LIZZIE MCGUIRE EPISODES

32. First Kiss
gs: Joe Rokicki (Ronny Jacobs) Carly Schroeder (Malina) Sebastian Jude (Oscar) Nicholas E. Barb (Reggie)

Valentine's Day is approaching and Lizzie and Miranda notice that the love bug seems to have bitten everyone in school except Gordo and themselves. At home she talks about it to Miranda on the phone when the McGuire's paperboy Ronny Jacobs comes to the door to collect. She accuses him of eavesdropping on her; he accuses her of being rude to him. She follows him outside to argue, but it's obvious that there is a big attraction between the two. The next day she tells Miranda there's a boy she likes. Miranda is shocked to hear that it's Ronny, not Ethan, and immediately tells Gordo. The next morning Lizzie rushes out to get the paper--because there's a note from Ronny inside it. At school Lizzie is in full crush mode, talking endlessly about Ronny to Miranda, then Gordo. Miranda thinks Gordo is jealous of Ronny, but he denies it. Later Lizzie and Ronny are having a good time skating together. He asks if she considers themselves boyfriend and girlfriend. Both of them are afraid to say it, but Ronny finally does and gives her a ring. It's a romantic moment, and they share a kiss. In the background, a stunned Gordo watches.

Lizzie comes home practically walking on air. When Sam and Jo find out about Lizzie's new love, Sam is worried but Jo thinks it's nice--until she sees the ring, then she's concerned too. Miranda tells Lizzie that she's losing her mind over this boy. Lizzie blurts out that Miranda is just jealous because she doesn't have her own boyfriend. Miranda is hurt by this and their friendship seems threatened. But there's trouble with Ronny. The next time he sees Lizzie he tells her there's a girl at his school that he likes too, and he doesn't know if now is the time for he and Lizzie to be boyfriend and girlfriend. He offers to let her keep the ring, but she tearfully give it back. In the library, Lizzie is still upset and crying when Gordo finds her there. She pours out her heart to him and he does his best to console her. Gordo seems right on the verge of saying something else to Lizzie, something big, but he stops short. He and Lizzie leave the library arm-in-arm with Miranda. All are friends again.

Meanwhile, Matt just need one baseball card to complete his collection, be can't find it anywhere. The only person who has one is Malina, the girl who got him into so much trouble in the past. She's willing to give up the card for a price--a BIG price. Matt has to do everything she asks for a couple of days, and even after he's done all this, she still demands "one more thing." At home, Sam McGuire admires the way his son went out and chased down the one missing card he needed, but he's not happy when he finds out the "one thing" that Matt traded for it was Sam's own beloved baseball card collection!

b: 08-Feb-2002 pc: 203 w: Terri Minsky d: Steve DeJarnatt

NOTE: Music includes the songs "Walk Me Home" from the album So Real (1999) by Mandy Moore, heard during the kiss scene and later when Lizzie is so happy at home. The song reached number 38 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. Also "Everywhere" from the album The Spirit Room (2001) by Michelle Branch, it is played during the montage scene of Ronny and Lizzie skating. The song reached number 3 on the Top 40 Adult Recurrents chart and number 5 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart.
Filming dates: September 25-29, 2001. The clapboard seen on the blooper reel at the end of the show is dated September 27, 2001. On the clapboard, the director's name S. De Jarnatt is preceded by the word "Civilized," an apparent parody of the name of frequent Lizzie director Savage Steve Holland. (and thanks to Fox214 for pointing this one out!--Ed.)
This is the first episode written by the show's creator Terri Minsky since the original pilot, "Pool Party."
After Miranda tells Gordo about her new crush, Lizzie tells her, "That's the last time I'll be telling you anything!" Let's see how long that lasts!
When Toon Lizzie says, " I had the right to remain silent..." etc., she's repeating what are known, coincidentally, as the "Miranda rights!" The name comes from a court case, Miranda v. Arizona, the results of which require police to inform suspects of their constitutional rights. Miranda in this case was a man's last name. Read more
Matt needs a Paul O'Neil baseball card to complete his collection. O'Neill is an outfielder, first baseman and designated hitter who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1985 to 1992 and with the New York Yankess from 1993 to 2001. He's been selected to the All-Star team five times, has been on five World Series championship teams and won the American League batting title in 1994.
Hilary Duff (Lizzie) has said in an interview that this was her favorite episode of the series.
Character mentioned but not seen: Ethan Craft.
In a March 2003 rebroadcast, it was noticed that the library scene has been edited. Originally, when Lizzie stands up from the table she looks as though she is about to start laughing. This split-second of footage has been removed, but it can still be seen in the flashback in the episode "Bye, Bye Hillridge Junior High."
In some Asian locations like Singapore, the kiss between Lizzie and Ronny was edited out of the broadcast. Some Asian nations have very strict censorship laws and practices.
Continuity: Once again Miranda shows she can't keep a secret when she tells Gordo about Ronny, not unlike her teling Gordo about Lizzie's crush on him in the fourth grade in "The Untitled Stan Jansen Project."
This episode can be found in the paperback novelization book Broken Hearts. It is also on Vol. 4 of the Lizzie McGuire DVD Collection entitled Totally Crushed, released on Mar. 16, 2004.
Continuity: While it wasn't specifically mentioned in the episode "Pool Party" Matt's baseball card collection can be seen in one of the early scenes.
The large dog seen with Melina is the same one which appears in the episode "Mom's Best Friend" and in the blooper reel of "The Gordo Shuffle."

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33. El Oro de Montezuma (aka El Oro del Diablo)
gs: Erik Estrada (Alejandro) Shalim (Carlos) Christian Copelin (Lanny) Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) Arvie Lowe Jr. (Mr. Dig) Peter Leal (Montezuma) Raja Fenske (Li Tarak) Maria Beck (Zuzu)

Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo are vegged out in front of the TV watching a Spanish-language game show, "El Oro de Montezuma" ("The Gold of Montezuma"). Miranda's cousin Carlos from Mexico City is scheduled to come to town and compete on the show. At school, a new Indonesian student, Li, is introduced to Lizzie's class. She tries to talk to him but finds it difficult since his English is limited. Mr. Dig assigns the students a paper to write on a culture other than their own. Lizzie asks her parents about her heritage, but they aren't very specific. Miranda introduces Carlos to Lizzie and Gordo. When they find out that his teammates for the game show will be unable to appear, Lizzie suggests that the three of them team up with Carlos and go on the show. Lizzie is not very concerned about learning the language, but would rather practice the games and stunts. Meanwhile, Matt and Lanny are involved in an extreme version of hide-and-seek.

The game show begins, and Carlos translates for his teammates. Surprisingly, the team does well, even with the language barrier. When they finally win a game by dressing Gordo as a bullfighter, the host Alejandro Guzman gives them a special challenge. Lizzie has to pick roles for them to play in the next stunt. Unknowingly, she gives Carlos a role which separates him from the group. Now Gordo, Miranda and Lizzie are stuck with a big vat of rice pudding, a bunch of boxes, and no idea of what they are supposed to do. The audience laughs at their bumbling around as they end up having a big food fight.

The next day in Mr. Dig's class, Lizzie says that she was going to report on her game show experience, but the whole adventure made her realize what problems people of one culture can have in another one, like the problems Li, the boy from Indonesia, is having in the U.S. So she gives her report on Indonesia instead.

b: 22-Feb-2002 pc: 204 w: Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile d: Savage Steve Holland

NOTE: Music heard includes the song "Hungry Like the Wolf," a million-seller for the British rock band Duran Duran. It reached #3 on the U.S. charts in February 1983. It's heard when Lanny and Matt are involved in their game of extreme hide-and-seek.
Mr. Dig is referred to as a substitute teacher in episodes like "Lizzie Strikes Out" and "Facts of Life", but he always seems to be teaching classes that Lizzie and the regular gang are in. Is he a regular teacher now?
Filming dates: October1-4, 2001. The clapboard on the blooper reel at the end of the show is dated October 1, 2001.
Actor Erik Estrada, who plays the game show host Alejandro, has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows in his career. He's best known for playing Ponch (Officer Frank Poncharello), a California Highway Patrol motorcycle cop, on the NBC TV series CHiPs (1977-83). Erik Estrada's website
Shalim, who plays Carlos, was born in Puerto Rico to parents who were entertainers. He is a successful model and singer who hosted his own TV show in the Dominican Republic. More about Shalim
Jo McGuire says that she's from Walla Walla, Washington and Sam says he's from Kalamazoo (Michigan). Sam gives his ethnic heritage (of which he doesn't sound too sure) as Scots-Irish. Jo says her ancestry includes Swiss, German, Hungarian and Polish. Later Toon Lizzie adds Dutch to that list.
The music in the background during some of the games on the TV show is an arrangement of one of the arias from the famous opera Carmen by Georges Bizet.
Fashion note: Miranda is wearing a skirt in the scene in Mr. Dig's class near the beginning, something that she and Lizzie hadn't done very often at this point in the show's history.
The episode title "El Oro de Montezuma" ("The Gold of Montezuma") uses the English spelling of the Spanish name "Moctezuma."
The clapboard for the episode "I've Got Rhythmic" appears several times in the blooper reel.
The tune played during the rice pudding fight and during the bloopers reel is the same tune that Raven and Chelsea sing to in the episode "A Fight at the Opera" on the Disney Channel show, That's So Raven.
This episode is on Vol. 3 of the Lizzie McGuire DVD Collection entitled Star Struck, released on Mar. 16, 2004.

