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"The Hypnotist" is the second segment of the fourteenth episode of Recess.

Synopsis[]

Principal Prickly is hypnotized into thinking he is a little kid again and spends recess with the kids.

Plot[]

The school gathers in the assembly hall for a hypnotism show, to which no-one is enthusiastic about The Amazing Jeffrey calls for a volunteer, but no-one volunteers. He chooses Miss Finster for his trick, asking her how old she is. She refuses to say, so he chooses 25, and tells the audience that he will hypnotize her into believing that she is a child of 6. As he carries out his trick, Principal Prickly finds himself being slowly hypnotized. After the trick, Jeffrey asks Finster how old she is, to which she again refuses to answer. However, Prickly answers "He's 6, but he'll 7 in June!"

At recess, the gang mock Jeffrey's failure. Meanwhile, Jeffrey demands payment for his act, but Finster refuses. Prickly then runs out of the school, and starts running around the playground, acting like a little child. Gretchen correctly deduces that Jeffrey accidentally hypnotized him instead of Finster. Gus tries to tell someone, but T.J. insists that this is a golden opportunity to have things their own way for a change. However, Randall overhears, and tells Finster of what happened.

The teachers try to confront Prickly, but are unsuccessful. The gang then approach him, and convince him to act like the principal. At a teacher's meeting, Miss Finster tells the faculty that The Amazing Jeffrey is unavailable because he's on his way to a bitmizah, and self-appoints herself as acting principal. However, a disheveled Prickly storms in, and starts reading out a new set of rules in a child-like manner. Finster goads him into his office, before locking him in until she finds another hypnotist. Prickly finds his microphone, and starts burping and making armpit farts over the system.

As the teachers break their way into the office, Prickly climbs out the window and finds the gang. T.J. tells him that they will always be friends, but the others remind him that he cannot be a kid forever and that they have to turn him back. T.J. is reluctant, until Finster unknowingly broadcasts to the entire school that she will now be acting principal (due to Petey taping the PA microphone to "on" during his earlier antics with the P.A. system). The gang try to convince Prickly that he is a grown-up, but he becomes scared and tries to climb away from them. Gretchen follows him, and successfully hypnotizes him to bring him back to his normal adult self.

In Principal Prickly's office, Miss Finster brings the gang in to face his judgement. However, before he can tell them their punishment, he is distracted by his picture on the wall, which he had drawn a red goatee on whilst in his child-like mind. When Finster tries to bring him back on point, Prickly lets them off with a warning, saying that "kids will be kids". Finster leaves with the kids, and T.J. thanks him as he leaves. Prickly then muses that he should grow a goatee beard, before taking a yo-yo out of his pocket, and playing with it as he looks out of the window, whistling.

Cast[]

Trivia[]

  • When Miss Finster tries to trick Prickly into getting locked in the principal's office by claiming he can play games on his computer, the latter reacts with excitement at the idea. Recess: School's Out revealed that he was a young adult during the late 1960s, meaning the six-year-old "Petey" should not even be aware of what computer games are.
  • Contrary to popular belief, hypnotism cannot force someone to do something against their will. Instead, as Gretchen points out, it taps into the subconscious mind. Hence, when the Amazing Jeffrey attempts to mentally regress Miss Finster into a six-year-old, she is not affected in the slightest, while Principal Prickly, who is nearby, starts thinking he is a first grader. Therefore, this episode implies that Principal Prickly misses his childhood.

External links[]

