History Heartwarming / Recess

* The episode straddles the line between Tearjerker and CMOH. One one hand, Mikey's relationship with Ms. Salimony (the music teacher who teaches him to believe in himself so that he can discover his repressed singing talent) is one big CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. But then we see Mikey convinced that he's genuinely ''in love'' with his 25 year-old teacher ''and'' that she loves him back, only to walk in on her accepting her boyfriend's marriage proposal. Even though Mikey's romantic fantasy is impossibly naive, it's still heartbreaking to see him run off crying and then hide in the bathroom in a HeroicBSOD. The final scene, where he sings "Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen" while gazing longingly at Salimony and saying farewell to her, hits both ends.

--> '''Gus:''' (dejected) I guess I lost the battle, sir.
--> '''Colonel Griswald:''' (proudly) Yes, but it looks like you won the war.
* Earlier in the episode- Gelman is beating Gus to a pulp, when T.J. steps in and stands up for Gus, saying that Gelman will have to beat him and the gang up too if he attacks Gus. And then the entire student body joins in. Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome. [[DirtyCoward Gelman finally gives up when his physical strength isn't enough anymore]]

--> '''Colonel Griswald:''' Yes, but it looks like you won the war.

* I don't know why, but I always get the warm fuzzies seeing Mikey cradling T.J. in his arms (after the latter got a black eye)..

* The ending counts as well. It turns out that Randall has been blackmailing King Bob with a photo of the older boy being forced to try on dresses at the mall; he was there with his sister, who made him model the outfits. TJ devises a plan to help, and a little while later, King Bob's servants pass out copies of the photo to everyone on the playground. Bob tells the story of what happened, and the kids open the photos, which initially leads to mocking laughter--and that's when TJ steps up to talk about the humiliation his own older sister puts him through. Vince and Spinelli share their own stories, and soon, all of the kids are united behind the idea of [[BigBrotherBully siblings who tease them]]. Without his bargaining chip, Randall is stripped of his powers, a grateful King Bob undoes all of his harsh rules, and recess is restored to normal.

* The ending, when it turns out that [[spoiler:the kids who buried the "treasure", actually being old toys that made them happy as kids, were Principal Prickly and his friends when they were in fourth grade]].

* And at the end of the episode, Prickly returns to Third Street School, [[{{Blatant Lies}} ostensibly because Superintendent Skinner made a poor pay offer]]. Yet, in spite of what [[{{Jerkass Facade}} Prickly tells them]], you can infer that [[{{Jerk with a Heart of Gold}} Prickly decided to stay to prevent Skinner from making life at Third Street School miserable]].

* The ending, when it turns out that [[spoiler:the kids who buried the "treasure", actually being old toys that made them happy as kids, were Principal Prickly and his friends when they were ten years old]].

* The episode's overall plot is one big CMOH. Mikey volunteers the Gang to spend a Saturday afternoon at a retirement home, but they're reluctant as it's the same day as the "Senor Fusion Fest" at the mall, and only agree when they find out that they can do both. But as the day goes on, each kid finds a resident that matches up with them perfectly, and the resulting [[IntergenerationalFriendship relationships]] are extremely sweet. Gretchen talks to a now-declassified scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project, who tells her that she "seems possessed of a mind" and is thus smart enough to understand him; Vince befriends a former baseball star who played on "Birmingham's old team"--that is, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Black_Barons Birmingham Black Barons]], a wonderful example of [[ShownTheirWork the writers putting in effort to be accurate]] (the old man references Satchel Paige and Willie Mays, who both actually played for the Black Barons); Spinelli meets a woman interested with knitting, which turns out to be a method of [[NeverMessWithGranny keeping her fingers strong for boxing]], a skill she picked up in the U.S. Merchant Marines; Gus connects with an [[GentleGiant enormous but friendly man]] who recognizes himself in the boy and helps calm his fears about being small by promising that he'll grow up to be big and strong someday; and T.J. chats with a man who served in World War II and played pranks on his superiors, just as T.J. does on his principal and Miss Finster--and in a bonus surprise, the man turns out to be the creator of Senor Fusion! Mikey, meanwhile, has a miserable time when his singing doesn't go over well, and tries to get the gang to leave, only for them to point out that he [[PoorCommunicationKills didn't bother to listen to what the audience wanted to hear]], and that if he tries, he just might learn something. Mikey gives it another shot and brings the house down, and the episode ends with all of the residents, including the kids and their new friends, joining the audience to cheer him on. Anyone who has a close relationship with their grandparents, or the elderly in general, will be warm and fuzzy by the time the show's over.

** Whats really good is that he IS! Randall IS good as being who he is, a sneaky little bastard. It might not win any favors on the playground, but its going to serve him well in life.

-->'''Gus's Dad:''' [[spoiler:Well, let's put it this way: Gus, you've got one heck of a platoon leader.]]

* The episode is especially poignant for artists, as a commentary on the transience of art. Yes, the physical piece has some importance, but in the end, once it has done its job in portraying its message, it is, in the end, "just a stupid drawing". Arts true value lies in its impact on its audience, and Spinelli certainly accomplished that.

