| Obsession | |
| |
| Episode Information | |
| Episode #: | 16 |
|---|---|
| Air Date: | June 29, 2001 |
| Writer(s): | Nina G. Bargiel Terri Minsky |
| Director: | Savage Steve Holland |
| Prod. #: | 116 |
| Credits | |
| Starring: | ■ Hilary Duff as Lizzie McGuire ■ Lalaine as Miranda Sanchez |
| Recurring: | ■ Kyle Downes as Larry Tudgeman |
| Guest(s): | ■ Sybyl Walker as Miss Moran ■ Troy Rowland as Mr. Lang |
| Episode Guide | |
| Previous: | Lizzie's Nightmares |
| Next: | Sibling Bonds |
| Chronological Order | |
| Previous: | Night of the Day of the Dead |
| Next: | Gordo's Video |
Obsession is the sixteenth episode of Lizzie McGuire's first season.
Summary[]
Lizzie develops an obsession with saving the environment, and Gordo is obsessed with winning the Science Olympics. Meanwhile, Matt goes power-mad with his new hall monitor job.
Synopsis[]
Miss Moran, the Social Studies teacher, is impressed by Lizzie and Miranda's work on a successful volunteer drive, so she encourages them to get involved in more projects. Lizzie takes the encouragement to heart, and dedicates herself to social and ecological issues.
She begins to collect for recycling and donates food and clothing to a homeless shelter. When Parker, a militant vegetarian, chastises her for eating a hamburger, Lizzie decides to give up meat. She gets upset with Miranda when her best friend doesn't share her new-found obsession. When Miranda shows up at the McGuire house to show off her newly-purchased leather jacket, Lizzie explodes in anger, and the two girls part on bad terms.
At first, Sam and Jo are supportive, but over time, they grow tired of Lizzie's exasperation and criticisms.
Miranda seeks help from Gordo in convincing Lizzie that she's going overboard, but Gordo has his own obsession: defeating reigning champion Tudgeman at the upcoming Science Olympics. Gordo goes sleepless while developing an aerodynamic paper airplane that can outlast Tudgeman's.
When Lizzie accuses Miss Moran of wasting paper for a test, the angry teacher sends Lizzie home early. Realizing that Lizzie has developed a problem, Sam and Jo perform a mini-intervention on Lizzie, and convince her that she has to take care of herself, before she can solve the world's problems.
Contrite, Lizzie returns to school, to support Gordo in the last event of the Science Olympics, the Slow Bicycle Race. Lizzie, Miranda and most of the rest of the student body cheer on Gordo, but he falls asleep at the wheel, leaving Tudgeman to win by default.
Both Gordo and Lizzie realize that they let their obsessions get out of hand. They must put limits on their fanaticism, or else their original causes will suffer as a result.
Meanwhile, with Matt[]
Matt is named hall monitor at his school, and the job goes to his head when he begins giving out citations to schoolmates by the dozen. He even does his best in attempting to do the same with teachers and family members, none for a good reason. One teacher presumably takes him to the principal's office Matt, like Lizzie, is sent home from school early, meaning someone else will take over his hall monitor duties.
Trivia[]
- Moral: Don't let a cause you're passionate about get to your head; put limits on any obsessions you have, and narrow your scope to one or two projects. Balance of responsibilities is important, as well as taking care of yourself.
- The song "Portrait of Authority" by the Los Angeles hardcore punk/alternative rock band Bad Religion plays during the montage with Matt giving out citations.
Goofs[]
- Lizzie complains to her mother that there is a limited water source. However, water recycles itself.[1]
- In a true slow bicycle race, the contestants would not race against each other, due to the danger of crashing into each other. Instead, they would race individually, against the clock.
Quotes[]
Jo: Hey, is it three o'clock already?
Lizzie: No, I got sent home early!
Matt: I got sent home early, too! They said I was power-hungry! I don't even know what that means, but I got to get back to school!
Sam: You can't get anything done, if you can't take care of yourself, first.
Larry: Last year, your egg cracked like...an egg.
Animated Lizzie: If my parents' generation wasn't so interested in bell bottoms and roller disco, the planet would be in a lot better shape.
Pop Culture[]
Matt: I’m not joking, and...don’t call me Shirley.
- Matt responds to the statement “Surely, you must be joking” with the often-used gag from the 1980 movie Airplane! (where Leslie Nielsen’s character Dr. Rumack says to pilot Ted Striker, “I am serious...and don’t call me Shirley”).
Matt: Respect my authority!
- In the South Park episode "Chicken Lover", Cartman is a cop on the show Cops and continually says "Respect my author–i-ty" as he arrests people.
Poster: Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better.
- The poster on the wall during the Slow Bicycle Race is an inspirational affirmation by French psychologist Émile Coué.[2]
There are several references to Elvis Presley during the slow-speed bicycle race.
- Gordo's costume is a riff on Presley's white jumpsuit from his 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" concert.
- Gordo's wig emulates Presley's hair style.
Gordo: I'm the King.
- Presley's nickname was "The King."
Gordo: Thank you. Thank you very much.
- Presley frequently uttered this phrase after performing a song for an audience.
Miranda: Gordo has left the building.
- In an effort to disperse concert audiences who lingered in hopes of an encore, public address announcers would often announce "Elvis has left the building."
Gordo's hallway confrontation with Larry is an allusion to the 1966 Clint Eastwood film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The song playing in the background is reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's iconic score, complete with a tumbleweed crossing the hallway.
Miranda: Hasta la bye-bye.
- Hasta la vista is a Spanish phrase, literally translated as "See you later" or "Goodbye." The phrase entered the American public consciousness with the 1992 James Cameron film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.