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Tear Jerker / Recess: School's Out

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  • When T.J. is riding his bike through town while his friends are all at camp. But what makes sad is the fact that the song Three Dog Night's cover of Harry Nilsson's "One" is being playing, and the lyrics are not cheerful.
  • It's revealed that when T.J. helps Principal Prickly escape from the supply closet where they're trapped, that Mr. Prickly is more worried about him than vice-versa. As T.J. is untying him, the principal clearly has Anger Born of Worry that T.J. got involved in an attempt to rescue him because Benedict is off his rocker. You can tell that he's scared they both got in over their heads.
  • The flashback scene shows the end of Benedict's friendship with Prickly and Finster. Yes, Benedict brought it on himself, but it's a bit sad seeing him so utterly distraught back before he was fully crazy, as well as Prickly and Finster's sadness at seeing their friend go that far and getting him into worse trouble than they meant to initially.
    • Despite what Benedict accused him of, Prickly genuinely had no intention of getting Benedict fired in order to get his job as principal as he only got the Superintendent involved as a way to overrule the "no recess" edict. However, the Superintendent was an Excellent Judge of Character as he saw that Benedict was Drunk with Power (since Benedict still refused to obliged to the Superintendent's orders to back down from his anti-recess crusade) and that it was in the district's interest (and for the students' benefit) to have him fired.
    • We also see how Benedict sabotaged his relationship with Miss Finster, who at that point was a sweet young lady with a gravelly voice who loved her job as recess referee. Then her boyfriend launches a campaign against recess, putting her career and their future on the line. When the Superintendent fires Benedict, he attempts to make her walk out with him, only for Miss Finster angrily pull away from him and say that she can never be with someone that hates kids having fun.
      Phil: Oh, I see what's going down here. You tricked me! Went around my back to the Man to get my job!
      Pete: No! It's not like that at all!
      Phil: Yeah right! Come on, Muriel baby, let's blow this scene.
      Muriel: No, Phil! It's over! I could never be with a man who doesn't love recess.
      Phil: So you're against me, too? Well, fine... I DON'T NEED YOU!! I DON'T NEED ANYONE!!
    • There is also the scene of how Benedict actually received his chronic limp: after ranting out against Finster for dumping him, he attempts to leave with whatever dignity he has left after the fallout, only to fall on the stairs. A shocked Finster and Prickly attempt to help him back on his knees, but Benedict furiously tells them to back off before weakly going back up himself and swearing revenge on Prickly.
      Muriel: (seeing Phil fall off the stairs) PHIL!
      Pete: You okay, man?
      Phil: DON'T TOUCH ME!!! You took my chick.... you took my job! Well, enjoy it while you can, Petey boy, 'cause you're gonna pay!! Somehow... some way... you're GONNA PAY!!
      Pete: (narrating) I never saw Phillium again. (fade back to the present) He quit teaching, went into politics, eventually became Secretary of Education until the President fired him for trying to get rid of recess again, only this time it was nation-wide.
  • Principal Prickly's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to TJ, when he reveals that he genuinely does care about TJ and his friends, since they're his only link to his memories of his lost childhood innocence.
    Prickly: I'll let you in on a little secret, Detweiler. Every adult you've ever known was a kid at sometime in his life. You think we don't remember summer vacation? Riding bikes down by the creek, catching polliwogs in a jar, camping out under the stars? Well, you're wrong! Some days I sit there in my office, looking out at you kids on the playground and I think, "They don't know how good they got it. In a few years, they're all going to be grownups like me and all those good times will just be memories for them, too". So go ahead. Put a whoopie-cushion in my chair. Cover my carpet with fake vomit. Make fun of my "big, saggy butt". But don't you ever say I don't care about summer vacation, (voice breaking) 'cause those memories are the last part of childhood I got left.
    • This really shows Principal Prickly off for who he really is. Rather than a generic kids show villain like most cartoons with a school setting will make the Principal, Prickly is a human being like everyone else, who had to learn to grow up and deal with the responsibilities and complexities of adulthood, something T.J. and company don't have to worry about yet. It's even more powerful when you find out Prickly's background, that he was an idealistic teacher during the 60s, but all that idealism was eventually ground away as he aged, as he was forced to combat the mind-numbing bureaucracy of the educational system and the realities of the world. Prickly isn't a villain, he never was one at all, it just seemed that way to the main characters, who are children, too young to understand just what adulthood can do to you. Thankfully, he's set back down the right path by the end of the movie.
    • The same can be said for Miss Finster as well, as in spite of her authoritarian nature who likes to keep kids in check through intimidation, she too genuinely values the well-being of children as she was once an idealistic teacher back in the 60s, and that she, just like Prickly, was forced to combat the mind-numbing bureaucracy of the educational system and the realities of society. And just like Prickly, Finster was never a villain to begin with; she is only strict because it's part of her job as she too understands the true meaning of recess.
  • When the gang are exchanging stories about their favorite summer memories together, Gus straight-up bursts into tears—since he realizes that, being "the new kid" (with the gang the first consistent group of friends he's ever had) he'll never get to have any childhood memories that sweet. A surprisingly honest display of what it can really feel like to be the perpetually lonely kid in Elementary School.
    Spinelli: What's your problem? This is the first summer you've lived here!
    Gus: I know! And now I'll never have any of those memories!
  • The underlying regret in TJ's voice when Mikey has brought up "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" as "that song TJ's sister taught us that first summer after kindergarten" and he responds with "Oh yeah; back when she was nice." Even if he doesn't openly show it, it's obvious he misses the way he and Becky used to be.
  • At the end of the movie, Principal Prickly is cleaning out his office since Benedict left a bunch of junk laying around, and finds his old peace necklace from the 60's. T.J. comes by before he goes to hang with his friends, and thanks Principal Prickly for saving his life and helping stop Benedict. Prickly says that he should be thanking T.J.; after all, he didn't enter teaching for the pensions, promotions, or so he could make it to the golf course at 3:45. This adventure made him remember that he started teaching to help kids, and had forgotten about it. Prickly looks at his necklace with a wistful expression and puts it on when T.J. leaves.
  • The very last shot in the movie, of the gang relaxing by the pond after all the events of the film. It might not seem much, but the film was also supposed to be the "official" ending of the seriesnote , and pretty much a "goodbye" to the gang (until Recess: Taking the Fifth Grade was released).


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