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34. Mom's Best Friend
gs: Michael Mantell (Howard Gordon) Christian Copelin (Lanny) Arvie Lowe Jr. (Mr. Dig) Dyana Ortelli (Daniella Sanchez) Jeremy J. Bargiel (Bleacher Boy [as Jeremy Bargiel]) David Alex Rosen (Bleacher Boy)

Mr. Dig assigns Lizzie a report on a book about a mother-daughter relationship. Lizzie loves the book and decides that she and her mom should become closer friends. Jo McGuire goes along with it and Gordo and Miranda are surprised when Lizzie brings her mom to the Digital Bean to "hang out!" Mother and daughter are enjoying their new relationship until Jo confides in Lizzie about some problems she was unaware of: Nana and Grandpa Chuck are having marital troubles and her dad was once in some tax trouble (he was mistaken for Bill Gates and supposedly owed the government $618 million!) All of a sudden Lizzie knows more than she wants to.

Miranda and Gordo decide to follow Lizzie's example and get closer to their parents. Lizzie starts to avoid her mom a little bit, but Jo tracks her down and tells her that Nana and her grandpa worked out their problems. Lizzie admits that she was freaked out by some of the things her mom told her. Jo apologizes and they both decide that maybe they should wait a few years before being so intimate with each other. Gordo and Miranda agree: it's nice being close to their parents, but they both have their own worlds to live in.

Elsewhere, Matt and Lanny are looking for something new to do when--surprise!--a chimpanzee jumps in through the window! The animal messes up the house and quickly departs, leaving Matt and Lanny to take the blame for the mess. When it happens again, the boys realize they must catch this "evil" chimp, and they set a trap--using Matt's dad Sam for bait!

b: 08-Mar-2002 pc: 205 w: Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile d: Steve DeJarnatt

NOTE: David Alex Rosen and Jeremy Bargiel, frequent guest stars in small roles on the show (they play the chimp's owners here), are listed in the credits as "Bleacher Boy" #1 and #2. This would seem like a more appropriate credit for the episode "Random Acts of Miranda," where they are seen sitting in some bleachers with Jo McGuire during a still-photo montage. They're not credited at all in that episode, however.
Music includes the song "Mickey's Monkey," a hit (#8 on the charts) for the Miracles (aka Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) in September 1963. (It's heard when Lanny and Matt are chasing after the chimpanzee, natch!) Another popular version of the song was released in 1977 by the funk-rock band Mother's Finest. The "monkey" in the song refers to a dance, not an animal.
Sam's Social Security number is one digit away from Bill Gates'.
Filming dates: October 8-12, 2001. The clapboard on the blooper reel at the end of the show is dated October 10, 2001. On that clapboard, director Steve De Jarnatt's name is preceded by the word "Civilized," an apparent joking reference to the name of frequent Lizzie director Savage Steve Holland.
Apparently, there is no such book as The Orchids and Gumbo Poker Club, which Mr. Dig assigned Lizzie and the other girls in the class to read. There is a book called A River Runs Through It and Other Stories that was assigned to the boys. It was written by Norman F. MacLean and was made into a movie in 1992, directed by Robert Redford and starring Craig Sheffer, Brad Pitt and Tom Skerritt.
Lizzie and Jo McGuire appear in a fantasy black & white movie sequence, supposedly from the story in the book Lizzie was reading.
In the blooper reel, Lizzie says something to her mom about boys, a line that was apparently cut out of the final version of the show.
Characters with no lines: Nana and Grandpa Chuck, who are seen in still-photo montages. (Actually, Grandpa Chuck appears to speak, complaning about a TV program, but the voice is dubbed in.) Sam's often-mentioned cousin ReRe is also seen in a still-photo montage giving Jo the hobo figurine that Miranda mentions.
Nicknames Lizzie and her Mom give each other: Sweet Potato (for Lizzie), Tallulah (for Jo McGuire).
Stunt double: Clay Cullen (for Sam).
In one scene, Lizzie is shown wearing the same shirt (bright blue with a heart-shaped American flag and the words "American Girl") that Hilary Duff wears on the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack CD cover. Her hairstyle is almost the same, too! Was the episode filmed at the same time they shot the cover or did they just like the patriotic look and save it for later?
In 2003 a book entitled The Orchids and Gumbo Poker Club was published with the idea that this "lost classic" was the book that Lizzie actually read. It deals with the relationship between Darcy Lou, her mother Tallulah and her "crew of eccentric Cajun poker-playing friends." To make it seem like this is Lizzie's copy of the book there are doodles and comments written in the margins of the pages.
The large dog which wins the award is also seen with Melina in "First Kiss" and in the blooper reel of "The Gordo Shuffle."

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35. The Rise and Fall of Kate (aka The Rise and Fall of the Kate Empire)
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny) Davida Williams (Claire Miller)

At lunch, Gordo tries to get seats at the cheerleaders' table for Lizzie, Miranda and himself, but Kate and Claire run them off and they have to eat on the grass. What's worse, they have to watch the cheeleaders practice. While doing a pyramid formation, Kate falls off the top and dislocates her shoulder. The next day when she arrives at the lunch table with her arm in a sling, Claire coldly informs her that since she can't cheer, she's been voted off the squad and isn't allowed to sit with them. All of a sudden Kate is a social nobody, reduced to eating her lunch alone on the grass and banished to the "dork hall!"

Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo soon find out that life with Claire as the new "Queen B" at the school is much worse that it was with Kate at the top, so Lizzie convinces her friends to start a campaign to make Kate popular again. Their efforts don't work at first, so Lizzie tries another idea: make it possible for Kate to cheer once more. After convincing Kate to go along with the idea, Lizzie teaches her a variety of one-armed cartwheels and tumbles. Kate learns well but is her typical self and barely gives Lizzie a word of thanks. Kate then shows up at cheerleading practice and challenges Claire. After watching Kate do a series of spectacular tricks, Claire attempts a cartwheel and injures her wrist. The next day at lunch Claire is in the same situation as Kate was before, and she morosely heads for a table to sit by herself. Lizzie and her friends are disappointed that Kate didn't learn anything from her experience, but they're in for an amazing surprise when Kate goes over to Claire and offers to let her sit with her fellow cheerleaders. Kate briefly looks at Lizzie and acknowledges her debt to her, but just as quickly she and Claire shoot back a nasty look, letting Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda know that things are back to normal. And it looks like that's the way everyone wants it to be.

Meanwhile, Matt comes home with big news--he got a one-line part in a school play. With Lanny's help, he constantly practices his one line, but he gets the ego of a leading man. Soon he is ordering his mother around like she's his flunky, much to her irritation. His treatment of Lanny also drives him away. Mr. and Mrs. McGuire put their foot down on Matt's behavior, but when he starts to protest he loses his voice. A humbled Matt apologizes to his mother for the way he acted and he apologizes to Lanny too, who agrees to take over his part! (No, we don't see or hear Lanny at the play!)

b: 15-Mar-2002 pc: 206 w: Nina G. Bargiel & Jeremy J. Bargiel d: Anson Williams

NOTE: Songs heard include "Spinnin' Around" by Jump5, played during Kate's training scene with Lizzie.
Originally titled "The Rise and Fall of the Kate Empire."
Gordo and Miranda sing a little bit of the song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" from the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Some viewers pointed out that the "dork hallway" was similar to a scene in the movie Titanic (1997) in which the rich passengers kept the poorer ones locked out of their part of the ship.
Filming dates: October 16-20, 2001.
Parker McKenzie and Jennie Woods, two characters seen in other episodes, are mentioned here, but not seen. Parker was first seen in the episode "Picture Day" and Jennie in the episode "Between a Rock and Bra Place."
Once again, as in "I've Got Rhythmic," Hilary Duff (Lizzie) appears to do all her gymnastic work herself, but a double is used for Ashlie Brillault (Kate).
Matt is called Matthew by his parents for only the second time (?) on the series after he develops a swelled head over his one line in the play. The first instance was in "I've Got Rhythmic."
This is only the second time we see the Hillridge cheerleaders perform. (The first time: "Rumors." There were cheerleaders doing some formations in "Educating Ethan," but it wasn't clear whether they were Hillridge's or not.)
This episode can also be found in the paperback novelization book The Rise and Fall of the Kate Empire.

