carter gives good hugs" was his hormones talking, but I really do think she probably gave great hugs. Just sayin'. 

 

While I like that the show is actively acknowledging that Sean Giambrone is currently going through puberty, I hope the entire season won't be storyline after storyline about it. An episode about how his voice changing was enough for a little while, which is why I'm surprised they went back to that well so soon. Maybe they figure they should mine these storylines while there's still time. 

 

In an episode about We Are The World, I was surprised we didn't hear the actual song. Maybe Bob Geldof wasn't so willing to license the music. 

[readster]

Oh Gimme' A Break, great memories with that show. I got what Adam was thinking and at that age it happens. I didn't have swimming in MS and in HS it was only if you were on the swim team and it was at the Y. However, do I remember going to the pool when I had turned 13 and some of the guys and gals were a bit taken with their swim suits. Oh yes, you had the ones that didn't feel comfortable with puberty and the rest who didn't care. I had just lost like 14 lbs and grown three inches so I wasn't afraid of not having a shirt on. However, I was so pale back then and a little awkward with under arm hair. I remember putting my arms behind my back an then quickly putting them forward when I was on a beach chair. Its just natural.

  Really enjoyed Erica and Barry's story, it was really enjoyable and see the old neon football poster in coach's office. Good memories there. I loved Murray's advice: "One day you won't care anymore either." How true, even my wife said what she was embarrassed about in her teens she could care less about now.

[tennisgurl]

I love how much power the school newspaper seems to have.

 

"I said no press!"

 

During Erica`s We Are the World Meeting, some kid just yelled out "Politics!" when everyone was yelling out their causes. 

[jww]

That  looked like an Olympic sized pool, pretty nice for a small private school.
The writers really should have upped the ante on the modesty.  I do not believe it was unheard of in the 1980’s for schools  that had indoor pools to have single sex classes and no suits. It was common earlier years.  I remember a story from my father-his jr high (1923)  had an indoor pool  and the boys  swam naked  and were required to shower before they got in the pool and  to enforce this the coach would stand by the door between the locker room/pool with a paddle and use it on anyone who was not dripping wet from the shower.   I know the last time I went swimming at the Y in 1975 no one wore a suit.  My high school had an outdoor pool so we had to wear suits and the most unpleasant aspect was putting  on the damp suit that had not dried out from the previous day.  I assume no one in Adam’s class showers after class either which may explain why the coach had to give him a can of  Right Guard.

[reggiejax]

Okay I was a teenager of the 80s and either I was sheltered or something but I never heard anyone use the word poser. I remember it more in the 90's in reference to grunge and hipster wannabes.

 

All but the last 5 months and 8 days of my teen years took place in the 80's, and I very much remember people using the word poser. I mostly remember it being used mostly among punks and metalheads to describe anyone they felt wasn't hardcore about the music or the lifestyle. For example, if you tried to claim being metal by expressing your love of Bon Jovi, you were instantly (and rightfully) called a poser. And poser was on the kind end of the scale. The only thing worse was to proclaim to like both metal and punk. Even posers gave you shit for that. Which looking back was so damn ridiculous. But that's how it was.

 

But that is me, and my years as a teen in Chicago. I won't pretend to know how it was for anyone else.

 

BTW, how many episodes is it now that have been devoted to Adam trying to get out of gym class?

[Nessie]

In an episode about We Are The World, I was surprised we didn't hear the actual song. Maybe Bob Geldof wasn't so willing to license the music. 

Bob Geldof didn't have anything to do with We Are The World.  That was Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie.  Bob Geldof created Band Aid and wrote Do They Know It's Christmas along with Midge Ure.  

 

I was such an English new wave snob that I HATED We Are the World and that they "copied" Band Aid...no matter that it was for a great cause!

Edited October 17, 2015 by LadyCassandra

[Kromm]

Bob Geldof didn't have anything to do with We Are The World.  That was Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie.  Bob Geldof created Band Aid and wrote Do They Know It's Christmas along with Midge Ure.  

The way I recall it, it was actually Harry Belafonte, of all people, responsible for it. Belfonte drafted Ken Kragen, who drafted Jackson and Ritchie.

[readster]

 

BTW, how many episodes is it now that have been devoted to Adam trying to get out of gym class?

At least five now and they have all revolved about the fact that Adam doesn't want to do something for whatever reason: "Body, not athletic, can't really do it." As much as I love coach, they really need to stop with: "Adam doesn't want to do something in gym storyline". Reminded me when they couldn't think of a good story line on Home Improvement and the back up plan was: "Make Jill sick, that always works." She was sick in five episodes and it centered around the fact that Tim and the boys couldn't take care of her or were busy doing something else: super bowl Sunday, interview, girlfriends, sports figure in town. Just like there has to be some music situation with Erica. Its fall back troupe for the characters.

