Recap / Recess S 3 E 7 Space Cadet

• Bittersweet Ending: Gretchen doesn't go to space (vicariously or otherwise) like she and the other kids believed she would. But as a gesture of TJ second-hand going to outerspace, his hat is put on the next shuttle so he can go into space in spirit.
• Freudian Excuse: After the latest "training session" makes Gretchen snap at him, TJ goes into a spiel that unwittingly spills his guts over how he's wanted to go to space so badly that he's always kept a toy rocket under his pillow for as long as he can remember. At learning of his devotion to space travel, Gretchen is speechless.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Before she goes to the assembly, Gretchen consoles TJ over his dreams of traveling to space by admitting she too has always wanted to be an astronaut, if to a more logical degree.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Even for someone as bright as Gretchen, kids can't simply go into outer space. Years of training are required to go there (if not the kind of training TJ had in mind).