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36. Working Girl
gs: Carly Schroeder (Melina) Davida Williams (Claire Miller) Keili Lefkovitz (Manager) Nicholas E. Barb (Reggie) Brian Kimmet (Spoon Guy) Tom Mastrantonio (Muffin Man)

Lizzie is getting tired of running to her parents every time she wants something, but they won't raise her allowance like she asks. So she finds another solution to make her "free and independent"--she takes a job as a busboy at the Digital Bean. But the new job is more than she bargained for. Her boss is a tough taskmaster, and rude, obnoxious customers--including Kate and Claire--are running her ragged. Lizzie's dad tells her she doesn't have to keep the job if it is too much trouble, but Lizzie insists it's what she wants to do. But the pressures become too much one day and Lizzie goes ballistic, bawling out her rude customers and slave-driving boss. But her tirade gets her fired!

Meanwhile, Matt laments to his friend Reggie that Melina doesn't care for him anymore--she's found another guy to get in trouble besides him! Reggie suggests he talk to another girl about it. Since Lizzie is too busy these days, Matt goes to Miranda for advice. But when she offers a sympathetic ear and tells him he's a great guy, Matt develops an instant crush on Miranda, to her horror and to Gordo's great amusement! Miranda doesn't know how she can "break up" with Matt, but the problem is taken care of when Melina arrives upon the scene and says that she's the only one who will be getting Matt into trouble!

b: 29-Mar-2002 pc: 210 w: Nina G. Bargiel & Jeremy J. Bargiel d: Anson Williams

NOTE: Filming dates: November 27-30, 2001. The clapboard seen on the blooper reel at the end of the show is dated November 29, 2001.
Music heard includes the song "Workin' for a Livin'" by Huey Lewis & the News from the album Picture This. Unlike most of their hits of the 1980's, this one was not a top ten record, peaking at number 41 in September 1982 on the Pop Singles chart, but it did reach number 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart. It's played during one of the scenes where Lizzie is working at the Digital Bean.
Kate and Claire do their hand-slap/hair-flip combination in this episode after getting Lizzie in trouble at work.
When Matt is downing OJ's at the Digital Bean, the music playing is the same that was used during the showdown between Gordo and Tudgeman at the Science Olympics in "Obsession." It's an imitation of the music used in the "spaghetti Westerns" like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
The screeching violin sounds heard when Matt is giving Miranda cards and presents is an imitation of the film music written by Bernard Herrmann for the 1960 suspense classic Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This is one of the most often imitated pieces of film music there is. It's often used to emphasize something shocking or terrifying.
The "romantic" musical theme representing Matt's crush on Miranda is the "Spring Song" (op. 62, No. 6) from the famous piano works Lieder ohne Worte (Songs Without Words) by 19th-century German composer Felix Mendelssohn.
The writers of this episode showed no hesitation in using the traditional term "busboy" to describe Lizzie's job, rather than "busgirl" or a gender-neutral term like "bus person."
This episode's title may have been inspired by the 1988 movie Working Girl, directed by Mike Nichols with a cast that included Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver and Alec Baldwin.
Lizzie mentions that she's fourteen years old. Since the episodes were broadcast out of order, many viewers were confused, wondering if she had changed grades from the seventh to the eighth, since this was not made explicit until "Just Like Lizzie," which was the first episode filmed for the second season but the 14th shown, confirmed that Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo were all 14-year old eighth graders.
Character mentioned but not seen: Jared Ferguson, the boy Matt says Melina is now getting into trouble instead of himself.
A clip from this episode was shown when Hilary Duff was a guest on Live with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa on May 27, 2002. The clip was of the opening scene when Lizzie is asking her parents for a raise in her allowance.
This episode can be found in the paperback novelization book On the Job.

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37. And the Winner Is
gs: Clayton Snyder (Ethan) Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) Arvie Lowe Jr. (Mr. Dig)

Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo walk into Mr. Dig's class all mad at each other about some incident. Mr. Dig assigns them an historical scavenger hunt in place of a regular test. The former friends find new partners for the hunt: Lizzie latches onto Ethan Craft, Gordo reluctantly teams with Kate Sanders, while Miranda gets stuck with Larry Tudgeman. The trio of teams proceed to search the city for clues that Mr. Dig has left, and the first team to complete the task receives an "A." When Matt finds the assignment in Lizzie's room, he reads that there is "treasure" at the end of the search, so he goes off hunting down clues himself. But Mr. Dig's idea of treasure is not the same as Matt's. Meanwhile, Sam and Jo McGuire realize that they have the house to themselves for a while! So what do they naturally do? Act like kids by having pillow fights, eating messy snacks, etc!

While they are on the hunt, Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo reveal to their partners what the big fight with their friends was all about--it was just a simple mix-up over who was supposed to meet who at what time. All three agree, though, that they are not going to be the one to apologize. After listening, Larry, Ethan, and even Kate all tell them they are lucky that they have such good friends and that it would be silly to break up their friendship over so trivial an incident. The scavenger hunt heats up with all three teams racng for the finish line. Lizzie and Ethan are in the lead, but before they can cross the line, Lizzie stops and apologizes to Gordo and Miranda when they reach the scene. The former friends make up again and all three teams cross the finish line at the same time--only to find out another team has already won!

b: 26-Apr-2002 pc: 211 w: Melissa Gould d: Peter Montgomery

NOTE: Filming dates: December 3-5, 2001. The clapboard on the blooper reel at the end of the show gives the date of production as December 5, 2001.
Music includes the song "Perfect Day" by the Hawaiian singer Hoku, which, as one of our TV Tome users noted, was also used in the movie Legally Blonde. It's played here during a scene when all the teams are battling each other on the scavenger hunt.
Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft) has a new combed-down hairstyle in this episode.
The American historical events featured in Mr. Dig's scavenge hunt are: the Stamp Act (passed by the British Parliament, 1765); the Boston Tea Party (Boston, Massachusetts, December 16, 1773); the Plymouth Rock (the arrival of Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in Plymouth, Mass., December, 1620); Paul Revere's midnight ride (from Boston to Concord, Mass., April 18, 1775; exaggerated and dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Paul Revere's Ride, 1863); the Battle of Bunker Hill (Charlestown, Mass., June 17, 1775); Benjamin Franklin's "discovery of electricity" (more specifically, his kite experiment in 1752 to support the theory that lightning is an electrical phenomenon); Jamestown (Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in America, May 14, 1607).
Mr. Dig tells Lizzie and the others that "Jeremy and Nina" finished first in the competition. That's a reference to Lizzie screenwriters Jeremy and Nina Bargiel, who have written a number of episodes. The closed captioning identifies the winners as "Jeremy and Bonita."
Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) appears to have colored his hair a reddish-brown shade rather than its usual black for this episode.
Continuity: Miranda states that Tudgeman beat Gordo in the Science Olympics in "Obsession" and in the Fact-athlon in "Facts of Life" the previous year. Although, she did fail to mention that she had a part in the Fact-athlon.
Even though Mr. Dig's scavenger hunt takes place on a Saturday, Larry Tudgeman is not wearing his "weekend shirt," as seen in "Scarlett Larry!"

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38. The Longest Yard
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny) Jeremy J. Bargiel (Jeremy [as Jeremy Bargiel]) David Alex Rosen (David) Sean Sweeney (Shop Owner) Daniel Chodos (Rabbi) Damien Leake (Priest)

Jo McGuire gets roped into attending the Super Sports Expo with her husband, so she makes Lizzie cancel her plans for the day to stay home and watch Matt (and Lanny.) This infuriates Lizzie, but she tries to be responsible and stops the boys from playing with her dad's prize possession, a football autographed by the legendary Walter Payton. But Matt and Lanny managed to deflate the football anyway. Lizzie and Matt know they're in BIG trouble if they can't get the ball fixed, so Lizzie calls Miranda and Gordo over to help her come up with a solution to the problem.

