(what is) Baseball aired during the fifth season of (what is) Film.
Plot[]
The episode begins with Wes attending his daily therapy session with Monte. Wes brings up that his film is almost done and he has been working on it nonstop since last week. Monte brings up that once his film is complete, it could potentially free him from the stress he has been enduring. Monte brings up another point, but Wes exits the room to take a call.
Chelle is calling Wes to inform him that her father forced her to join a junior baseball team and that she wants to recruit Wes and his friends. Before he could decline shee also brings up that she is playing against her father's team and the two have made a bet, where if Chelle loses, she will be kept out of the house until she makes a name for herself and if she wins, her father will be forced to let her live her life however she pleases. After begrudgingly agreeing to give Wes personal space when the game ends, Wes agrees to recruit his friends to join her team.
Wes and his friends meet Chelle at the park, where she and her friends are present. The gang practices, and Chelle is dismayed to learn that she isn't good at the sport, but is reassured after seeing Wes easily hit the ball. Giles soon arrives and tells Chelle that the game will be taking place at a free stadium, much to her dismay. Chelle brings up that she doesn't work well whenever she's in front of a giant crowd of people. Wes reassures her that the team will help pick up where she will leave off.
At the stadium, each team ties with one another within the first two innings. Wanting to ensure his victory, Giles encourages his teammates to psyche out the rival team. Jon annoys Wyatt to the point that he misses the ball, Giles holds out a pile of fungus to prevent Alison from making it to 3rd base before he catches the ball, and he exploits Wes' weakness. He's unable to catch the ball, and Giles made it so that strikes would only count if the catcher gets the ball. Humiliated, Wes retreats to the dugout, where Chelle is also hiding. The two confide with one another and after recalling what's at stake, the two agree to still try.
Wes thinks about how arrogant Giles is being, to the point that he focuses all of his concentration on him and ultimately catches the ball the first two throws. One of Giles' teammates hits the ball and it hits Allan in the face, whom retaliates by tossing it towards Monte who strikes out Jon before he could make it back to home plate. Finally, Chelle goes up to bat and Jon is the pitcher. Chelle hits the ball, but not hard enough as it goes down within seconds. Giles' team wins by three points and Chelle leaves the stadium in sheer ire.
Newspaper transitions point out the victory of Giles' team, as well as the apparent murder of Jon Schroder. Wes goes to the locker room, and he sees Chelle sitting alone. She claims that the game was a terrible idea, but Wes reassures her that she played a great game, and that she has broke her shyness by having the confidence to hit the ball. Chelle gives Wes a hug, appreciating his words. Monte observes the two with satisfaction.
A post-credit scene shows Allan driving off with a pile of cash. He apparently betted against Wes' team and won the cash prize. He then gets the attention of the highway patrol after driving over the speed limit and implies that he's going to bribe the cop.
Trivia[]
- The teams go as such:
- Chelle's team: Chelle, Alison, Josie, Wes, Joel, Monte, Wyatt, Prudence, Smit and Agnus
- The rival team: Giles, Jon, Jacob, Schmitt, Mana and six other unnamed players.
- This is the last episode to feature Josie in a major role. She has previously fallen under the radar after (what is) The Boom.
- This is also the last appearance of Jon Schroder.
- Wes implies that he used to play baseball when he was younger, implying that his sheltering was done after his early development years.
- There's a She-Line poster in Chelle's room. She-Line has aired since 2001.
- There're advertisements for FOX affiliates, including the newly launched Foxbox. FOX technically co-produced (what is) Film.
- The episode parodies the introductions of then baseball stars. For example, when Wyatt goes up to bat, The Red by Chevelle plays (which was used by Geoff Blum)
- This episode reveals that Allan has a gambling problem, and that he has had run-ins with law-enforcement over the past few years.
- According to the DVD commentary, Monte's second word of advise to Wes was confirmed to be "Take pride in what you can do, and put it towards what you can't." This is a metaphor for Wes finally learning more about film.