Chase and Zoey start talking about food instead. Chase's French
fries are not healthy - but he tries to defend them as two vegetables

because he dips them in ketchup! Zoey is not convinced, or amused,

and leaves.

In the girls' dorm room, Lola is looking for her black sweater. She
finds it under the bed - but also finds a rat! She screams in horror

and frantically asks Quinn where the hand sanitizer is. She douses

not just her hand, but her whole arm - and overreacts, telling Quinn

to call the police, sheriff's department - but Quinn tells her it is

her rat! She was doing experiments to see if she could teach a rat to

dance. It had escaped 6 weeks earlier - she hadn't seen it since. Lola

is still frantic - it all sounds weird.  Quinn says she will catch the

rat. She starts by playing music and dancing, hoping maybe the rat

will dance with her!

In Chemistry class, the teacher is discussing a quiz they took. Some
people didn't do well on it. Chase is making a paper airplane. Logan
quickly hides his paper - and when Chase asks what he got - he says

"who cares."  Chase, thinking that must mean a terrible grade, listens

to Logan talk about not needing to know Chemistry to be a famous

athlete or male model. The teacher crumples up his airplane - and hands

him a D+. Zoey - gets a C.  After the bell, Zoey asks the teacher if

she could do something to get extra credit.  But the teacher doesn't

believe in extra credit. She does, however, offer to find Zoey a tutor

for Chemistry. Zoey thanks her, and then the teacher asks if Chase's

hair is natural!

Back in the dorm room, Zoey and Lola are discussing the tutoring.
Zoey is optimistic, it might not be too bad. It might even be a cute

boy!  Lola counters sarcastically that Chemistry geeks are all cute -

but Quinn takes offense. Quinn is building a trap for the rat, and

Zoey is really anxious that it work. Lola wants her to kill it. But

Quinn doesn't believe in that - her trap is baited with cheese, a

strobe light will disorient the rat, after which a plasma beam will

stun it. Lola asks Zoey why she doesn't just get Quinn to tutor her

----

--- flashback to the Chemistry classroom. Quinn trying to tutor
Zoey - and being completely intolerant that Zoey is slow to memorize

her complex jargon.  "Spectroscopy is the use of the absorption, emission,

or scattering of electromagnetic radiation by atoms or molecules that

qualitatively or quantitatively study the atoms or molecules." Quinn

has been saying it since kindergarten - it's a little harder for Zoey

-----

--- back in the dorm room, the mouse is going for the cheese! The
strobe light fires, and the plasma beam fires - and hits Lola, knocking

her out instantly! The girls know Lola is all right - and Quinn starts
sharing Zoey's popcorn, spilling it all over Lola!

Outside on a PCA sidewalk, the chemistry teacher has good news for
Zoey - she has found a tutor. Just one problem - it is LOGAN! Shocked -

Zoey insults him and he walks off angry, not wanting to tutor her if it

means insults. The Chemistry teacher warns Zoey that she needs him, he

actually IS an outstanding student - so she rushes off to find him.

She catches up to him and apologizes. Both of them know he makes C's
and D's in other classes, but he explains that his grandfather was a

Chemistry professor at Caltech. Logan used to stay with him during the

summer and picked it up there. Logan promises to tutor her, if she

swears never to tell anybody.  Zoey is just as anxious for people not

to know, so they both promise.

Night at PCA, and the tutoring session is in full swing. It is
helping - Zoey is getting it. They renew their promise not tell that

Logan is tutoring her.  The session is supposed to last until 10, so

Zoey can leave before Chase and Michael return from playing hoops.

But - Chase and Michael are already coming back from the gym!
Michael twisted his ankle on a basketball. They meet Quinn and Lola -

Quinn has been studying rat brains for 3 hours so she can catch the

rodent. And something is suspicious. Zoey told Lola she was going to

a movie. But she told Michael she was going to a yoga class. Quinn

doesn't care - she is going to get the rat.

At the boys' dorm room, the tutoring session is wrapping for the
evening.  Chase and Michael walk in unexpectedly - as Zoey trips over

a table leg - ending up in Logan's arms! Chase and Michael look shocked

at the sight!  After an awkward moment, Chase and Michael tell her about

the conflicting stories. Zoey awkwardly says it was a movie about yoga

and leaves.