Soon Lizzie has an ever bigger problem. The two young boys have gone off by themselves to try and get the ball fixed. Mrs. McGuire calls to say they will be late arriving home, but she suspects something is wrong when she talks to Lizzie, so Sam asks a couple of his softball buddies to go by the house and check on things. Lizzie and Miranda go off to find Matt and Lanny while Gordo waits at the McGuire house. At first he is happy to be alone with the TV and the refrigerator full of food, but when Sam's friends Jeremy and David come by to check up on things, he has to try to convince them everything is OK. Lizzie and Miranda finally find the boys at the Collector's Corner trying to replace the football. By this time Lizzie is more relieved that Matt is alright rather than worried about the football. She trades in the deflated Walter Payton ball for one autographed by Dick Butkus and the group manages to sneak in just as the parents arrive back home. But of course Sam notice the difference in the footballs. Lizzie and Matt come clean and each try to take the blame themselves, but it turns out that the real Walter Payton ball was accidentally destroyed a few months before--by Jo!

b: 17-May-2002 pc: 213 w: Nina G. Bargiel & Jeremy J. Bargiel d: Steve DeJarnatt

NOTE: The "exciting" music playing when Matt and Lanny find a Walter Payton football at the Collector's Corner is (an adaptation of) the opening moments of the fourth movement of Peter Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 (1877-1878). The same theme (but only a few notes) also appears in "First Kiss," when Melina shows off her Paul O'Neill card. A complete phrase is played here.
Hilary Duff (Lizzie) wears green contact lenses in this episode.
The music playing during Gordo's sandwich-making scene is an adaptation of a famous classical melody, "In the Hall of the Mountain King," by 19th-century Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, from his musical suite Peer Gynt.
The clapboards on the blooper reel shown at the end of the episode give the dates of production as December 18-20, 2001.
Walter Payton and Dick Butkus are both Hall-of-Fame professional football players who spent their careers with the Chicago Bears. Payton, a running back and one of the game's greatest players, became the NFL's all-time leading rusher during his career which lasted from 1975 to 1987. He died in 1999 at age 45 from bile duct cancer. Butkus, who played from 1965 to 1973, was a linebacker who was famous for his ferocious style of play. He's considered one of the greatest defensive players ever. After his football days, Butkus did some acting, including the role of Coach K on the sitcom Hang Time. In the episode "Gordo's Bar Mitzvah," Payton is also mentioned when the two "big guys" (Jeremy J. Bargiel and David Alex Rosen, also in this episode) are interviewed. They are also big Bears fans, as must be some of the writers and producers of Lizzie. Some see this as a clue that Lizzie might take place in Chicago or Illnois, although there are other clues in episodes like "Aaron Carter's Coming to Town" that the show is set in California.
Miranda refers to Matt and Lanny as "two 11-year-olds."
Both Lizzie and Miranda wear the same outfits throught this episode, without a single costume change. This is a rarity for the show.
Ashlie Brillault (Kate) is listed in the episode's credits, but she does not appear. Oddly, we don't recall see her name in the first broadcasts, only in some subsequent repeats.
According to an Internet Movie Database listing that was posted long before the episode aired, the shop owner's character (played by Sean Sweeney) is named Albert.
Sam is wearing three sports related items. The first is a University of California cap, but the letters "C" and "A" have been blacked out. (This cap is later replaced with one that is yellow and has multiple autographs, most likely acquired at the sports expo.) Next is a Dallas Cowboys away jersey with the number 22 which was worn by Emmitt Smith. Lastly he is wearing a vest with a Denver Broncos helmet on it, although the logo has been altered considerably to disguise the horse and orange stripe which are normally seen.
The other autographed footballs at the Collector's Corner were of Brett Favre, Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, and Emmitt Smith.

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39. Just Friends
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny Onasis) Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft) Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) Jake Blakey (Sonny) Jacob Price (Drinking Kid)

Gordo encourages Lizzie to finally do something about her crush on Ethan Craft; that is, ask him to the Sadie Hawkins Day dance. But when Lizzie does this she's disappointed when Ethan tells her that he likes their relationship as friends and doesn't want to risk changing it by going out with her. Lizzie is determined to turn herself into a girl who is perfect for Ethan and with the help of Gordo, she begins a surveillance campaign to determine all of Ethan's likes and dislikes so she can make herself over for him. Meanwhile, Matt and Lanny are trying to whip up an "evil potion," but instead they come up with a great-tasting smoothie. It's so good that when they begin to sell it to neighboring kids, Matt's back yard becomes the newest hot spot in town, and soon everyone is flocking to the "Club Flamingo."

Lizzie goes on her campaign for Ethan and it seems to be working: he's knocked out that all of a sudden they seem to have so much in common. She even knows how to dress like his fantasy woman! So since they're getting along so well, Lizzie once again asks Ethan to the dance. He tells her that nothing has changed: he still likes being friends with her and doesn't want to be boyfriend/girlfriend.

Lizzie is dismayed and confused by what has happened. Her parents try to console her, but she's still down. Shes goes to Matt's Club Flamingo to drown her sorrows in smoothies. Matt has had his own troubles--a big scary kid named Sonny doesn't like the competition Matt's place has been giving him, so he has pressured Matt into shutting down. Gordo and Miranda drop by. They're dateless for the dance too. So while Lanny "plays it again," Gordo and Lizzie have a slow dance (and so do Miranda and Matt.)

b: 14-Jun-2002 pc: 218 w: Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile d: Mark Rosman

NOTE: For the first time, Lanny's last name is listed in the credits as Onasis. It's never been used on the show, though. When he's playing "Igor" to Matt's "mad scientist," Lanny appears with a hump like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The clapboard seen on the blooper reel at the end of the show gives the date of production as February 6, 2002. For the first time, an extra scene is included with the bloopers. It shows Sonny (Jake Blakey) mixing up the smoothie recipe Matt gave him, then screaming when he drinks the mixture. The last shot of a house with Sonny's voice heard screaming in the background is a parody of a scene in The Godfather (1972). In that film, actor John Marley wakes up to find a severed horse's head in bed with him! He screams, and then there's a shot of his mansion, with his voice still heard in the background screaming. One of the main characters in The Godfather is named Sonny also.
The scene where Larry comes to Matt's club and everyone greets him by hollering "Tudge!" is an homage to the long-running television sitcom Cheers (1982-1993). That's how the regulars at the bar used to greet Norm (played by George Wendt) when he he entered Cheers. (Of course, they said "Norm!" instead of "Tudge!") There's even a joke stolen directly from a Cheers episode: when Matt asks Larry how the world's been treating him and he replies, "Like a baby treats a diaper."
Music includes the song "All I Can Do" by Jump5 from the album All the Time in the World (2002), played during the montage when Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda have Ethan under surveillance. Although, for some reason this song is replaced on the DVD with "Stupid Cupid" from The Princess Diaries Soundtrack (2001). It is an updated version sung by Mandy Moore, it was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and first recorded by Connie Francis in 1958.
When Larry is having his conversation with "Kate" (really the mirror!), the music playing is from Peter Tchaikovsky's famous 1870 composition the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. In the 20th century it was given lyrics and turned into a popular song entitled "Our Love."
Further character identification: "Drinking Kid" (Jacob Price) in the credits is identified as Patterson in the show. Sonny's last name is given as Mazerowski. Unseen characters: Mr. Boudreaux, the school janitor that Matt does an imitation of; Denise Palmer, a girl Gordo mentions that Ethan liked. And of course Kate Sanders is mentioned also. Characters with no lines: One of Matt's customers, a girl he refers to as "Sunshine."
A nice bit of continuity. It was established all the way back in "Sibling Bonds" that Ethan had a love for golf. The fact was picked up again in this episode.
The makers of Lizzie seem to like classic gangster films. There have been several references to The Godfather (see above) over the course of the series, and this episode seems to contain a little tribute to Martin Scorsese's 1990 film Goodfellas, which starred Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. In that movie, there's a long tracking shot with the camera moving through a nightclub, similar to the shot in which the camera follows Matt walking through his "Club Flamingo."
This episode can be found in the paperback novelization book Lizzie Loves Ethan. It is also on Vol. 4 of the Lizzie McGuire DVD Collection entitled Totally Crushed, released on Mar. 16, 2004.

