Episode 1x09 "Class Pre-Union"

Before the title sequence, Cory is spoofing 60 minutes by using his dad's camera to film stuff and make the audience laugh. This includes Morgan leaving for a birthday party, wearing the golden necklace that her mother has decided to let her borrow. This was an absolutely disgraceful decision to make as a parent. Amy Matthews, I am shaking my head at you. Then Cory breaks the camera. These parents clearly do not know their children as well as I do.

Cory and Minkus wear some pretty cool hats as they debate over the issue of taxing the colonies. 

I would love to see the syllabus for Mr. Feeny's class. Last episode we were learning about the Holocaust and now it's the American Revolution. Anyway Cory spouts off the standard adolescent diatribe against history, "It's in the past", "who needs it", etc, and comments that he'd rather look toward his future. 

                                      

Look at Minkus, fucking naming the episodes now. Pretty sure Cory hasn't named any episodes yet. 

Cory and Shawn eat lunch with Bad-Hair, who decided to look more like Shawn, so they let him back on the show. Also Cory calls him by his name, which is Larry.

At home, Cory's working really hard on his future-self project in which he'll be center fielder for the Phillies. Morgan traded her mother's golden necklace to a girl named Stephanie for some plastic piece of crap necklace. Amy calls Stephanie's mother to get her necklace back, but Stephanie's mother cites "black black no trades back". It was "blackjack no trade back" when I was younger, and it screwed me out of more than a few good Pokemon cards. I can totally relate, Amy. 

Cory gives a genuinely impressive presentation in class, but Mr. Feeny is a massive jerk about it.   

                                      

Cory's spirit is crushed and he mopes around at home later. I would too. He put real effort and heart into this project and Mr. Feeny completely shut him down. Alan gives his downtrodden son a wise talking-to but it doesn't help. We're stuck with a sad episode today folks, but at least Eric does this:

Stephanie and her mother come over. They have British accents because all stuck-up people have them. Amy and Morgan have devised a sinister revenge plot wherein Morgan trades plastic garbage for Stephanie's valuables. It goes off without a hitch and it's actually pretty funny. Not as funny as Eric though.

"I don't even know who that was!" Funniest line so far in the series. I'll part with a humor badge here.

Alan apparently sent a bunch of "telegrams" to Jim Abbott asking if he'd come talk to Cory. So Jim Abbott makes a guest appearance. I don't follow baseball, but Jim Abbott is actually a pretty badass dude. He was born without a right hand but went on to be a Major League pitcher, and pitched a no-hitter a few months before this episode aired. That's a bonus badge if I've ever heard one. So Mr. Abbott tells Cory that it's great to have big dreams but that it's also important to have backup plans and stuff. Right on. He gives his lines pretty well too, which I didn't expect. (Remember Michael Phelps on SNL? >_>) Abbott is a motivational speaker these days, so he knows a thing or two about delivery.

Cory brings this new perspective on his dream outside to Mr. Feeny, who gives his approval. A "follow your dreams" lesson from Jim Abbott with Feeny's approval? That's a badge.

The end-of-show gag involves Cory filming his parents while they cuddle on the couch, which is weird because he broke the camera earlier.

This episode was written by the same duo who wrote episode 7, which also had a famous guest star. Maybe they're just the guys for that.

Sprinkled throughout this episode were some bits from Alan about how he wasn't able to get his dream job of engineering bridges due to family obligations and all the other curve balls (look at that timely baseball metaphor) that life threw at him. This cements Alan's position as "best character in the first season". There's just so much more depth to him than anyone else. And like I said in a previous review William Russ is fantastic, so I'm happy to give away a character development badge.

The story here was clever and I haven't seen it done in any other shows, so I'd say it earned a plot badge too.

That's the first perfect score of the series. I didn't mention it earlier, but Minkus and Topanga both had some great lines, and even Morgan did something interesting. This is a really good episode, the kind that springs to mind when you think about why you love this show. Go watch this one, guys.

4/4 with five badges.

Seeeeeeeeeee you Monday.