"Dodgeball City" is the first segment of the twenty-eighth episode of Recess.
Synopsis[]
T.J. and the gang discover something shocking from Gus' past when dodgeball season hits the playground.
Plot[]
The Fourth Graders are once again defeated by the Fifth Graders at dodgeball. The Recess Gang head over to Kelso's for milkshakes where they run into Gus who has taken up guitar lessons. A kid walks in and upon seeing him calls him "El Diablo". Gus hastily leaves and the Gang ask the kid why he called him that. The boy reveals that he recognizes Gus from his old school at Jesse James Elementary where he was known as El Diablo the "fastest dodgeballer in the west". The Gang is confused by this and ask Gus as he is playing his guitar for Hector. While he denies it, T.J. tosses a dodgeball and he expertly catches it before leaving with Hector.
T.J. and Vince set up another bet with Lawson and the Fifth Graders to another game of dodgeball. The winner will get "all the marbles" at recess. They then proceed to ask Gus if he is interested in wanting to join, but he refuses. Spinelli threatens to mess with the tuning of his guitar and Gus finally comes clean. He reveals that he was an amazing dodgeball player, but that one day he accidentally threw a ball at a little kid that was not playing, traumatizing him. Gus once again refuses and T.J. and Vince attempt to back out of the dodgeball game, but Lawson refuses and insists that they still play it.
The game goes just as badly as predicted as the Fourth Graders are mostly wiped out until they are down to Vince. Hector, who found a marble from the bet, runs out into the middle of the field. Amused by him, Lawson fires a ball directly at him. Incensed, Gus dons his El Diablo costume and graces the field where he single-handedly takes out all the Fifth Graders with his skills and avenges Hector. He walks off into the sunset as an older Hector narrates that he continued to admire Gus. In the present, Hector has his arm in a sling and chases down Gus, trying to remind him that he needs to walk him home.
Cast[]
- Andrew Lawrence as T.J. Detweiler
- Rickey D'Shon Collins as Vince LaSalle
- Pamela Adlon as Ashley Spinelli
- Ashley Johnson as Gretchen Grundler
- Jason Davis as Mikey Blumberg
- Courtland Mead as Gus Griswald
- Klee Bragger as Digger Sam
- Ryan O'Donohue as Randall Weems, Digger Dave
- Lane Toran as King Bob
- Erik von Detten as Erwin Lawson
- Justin Shenkarow as Koreo, Kid #4
- Elizabeth Daily as Hector, Kid #2
- Charles Napier as Adult Hector
- Sam Gifaldi as Kid #1
- Kath Soucie as Kid #3
Trivia[]
- On Disney+ and outside the U.S., this episode is first next to "Space Cadet".
- The episode parodies westerns with Gus' clothing similar to Clint Eastwood from the Man with No Name trilogy.
- Gus' former school, Jesse James Elementary School, refers to famed outlaw Jesse James, who had many western movies made about him.
- Hector reveals in his narration that he eventually stopped calling Gus Safety Man.
External links[]
- Dodgeball City at the Recess Wiki