| The "A" Word | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 3b | |
| |
| Air date | February 24, 2006 |
| Written by | Roger Eschbacher |
| Directed by | Timothy Cahill |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Chew on This |
Next Shark Attack |
The "A" Word is the second half of the third episode of the first season.
Synopsis[]
Adam offends Jake, by using the term "going ape" causing Jake to cry and Jake looks for a new best friend.
Plot[]
Adam gets an autographed poster from Truffles Duvall, Jake's all-time favorite rock star celebrity. On his way through the halls, to show it to him, he accidentally bumps into Bull. Bull gets angry and assumes the worst of him. Adam tries to avoid any trouble, but quickly gets himself beaten to a pulp. After that, Adam walks up to Jake, covered in bruises and scratches, and his clothes and hair ripped apart. Jake tells him he needs to stand up for himself and show some "Grrrl Power". He specifies the difference between "Grrrl Power" and "Girl Power", by explaining how Grrrl Power is a marketing catchphrase used by Truffles Duvall. Of course, Grrrl Power is just a pun on Girl Power, with the same implications. So Jake's just being an idiot. Adam says that in the attack, Bull went "ape" on him, which sends Jake into a state. Jake's heart breaks and he starts crying, apparently being strongly offended by Adam's choice of words. Jake runs away, and then Ingrid and Lupe enter, asking Adam why Jake is crying. Adam is just as perplexed as they are and explains what happened. Ingrid suggests Jake's offence came from the term "going ape" and says Adam should apologize, despite them both knowing he did nothing wrong. Adam feels obligated to do so and angrily goes off to apologize to the so-called drama queen. Lupe lashed out at Ingrid for hogging the conversation, despite Ingrid barely saying anything, while Lupe ran her beak for most of their interaction with Adam.
Adam finds Jake, sitting sadly at the goal of the football field, and apologizes. He says he didn't know the term "going ape" was so offensive to him. Jake only shuns Adam more for not being aware of something so important and has replaced his role as "best friend" with a football, named "Little Pedro Pigskin". Jake throws Pedro at Adam, acting as through Pedro, the self aware being, did it himself, to defend Jake's honor. After knocking Adam out cold, Jake and Pedro leave with their noses held high in the air. Just then, Adam discovers a flier, advertising a help wanted ad, where Jake is looking for a new best friend.
Jake's new best friend search, involves him setting up a booth outside of the school and a line of job applicants stretching down the halls. As Adam walks by, he finds that even Ingrid and Lupe are in line. When Adam asks why they're applying for such a thing, Lupe doesn't hold any punches and just berates Adam for what he did. Ingrid explains in a nicer tone what Adam did wrong, and despite him actually not doing anything, Adam is moved by this speech and starts crying and beating himself up, calling himself the worst friend in the world.
On Jake's job search, he interviews Henry, who tells him about all his annoying and stupid traits. Henry admits to having no other friends and being a simpering loser, who'll allow Jake to do whatever rude and harmful he wants with him. Jake rejects him. Adam then comes up and tries to patch things up with Jake as well as asking what happened to Pedro, to which Jake responds to with "Things didn't work out, but thanks for opening fresh wounds." Jake assures Adam there's nothing that can be done to make him forgive him and urges him to push on. After this Lippy Zebra comes up and gives Jake a Truffles Duvall T-Shirt, which instantly gets him on Jake's good side. This gives Adam the idea on how to get Jake to like him again. After a quick interview with Coach Gills, which is clearly done out of desperation, for the poorly hidden fact of her not having any friends, Adam comes up with the autographed Truffles Duvall poster that he had to wrestle back from Bull Sharkowski. Unfortunately, after this, the poster has been torn apart and vandalized, leading Jake to assume Adam did it. After another freak out, Ingrid and Lupe suggest he introduces Jake to Truffles, herself.
At the end of the day, Adam shows up, dressed as Truffles Duvall as his last resort to getting through to Jake. Jake quickly sees through the disguise and has yet another falling out with Adam. Adam asks once and for all, why Jake is offended by the term. Jake reveals that it's actually because the term "going ape" is a compiment and Jake was jealous that he said to to Bull instead of himself. Adam is enraged by this and tells Jake that he's done trying to get him back, putting Jake on his own former best friend list. The episode ends with Jake following Adam around, begging him to befriend him again and Adan rejecting his feelings. Coach Gills then takes advantage of Adam's opening for a new best friend and chases him down, desperately wanting to become his friend.
