"This is the Arkansas Standard Achievement Test, the most powerful achievement test in the world, so powerful I reckon it will blow your minds clean away. But the question is: 'Do you feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punks?"
—Miss Finster
After getting a perfect score on a standardized test, Gretchen is given the opportunity to go to Oppenheimer Elementary for the Extremely Gifted. However, she doesn't want to leave her friends, who devise a plan to sabotage her enrollment.
Tropes:
- Achievement Test of Destiny: Miss Finster seems to treat the test like it's a big deal. However, Miss Grotke subverts it by reminding the kids that it's not for a grade.Miss Finster: You're a wimp, you know that, Grotke?
- Big "NO!": Mikey when Gretchen informs him and the rest of the Recess Gang that she may have to leave them.
- Book Ends: The episode opens with Miss Finster testing the fourth graders, with Gretchen among them. And it closes with Gretchen, as Miss Grundler, testing the teachers, with Miss Finster among them.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: It turns out the Oppenheimer professors are fine with compromising with Gretchen about her genius. They ask her why she was trying to fail the test and admit that they aren't going to push a child if it's against her wishes. As it turns out, the choice has to be Gretchen's alone if she wants to attend. The professors and Gretchen talk, reaching a compromise.
- Epic Fail: Gretchen has to be taught how to do this when answering test questions. While she's fine at it for a while during the exam, Prickley threatens her so she blurts out all of the correct answers.
- Grade Skipper: Deconstructed with Gretchen. Even though she could go straight to a college-level elementary school, Gretchen doesn't want to leave her decidedly less intellectually-gifted friends.
- Irony: Although Gretchen can stay in Third Street School, the Oppenheimer professors allow her to give a tutorial program... to the faculty!
- It's All About Me: Turns out Principal Prickly only wants to send Gretchen to Oppenheimer to get promoted to Junior High principal. With that said, the compromise that the professors come up with does benefit him, so he agrees to it under protest.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: One of the Oppenheimer professors clearly resembles Albert Einstein.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Thanks to TJ and his friends, Gretchen is able to do this...only to show her true genius when she cracks under pressure.
- Shout-Out: Miss Finster's opening speech about the Arkansas Standard Achievement Test mirrors a line from Dirty Harry. TJ even lampshades it:TJ: The old lady's been watching too many Clint Eastwood movies again.
- Spit Take: Miss Finster's reaction to learning that Gretchen has finished the test in less than five minutes.
- Take a Third Option: Gretchen doesn't want to leave her friends, Prickley doesn't want to lose a chance at a promotion, and the Oppenheimer professors are legitimately concerned about Gretchen having opportunities to use her genius. So the group talks it out and says that Prickley will be commended with Gretchen running a tutoring program... for the Third Street teachers. While Prickley is unhappy that Gretchen is failing him, he does get what he wants technically and Gretchen pushes herself.
- Whole-Plot Reference: The Make-Gretchen-Dumb subplot is based on My Fair Lady with the "Rain in Spain"-scene quoted almost verbatim.Mikey: What is the capital of Montana?Gretchen: Hel... New York City?Spinelli: What was that?Gretchen: New York City.T.J.: Again.Gretchen: New York City.Vince: You know, I think she's got it.
