Nicole starts the blow dryer again - Dana gets up and tells
her to turn it off
and put it away. Nicole points the dryer at Dana, who chases her around the
room until Nicole retreats to the closet. Dana bangs on the door, and Nicole
asks pleasantly "who is it?"
Zoey can hear them fighting from the bathroom - and another girl tells her
that they are fighting again. She goes back to her room, but she is locked
out. She forgot her key - and apparently she does that a lot. Zoey tries to
referee - but Nicole calls Dana a slob because her bunk is messy, and Dana
calls Nicole a jerk. In spite of Zoey's plea that they are roommates and have
to get along - Nicole and Dana start fighting again.
At the lunchroom, Chase and Zoey are talking about the fighting. They go to
eat outdoors. Zoey is having trouble dealing with the tension, so Chase
suggests a friend date to get away from it. But Zoey says no – she has to
referee. Dustin comes up to join them - he needs some money. He spent his
allowance on 5 pounds of gummi worms. Neither Zoey nor Chase has enough to
help, and she suggests that he earn some money.
Michael runs up to join them. He wants them to save him from Quinn! He sat
down to eat with her - because he felt sorry for her being by herself, and she
started feeling his food! Zoey feels sorry for Quinn, who has no friends, so
she and Chase go to sit down with her. Quinn starts telling them why she
feels food - she wants to detect each food's unique energy. In the course
of the conversation, she tells Zoey that she lives alone. Zoey says she can
hang out with her - just don't touch her food!
Zoey comes back to her room only to hear fighting inside. She forgot her key.
She finally tries to side with both of them by saying that Dana IS a slob and
Nicole blow dries too much. But it backfires - Dana starts complaining about
how Zoey forgets her key all the time. So Zoey decides to move out.
Remembering that Quinn lives alone, she asks if she wants a roommate. Quinn
accepts, and Zoey finally thinks she has some peace and quiet. They go to
sleep, but Zoey wakes in the middle of the night to find wires and electrodes
all over her head - and screams! Quinn has been monitoring her dreams, and
thinks she is having a nightmare. Zoey says she is - now!
The next morning, Zoey wakes up to find Quinn jumping rope – it vibrates her
brain. Zoey picks up a peculiar looking device - and Quinn tells her it is a
silent leaf blower. It is one of her "Quinnventions" - she takes her name
"Quinn" and combines it with the word "inventions" to get Quinnventions. Zoey
asks if she wants to go to breakfast - but Quinn says she can fix it there.
She hold up a chicken in a cage and asks Zoey if she likes eggs. Zoey loses
her appetite and starts to leave, and Quinn says they will be having chicken
for supper!
Zoey meets Nicole and Dana in the hall - and tells them that Quinn is the
perfect roommate. Quinn bursts out of her door and asks Zoey if she wants her
to iron her underwear - and Zoey says no - she doesn't iron her underwear.
Nicole and Dana pretend that they are now the perfect roommates, too, and they
aren't fighting. They hug shoulder to shoulder, and Zoey leaves. The moment
she is out of sight - Dana says "neve touch me again" and Nicole calls her
"slob" and Dana calls Nicole "jerk."
In the boys' lounge, Zoey and Chase are talking about Quinn – she applied wires
to Zoey's head, and other places. Zoey tells Chase about the word
Quinnvention, and he asks - so she is "Quinnsane"? Zoey
finally agrees to a
movie date.
Dustin posts notices - he is going to be a Spanish tutor called "Senorita
Dustin." Zoey sees the notice and reminds him he doesn't speak Spanish.
Dustin says he is learning it - and there is a flashback to Dustin watching
Spanish TV shows. Zoey tells him that Senorita means girl – and Dustin takes
down the notice so he can fix it!
Michael and Logan are doing homework. At least Michael is – Logan would
rather watch TV. Chase comes in - and eventually the subject comes up about
his friend date with Zoey. Logan isn't fooled, he knows Chase likes Zoey. So
he tells Chase that Zoey fighting with her roommates is a good thing, because
it means she will have more time for him. So Chase better keep them fighting.
