Drew does Undeclared: The Complete Series

Fair warning: I’m going to admit something that will immediately alienate at least half of you and possibly make you swear off my reviews forever. Ready?

I like Undeclared better than Freaks and Geeks.

Sorry. I know I just invalidated the entire rest of this article for many of you, but I gotta be me. And “me” is a guy who likes about a 90/10 split between his comedy and drama. There’s no denying that Freaks was an excellent show with more than its share of funny moments, but the focus on laughs over all else makes Undeclared the preferred Judd Apatow vehicle in my eyes. I hope I have not brought shame on my family, and that you will continue reading on through your disgust.

The obligatory background: after critical darling Freaks and Geeks met with a much-lamented cancellation, creator Judd Apatow decided to spearhead a new show, this time about college life. After pouring his heart and soul into Freaks and having them crushed, his intent was to make a breezy comedy that he wouldn’t have to stress about, a half hour show to Freaks’ hour because clearly that would only be half the work. This failed miserably on all levels. As Apatow humorously reflects in his introduction to the Undeclared DVD, “I worked more hours than ever. I quickly learned that a half hour comedy is way harder to produce than an hour drama. With Freaks, if a scene wasn’t funny, we called it drama. With Undeclared, if it wasn’t funny, it just wasn’t funny.” Throw in major casting issues — the plan was to bring in numerous Freaks alums as main cast members, but only one (Seth Rogen) was approved by network execs, though many others became guest stars — and you can understand Apatow’s frustration. Add to that the fact that it STILL didn’t work, with Undeclared being canceled after one season just like its predecessor, and is it any wonder Apatow made the leap to cinema and hasn’t looked back? Probably not… but at least he left us with two great albeit shortlived shows before he did. Well, and the knowledge that he sent FOX executives a note reading, “How can you #?!* me in the @##$!?% again when your =%!# is still in there from last time?” Which, as far as I’m concerned, is just icing on the cake. But enough history, what’s this show all about?

Like most of us, Steven Karp (Jay Baruchel) has decided he is absolutely going to be cooler in college than he was in high school. And like some of us, he appears to be succeeding, at least at first: partnered with handsome British roommate Lloyd (Charlie Hunnam), who drops skirts with a single toss of his flowing locks, Steven attends a party and even loses his virginity his first night on campus. For her part, devirginizer Lizzie (cute-as-a-button Carla Gallo, known to Superbad fans) was just looking to cut loose and mentally free herself from clingy boyfriend Eric (Jason Segal, in a hilarious and fortunately recurring guest role), but now finds herself the target of a puppy dog crush. Of course, Steven’s other roommates Ron (Rogen) and Marshall (Timm Sharp) have their own ideas about how to make this the best freshman year ever, none of which include letting Steven’s recently-separated dad Hal (Loudon Wainwright III) crash on their couch. Oh well… maybe Steven can be cool sophomore year.

It’s trite to say so, but a big part of what makes Undeclared work is that, much like Freaks did for high school, it actually feels like college. Beyond the obligatory unrealistically large dorm rooms (a necessity if you want more than two camera angles), it’s the realistic little touches that make it – things like the girls going to class in sweatpants and no makeup, or the guys playing 4-player video games and cursing each other out. This is stuff we all went through in college, whether it’s being sexiled from your room, or getting a credit card and immediately overspending, or stealing liberating food from the dining hall. Apatow has lamented that the reason most college shows suck is because the things people actually experiment with in college — drugs, alcohol, sex — aren’t network friendly, leading to watered-down dreck. I don’t doubt that’s true, but I will say that Undeclared doesn’t gloss over the drinking and sex, at least. And while I never pledged a fraternity or worked a campus job in college, I don’t doubt for a minute that the experiences as portrayed in Undeclared are spot-on; and this from a man who HAS swallowed a live goldfish before, thank you very much.

Of course, it helps that the characters are mostly engaging and three dimensional. Jay Baruchel is endearingly awkward as Steven and pulls off the “geek trying to go against the grain” vibe well, and my main complaint about Seth Rogen from Freaks (that his character didn’t get enough to do) is eliminated here, as Ron gets several plotlines focusing on him and some of the best lines to boot. I’ll offer that it’s a good thing Carla Gallo is cute, because between sleeping around on all of her love interests and unintentionally manipulating them, Lizzie isn’t always the most likable of characters, but it’s hard to stay mad at her. Marshall and especially Rachel sadly feel the most underdeveloped as characters, a situation that might have been rectified in the second season, but alas, we’ll never know.

