I have concluded that Best Buy is evil. Evil, I tell yah! You go in just to pick up a copy of Matrix Revolutions for your hubby, or a belated birthday present for a kindred soul, and you emerge with... well, a great deal more than you intended. This evening, I picked up the boxed set of Freaks and Geeks. As much as I espouse about Buffy (which is still my favorite show of all time, bar none) and its metaphors for the high school experience, its advancement of the feminist hero, along with its sweeping mytharc, Freaks and Geeks really breaks down the minutiae of the high school experience. You know, trying to score a fake id, the childhood friend you've outgrown, the uncomfortable silences that emerge when parents try to have "the talk" with you ("Tell her about Korea, Bob."). Now, I love the O.C., with its golden Newport sunsets, designer wardrobe, and most of all, its witty uber-geek, Seth (Xander Harris' heir apparent), but *that* wasn't really my high school experience. I doubt anyone's high school experience is like that - it's a fantasy world, although I did, technically, grow up in "the O.C.," and only a stone's throw from Newport. Sam, Neal and Bill from Freaks and Geeks are the real deal. I mean, look at these guys. You had to know them (or perhaps were them) in high school. They're not witty. They're on the AV-team. If they wear Addidas sneakers, it's not 'cause they're retro... it's 'cause their moms bought them. They spend a great deal of time arguing over whether or not Sam's crush farted, or if it was her chair cushion. But it's also surprisingly tender and affectionate, without becoming too precious. So check it out. What else are you gonna do, watch the Swan?