The next day, Chase is in the lounge - he has called a meeting with
Michael, Lola, and Quinn to discuss what is going on with Zoey. Quinn is
annoyed because she needs the time to catch the rat. Quinn says obviously
Zoey and Logan are secretly dating. Michael and Lola also think they are
dating.  Quinn and Lola thought he was over Zoey. Chase and Michael are not
very convincing when they tell the girls he never had a crush. So Lola
asks why he cares. But Chase is not convinced at all that they are dating.

He knows both of them so well, they seem so totally unlikely to get together.

So Michael wants to know what the other explanations are. There are none -

so Chase goes in search of answers. Lola leaves to cleanse her pores, Quinn

to her rat, and Michael wondering if there are any normal people at PCA -

as he leaves playing his flute!

Logan is in his room taking pictures of himself. Chase comes in to
confront him about Zoey. Logan lies and says the reason is that they are
dating.  Chase doesn't believe it. Chase was going to ask Zoey, but Logan
says she won't tell him because she knows he wouldn't like it. Logan says he
will prove it later.

Quinn is spraying something in the girls' dorm room, and has a gas
mask on.  When Lola enters, she rushes to give her a gas mask, too. She is
spraying a nerve gas to knock the mouse out so she can catch it. Lola is not
thrilled - most roommates borrow clothes without asking - but Quinn has a rat,
knocks her out with plasma bursts, and now fills the room with nerve gas -

which apparently doesn't work too well, because the rat is very much
conscious.  Lola leaves to get coffee. Quinn is so frustrated - the rat is
smarter than her! She takes off her gas mask, saying she should get a job as

a sales clerk and give up science. The nerve gas, though, is plenty good on

humans, and she collapses on the floor! The triumphant rat climbs on her

stomach as she lies unconscious.

Outdoors at PCA - by a bush. Logan tells Chase to get in the bush.
Zoey joins Logan, and the tone of the conversation sounds to Chase like
they really are dating. Logan, of course, guides the conversation to give the
impression.  Chase jumps out, and unfortunately nothing Zoey or Logan says

changes the impression - Chase is sure they are dating!!! (This is one of

those scenes that is so cute you have to see it for yourself. Jamie, Matt,

and Sean are absolutely superb in pulling it off!)

Outdoors on the PCA campus, Lola is talking to Quinn about the rat.
Quinn is so upset about being outsmarted. Zoey joins them as they walk inside
to their room. She tells them she has been keeping something from them - can
they talk? As they enter Zoey's room, the rat is on Zoey's pillow!
Utilizing a very low-tech solution, Zoey traps the creature with a laundry
basket! Quinn is in awe of the simple, but elegant solution to the rat

problem!

Chase enters the room and apologizes to Zoey for freaking out by the
bush. He just couldn't understand why she would want to date Logan - and

Zoey, of course, has no choice but to reveal the truth - especially when Lola
and Quinn tell her they think so, too. The girls start laughing - and Chase

is almost laughing but the explanation is too simple!

They all find the Chemistry teacher and she tells Chase it is true.
Zoey explains that they kept it a secret because Logan didn't want to be
made fun of for being good at Chemistry. Zoey is mad that Logan lied and said
they were dating. Quinn says they should get him back somehow.  Everybody

agrees, and you can see Chase hatching a plan!

Night at PCA, Zoey, Chase, and Michael enter the boys' dorm room.
They have Quinn's rat with them! Logan is asleep on the bed, and Chase deftly
puts the rat in his pajama bottom!

Outside in the courtyard, they gather by a fountain, Lola asks if
they put it in Logan's pants. Michael still can't believe Logan is good at
Chemistry, neither does Quinn, but Zoey tells them he knows it. Not at Quinn's
level, but he really knows his stuff. Chase and Lola wonder how long it
will take him to notice the rat - but their questions are interrupted by
Logan's screams - and he is seen silhouetted against the curtain jumping up

and down trying to get the rat out of his pants. Everybody laughs!

Closing line - : ""

ANALYSIS:

The Zoey and Chase studying Chemistry outdoor scene takes place on
the lovely new outdoor sets, constructed in a parking lot somewhere in Santa
Clarita, CA.  They had an enormous green screen behind them, onto which was

painted a large target. Later, the Zoey production wizards put a view of the

ocean into the green screen. The whole patio set is actually on the other

side of a false wall, the other side of which is a sidewalk scene of PCA.