Zoey and Chase are outside studying. Zoey is talking about Quinn - this time
she snipped off some hair so she could get some DNA! Zoey says she has to
make up with Dana and Nicole. Chase - remembering Logan's advice - wants her
to wait, but Quinn scares her. She flashes back to one of Quinn's experiments.
She pours some red liquid and some yellow liquid into a
bucket,
the fluid in the bucket turns blue and bubbles. She lowers a steak into it,
and the blue liquid melts the meat and leaves just a blue bone! Zoey says she
was freaked out by it, and will tell her that she is moving out. Chase says
it isn't a good idea - it might hurt Quinn's feelings.
But back at Quinn's room - Quinn is telling Zoey she doesn't want her to live
there any more - Zoey gets too uptight when she is working on her experiments.
Zoey agrees to move - but first Quinn wants her to drink something. She
refuses. Zoey walks over to her old room - and sees her name crossed out.
Dustin's Spanish lesson with Mark isn't going well - Dustin only knows one
phrase that he keeps trying to get Mark to repeat. Mark figures out that
Dustin only knows one phrase, and wants his money back.
Nicole is eating outside alone. She sees Zoey and says that she can sit there
if she wants. They make up almost immediately. Dana joins them - but Nicole
and Dana start fighting again. But - Zoey has ideas!
It is the next week. Zoey is writing another email to her parents. Nicole is
using Quinn's silent leafblower to blow dry her hair. They decide to let Dana
sleep - and lower a picture of a neat bunk in front of Dana's messy bunk.
Zoey won't forget her key - because it is now piece of jewelry around her
neck!
Chase is waiting at the movie with a rose. Michael comes up and Chase jokes
around that the rose is for him, but Michael sees Zoey and suggests he give it
to her instead. Chase is about to - but Nicole and Dana show up, too - Zoey
invited them. Chase keeps the rose hidden. Nicole and Dana start fighting
over who gets the aisle seat, and Zoey and Chase agree they are happiest when
they are fighting.
Across the courtyard, Dustin has learned a way to make some money - he is
playing the guitar and singing. People are actually donating, and Zoey puts
in a big bill. Chase waits until she can't see - and then puts the rose in.
CLOSING LINE - DUSTIN: "It's a sickness, OK?!" (talking about his
gummi worm addiction).
NOTES:
This is, in many ways, the conclusion of episode 1.1 where all the major
characters and their interrelationships need to be established. Quinn was the
character in most need of development, and this was a splendid episode to
develop her. If all we knew about Quinn was what transpired in 1.1 - we would
be left with a girl that is terrible at sports and bizarre. Now - we have a
bit of insight that she is extremely smart, particularly in science, and an
inventor. But - a bit undisciplined in her research techniques. Not to imply
that is a bad thing - creativity sometimes requires thinking in new ways.
This episode is combined with 1.1 in the first Zoey 101 book: "Girls Got
Game."
This episode has much in common with 2.1 - where Nicole and Zoey have a
conflict with their new roommate Lola - who they think at first is freaky. It
turns out that Lola was just acting of course. In 2.1 - there is a secondary
roommate fight between the boys.
This episode and 1.3 have animals in dorm rooms - something that we learn
later is against PCA policy.
If there were any doubts about Chase's feelings for Zoey - there are no more.
Chase's feelings, and either lack of ability to express them or wisdom not to
- comprise a major story arc of the series. This, I believe, is a very
positive story arc, because it shows girls that they would be better off with
the sensitive, caring guy (Chase) instead of the good looking guy (Logan).
The viewer is left time and time again with this message - that Zoey would be
much better off with Chase than with Logan. I have seen this work in the
minds of three first time viewers (girls in the target demographic) during a
marathon - all three were unanimous that they preferred Chase to Logan.
Helping girls (and boys) get relationships right - is a very positive message
for the series. Hopefully the boys who watch it just for the "hot" girls will
also get the message.
This episode also shows that Paul Butcher - who plays Dustin - is a good
musician and singer. He plays the "Gummi Worm Blues" song in a Nick behind
the scenes special.