v - e - d
Recess-logo
Media
Recess (Videography) • Recess: School's Out (Soundtrack) • Recess: All Growed DownRecess: Taking the Fifth GradeRecess: Miracle on Third Street"Lax" (Lilo & Stitch: The Series crossover episode)"Codename: Electric Haircut" (Fillmore! crossover episode)
Characters
T.J. DetweilerVince LaSalleAshley SpinelliMikey BlumbergGretchen GrundlerGus GriswaldCaptain BradleyCornchip GirlThe KindergartnersThe DiggersHustler KidErwin LawsonMiss GrotkeMuriel FinsterBecky DetweilerDr. Phillium BenedictMenloBrockPeter PricklyKojakMiss SalamoneButchAshley ArmbrusterAshley BouletAshley QuinlanAshley TomassianFenwickBrandon the SingerGelmanKing BobChuckoJockoRandall WeemsKing Freddie IICheaySpencerThe MegansThe BrittanysThe TylersBob and Flo Spinelli
Episodes
Season One: "The Break In" / "The New Kid" • "The Experiment" / "The Great Jungle Gym Standoff" • "Jinxed" / "Officer Mikey" • "First Name Ashley" / "To Finster with Love" • "King Gus" / "Big Brother Chad" • "My Fair Gretchen" / "Speedy, We Hardly Knew Ye" • "I Will Kick No More Forever" / "The Kid Came Back" • "The Pest" / "The Legend of Big Kid" • "The Box" / "The Trial" • "Teacher's Lounge" / "Randall's Reform" • "Rainy Days" / "The Great Can Drive" • "The Voice" / "Kids in the Mist" • "Parents' Night" / "Swing on Thru to the Other Side"

Season Two: "The Break-up" / "The Hypnotist" • "Mama's Girl" / "Outcast Ashley" • "The Game" / "The Lost Ball" • "Gus' Last Stand" / "Operation Field Trip" • "The Challenge" / "Wild Child" • "The Substitute" / "Gretchen and the Secret of Yo" • "The Girl Was Trouble" / "Copycat Kid" • "Operation Stuart" / "Pharaoh Bob" • "The Story of Whomps" / "Weekend at Muriel's" • "Economics of Recess" / "Omega Kids" • "Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave" • "Bad Hair Day" / "Dance Lessons" • "Principal for a Day" / "The Beauty Contest"
Season Three: "One Stayed Clean" / "A Genius Among Us" • "Dodgeball City" / "A Career to Remember" • "Kindergarten Derby" / "The Bet" • "Space Cadet" / "Stand Up Randall" • "The Shiner" / "Lord of the Nerds" • "That Stinking Feeling" / "My Funny Valentines" • "The Barnaby Boys" / "Buried Treasure" • "The Library Kid" / "The Ratings Game"
Season Four: "The First Picture Show" / "The Big Prank" • "Hustler's Apprentice" / "The Spy Who Came in from the Playground" • "Gus' Fortune" / "Rumor Mill" • "Recess is Cancelled" / "Tattletale Heart" • "The Madness of King Bob" / "Call Me Guy" • "Prickly is Leaving" / "Randall's Friends" • "The Biggest Trouble Ever" / "The Rules" • "Gus and Misdemeanors" / "A Science Fair to Remember" • "Mikey's Pants" / "Here Comes Mr. Perfect" • "Good Luck Charm" / "Diggers Split Up" • "Schoolworld" / "Bachelor Gus" • "The Dude" / "Partners in Crime" • "The Candidates" / "This Brain for Hire" • "Spinelli's Masterpiece" / "Nobody Doesn't Like T.J." • "A Great State Fair" / "The A.V. Kid" • "Yope from Norway" / "Bonky Fever" • "Don't Ask Me" / "The Secret Life of Grotke" • "The Fuss Over Finster" / "Soccer Boy" • "Fort Tender" / "Germ Warfare" • "More Like Gretchen" / "Prince Randall" • "Me No Know" / "Good Ole T.J." • "Chez Vince" / "Tucked in Mikey" • "Old Folks Home" / "Some Friend"
Season Five: "The Coolest Heatwave Ever" / "No Strings Attached" • "Beyond a Reasonable Scout" / "The C Note" • "The Army Navy Game" / "Big Ol' Mikey" • "The Principals of Golf" / "All the Principal's Men" • "Lawson and his Crew"
Season Six: "Terrifying Tales of Recess" • "Kurst the Not So Bad" / "League of Randalls" • "Mundy, Mundy" / "Lost Leader"

Locations
Third Street SchoolOld RustyFifth and Sixth Grader ClubAshley's ClubhouseKing's Jungle Gym
Songs
We Shall Not Be MovedBorn to Be WildGreen TambourineDancing in the Street
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