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40. Those Freaky McGuires
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny) Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft) Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) Carly Schroeder (Melina) Matteo Crismani (Clark Benson)

As usual, Lizzie and her brother Matt are involved in a big fight. "Fine! I'll stay out of your life!" they both scream at each other simultaneously. Then, to their amazement, something totally unbelieveable and mysterious happens--their personalities switch bodies, Matt becoming Lizzie and Lizzie becoming Matt! The siblings are horrified by the change, but they are unable to explain it to their parents, so they have no choice but to go to school like everything was normal. Well, not exactly. Matt (as Lizzie) dresses up like Elton John on his worst day and goes around school tripping over his (her) shoes, making better friends with Ethan Craft by talking about guy stuff like scabs and bruises. Gordo and Miranda are mystified by the changes in the girl they think is their old friend Lizzie, especailly after she pulls a revenge prank on Kate. Meanwhile Lizzie (as Matt) slicks her (his) hair down and dresses like a nerd, hoping to stay quiet and attract as little attention as possible. But that doesn't happen, as Melina tells him (her) that he's in trouble for a prank some other student pulled. Lizzie (Matt) tells her and Lanny about the strange occurance that took place, and surprisingly, they believe him (or is it her?) So they seek out the real culprit, Clark Benson, and clear Matt's name. Miranda and Gordo are also surprised--they think the new Lizzie is showing more self-confidence than ever before.

The brother and sister finally arrive home and compare notes on what has happened during the day, finding out that they both helped solve problems for each other. But they are no closer to getting back into their own bodies than they were when the left home in the morning. That night, Matt (Lizzie) tosses around uncomfortably in his bed and falls on the floor. In her room, Lizzie awakens suddenly, and yes, she's Lizzie once again! She rushes into the hall where she meets up with Matt and tells him she's back to normal, but they are interrupted briefly by their parents. After Mr. and Mrs. McGuire go back to bed, Lizzie asks Matt if the whole weird ordeal really happened. Matt asks back warily--did what happen? The whole issue is left up in the air.

b: 28-Jun-2002 pc: 214 w: Melissa Gould d: Oz Scott

NOTE: This was the first weekly winner in the "Summer Of Lizzie McGuire" viewer voting. During this Disney Channel promotion, viewers could vote online for which of two new episodes they wanted to see. In a contest between two episodes featuring Matt McGuire, this one beat out "Bunkies."
Filming Dates: January 6-10, 2002. The clapboard on the blooper reel shown at the end of the show is dated January 7, 2002.
Further character identification: Clark's last name is Benson.
A good example of Disney Channel programing standards: when Miranda sees Lizzie in her "Elton John" get-up, she reacts by saying "Oh...my...gosh!" instead of the more likely expression "Oh...my...God!"
Continuity: Matt (as Lizzie) tells Ethan Craft about jumping on the velcro wall, something he did in "Rated Aargh."
Also, when Jo says "Matt, that didn't work when you wanted to get out of that history test ,and it won't work now," she's referring to the episiode "Rumors," in which Matt faked being sick. However, we remember it being a math test!
More continuity: When Matt (as Lizzie) is talking about scabs and bruises, Ethan points to one he got after a mishap on his motorbike, which he got for his 14th birthday in "Gordo's Bar Mitzvah"
When Miranda and Gordo first encounter Matt (as Lizzie) at school, Miranda wonders if an "intervention" might be necessary. Apparently this group is big on interventions. In previous episodes they had one for Lizzie ("Bad Girl McGuire") and one for Gordo ("Gordo and the Dwarves.")
Stunt doubles: Julie Adair (for Lizzie); Lisa Hoyle (for Kate. Hoyle was also a stunt double for Jessica Steen in the Disney Channel movie Smart House.)
The prank that Matt (as Lizzie) pulled on Kate won "Most Embarassing Moment" in the viewer voting on the Disney Channel's broadcast of "A Raven New Year's Eve," December 31, 2002.
This episode is similar to the 1976 movie Freaky Friday starring Jodie Foster. The movie had the same basic plot, except the main character, Annabel (played by Foster) switches bodies with her mother (Barbara Harris). A remake of the film starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis will be released August 5, 2003.
Jake Thomas and Matteo Crismani (Clark) appeared in the CBS drama Without a Trace in the episode "Wannabe." In it the roles are reversed with Matteo as a school bully who picks on Jake.

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41. In Miranda Lizzie Does Not Trust
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny) Arvie Lowe Jr. (Mr. Dig) Candy Brown Houston (Mrs. Stebel) Greg Baker (Security Guard) Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft) Cassie Walker (Beth) Evan Lee Dahl (Jackson)

Mr. Dig is teaching dance in gym class, including the "trust" exercise, in which one partner (Miranda) falls blindly into the arms of the other (Lizzie). (Gordo has his hands full catching his partner, a ballet-dancing student named Beth, who's about eight inches taller than him!) Later the three friends go shopping. In a department store, Lizzie and Gordo are surprised to see Miranda shovel several handfuls of complimentary candy into her purse. This also draws the attention of the security guard. Later Miranda accidentally bumps into a lipstick display, upsetting the contents. She hurriedly puts things right, then tells Lizzie and Gordo she wants to leave. But the security guard stops her and wants to check her purse. Inside he finds a brand of lipstick from the display. Miranda protests that she bought it at the store last week and asks Lizzie to back her up. But Lizzie says she wasn't there when lipstick was purchased, and the guard takes Miranda away.

Later from her house Miranda calls Lizzie. But during the conversation Miranda picks up on the fact that Lizzie isn't sure for a moment whether Miranda is guilty or innocent. Lizzie tries to plead her own case, but Miranda calls her a "lousy friend." Later at school, Miranda and Lizzie are paired together in gym class, where they are supposed to do a dance routine together. But the dance turns into a fight as the girls take out their frustrations on each other!

Meanwhile, Matt and Lanny begin broadcasting their own internet talk show, "Matt After Dinner." But when their first guest turns out to be a dud, they're left with time to fill and an audience that is rapidly tuning out. Matt's dad Sam stumbles into the scene, and viewership goes up when he has an accident with some axle grease. After that, Matt and Sam start going for cheap laughs and it works, as more people tune into the show. This doesn't sit well with Lanny, though, and he makes his displeasure known by stalking off the show. Later on, Lanny calls Matt with an emergency and Matt tells him he will be right over. Lizzie hears this and asks Matt if he and Lany didn't just have a big fight. Matt says they did, but Lanny is still his friend and they can depend on each other. Lizzie realizes she should be the same way with Miranda. So the next day at school, when Mrs. Stebel confronts Miranda about using the E-Z Read notes for a book report, Lizzie stands up for her and says if Mirnada says she didn't do it, her word should be trusted--even though it turns out Miranda did use the notes! But the bond of trust between the two friends is once again back in place.

b: 05-Jul-2002 pc: 212 w: Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile d: Alan Cohn

NOTE: When Beth performs the ballet with Gordo faking around, the music she dances to is "Waltz of the Flowers" from Act II of the ballet The Nutcracker (1892) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
This was the second weekly winner in the viewer voting during the "Summer of Lizzie McGuire" promotion. In a choice of episodes featuring Miranda, it beat out "The Greatest Crush of All."
Arvie Lowe Jr. (Mr. Dig), a real-life dancer, does all of his own dance steps here.
Filming dates: December 9-13, 2001. The clapboard on the blooper reel at the end of the show is dated December 10, 2001.
Jo McGuire mentions that she and Sam have been married for fifteen years.
Gordo mentions a vice-principal, Mr Kaplan (seen in still photos), for the first time.
Lanny's last name, Onasis, is used for the first time, though it did appear in the credits of a previously broadcast episode, "Just Friends."
The music that Lizzie and Miranda do their dance/fight to is a familiar tune called "Zorba's Dance," written by Mikis Theodorakis for the movie Zorba the Greek (1964) starring Anthony Quinn. It's played on a Greek instrument called a bouzouki, which resembles a long-necked mandolin.
In the blooper reel, Lizzie (Hilary Duff) messes up a line when she's talking to Miranda about Gordo picking a partner in PE class, something about "He must not care what kind of grade he gets..." That line did not make the final cut of the episode.
This episode can also be found in the paperback novelization book Picture This.
Matt and Lanny's Internet program is taken from the film Wayne's World (1992) starring Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar. The film deals with two slacker friends who have a public access cable show where they discuss the things which interest them, typically female movie stars and heavy metal bands.

