"The Penalty Box"

A review by Jenni:

Rocky day.  I need my Andrew time.
 
What I love about this episode:
It just makes me happy whenever we see the trio altogether to start and not just Monica and Tess.

Am I the only one who thinks Andrew's lecture on Henry becoming one of his men also serves as a parallel to the angels?  They give up some of their privileges, spend time among us, understand our fear and pain, and offer inspiring words.

"You know, if you keep an open mind, you can learn a lot walking a mile in somebody else's shoes."  A great quote from Andrew.  I have a feeling it's one John Dye would very much agree with.

I know I'm a sap but I like Monica's "fun statistics."  I'm not at all athletic so, really, the fun aspect is all I understand.

And a poetry quote from Emerson!  "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."  Monica renders enthusiasm as "great joy" but close enough.  I do love the literary aspect of this episode.

I love when the kid at Eastside scoffs at Jeff for not getting that one buses one's own table.  People who don't in establishments where it's expected really bug me. 

"It's character that decides who you are and what you become, not what schools you attend."  A quote from Monica that I rather like.

Ha!  I love Tess' line about Shakespeare and how she knows him but "not like I used to."  I love it when the angels say something that we as viewers understand one way (she actually knew Shakespeare) but to the other characters seem totally mundane (she knew his works).

Andrew's and Tess' pointed talk about Jeff whilst sitting on either side of the scout amuses me.

"God knows that everyone needs a little coaching now and then."  From Monica to Jeff.

"God never stopped believing in you."  I think versions of that pop up in multiple episodes but one can never hear it enough.  That's also from Monica to Jeff.

"God didn't take anything from you.  These things just happen in life sometimes."  Monica goes on to talk about the more financially based losses Jeff has faced.  But in that excerpt alone, I think of John and others I cared about who died so young.  And sometimes I get angry and do think that God took them from us.  But I know that's not the right way to think of it at all.  Things do just happen.

"There's one thing that will never change and that is God.  He will be the same yesterday, today, tomorrow.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  And He holds your future, whatever it may be, in His hands."  Still Monica, but still makes me think of JD.

"She has that peace now.  A complete peace beyond anything you could ever imagine.  A peace that lives completely in this very moment and in the presence of God.  And that's where your mother is right now, with Him.  And if you will stop and listen to what God has to say, not about tomorrow but about this same moment, you can have this peace, as well."  Monica, again, to Jeff about his particular situation.  But take the "she" and "mother" out and it's so much what we need to remember about John.

"When you serve others... with a whole heart, with love and with humility, you serve Him.  And that is a true victory."  Same scene.  And pretty much everything tonight reminds me of JD.

I like that Jeff doesn't immediately get into Harvard.  The way it turns out is so much more real.

What I didn't love about this episode:
Augh.  What an embarrassment.  I hate that the girl totally falls for Jeff's stupid, pigheaded line after initially resisting his asking her out.

Something about Jeff being named captain so suddenly doesn't sit well with me.  It's a lil too convenient.

This episode kinda makes me feel guilty for being completely apathetic about sports.

Lingering questions:
What's going on for people when they're frozen?  Could God be freezing us all the time and we'd never know???  Trippy.

Parts that made me feel swoony:
Gah.  I love his glasses.  His professorial ensembles always make me happy.

I love that he doesn't let the snot trick him with the meditation thing and responds with humor but gets them right back on track.

I had to rewind to hear him say "Agincourt" again.  Lovely.

That wrinkled brow after Jeff laughs off Andrew's Henry lesson is very nice.  Of course, I can't imagine being anything but enthralled sitting in class with Andrew.  I would certainly not have caused such a look.  :-)

So very glad that Andrew likes sports and showed up to the hockey game.  Since he got left at St. Crispin's while the assignment moved on, we may not have gotten to see him again otherwise!

That lil look Andrew shoots Tess when she kinda hugs the scout is oh so cute!

:-)  John was an excellent actor.  Andrew... not so much.  Neither is Tess, for the record.  I'm not buying their performances as casual fans!

Aww, yay.  He got some of Tess' popcorn. 