Jamie Lynn Spears has to be one of the most talented, brightest
talents in Hollywood. In spite of that, she is harder on herself than all her
critics combined. I remember her rushing off the set - saying "that was
terrible!"  Poor thing - I just wanted to go down and hug her, she was so upset.
So the next take, I made sure I silently clapped for her, hoping to build
her self confidence.

A minor variation of this scene that was not shown in the episode had
Jamie screaming that she hates Chemistry as she walks away from the table.

There is discussion about whether the rodent is a mouse or a rat.
Quinn calls it a rat, which is incorrect. It is a mouse.

The Lola knockout scene is a funny 21st century version of slapstick
comedy - much like the Three Stooges. In case anybody is interested - yes,
popcorn does appear to go down Lola's blouse - two pieces. Undoubtedly a

scratchy situation for Vic, since they shoot each scene multiple times - and
it became hot even while filming indoor scenes. The AC had to be shut off for
each set of takes.

The flashback scene with Quinn trying to tutor Zoey contains a
continuity goof with the episode "Silver Hammer Society." In this episode,

Quinn indicates she was able to understand a complex chemical concept in

kindergarten - but in SHS, Quinn indicated she did not begin her scientific

career until she was seven.

The outdoor scene with Zoey and the Chemistry teacher was a large,
complex affair filmed late in the afternoon on the sidewalk set I mentioned
above. As the day became later and later, the angle of the sun changed, and
finally it became twilight. There are many techniques to compensate
photographically for this, but watch the angle of the shadows and other

lighting carefully - they may have mixed elements from several takes.

This was also the peak of the summer heat wave, with temperatures of
120 degrees. The working conditions were horrendous - and I have nothing
but complete admiration for the cast, extras, and crew of the show.

This is also the scene during which one of the extras wrecked a Jet-X
in an enormous crash. She was a very young, tiny girl who was obviously
struggling more and more with the Jet-x as she tried to get it into position

for another take. Because of the complexity of the scene, it took many takes

to get it right. Each time, she struggled more and more to get the Jet-X

turned around and into position. The girl's ride can be seen as Jamie

exclaims that Logan doesn't know anything about Chemistry.

As the show wrapped for the day, the little girl who wrecked the Jet-
X was inconsolable - she was crying because she ruined the take. Jamie had
already made arrangements with her dad to meet at his truck, and was almost
off the set when she turned around, headed over to the little girl, and told
her that it was OK - she had wrecked the Jet-X several times! Everybody who
witnessed that was deeply touched by Jamie's consideration of the
girl I call "the littlest extra."

Blooper - during the conversation between Zoey and the Chemistry
teacher - one of the extras - Sarah Ashley Carter - walks by twice, in the

same direction, without going the other way in between. OK - only a proud

father would notice this one! This shows how many times the scene was re-shot,

there was probably a considerable time lag between the portions of the scene,

and the director called for a different combination of extras in the interim.

You are NOT supposed to consciously notice the extras, who are called

"background."  Although I look for some of the extras I met - particularly one

of Jamie's friends, a nice girl named Sarah (not my daughter). Other extras I
remember, a tall dark haired girl in a cheerleader outfit who shows up more in
Vince Blake.

In one variation of the scene - Jamie runs after Logan calling him
Logan a couple of times, then calling him by his last name - "Reese." Later -
in the boys' room, Logan calls her "Brooks." Not everything can be included
in the show - but I think it is a shame that half of this exchange ended up
on the cutting room floor.

The scene where Chase is meeting with Michael, Lola, and Quinn is the
first one I witnessed being filmed. It was done in several takes, not all
of which are identical. In one take, for example, Chase says he is "so over
Zoey" - a possible reference to the episode "Quarantine," which was filmed the
week before this one, but shown out of sequence. As of the writing of this
summary, it still has not aired, but is rumored to have a brief romance
between Zoey and Chase - one which obviously didn't go well as indicated

by this line. This could also be continuity from "Spring Break Up."

At the end of the scene, Michael ad-libbed the word "geeze" in one
take. This was immediately overruled as being inappropriate. That is
because "geeze" is slang for "Jesus," which could be interpreted by Christians
as "taking the Lord's name in vain." This was a very good call, and I

complimented them on their sensitivity later. This attention to detail, and

being sensitive to matters of faith, stands in stark contrast to the usual

practice in Hollywood, which is to ridicule faith.

Michael did not actually play his flute at the end of the scene - the
melody was added later.

