During a football game with the fifth graders, Spinelli develops a crush on Johnny V. Not that she wants it.
Tropes:
- All Love Is Unrequited: Played both ways. Spinelli doesn't want to have a crush on "Baby Tooth" and he's visibly scared of her. It takes a while for her to reconcile that it's just a feeling, thanks to Ms. Finster's pep talk.
- Comically Missing the Point: Spinelli upon being told that her not tackling Johnny V. is all a part of her "blooming":Spinelli: Blooming? What does she think I am, a daffodil?
- Did You Think I Can't Feel?: Discussed by Miss Finster during her talk with Spinelli. She explains that "tough girls" like them aren't expected to have any sort of emotion—but they do, and it's perfectly OK.
- Fang Thpeak: Due to his baby tooth, Johnny V. speaks with a lisp for most of the episode. Ironically, when he loses the baby tooth, he also loses the lisp.
- First Love: Johnny V. turns out to be Spinelli's first crush.
- The Freelance Shame Squad: Randall invokes this by revealing Spinelli's secret crush on Johnny V., causing the kids to laugh at her for being a "boy-liker."
- Girls Have Cooties: The kindergarteners run away from Spinelli upon learning that she has a crush on a boy.
- Hypocritical Humor: "What do I look like, dumb?" says Lawson, who can't even add 12 and 6 together.
- I Want My Mommy!: The unfortunate fifth grader who runs away after Spinelli tackles him.
- Kids Are Cruel: As in "Mama's Girl", the student body relentlessly teases Spinelli, this time for being a "boy-liker". Again, this angers Spinelli a lot!
- Loves Me Not: A variation of this has Spinelli plucking a flower while saying "I hate him! I hate him more!"
- Muscles Are Meaningless: Spinelli manages to tackle a burly fifth-grade quarterback into running away crying.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Miss Finster sits down beside Spinelli and implies that she herself went through a similar experience when she was Spinelli's age.Miss Finster: Women of power like us are not allowed to have emotions.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- Mr. Spinelli notices that something is wrong with his daughter when she shows no interest in the wrestling on TV. When Spinelli mentions "this boy at school," Mrs. Spinelli correctly deduces that the girl has a crush.
- Ms. Finster doesn't punish Spinelli for stealing a flower from Prickley's garden. Instead she sits calmly and talks about how hard it is to have feelings.
- Puddle-Covering Chivalry: Mikey tries to invoke this by placing his shirt over a mud puddle. Spinelli responds by walking around it.
- Satellite Love Interest: Johnny V. has only appeared in this episode, for the sake of Spinelli having a crush.
- Tempting Fate:Spinelli: As far as I'm concerned, I don't care if I never see that lousy, rotten Johnny V. again! (sees Johnny V. and screams)
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Spinelli, and by extension the rest of the kids, are confused by the strange feelings she's having. It takes Galileo to help determine that she has a crush.