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42. Over the Hill
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny) Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft) Carly Schroeder (Malina) Anastasia Baranova (Cara Gunther) Grayce Wey (Assistant) Brad Grunberg (Chauffeur) Jeremy J. Bargiel (Friend #1 [as Jeremy Bargiel]) David Alex Rosen (Friend #2)

Lizzie starts feeling inferior when she realizes a lot of the other kids around her have special talents and skills that they've developed, including Gordo with his filmmaking and Miranda with her violin. [When did that happen?--Ed.] She worries that she's being left behind and imagines herself in the future working at a fast-food window while her old friends Gordo and Miranda have made successes of themselves and forgotten about her. Lizzie blames her parents at first for not making her pursue a special interest but Sam and Jo McGuire tell her that they've always supported her, whatever she did or didn't do. Finally Lizzie puts a number of "dream" occupations in a hat and picks them out one at a time, with Miranda and Gordo on hand. While doing this, Lizzie has fantasies about what her future might be like. The final fantasy is about Lizzie as a stay-home mom, but her husband in it is not Ethan Craft--it's Gordo! This jolts Lizzie back to reality, and she comes to feel OK about herself again.

Also, Jo isn't sure that Matt should be watching a scary horror film, but Sam says it's OK. But the movie does a number on Matt's head, and he can't sleep at night for fear of a an evil "presence" in the house. Things get so bad that Sam has his two familiar softball buddied come over to perform a "housecleaning" just like in the movie Ghostbusters, but all the guys succeed in doing is wrecking the back porch. But that reveals what the "presence" is--it's a dog who just had puppies!

b: 12-Jul-2002 pc: 207 w: Alison Taylor d: Savage Steve Holland

NOTE: Filming dates: October 26-30, 2001. The clapboard on the blooper reel at the end of the show is dated October 30, 2001.
When one of Sam's softball buddies (Friend #1: Jeremy Bargiel) comments that they'll have to go "old school" on the ghosts, Melina dismissively replies, "With leaf blowers?" The same guy then responds, "Back off kid, I'm a scientist." That's an almost direct quote from the movie Ghostbusters, the film of which this segment is a spoof of.
In the movie, the character of Peter Venkman is interviewing a woman who saw a ghost at the New York Public Library. In the course of the interview he asks her if she is currently menstruating. Her superior asks Venkman, "What's that got to do with it?" Venkman responds by saying, "Back off man, I'm a scientist."
The date that appears at the beginning of Lizzie's nightmare sequence places the events of this episode as occurring in October 2002. Her dream where she works at Burger Planet occurs in 2036.
Music includes the song "Turn the Beat Around" by Vicki Sue Robinson, heard when Matt, Lanny and Melina are moving the furniture around. The song was a top ten hit in 1976 for Robinson, one of the decade's premiere "disco divas." She died in 2000 at the age of 46. Among the other artists who recorded the song is Gloria Estefan, whose version is heard in the movie The Specialist (1994). It reached #13 on the charts in November 1994.
Brad Grunberg, who played the security guard in the episode "Aaron Carter Is Coming to Town," returns here as the limo driver. Just like in the previous episode, he's shown eating something.
The movie that Matt and his parents watch is called "Bonelicker 2: Chew the Marrow." It's NOT a real film, by the way!
The song that is playing when Sam's friends are walking to the backyard, is the same song that played when the cheerleaders walk into the school doing a cheer in "Rumors"
Lizzie's "dream" jobs include research scientist, NASCAR driver, stay-at-home mom, and later dog groomer, inventor of "nail polish for dogs" and veterinarian.
When Sam mentions Lizzie's earlier experience with rhythmic gymnastics, he's referring to what happened in the episode "I've Got Rhythmic."
The back-and-forth pronunciation of Kate's last name is "Saunders" in this episode.
In what might be a sly reference to Adam Lamberg's short stature, when Lizzie and Gordo embrace during one of Lizzie's fantasies, she picks him up off the ground and whirls him around!
During Lizzie's dream sequence, she calls Gordo by his real name, David. First time?
This was the third weekly winner in the "Summer of Lizzie McGuire viewer voting. It beat out "A Gordo Story" in a competition between episodes that supposedly featured Gordo's character, though it's obvious that this episode is mostly concerned with Lizzie.
On Thursday, October 24, 2002, Disney ran a promo for this episode identifying it as a "new" one. This would indicate they originally planned it to air for the first time that month. But since it won in the viewer voting mentioned above, "Over the Hill" premiered earlier. (Also noted above: a scene in the episode has the date of October 2002 displayed.)
Stunt double: Ken Clark (for Friend #1).
Fredo the chimp, first seen in "Mom's Best Friend," makes another appearance here, this time dressed as a member of Sam's softball team!
In the scene where everyone is gathered on the back porch, Miranda can be heard to softly say, "Hey, Gordo," to one of the puppies that was found under the porch.
In one of her daydreams, middle-aged Lizzie says that she went to middle school with Gordo, not high school. Could this be a hint that the cast would change if there were a new series? Or is this just because she'd only gone to middle school with him when she had the dream?
Ethan and Kate show up dressed in the same clothes and apparently playing the same characters in another fantasy segment in "Dear Lizzie." Only in that episode, they are identified as the President of the United States and the First Lady!
This is one of only two episodes featuring both Lanny (Christian Copelin) and Melina (Carly Schroeder). The other? "Those Freaky McGuires."

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43. Best Dressed for Much Less (aka Kiss My Budget)
gs: Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) Timmy Fitzpatrick (Kid at Mall) John Lowell (Rip Kid) Aimee Roldan (First Grade Girl) Nicholette Dixon (Girl at Mall) Kelly Vitz (Student #1) Kate Berlant (Student #2)

Voting will soon be held for Class Favorites at Hillridge. Lizzie hopes to win the award for "Best Dressed," Gordo schemes to get his picture in the yearbook more times than anyone else, and Miranda receives encouragement that she could be named "Most Poised." Lizzie asks her mom if she will buy her a $65 pair of pants to help her win the award. Jo McGuire doesn't go for that, but promises she'll help Lizzie go bargain shopping for clothes. Lizzie, however, pools her money with Gordo and Miranda, tells her mom the three need to study for a test, and goes and buys the pants herself, leaving Mom to go bargain hunting alone. When Jo returns, Lizzie is surprised to see what nice clothes her mother got for her.

Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo all show up on the day of the voting ready to put their plan into action. But the three have a mishap: they trip over a janitor's broom and fall to the floor, where Lizzie gets a slushee-type drink spilled all over her new pants, ruining them. A photographer takes a picture of them, ending Lizzie and Miranda's dream of being "Best Dressed" and "Most Poised." (Gordo does add one more picture to his yearbook total, though.) Lizzie changes into the pants her mother bought her, and for the rest of the day she receives compliments on them. Lizzie realizes that not only did her mom find her some nice clothes at bargain prices, but that she missed out on spending a day with her.

Meanwhile, Matt was out with his dad Sam when by luck they appeared on the "Uncle Wendell Show." Matt made a funny face for the camera and was asked back to the show. Immediately the kids at his school start recognizing him from the show--he even signs autographs! Matt likes the star treatment he get for a while, but on a trip to the mall with his parents he gets overwhelmed by all the attention he receives. But he soon finds out that fame is a fleeting thing: the "Uncle Wendell Show" gets cancelled!

b: 19-Jul-2002 pc: 217 w: Bob Thomas d: Tim O'Donnell

NOTE: Filming dates: Monday, January 28th-Friday, February 1st, 2002. Clapboards seen on the blooper reel at the end of the show are dated January 28, 30 & 31, 2002.
Bob Thomas, who wrote this episode, is the father of Jake Thomas (Matt).
Music includes the song "Fame," by singer David Bowie, heard when Matt is being pursued around the mall. This song, co-written with John Lennon (1940-1980) and Carlos Alomar, was one of Bowie's biggest hits, reaching number 1 for two weeks in September 1975. Also heard: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Flatt & Scruggs, played when Jo McGuire is out bargain-shopping. Originally recorded in the late 1940's, this instrumental is one of the best-known bluegrass tunes of all time. It gained new popularity when it was featured in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde. You might also see the duo performing it on the old sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies.
This episode was the fourth weekly winner in the viewer's choice voting during the "Summer of Lizzie McGuire" promotion. It beat out "Magic Train."
Unseen characters: Kate Sanders and Claire Miller are prominently mentioned in the dialog, but neither makes an appearance in this episode. Claire wins the Best Dressed award. Joey is the guy who Tudgeman talks about in the announcements. All we see of him is his shadow looming over Tudge. Characters with no lines: Coco Newbury, shown in a still photo, the girl who won Best Dressed at Jo's school in 1978. Also, a still photo of Dot-Marie Jones (Coach Kelly) is shown, but she isn't listed in the credits.
Several viewers have identified the mall where scenes were filmed for this episode as the Howard Hughes Promanade in Culver City, California.
This episode contains brief clips from "Working Girl" and "Just Like Lizzie," and still photos from "Jack of All Trades."
Larry identifies himself as Lawrence Tudgeman III over the school's P.A.
When a montage of the yearbook photos that Gordo sneaked into is shown, the music playing is the percussion intro to Aaron Carter's version of "I Want Candy." That's the same song feature in the episode "Aaron Carter Is Coming to Town."
Miranda wears the same "Fish & Chips" shirt that she wore in "Over the Hill."
This episode can be found in the paperback novelization book Best Dressed. It is also on Vol. 1 of the Lizzie McGuire DVD Collection entitled Fashionably Lizzie, released on Dec. 9, 2003.