I must also say - this was my first glimpse of the cast doing their
thing in real life - the absence of background music made it a very different
experience than watching an episode. It was like watching Zoey 101,
in slow motion, but Schneider's Bakery had not finished the baking yet! And,
this was the first time I saw Victoria Justice in person; like all the Zoey
girls, she is ten times prettier in person. And it was the time I met her
mother, a very nice and gracious lady! We watched the scene filmed from Dean
Rivers' office, which was unused in this episode, and the place where cast

parents and visitors watch. Silence is the order of the day, with conversations
halted, and cell phones off during filming. Fortunately, you have the air
conditioning to warn you when things are about to be filmed.

Jamie Spears met us all after the scene filmed. She was very nice to
us - not at all stand offish or a diva. She was, however, the picture of
focus as she studied her script for several minutes with her friend Sarah.

Jamie was allowed to sit in "the seat," which was normally reserved for the
makeup lady, whose name escapes me for the moment. Woe be it to anybody else

who sits there, however - she would be very willing to let you attempt to do
her job! (No thanks!)

The nerve gas scene was to be filmed at the end of the day I was
visiting the set as a visitor. Things were not going well - there was not

enough smoke to please the director. Long periods of time with the air

conditioner off made it hotter by the minute, and Erin was really sweating

and uncomfortable - as was everybody else. But her situation was more severe

because of the smoke in the room. They made a decision to wrap for the day,

which I think was a good call considering the heat. The Zoey girls had a

premiere to go to that night - Monster House! They utilized the full resources

of the Zoey wardrobe and makeup departments to get ready - we have pictures

of Erin and Vic looking like princesses! Jamie was featured on two celebrity

TV shows that night, and Erin was in the background on one of them.

Quinn was originally supposed to collapse on the bed in the nerve gas
scene. When it was filmed the next morning, they changed it to the floor.
Although you never see her fall - she just ducked out of frame and the sound
effect of hitting the floor was added later.

In the scene where Lola and Quinn are in the hallway talking about
the rat as they walk towards the room, Quinn says she will end up in

community college, we were sitting behind the door that is behind Lola. It is

used as both Dean Rivers' office and Sushi Rox! The day we were there, it was the
visitors' observation room.

The sequence where they walk down the hall, enter the room, catch the
rat, and talk to Chase was filmed in three pieces. The hall set is not next
to Zoey's room, it is next to Dean Rivers' Office / Sushi Rox. The girls' dorm
room is around the corner - actually to the right when the hallway sequence
begins. (Left is the bathroom for future visitors.) The dorm set is located
where it is so an outdoor backdrop can be placed behind the windows. There
are two outdoor backdrops, one for daytime, one for night, that can be moved
on an overhead railing behind the girls' dorm room set, the lounge set, and
the boys' dorm room set, which are all in a line. The backdrops are at
least 30 feet high and 60 feet wide, high resolution images of Pepperdine and
the ocean. The attention to detail is so good that they even blow breezes on
plants placed outside the window so the leaves will move! Hollywood
magic in action!

The portion where Chase enters the room was yet another scene, so they could

change several camera angles and lighting. It was also the first time I saw
Sean Flynn in person, he spent a couple of minutes outside the dorm room set
reviewing his lines.

They used several rats in the capture scene - they took great pains not to
stress the animal, each one only got one or two takes. Some of them
were more cooperative than others - one wanted off the pillow! They even had

a fake they could use in case none of the live mice wanted to stay put. This
concern, even for a lowly rat, speaks very highly of the crew. No animals
were harmed during the making of this episode!

Lunch was right after this scene - and a scrumptious affair it was! There is

a dining protocol - cast is served first, then extras, then cast and extra

parents, then visitors. This is done so the cast can be ready the moment

filming begins again.

The large number of nighttime scenes in this episode and Vince Blake
were a result of the heat wave. Evening temperatures were much more
tolerable than daytime, and resulted in less stress for the cast, extras, and

crew. During one of the nighttime scenes, it was my honor to meet the talented
actress Amy Castle - best known for her guest appearance on Lizzie McGuire as
Andie Robinson, the girl who annoyed Lizzie by acting too much like her in
the episode "Just Like Lizzie." That episode of Lizzie, by the way, was
filmed the week after 9-11, and courageous Amy wanted to proceed with
filming, knowing it was her job.
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