"Gretchen and the Secret of Yo" is the second segment of the nineteenth episode of Recess.
Synopsis[]
Gretchen discovers a new talent in yo-yos.
Plot[]
Gretchen is annoyed at the fact that she does not appear to possess any physical activity talent and tries to find a sport that she could be good at. Upon seeing a young boy playing with a yo-yo, she buys one herself and through her mastery of knowledge of understanding the toy and the muscles in her hand, she succeeds in playing with it. She explains to the Gang that she is happy that she has learned numerous tricks, but wants to master a trick called "the invisible man" which has the yo-yo pushing shoes forward. The trick was invented by Tommy Tate whom Vince says has his taxes done by his dad. Gretchen decides to visit him after school.
Tate is a bitter and grumpy old man, who left the yo-yo game behind him, but after hearing Gretchen's pleas on wanting to be better and willing to go through the harsh regiment to master it, Tate agrees. Gretchen goes through the rigorous training and diet regiment and bonds with Tate over time. Gretchen even pushes aside her usual studying so that she can try and perfect her skills. He tells her that she will be competing in the yo-yo exhibition coming to town in a week and as a gift hands her his prized gold plated yo-yo which he wants her to use in the competition.
Gretchen learns that she is up against Alex Lorall, a yo-yo prodigy and current title holder. The Gang watches as Gretchen goes toe to toe with the other players. Ultimately, she manages to win after successfully performing the invisible man and finishes with a firework display. Gretchen announces shortly after that she is retiring so that she can continue her life as a regular kid. After the show, Tate tells Gretchen that he is glad to hear that she wants to retire as he became so involved with the sport that he did not have any friends to return to once he retired. He tells her to keep his yo-yo to remember their time together.
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
- Allyce Beasley as Miss Grotke
- Anndi McAfee as Ashley Armbruster
- Francesca Marie Smith as Ashley Boulet, Swinger Girl
- Rachel Crane as Ashley Quinlan
- Klee Bragger as Phil, Kid #1
- Brian Doyle-Murray as Tommy Tate
- Warren Sroka as Alex Lorall
- Glenn Berger as Announcer
- Ryan O'Donohue as Kid #1, Kid #3
Trivia[]
- The German-Shepard dog from "Mama's Girl" appeared again in this episode.