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44. You're a Good Man, Lizzie McGuire
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny) Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft) Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) Phill Lewis (Principal Tweedy) Kathryn Kates (Mrs. Carrabino) Milana Vayntraub (Posse Member #1) Katerina Graham (Posse Member #2)

Lizzie is stuck on the Spring Fling dance committee with Kate. While they are checking out the site for the dance, Kate accidentally knocks over a bust of the school's first principal, cracking the stone head wide open. Kate shows little concern for what she did, though. She thinks if Lizzie keeps quiet, no one will ever know she did it. But Lizzie is concerned about the misdeed. She, Gordo and Miranda try but fail to put the statue back together again--using chewing gum! Principal Tweedy is angry about the "vandalism" and announces he will call off the dance if the culprit is not revealed. Gordo warns her not to be "a fink," but Miranda wants Lizzie to tell, because she has a real live date to the dance! Finally, Lizzie goes to see the principal, and at an assembly he announces that Lizzie has confessed to breaking the statue. The dance will be held, but Lizzie will not be allowed to attend. Gordo and Miranda realize what a sacrifice Lizzie just made. Kate is her usual self, telling friends, "I knew she did it, I just didn't want to tell on her!"

Meanwhile, Matt and Lanny are drooling over a $105 BMX bike, but Sam and Jo McGuire tell them they'll have to earn the money themselves for it. After cleaning out the attic of their oddball neighbor Mrs. Carribino, the boys have enough money for a single bike, which they buy and intend to share. Lanny takes the first ride, leaving Matt alone with no bike and no friend.

The night of the dance, both Lizzie and Matt are at home sitting around depressed. Ther parents try to find out what's wrong. Matt tells his dad that since he and Lanny got the bike, they're never together anymore to enjoy each other's company. Matt calls Lanny and they decide their friendship is more important than the bike. When Jo asks Lizzie what's wrong, her daughter tearfully tells her the story of the statue and how she took the blame. But who should come to the door but Gordo...followed by Miranda...and Ethan...and Larry and a few dozen others who apreciate what Lizzie did. So while the party is on at Lizzie's house, Kate is stuck at school alone wondering where everyone else is!

b: 26-Jul-2002 pc: 216 w: Alison Taylor d: Peter Montgomery

NOTE: The title is a spoof of the Peanuts cartoon You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Originally it was a paperback book collection of Peanuts cartoons. Later the title was used for a stage musical!
When Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda are talking three-way, the music in the background is the same as in "Just Friends" when Lizzie is talking to Gordo in her room.
This episode premiered at the end of the 7-hour "Lizzie McGuire Dance Party Marathon," a promotion apparently designed to tie in with the premiere of the Disney Channel original TV-movie Gotta Kick It Up which premiered afterwards. Four of the Lizzie episodes in the Marathon were allegedly selected by viewers in online voting. The episodes shown before this one were, in order, "The Rise & Fall of Kate," "El Oro de Diablo," "First Kiss," "Just Friends," "The Untitled Stan Jansen Project," "Over the Hill," "Working Girl," "And the Winner Is," "In Miranda Lizzie Does Not Trust," "Sibling Bonds," "Those Freaky McGuires," "Last Year's Model" and "Best Dressed for Much Less." This was the culmination of Disney's "Summer of Lizzie McGuire" campaign.
The clapboard seen on the blooper reel at the end of the show gives the date of production as January 23, 2002.
After Sam McGuire (Robert Carradine) says, "Hey, I was a Mathlete," a geeky-looking still photo of him is shown. The still comes from Carradine's 1984 movie Revenge of the Nerds and was also used in the episode "Election".
More than you wanted to know: The musical flourish that is heard when Matt talks about the BMX bike is from the famous symphonic suite Scheherazade, written by Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. This same little flourish showed up earlier in "Best Dressed for Much Less," when Miranda was walking around looking "most poised."
Character with no lines: Cody Pearson, Miranda's date, seen near the end of the show. Unseen character: Josh Hartnett, the hansome young actor who has been in Halloween H20 (1998), The Faculty (1999), Pearl Harbor (2001) and Black Hawk Down (2001). Toon Lizzie mentions him as a possible date!
Gordo (Adam Lamberg) sings a line--or just the title, really--of the Canadian national anthem "O, Canada."
This episode bears some resemblances to The Simpsons' "The Tell-Tale Head" (ep. #8), in which a statue's head gets cut off. It also features a scene in which the severed head speaks.
During the second scene in the gym, the gray headed man standing behind Miranda appears to be the same man who appears in still photos of vice principal Kaplan in "In Miranda Lizzie Does Not Trust."

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45. Just Like Lizzie
gs: Amy Castle (Andie Robinson) Clayton Snyder (Ethan Craft) Kenny Lao (Busboy) Aggi Ghidoni (Kid)

Gordo and Miranda may be stressed out about starting the eighth grade, but Lizzie feels great about it. She's so self-confident, in fact, that she's taken on mentoring a seventh-grader named Andie, even though Kate sneers at her for associating with a "sevy." Andie seems to worship the ground that Lizzie walks on, and it appears to be a great arrangement at first. But things start to turn a little creepy when Andie starts turning into a clone of Lizzie, imitating her hair style, then dying her hair, then dressing exactly like her! What's even more unnerving to Lizzie is how much Gordo and Miranda like her--even more than the real item, it seems! Gordo is especially taken with Andie, and he actually talks about dating her!

Meanwhile, Matt faces a crisis with his Wilderness Cadets group. He must earn a merit patch very soon or he will be demoted to a Bunny Cadet! Dad tries to help him earn the patch but only proceeds to get a bad case of poison ivy and nearly sets himself on fire.

Lizzie is tormented by dreams of Andie stealing away her best friends, going after Ethan Craft (who Andie has already got her eye on), and even taking her place in the family. So when Lizzie comes home with Miranda one day to find Andi there unexpectedly visiting with her mother and Gordo, she lowers the boom. She tells Andie she doesn't appreciate her trying to become a clone of herself and lets her know that her mentoring days are over. Andie stalks out in anger. Gordo and Miranda think Lizzie might have been too rough on the girl, but the next day at school they find that Andie has a new role model to emulate--Kate! Meanwhile Sam McGuire is still suffering injuries trying to help Matt, but his son still hasn't earned his patch. But Jo figures out that Matt qualifies for a patch in first aid after taking care of his dad.

b: 09-Aug-2002 pc: 201 w: Melissa Gould d: Anson Williams

NOTE: According to its production number, this was the first episode shot for the second season. But in reality, it is the 14th episode of the second season to be broadcast. This has led to a great deal of confusion among Lizzie fans, who wondered if she has moved on to the eighth grade or was still supposed to be in the seventh.
Filming dates: September 10-15, 2001. It was made about 3 1/2 months after the filming of the last episode of season 1, "Lizzie and Kate's Big Adventure."
The clapboards seee on the blooper reel at the end of ther show are dated September 10 and September 14, 2001. The second one shown, dated Sep. 14, had a small American flag on it, unnlike the first. This was obviously a response to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States which occured while this episode was being filmed.
Kates last name is here pronounced Sanders with the short "a" sound instead of "Saunders," as it sometimes is on the show.
Care was taken, it seems, to make sure that Matt was not identified as a member of the Boy Scouts or any similar real-life organization. He belonged to the Wilderness Cadets and he was trying to earn a "patch" rather than a badge like a Boy Scout would.
Continuity: When Andie tells Lizzie she needs to get a good seat in math to avoid someone copying off her paper and getting her sent to detention, she's referring to an previous episode from season 1, "Bad Girl McGuire."
Andie mentions to Gordo how much she liked his video, the one he made in "Gordo's Video."
Character mentioned but not seen: Mr. Pettus, the science teacher.
Stunt double: Tom Ficke (for Sam).
Music includes the song "I Wanna Be Like You" by the rock group Smash Mouth from the album Disney Mania, which features songs from Disney films and TV done in new versions by various artists. The song was originally performed by Louis Prima in the Disney film The Jungle Book (1967). Also included on the CD is Hilary Duff (Lizzie) doing the song "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room." "I Wanna Be Like You" is played during Lizzie's dream about Andie taking over her life.
Amy Castle, who played Andie, won a 2003 Young Artists Award for "Best Performance in a Comedy Series by a Guest Starring Actress" for this episode. The Young Artist Awards are given to actors under 18 years of age.
The plot here is similar to the classic movie All About Eve (1950) starring Bette Davis and Anne Baxter. In that film, a young, aspiring actress ingratiates herself with an older Broadway star, becoming her secretary, but later begins to steal her "idol's" roles and her life from her.
Minor changes to the set of the McGuire's home: New refrigerator and blue paint in the bookshelves near the family room.
This episode can be found in the paperback novelization book Just Like Lizzie. It is also on Vol. 1 of the Lizzie McGuire DVD Collection entitled Fashionably Lizzie, released on Dec. 9, 2003.