Random thoughts:
Music: There's classical music I definitely recognize but cannot place in the opening scene.  There's some rap when Jeff first enters Eastside.  There's some other nondescript music playing in the cafeteria when Jeff meets Tess.  There's some gosh awful heavy metal or something at the St. Crispin's crowd party.  It's a male singer but I can't make a single word out.

FYI- This is set in Minnesota.  Maybe not that surprising.

Scenes Hallmark cut:
 -They cut a whole segment after Jeff arrives at Eastside.  Monica sees him as she's walking down the hall and welcomes him.  She has the hockey team captain, Randy, with her and introduces the two.  Randy recognizes Jeff and cites some of his hockey stats.  Monica suggests that the captain show Jeff around.  The two boys go off.  Jeff is horrified when the other boy's idea of lunch is eating chips in the stairwell.  Randy counters that the cafeteria isn't an ideal place to go... and not because of food quality.  Jeff is visibly horrified when Randy drops some chips on the floor and still eats them.  Another student walks by and gives Jeff a hard time about his St. Crispin's jacket.  Jeff looks to challenge the boy.  Randy intervenes before it gets too heated.  He suggests to Jeff that he drop the attitude and jacket if he wants to live to 8th period.  Then it goes to the hockey practice which THC has.

-THC has guts!  They actually cut Shakespeare!  Just as I suspected, Jeff *does* recite part of the St. Crispin's Day speech after Tess asks him to.  He goes on for several lines.  It's a shame it got cut cause it really is an awesome speech.  Although I still prefer Brannagh's rendition but this one is nice.  :-)

-I think that was probably the extent of the cuts.  However, we had severe weather the night this originally aired.  So my VHS copy has a cut during the revelation scene and another right when Jeff makes that last shot.  So it's possible THC cut bits around those scenes and I wouldn't know since they aren't on my CBS copy due to the weather reports.  But I doubt it.

Further on down the road...
So I think this is about the earliest on a weekend that I've started with TBAA reviewing.  My dog had a few teeth pulled and so is super lethargic from the meds and clingy.  Poor thing.  So we're curled up in bed on Friday at not quite 6 watching TBAA.  Sorry for my dog but it's rather nice to be this vegged out so early.  Gonna have to get up for dinner at some point...

OMG.  Is a Beemer a BMW?  So never got that.  And you can see how entirely uninterested and unimpressed by cars I am.  I'm not sure what I thought a Beemer was but some other type of car.  Make, brand, whatever.  See?  So apathetic.  If someone asks me what make of car someone is driving, I respond with the name of a color.  :-)

Sigh...  Now for someone I am NOT apathetic about.  Such a lovely, handsome teacher...  I would wear a uniform again to be around that fellow.

I have got to find some time to rewatch the Brannagh version of Henry V.  It's awesome.

Yuck.  Jeff is such a gross player.  Dude woulda got the evil eye for touching my hair.

I'm confused by the timing in these first few scenes.  I assumed it was all the same day but how did the father leave the house in the morning all nonchalant and then by the evening he's lost everything?  Were his deals really such that all could be fine one morning and everything gone by the afternoon?  Ah, okay.  I forgot six months led up to this.  Still confused, though.  I guess maybe he was just in denial that morning.  Or maybe it was different days cause Monica's clothes change.  So do Andrew's.  Of course, they also change from angelic form to human form so maybe that doesn't mean much.

Ooh.  Andrew's second suit and tie ensemble is very fallish.  Sigh...  I wish Jeff getting transferred hadn't meant less Andrew time.

I'm gonna need to get up soon for caffeine, too...  I've only had about half of my usual "dose."  At least this isn't an episode with Monica slinging a buncha coffee back to remind me.

I still love Tess telling Jeff that she knows Shakespeare but "not like I used to."  There's a fanfic somewhere in that statement.

Why do Tess and Jeff both pronounce Crispin as "Crispian."  Is that a thing?

Yay.  About the 28 minute mark, Andrew comes back!  Ha.  And I love his "laying it on a lil thick, aren't we, Tess?" look.

I love that TBAA made it clear that God is still with the atheists.  Just like He is with all of us.  Always.

This may be a two episode night...  Poor Danika's really wobbly. 

This episode just needed a stirring rendition of "Te Deum." 

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