Bad Teacher: The 6th Grade Lock-In

The fifth episode of Bad Teacher, “The 6th Grade Lock-In” (5-22-14) opens with Joel asking Meredith out to a Wilco concert (a real date) after they just had sex at the school after work. Meredith claims to hate Wilco and makes it clear that their relationship is just sex and will never be anything more because Joel doesn’t make the kind of money she needs to become accustomed to once again. Joel’s roommate Coach Donnie drops in and hits on Meredith, who laughs him off. Off they go to learn their assignments as chaperones of a night filled with magic and wonder — the Lock-In. Meredith has already figured out what her assignment is. She’ll be on bathroom duty. Well, not really. She’ll be gone.

Principal Carl has enlisted Janet to organize the Lock-In, which is more of a nightmare to him than one of magic and wonder. Janet tells Meredith she’ll be in charge of costumes, but has to be in charge of that herself when Meredith informs her she’ll be guarding the bathrooms. Ginny and Kim are in charge of pranks and the first thing they do is discover a big duffle bag full of toilet paper. They go outside to dispose of all of it and Kim locks them out of the building! Their only chance to get back in occurs when Meredith is leaving. That’s when Meredith notices Joel enjoying a chat with Janet, who loves Wilco. The green-eyed monster comes out, the door closes on Ginny and Kim and Meredith corners Janet for a little girl-to-girl chat on why Janet would be better off with Coach Donnie.

Joel confronts Meredith about that chat and Meredith denies being jealous, then promptly tries to make Joel jealous by flirting with Coach Donnie. Joel doesn’t take the bait. Right in the middle of a skit called “Zombie Zombie, Run Run,” Meredith informs Janet that she and Joel have been sleeping together and she’s getting sloppy seconds. Principal Carl is appalled. It’s okay for colleagues to sleep together. What’s not okay is to talk about it in front of the 6th grade!

In the meantime, Lyle’s dad, Dale, gets sent to Irene’s class by the Safety Patrol because it has been noticed that they like each other. The 6th graders are no dopes, in fact, they decorated Irene’s class with toilet paper streamers (there can’t be single roll of t.p. left in that school) and put the Bunsen burners on to create romantic lighting. Irene arrives and things are progressing slowly, when a fire breaks out. Dale sets the overhead sprinklers off.

Meredith, after a pep talk from Lily and a whole pizza, goes after Joel while the water is coming down. She confesses her feelings and they kiss. But when Joel wants to know if that makes them boyfriend and girlfriend, Meredith says no. She doesn’t want him to be with Janet, but she can’t be anything with him either. She promised herself she would find a husband richer than the one who dumped her so she can walk into that country club on his arm. The only other option is if Joel’s father is rich. He isn’t.

Well, Joel isn’t settling for that, and goes off to pick up where he left off with Janet. Principal Carl tries to get some help from selfish Meredith in cleaning up the school but she leaves. At least a pizza box with a slice left in it floated by.

Cast of “The 6th Grade Lock-In”
Ari Graynor – Meredith Davis
David Alan Grier – Principal Carl
Sara Gilbert – Irene Dudek
Ryan Hansen – Joel
Sara Rodier – Lily
Kristin Davis – Ginny
Caitlin Kimball – Kim
Gracie Kaufman – Bronwen
Madison De La Garza – Kelsey
Stuart Allan – James
Colin Hanks – Coach Donnie
Allison Miller – Janet
Andrew Daly – Dale
Aedin Mincks – AV Kid
Adam Hochstetter – Lyle
Dartanian Sloan – Skinny Twin
Robert Sloan – Chubby Twin