[mansonlamps]

I do not believe it was unheard of in the 1980’s for schools that had indoor pools to have single sex classes and no suits. It was common earlier years.

I assume no one in Adam’s class showers after class either which may explain why the coach had to give him a can of Right Guard.

In our school at least up through 1979 when I went there, there were no swimsuits for boys, imagine the heightened embarrassment of that during puberty. Just ask the creator of Modern Family, he was right there with us one year behind.

Showers before and after swimming class, and definitely after regular gym class, were an absolute requirement though, no just spraying on of right guard, gross. I thought that was a more modern thing as I was shocked to hear that my friends' kids in the 2000's had never showered in high school, not even after football practice, eewww.

[Nessie]

The way I recall it, it was actually Harry Belafonte, of all people, responsible for it. Belfonte drafted Ken Kragen, who drafted Jackson and Ritchie.

Yes, that's true.  What I meant is that Jackson and Ritchie actually wrote the song, so they probably own the rights (or their estate, in Jackson's case).  The actual point, though, is that Bob Geldof does not.

[Kromm]

Yes, that's true.  What I meant is that Jackson and Ritchie actually wrote the song, so they probably own the rights (or their estate, in Jackson's case).  The actual point, though, is that Bob Geldof does not.

USA for Africa still exists. I imagine they own the rights (Jackson and Ritchie basically gifted their services to the charity).

[orangekit]

In our school at least up through 1979 when I went there, there were no swimsuits for boys, imagine the heightened embarrassment of that during puberty. Just ask the creator of Modern Family, he was right there with us one year behind.

Showers before and after swimming class, and definitely after regular gym class, were an absolute requirement though, no just spraying on of right guard, gross. I thought that was a more modern thing as I was shocked to hear that my friends' kids in the 2000's had never showered in high school, not even after football practice, eewww.

I have heard of the no swimsuit thing and wonder what kind of freaky pervert came up doing that with underage drinking boys just hitting puberty.

About the show, as much as Inlive the nostalgia of his show, and I think the characters are well done overall, Beverly is so darn extreme it's creepy. This week with her talking about the swim trunks and Adam's part was too much. She was funny in the first season, now she's creepy and just plain weird.

Also, the amount of everyone screaming at each other is just over the top.

I loved this show two years ago, but now it's like they took good, quirky parts of the show and made this irritating or so over the top.

[Kromm]

I loved this show two years ago, but now it's like they took good, quirky parts of the show and made this irritating or so over the top.

I think Season 2 measured up to Season 1 (and may have at times been even better), but I agree that the scripts in Season 3 seem (so far) to be a LOT poorer. They don't seem to earn the endings as much IMO, and the quirk does indeed seem somewhat manipulated rather than organic.

 

It's not a dead loss yet, but I feel like maybe Adam F. Goldberg perhaps is either writing less personally, or they lost some other person on the writing staff who was script doctoring the scripts in some essential way.

[readster]

 

I think Season 2 measured up to Season 1 (and may have at times been even better), but I agree that the scripts in Season 3 seem (so far) to be a LOT poorer. They don't seem to earn the endings as much IMO, and the quirk does indeed seem somewhat manipulated rather than organic.

 

  Also, I think they are trying to also work towards the actors with their strengths in their roles. If you notice, Murray is immediately ready to hate what ever idea he is told. Beverly is in super smothering mode now that if one of the kids stubbed their toes she would have the principle fixing the crack in the floor by telling him he doesn't care for his students enough and he would do it. Its like with Coach at one point not telling Adam. "Ok, Goldburg, you don't want to do the swimming unit, then you have two choices. 1. take a failing grade or do this to at least get a half credit and not fail." Since we are in season 3 now, the writers are taking the quirks of the characters to extremes to where it isn't out of character for them but more to make the plots work. LIke with Barry once again trying to make it so he's the focus instead of Erica. His motivation here was because he was jealous and wanted Air Jordans. Instead of going: "Well fine, I'll start my own club." Still a funny show and ah, Jams, I remember you well.

[ByTor]

"Big Tasty" is getting a little old.

I think it is too.

Okay I was a teenager of the 80s and either I was sheltered or something but I never heard anyone use the word poser. I remember it more in the 90's in reference to grunge and hipster wannabes.

Maybe I'm also sheltered, my only recollection of "hipster" in the 90s is when Kramer was called a "hipster doofus" on Seinfeld :)