"The Great Jungle Gym Standoff" is the second segment of the second episode of Recess.
Synopsis[]
Principal Prickly wants to replace the school jungle gym, 'Ol Rusty, but not if T.J. and the whole school can stop him.
Plot[]
It is another day at Third Street Elementary as the students happily play on their favorite jungle gym 'Ol Rusty who is starting to show its age. They are suddenly stopped by Principal Prickly who announces that they are finally tearing down 'Ol Rusty and replacing it with a newer jungle gym. The Recess Gang all voice their disappointment and reminisce on 'Ol Rusty, making the unusual claim that it has been around since the beginning of time. Everyone heads back inside for class, but T.J. decides to stay behind to have one final look at the jungle gym.
Construction workers arrive to see T.J. still sitting atop the jungle gym and despite the threat of tearing it down with him on it, he does not budge and they leave. Miss Finster comes out to try and remove T.J., but he still will not move. T.J.'s friends and the rest of the students come out and join him in defending 'Ol Rusty. Prickly is angered, especially when T.J. gives an impassioned speech that deters all the adults away. Prickly tells the faculty that they are moving to "Plan P": calling the parents.
Prickly brings the parents to see what their children are doing, but when they hear that he plans to tear down 'Ol Rusty, they too balk at the idea as they also have fond memories of the jungle gym. They join with the kids in singing "Kumbaya" with them and even Miss Finster admits that Prickly is incapable doing anything about it. However, just as Prickly gives up and storms off in defeat with Miss Finster, the jungle gym suddenly collapses under the weight of everyone on it as its aged condition could not handle the stress. The construction workers however recognize the pieces and tell everyone that they can put it back together. T.J. happily announces New Rusty as all the students play on their rebuilt friend.
Cast[]
- Ross Malinger as T.J. Detweiler
- Rickey D'Shon Collins as Vince LaSalle
- Jason Davis as Mikey Blumberg
- Ashley Johnson as Gretchen Grundler
- Pamela Adlon as Ashley Spinelli
- April Winchell as Muriel Finster
- Dabney Coleman as Peter Prickly
- Allyce Beasley as Miss Grotke
Trivia[]
- Gus is only in this episode for a few seconds and doesn't speak; he can be seen on 'Ol Rusty when all the kids climb on and refuse to get down.