* And then there was the truth of the matter; [[spoiler: Spinelli did have Randall at her mercy during the whole situation, but didn't have a rock; it was just a dirt clot. However, she noticed Miss Finster, the mean teacher of teh school, having trouble with her cat. So Spinelli actually helped the long-time pain in the gang's side. Shows that under her [[BruiserWithASoftCenter tough girl side, she's really nice.]]]]

* Randall just got used to being in T.J.'s pack when he finds out that Miss Finster has a new snitch, Douglas. Because of this, Randall is jealous and sad, and goes over onto a swing to cry. T.J. finds him upset, and tells him that he should go back to being Finster's snitch.

[[caption-width-right:287:Count on T.J. to always have Spinelli's back (and occasionally his arm around her too).]]

[[caption-width-right:287:Count on T.J. to always have Spinelli's back (and occasionally his arm around her too)]]

[[caption-width-right:287:Count on T.J. to occasionally have his arm around Spinelli]]

* Before this, the Gang finds themselves without a sense of direction--Lawson and his new crew have taken over their position of helping other kids, playing pranks, and standing up to unfair faculty decisions, and the "original" six feel like they no longer have a purpose on the playground. TJ, Vince, and Spinelli admit that they liked the praise that came with their old roles, and Gretchen fears that they may have only been doing nice things [[AttentionSeeker to get attention and glory]]. That's when Mikey steps in with [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre his most inspirational, poetic speech ever]], pointing out that the most important "role" they serve is to be each other's best friends; furthermore, they always did nice things regardless of rewards and recognition. This rallies the other five, and they all start happily playing with each other, making jokes and pretending to be monsters. It's sweet to see that even without a ZanyScheme or common enemy, the Recess Gang [[TrueCompanion really does love each other]].

* The moment prior to this, when T.J is sentenced to the Dodgeball wall is equally heartwarming: Instead of begging for help his last words to his friends are: "Find King Bob!" Inches from the worst punishment on the playground, all he's worried about is saving the other kids from Randall and putting the rightful ruler back on the throne.

[[AC: Old Folks' home]]

* The ending, when it turns out that [[spoiler:the kids who buried the "treasure", actually being old toys that made them happy as kids, were Principal Prickly and his friend when they were ten years old]].

** The descendant of the man who the statue portrayed coming to the kids rescue, and pointing out that they're KIDS for gods sake, they didnt break the damn thing out of spite.

* The episode is especially poignant for artists, as a commentary on the transience of art. Yes, the physical piece has some importance, but in the end, once it has done its job in portraying its message, its, in the end, "just a stupid drawing". Arts true value lies in its impact on its audience, and Spinelli certainly accomplished that.

* The episode straddles the line between Tearjerker and CMOH. One one hand, Mikey's relationship with Ms. Salimony (the music teacher who teaches him to believe in himself so that he can discover his repressed singing talent) is one big CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming. But the end, in which Mikey realizes that he's genuinely ''in love'' with an engaged 25 year-old woman, never fails to make me choke up. The final scene, where he sings "Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen" while gazing longingly at Salimony and saying farewell to her, hits both ends.

** Genuinely? This troper thought it was just a baby crush, or pet crush, or whatever it's called. Mikey couldn't have at least subconsciously not known that Ms. Salimony was far too old for him.

* Earlier in the episode- Gelman is beating Gus to a pulp, when T.J. steps in and stands up for Gus, saying that Gelman will have to beat him and the gang up too if he attacks Gus. And then the entire student body joins in. Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome. [[DirtyCoward Gelman finally gives up when his physical strength isnt enough anymore]]

** One of the main reasons why the episode is such a fan favorite was due to Miss Finster showing her nice side, and it shows. She wasnt always a cranky old woman, she was young once too.

-->'''T.J.:''' "My Best Friend": By T.J. Detweiler. People say a best friend is the most important fried a kid could have. That a best friend is someone who makes you laugh. Someone you go to for advice. Someone who can come to you for advice. Well, that's great for people who have a best friend, but I don't. I have no best friend. But there are some friends I do have. One's a great athlete. The most popular kid in school. He can hang out with anybody, but instead, he hangs out with me. Another friend of mine is the smartest kid I've ever met. She could probably build an atom bomb. But instead, she uses her brains to help me when I'm down. And then I got a friend who's so tough, she can take down a guy twice her size. But instead, she stands up for kids who can't defend themselves. Another one of my pals is a big guy. Real big. To a lot of kids, he looks scary. But he wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact, he's got a heart of gold. And then there's my newest friend. Some guys say he's a scaredy-cat, but I know deep down that he's a hero. When I see him swallow his fear and do what needs to be done, it reminds me of why things are worth standing up for. Yeah, some people say a best friend is the most important friend a kid could have. But I say, 'Why pick one?'. All my friends are the most important friends I have. So don't feel sorry for me, I'm the luckiest kid in the world! I don't have a best friend- I have five!