I promise not to ramble on, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t briefly mention the outstanding guest stars. For a single season they really packed ‘em in, building episodes around major names like Adam Sandler (and his perennial entourage), Will Ferrell, and Ted Nugent, as well as giving recurring guest roles to Amy Poehler and most of the Freaks cast. (In one episode where Samm Levine guest stars as a fraternity president, the frat vandalizes the guys’ room, and the words “Greeks Not Freaks” can be seen spray-painted on the wall.) Even stars-to-be like Tom “Smallville” Welling and a pre-The Office Jenna Fischer appear in bit parts. As a final act of rebellion after learning they were cancelled, the writers decided to barely feature the main cast in the final episode and instead devoted much of it to Lizzie’s ex-boyfriend Eric (Jason Segal) and his Copy Shop coworkers David “10 Things I Hate About You” Krumholz and Kyle “Tenacious D” Gass, as well as Eric’s stepdad Ben “prototype for my character in Dodgeball” Stiller. That’s cheeky, and I dig it.

The DVD set contains a few choice goodies, including auditions, rehearsals, and a script planned for season 2, but the best special feature is the booklet that comes with it, a guide to the 17 episodes (plus a heavily reworked version of one) that features members of the cast and crew weighing in on every episode. Seth Rogen’s entries alone are worth the price of the set, like when he describes getting crap for writing himself a make-out scene with guest star Busy Phillips, and then accidentally getting an erection. (Look for it.) It’s also a fascinating peek into the creative process, as Brent Forrester describes late night writing sessions at Judd Apatow’s house where they delay work as long as possible by eating junk food and Apatow gradually gets more and more intense, saying things like, “Are you ready for the magic? A little more cake, and I am going to bring it.” For some reason I find that hilarious. Almost as hilarious as Jay Baruchel’s insistence that his character wear jean shorts, because c’mon… jorts!

So that is why I thoroughly enjoy Undeclared. You may never agree with me that it’s a better show than Freaks and Geeks, and I can live with that — I’ve long since accepted I’m in the minority on that one. But hopefully I’ve at least convinced you that it’s worth checking out. The DVD set isn’t too expensive, and even though Wikipedia would have you believe the episodes are arranged out of order on the DVDs, that is a damn lie. For shame, Wikipedia. (The booklet lists them in improper order, but they’re correct on the discs themselves, so maybe it was a running change.) Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. I realize it’s kind of an abrupt ending, but in proper college spirit, it’s beer o’clock and I’ve got to be drunk by beer thirty. See ya!

Hilarious Quotes:

Professor Duggan: When I’m lecturing I expect you to listen. This is not high school. You’re paying good money for an education.
Marshall: Well, yeah. That’s the whole point. I am paying good money, and I think you should try to be less boring.

Steven: I thought I saw an ad for a job at an art supply store.
Perry: That job doesn’t exist. For some reason hot girls like art, so I just put that in there to get numbers. My palm pilot is bursting.

Lloyd: Alright, Mr. Magoo, time to leave. Rebecca’s going to be here any second.
Steven: Okay, well, have fun, and in case you need me I’ll be sleeping on that disgusting-ass little couch right there that Ron puked on the other night. Thanks.

Marshall: You’re really smart.
Rachel: Thanks.
Marshall: And you’re pretty. You’re smart and pretty. Like a dolphin.
Rachel: Thanks.

School Video Show Guy: Coming up next we have a generic R&B video. I don’t know who it’s by, but I bet they’ll have a shot of a guy without his shirt on spinning around in the rain.

Steven: Excuse me. Am I like interrupting a slumber party or something?
Nicola: No. Our roommates are having sex. How about you?
Steven: Yeah. He is.

Lizzie: What do you think?
Ron: Is that… as big as your boobs get?
Lizzie: Oh! I have a shirt for that.
Ron: Ah. I knew you would.

Ron: She’ll tell her friends across the pond and my name will be like the secret inside joke for bad sex. “How was your shag?” “Oh, I got Ronned! He Ronned me! It was terrible.”

Lloyd: In every man resides a fighter, Steven.
Steven: Where? Does he hide in my ass?

Perry: I cannot believe Steven is joining those guys. That kid could not become a bigger dork if he went on the road following the Dave Matthews Band.

Marshall: Every night after Ron falls asleep, I ah… ah, do what young men do. In my bed.
Ron: You do it after I go to sleep?
Marshall: Yeah.
Ron: I do it every night after you go to sleep!
Marshall: But you’re snoring by the time I’m doing it.
Ron: I’m pretending to snore so you don’t think that I’m doing it!
Marshall: God, Ron!
Ron: So we’re doing it at the same time?
Marshall: That’s horrible, Ron!

Marshall: That was awesome!
Ron: That was pretty cool.
Lloyd: Awesome that was not.
Marshall: Why not? Why wasn’t it?
Lloyd: I’ve been thinking this might happen for awhile, but this is sooner than I thought. We have become their brothers.
Marshall: So?
Lloyd: So I understand where you’re from, being someone’s brother may not necessarily eliminate sexual possibilities. For Ron, myself and Steven, this spells trouble.

Marshall: Dude, get out of here.
Ron: Why?
Marshall: Because Lloyd’s about to pick a girl, then the others are going to disperse, and then I’m gonna get the slowest and the weakest one, now go, he’s about to pick one!

Lloyd: What if this is the perfect girl? They all might be the one, and you don’t know until you sleep with them. All of them.