My Top 20 Recess Episodes

In honor or it being my first Saturday with this new blog, I'm posting about all cartoons today.  When I first comprehended the task of only doing cartoons, I had a hard time choosing where to start, but I eventually decided to start with Recess because it was and still is, one of my favorite shows of all time.

The premise of the show focused on the lives of six fourth graders at Third Street School.  They were comprised of...

• T.J. Deweiler: Leader of the gang and school prankster
• Ashley Spinelli: Tomboy and protector of the weak
• Vince LaSalle: Athlete and one of the most popular kids in school
• Gretchen Grundler: Genius
• Mikey Blumberg: Gentle giant and poet
• Gus Griswald: Shy and new kid

The six of these kids live their lives at Recess dealing with life's everyday problems and learning lessons along the way.  It's difficult because of the adversaries they must face and the "law of the playground", but they get by.  Now, my top 20 Recess episodes.

Honorable Mentions 

• Teacher's Lounge
• The Candidates
• Omega Kids
• Chez Vince
• Economics of Recess

20. Parent's Night- It's Parent's Night at Third Street School, and everyone's parents are going except Spinelli's.  The gang has never met them, so they wonder why that's the case.  I love this episode because it's hilarious what T.J. and the gang try to do to see Spinelli's parents, like spy outside her house at night, to trying to use her bathroom.

19. Bonky Fever- Mikey is turning the big Ten-O, but for some reason he's depressed.  Could something be on his mind?  The gang goes to great measures to figure it out.  This episode cracks the list because Bonky is a memorable image, and it's sweet at the end with Mikey and his mom.  Speaks truth about real life and moving on.

18. Weekend at Muriel's- Spinelli is spending the weekend at Miss Finster's after a run in at the supermarket.  Can she survive the weekend? I like this episode because of the gang witnessing Spinelli doing the hula at the end.  As T.J. says, "Guys, we will never speak of this".

17. The Game- A new sensation is sweeping over Third Street School.  Is it good or is it bad?  This episode is great because it parodies Pokemon hilariously and perfectly.  The game makes no sense, yet everyone can't stop playing it.

16. Big Brother Chad- The gang meets Vince's idol, his big brother Chad.  They find out he's a geek, but Vince is oblivious to this fact.  I picked this episode because I could relate having a brother of my own, and I love Vince's over-exaggerating.  NEAT-O!

15. Soccer Boy- Third Street School is having a soccer tournament, and the gang is forming a team, but they leave Mikey out, forcing him to team with Lawson.  I love this episode because it shows somebody teaming with one of the enemies for once, and it shows a lot of soccer, which Recess is really about.

14. The Ratings Game- The Ashley's hatch a new scheme of theirs by giving everyone envelopes with a number in them.  What could they mean?  I love this episode because it accurately portrays how important popularity is in school, and it makes me laugh a lot.  Can't forget the ending either, where everybody's a 10.

13. This Brain For Hire- Gretchen wants a new bike, but she can't afford one, so the gang arranges for her to tutor some kids.  The thing is, she's just doing their homework for them.  This episode stands out because of the end, where everyone learns something, and Gretchen gets her bike at the expense of Miss Grotke's car.

12. Gus's Last Stand- Gus has to face Gelman the school bully after he makes him his new target. I love this episode because of two scenes.  The first one is when it shows Gus disguised as an old man playing tether-ball, and the other reason is when Gus's father tells him about Belgium and WWI.  CLASSIC line!

11. The Rules- After discovering the rulebook of the previous king of the playground, everyone at school must follow the rules.  Only problem is they're outdated.  I like this episode because it shows everyone playing their games to hilarious results.  "Gelman, get the stump".

10. Buried Treasure- T.J. finds a book that has a map to hidden treasure.  He tells the gang, but they aren't the only ones who want a piece of it.  This episode stands out to me because of the ending, which shows the lesson that you should appreciate what you have, even if it isn't much.

9. A Great State Fair- Gus is going to his first state fair, but he misplaces his permission slip.  T.J. is devastated, but vows he'll find a way to get him there somehow.  I love this episode because of the hilarity of it, like T.J. trying to bribe Miss Grotke, T.J thinking a dove is a pigeon, and Gus doing the otter dance.  "My old man don't believe in otters".

8. Space Cadet- Gretchen gets a letter that says she's going on the next space shuttle.  Since T.J. has always dreamed of that, he and the rest of the gang help Gretchen train.  This episode is memorable because of everyone's specific training method, and the shocking revelation at the end.  Plus, can't forget Buzz Aldrin.

7. Old Folk's Home- The gang plans on going to SeniorFusionFest on a Saturday, but Mikey already scheduled to them to go to an old folk's home.  The gang isn't happy about it, but they're in for a surprise when they go.  I like this episode because of the individual time each gang member gets with someone at the home, and it's sweet.

6. The Barnaby Boys- After reading a set of detective books, T.J., Vince, and the rest of the gang become detectives, trying to figure out where a new mysterious custodian at their school came from.  This episode is memorable because I enjoyed it so much as a child.  Plus, who doesn't like a good mystery on Recess, which appears to happen quite frequently.

5. Tucked In Mikey- Mikey becomes the first poet laureate at Third Street School.  Because of that, he must organize his poem's and write a new one, but Menlo's organization appears to be too much.  I love this episode because of Mikey's terrible poem, and the brilliant one he says at the end, which shows the importance of friendship.

4. My Fair Gretchen- Gretchen passes a test that few pass, and is about to be transferred to a new gifted school, but she and the others don't want that to happen, so they try to pass her off as dumb.  I like this episode because it parodies My Fair Lady well, and I like the extent the others try to make Gretchen look dumb.

3. The Voice- Mikey is asked to sing the National Anthem for Third Street School, but has stage fright, so Principal Prickley and Miss Finster hire a music teacher for him who really turns that around.  This episode is one of my top three for Robert Goulet's appearance as the singing voice, the song at the end, and it tackles love, which I'm a sucker for.

2. The Substitute- Miss Grotke gets a routine operation and is replaced by Mr. E, a mysterious new teacher that everyone is enamored with, except for T.J.  I love this episode because I love the back and forth between T.J. and Mr. E, and the fact Mr. E is a character with so many layers.

1. Officer Mikey- Mikey's dream is to be a safety ranger, but after he makes a fool of himself, the captain says there's no way Mikey is getting in.  Mikey is down, but the gang goes at great lengths make his dream come true.  This is my favorite episode of Recess because of the humor, and we get to see other character's dream's on the show, which leads to a hilarious surprise at the end.

Question: What's your favorite episode of Recess?