Characters[]
Major Roles[]
Minor Roles[]
Production Music[]
- Bush Trail (B) – Sam Sklair [title card]
- Rum Raisin – Alex Pinto [beginning with Adam walking in the halls]
- Swell Shocker – Kevin Hiatt [Bull prepares to wail on Adam]
- Rave! – John Bell [music on Jake's headphones]
- Breaths and Whispers – Ennio Morricone [poster of Truffles is shown]
- Rave! – John Bell [Jake suggest some "grrrl power"]
- How Do You Do? – Denny Motion [Adam gets angry]
- Forgiveness – Alexander Baker, Clair Marlo [Jake feels heartbroken]
- Watermelon Woman – Matteo Ciavarella [Lupe and Ingrid show up]
- Starting Again – Antonion Di Pofi [Jake sobbing at the football field]
- Latin A Go Go – Eddie Safranski [Adam observes the posters]
- Forgiveness – Alexander Baker, Clair Marlo [Adam feels remorse]
- Lost John (A) – Stephen Wade, Saul Broudy, Jerry Burnham [Henry shows up to Jake]
- Happy Boy – Jack Shaindlin [Jake talks with Lippy]
- Rave! – John Bell [Lippy gives Jake a Truffles shirt]
- Allegorie 1 – Pierre Arvay [Coach Gills arrives]
- Dockside Dawn – Van Phillips [Jake becomes tearful again]
- Rave! – John Bell [Adam disguised as Truffles]
- The Puzzle [#7] – Franco Micalizzi [Adam tries not to blow his cover]
- Ultimate Shocker – Kevin Hiatt [Jake rips Adam's ponytails off]
- Breaths and Whispers – Ennio Morricone [Adam asks why Jake is so offended]
- Jungle Baby – Hans Ehrlinger [ending]
- Lost John (A) - Stephen Wade, Saul Broudy, Jerry Burnham [credits]
Quotes[]
- Lupe: What's the matter with Jake? Has he been reading Teen Tablr again?
- Adam: I don't know. I was telling him how Bull Sharkowski went ape on me and then he started crying and ran off.
- Lupe: Ay, Jake is muy sensetivo. You have to be so careful with him. I mean, I'm just glad, I'm not his best friend. I couldn't deal with the drama.
- Ingrid: (to Adam) Well, maybe Jake was-
- Lupe: I mean, you guys know how low maintenance I am.
- Ingrid: (to Lupe) Uh, of course, Lupe. (to Adam) Maybe Jake was offended by the phrase, "Going Ape".
- Adam: Why would he be offended by that?
- Ingrid: Well, I'm not sure, but it never hurts to apologize, even if you didn't do anything wrong.
- Adam: That doesn't make any sense at all, but fine. I'll go see what's wrong with the little drama queen.
- Lupe: Why do you always gotta hog the conversation, Ingrid?
- Ingrid: Oh, sorry, Lupe.
- (Henry auditions to be Jake's new best friend)
- Henry: So, you can kick me around or throw me out windows. Oh, and I also have no other friends at all. So, I can devote all my time to you. All my time.
- Jake: Hmm, I'll put you down as a maybe.
- Henry: Yeah!
- (Henry leaves)
- Jake: Sheesh, I though he'd never leave.
- Coach Gills: Looks like Lyon needs a new best friend! Come on, Horace! It's go time! Hey, Lyon! Wait up! Wanna go to the Malt Shop and split a sundae!?
Trvia[]
- Bull Sharkowski appears for a third time before his intended debut in "Shark Attack". His first two achronological appearances were in "Bad News Bear" and "Chew on This".
- Jake show's that he's a huge fan of the celebrity, Truffles Duvall.
- Lupe proves to be a selfish and thankless friend to Ingrid.
- Henry and Coach Gills demonstrate having no friends, which would become recurring character traits for both of them.
- Slips and Windsor don't appear in this episode.
- Billboard Gag: Good luck, Academic Deer-Cathelon in State Finals.
- Credits Gag: Henry sitting outside with Pablo, but Pablo deflates.
Cultural References[]
- Jake talking to a football, which he named and drew a face on is a reference to the movie Castaway.
Gallery[]
