Home Movies S02E06 - Impressions

Coach McGuirk is flipping through his yearbook and there are listings for Neal, Bill, and Nick.

I've seen this episode so many times, but never paused to catch these references. There are also mentions of Paul McCartney, Joey Ramone, and possibly others I didn't catch.

I’ve rewatched this show at least 50 times and each time I’m surprised by what episode is next. For instance Kim Kelly Is My Friend being so early in the series. No series has ever flowed this well into one cohesive stream like these 18 episodes do. I could watch them on repeat forever and still be surprised.

Who gave the best / your favorite acting performance in Freaks and Geeks?

Vote here: https://strawpoll.com/poy9kKEa8gJ

Unfortunately the polls on reddit allow only six choices, so I made a strawpoll with all the performances. Enjoy and discuss : )

I don’t know Jerry personally and I’m not connected to this fundraiser. I just came across it when I looked him up during a rewatch of this amazing show and thought some people here might want to know.

Jerry Messing played Gordon Crisp on Freaks and Geeks. A lot of people also know his face without knowing his name: he became the “Fedora Guy” / “m’lady” meme that Reddit and the wider internet have used for years.

The real person behind the meme has apparently had a very rough few years. In 2021, Jerry was hospitalized with COVID, spent time on a ventilator, and later spoke publicly about being partially paralyzed and unable to walk without assistance. There was an earlier medical fundraiser for his recovery, and now it looks like he's having some ongoing hardship.

I know the internet can be brutal with meme people, especially when someone’s face becomes shorthand for a stereotype. But in this case, there’s an actual person behind the joke, from a show a lot of us love, and he seems to be in a genuinely difficult situation.

If Jerry’s face has ever made the rounds on your feed, or if you remember him from Freaks and Geeks, let's do the good thing that the internet can do and send a little kindness in Jerry's direction!

GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/ed23ac016

UPDATE (2026-05-12): Thanks everyone for trying to do a good thing here! In just a couple days Jerry's gofundme has gone from $40 to $1200+! I also wanted to add that I think I may have successfully had the message about Jerry's situation passed on to at least one of his former Freaks and Geeks cast mates. If this is true, I'm hopeful they might rally others in the cast/production network to help Jerry out. Fingers crossed!

I can't remember when I got these books, it would've been between 2003-2007. I know I was still in school. I was a huge fan of the show, my mom and I watched it as it aired and were so bummed when it was canceled. I'd love to remember when I got this.

I remember there was this website online I'd chat with people about the show. We all signed a petition to try and get them to make a DVD box set for the show. Downloading shows wasn't quite as popular at the time, and the video quality back then was quite poor once uploaded to a video streaming site.

I just finished watching Freaks & Geeks for the first time….. beautifully done, perfect - no notes.

Now what do I do!!!! I want more….

'Smokin' and Tokin' was one of the first episodes I saw >20 years ago when my older brother discovered the show.

I was always someone 'curious' about cannabis and held opinions similar to those expressed by the 'freaks' - i.e. it's natural, so many people manage to enjoy the drug without dire consequence, having a few stoned teenagers listening to music and 'dreaming of drakes cakes' is arguably a better scenario than a houseful potential alcohol users (as introduced in previous episode 'Beers and Weirs')

Did anyone else appreciate that with this particular episode?

Most TV shows with any sort of run/viewership always seem to have an episode that just seems to push JUST SAY NO!!!!! ,or wildly exaggerate even the most medicated novice user's experience.

And doesn't it just come across so much more legit this way rather then say Nicks leg dropping off because he surrendered to temptation and used just once!?

https://youtu.be/584-nKnTEGA?si=cm4s5cLFwNKXbWqk

It seems like he told the interviewer something else and they twisted it or something,same for what Jeff Judah said cause I don’t remember reading it hearing that much about Seth studying for a GED. Also there’s lots of pics of John with the whole cast including Samm and Martin obviously.

So I'm watching the show now for the first time ever and I have a question.

The first season is set in 1980. I know this because in one episode, Nick is bummed that John Bonham died. That was in September 1980. So why is it that Daniel's 1979 to 1981 Trans Am looks ten years old?

I understand being a moody teenage girl and all but what's her problem? "No one understands me," "College isn't for everyone," " Mark Zuckerberg never went to college." I never understand these types of characters. Why is she so driven to ruin her own future. I mean she's perfect, she has great hair, beautiful eyes, and I've been in love with her since I was five. Maybe it's for the sake of plot, but characters like this just annoy me. Not to mention, she's a poser. She's intelligent but wants to hang out with idiots. She gives off Claire from Six Feet Under vibes.