"My Fair Gretchen" is the eleventh episode of the first season of Recess, which was broadcast on October 18th, 1997.
Summary
After being told of Principal Prickly's plans to move her to Oppenheimer after scoring exceptionally well on a test, Gretchen worries she might not see T.J. and the others again and attempts to sabotage her application.
Plot
The episode opens with Ms. Finster talks to the children about an achievement test they are about to take. She dramatizes the test which cause T.J. to say that she should really stop watching so many Clint Eastwood films. Miss Grotke reassure the students that it is a non-graded test and so they shouldn't worry about it which causes Ms. Finster to call her a wimp.
Whilst the other members of the gang struggle with the test, which mickey gives up on and has instead drawn a smiley face, Gretchen has already finish before five minutes has passed. Gretchen is waiting outside and is eventually joined by the rest of the gang who complain about the test. Gretchen says she meant not to have gotten every question right but she thinks she did well, however T.J. says that that's what Stinky Peterson thought.
Gus asks who Stinky Peterson was and T.J. tells us that Stinky was a really smart kid just like Gretchen who burned through his test so fast that everyone was sure he'd aced it however two days later he gets dragged out of class by Miss Lemon who took him to the principles office and he was never seen again. Gretchen says that some kids say that Stinky did so poorly that he was moved back to kindergarten.
Two days later, in the same way as Stink, Gretchen is pulled out of class and taken to the principles office by Miss Lemon. Gretchen is brought to Prickley's office where she begs to be able to take the test again, still thinking she did badly, however it turns out she turns out to have gotten a perfect score, a score the school hasn't seen since Stinky Peterson, who turns out to have been a genius. Prickly says she's a genius and that he's sending her to Oppenheimer, a school for the extremely gifted, all she has to do is pass the review board.
Gretchen tells the gang who are upset to loose her and try to suggest different ideas of how to get out of it, but Gretchen says she just wants to be alone. Gretchen arrives home where the rest of the gang are waiting for her with an idea of how to stop her being transferred - act dumb. Gretchen is unsure but the gang school her in being a dumb kid but she keeps answering their questions correctly. She eventually gets the concept of answering incorrectly and starts dressing differently.
Gretchen arrives at the panel and manages to answer all of the judges question wrong but is unable to stick to it and blurts out all of the answers in quick succession one after the other. The judges ask her why she hiding her genius and she confesses that she doesn't want to go to their school as she'll have to leave her friends. Gretchen and the panel talk in private and agree that she can stay at Third Street School. The judges also suggest that the school use Gretchen as a resource, which Prickly think means kids teaching kids. It turns out that she's teaching the teachers instead.
Goofs
- Ashley Q.'s lines sound as if they were sped up due to an audio error.
- When the crowd gasps as Gretchen finished the test in five minutes, Gordy's shirt has only on stripe and his cap's back color is the same as the front.
Trivia
- Ms. Finster's opening monologue is adapted from Dirty Harry (1971)
- The students take the Arkansas Elementary School Acheivement Test, hinting that the show may take place in Arkansas, which isn't hinted again for the rest of the series.
- One of the judges at the panel resembles Albert Einstein.
- This is the final episode where Camille Winbush voices Ashley T.
- Gus is shown writing with his left hand at the beginning of the episode, he is never shown writing again, so it can be implied that he is left handed.
- Stinky Peterson is the name of a character from Hey Arnold!.
- The French dub has one of Gretchen's intentionally wrong answers he "Dr. Jekyll" instead of "Dr. Seuss."
Links
Continuity
- This is the first time Gretchen is seen without her glasses.
Cast
- T.J. Detweiler - Ross Malinger
- Vince LaSalle - Rickey D'Shon Collins
- Ashley Spinelli - Pamela Segal-Adlon
- Gretchen Grundler - Ashley Johnson
- Mikey Blumberg - Jason Davis
- Gus Griswald - Courtland Mead
- Miss Finster - April Winchell
- Miss Grotke - Allyce Beasley
- Miss Lemon/Teacher #2 - Tress MacNeille
- Principal Prickly - Dabney Coleman
- Ashley Boulet - Francesca Smith
- Ashley Quinlan - Rachel Crane
- Ashley Tomassian - Camille Winbush
- Tracey - Anndi McAfee
- Teacher #1/Teacher #3 - Tony Jay
- Boy - Klee Bragger