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46. Lizzie in the Middle
gs: Frankie Muniz (Himself) Clayton Snyder (Ethan Kraft) Kyle J. Downes (Larry Tudgeman) Arvie Lowe Jr. (Mr. Dig) Bill LaMond (Reporter) William Keane (Photographer)

Lizzie is in class reading lines from Romeo and Juliet with Ethan when an old acquaintance of Mr. Dig's comes in--it's Frankie Muniz, star of Malcolm in the Middle! Frankie is transfixed by Lizzie, and when Miranda comes to lunch, she's surprised to find Lizzie and Gordo sitting there eating with Frankie! After some small talk, Frankie asks Lizzie out. Miranda and Gordo are shocked when Lizzie doesn't answer. She finally says "I don't know," at which point a mob of students descends on Frankie, looking for autographs.

At home Lizzie tells Miranda and Gordo she's not going out with Frankie because they live in "different worlds." Miranda argues that she should get to know him and give him a chance. When Lizzie's parents hear about the situation, they're split: Dad says no way should she date a movie star, Mom says yes. Matt volunteers to head Lizzie's "entourage" that she'll need as the girlfriend of someone famous. Frankie comes to the door hoping to convince Lizzie to give him another chance. He spends the day with the McGuires playing games, and Lizzie tells him to meet her, Gordo and Miranda at the Digital Bean the next day.

At the coffeehouse, photographers and reporters are crawling all over the place--they even know who Lizzie is! Frankie arrives in disguise, but Lizzie blows his cover by calling out his name. Again, everyone mobs Frankie. Gordo and Miranda reluctantly join Lizzie in helping him escape. Lizzie and Frankie try to enjoy themselves elsewhere, but as always, there are reporters and photographers everywhere.

At school on Monday, Gordo and Miranda are very cool to Lizzie. They weren't able to reach her all weekend because she was with her famous boyfriend. Lizzie counters that they encoraged her to get to know Frankie and that she hates being famous herself, but there is still a definite rift between Lizzie and her friends. Back at home, Matt is giving the media a tour of the house and auctioning off some of Lizzie's possessions! Mr. and Mrs. McGuire put a stop to that. Lizzie tells her mom how bad her life has become since she became "famous" and says she will end it with Frankie. Just then Frankie arrives, and before Lizzie can tell him anything he apologizes to her for wrecking her life They agree that they won't see each other regularly. But Frankie has a gift for Lizzie. He gets her onto the set of his new TV-movie "Rosen's Deal" (along with Gordo and Miranda, who apologize to Lizzie). She even gets a line in the movie!

b: 23-Aug-2002 pc: 223 w: Nina G. Bargiel & Jeremy J. Bargiel d: Savage Steve Holland

NOTE: This is the first of many projects Hilary Duff and Frankie Muniz worked on together. After this they will be in the film Agent Cody Banks and there's a possibility Hilary may guest star on Frankie's show Malcolm in the Middle (from which this episode gets its name). For a while it was reported that Frankie was to appear in the Lizzie McGuire movie, but that news was premature, apparently.
This is the first episode of Lizzie to be given a "Spotlight" programming notice in TV Guide. It joins The Famous Jett Jackson: The Movie, In A Heartbeat and Kids Inc. as the only Disney shows to be spotlighted by the magazine.
This episode reportedly was to feature a return to the show by Aaron Carter, but since the relationship between him and Hilary was over, the "new man" in her life, Frankie Muniz, stepped into the guest star role
Filming dates: March 20-24, 2002. The clapboard on the blooper reel at the end of the show is dated March 20. Another clapboard shown on the "Behind the Scenes" segment that was made about this episode and shown frequently was dated March 22.
In a May 2000 interview in Nickelodeon Magazine, Frankie Muniz said that most of his fans call him "Malcolm." In the show, however, the students that swamp Frankie at lunch call him "Frankie."
On the "set" of Frankie's movie "Rosen's Deal," a clapboard is seen with the names of director Savage Steve Holland and cameraman John Newby on it. These are the real-life guys who directed and shot this episode of Lizzie.
Music includes the song "Juliet," a 2001 single from the singing group LMNT.
When Lizzie is on the set of Frankie's new television movie in the background one can see Jeremy Bargiel (one of the show's writers and sometime actor) sitting in a chair talking with others. It does not appear that he is in his customary role as one of Sam's softball buddies.
After Lizzie gets the idea to dress Gordo up as Frankie to distract all of the screaming fans, Gordo says, "I hate Lizzie." This is, no doubt, the only time Gordo has ever said anything of the sort, and one of the few times he has said anything negative about Lizzie.
Once again, Mr. Dig is identified as a substitute teacher. The man must be the most hired substitute in the history of public education!
The car you see on "Rosen's Deal" movie set is really Frankie Muniz's car. It is the car he bought from the 2001 move The Fast and The Furious.
A bit of continuity, Gordo mentions a foot problem he had earlier in the summer. He also mentioned visiting a podiatrist (foot doctor) in the episode "Come Fly With Me."
This episode is on Vol. 3 of the Lizzie McGuire DVD Collection entitled Star Struck, released on Mar. 16, 2004.

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47. Inner Beauty
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny Onasis) Travis Payne (Stern Teacher)

Miranda and Lizzie are rehearsing dance steps for a music video Gordo is making. During a break he makes an offhand remark about how much snack food Miranda is putting away. The next day at school Gordo shows the girls some still photos he took the day before. Miranda, already puting pressure on herself to make better grades and improve herself, reacts unreasonably to one picture, saying that she looks terribly fat, even though Lizzie and Gordo assure she's not at all. Later at lunch Miranda, quite unlike herself, doesn't eat anything. At the McGuire house afterwards, the trio is rehaersing for the video again. Miranda grows faint and almost passes out in front of Mrs. McGuire. Miranda assures everyone that she's alright, but Lizzie is still concerned. When Lizzie tries to talk to her later, Miranda is very unresponsive and uncooperative.

Lizzie talks to her mom about Miranda, saying that she's especially concerned about her new eating habits. Jo McGuire agrees to talk to Miranda and her mom in a few days if the situation continues. Gordo is concerned about Miranda too, and when she shows up for a video shoot in a sullen and depressed mood, he and Lizzie talk to her about what they think is wrong. Miranda admits that she has been feeling a lot of pressure lately with schoolwork, grades, planning her future, etc. She tells her friends that how much she ate was one area of her life that it seemed she had complete control over, but now she realizes that she went overboard. With things back on track, Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo complete their music video.

Also, it seems that Matt has been encouraged at school to believe that he has great artistic potential. Mr. and Mrs. McGuire are surprised to hear this, but they try their best to support his artistic endeavors. But that gets hard to do when Matt, with Lanny's help, trashes the house with his "artistic" creations, ending up by using the family car as a canvas!

b: 30-Aug-2002 pc: 208 w: Melissa Gould d: Mark Rosman

NOTE: Music includes: *"Us Against The World" by Play, which is heard in the video and rehearsal scenes. The song is included on the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack album. It was also previously used in "The Courtship of Miranda Sanchez." *"A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy. It's playing when Matt and Lanny are going through the junkyard. This disco instrumental adaptation of the famous first movement of Ludwig Van Beethoven's Symphony Number 5 hit the top of the charts in 1976. It was the only hit for the arranger Murphy. *Overture to The Barber of Seville, portions of which are heard when Matt is painting Lanny. It was written by Italian opera composer Gioaccino Rossinni, who is famous for his stirring opera overtures, in 1816. (He also wrote the William Tell Overture, familiar to millions as the Lone Ranger theme.) *The "Ode to Joy" section from the fourth movement of Beethoven's Symphony Number Nine, played when Matt is presenting his parents with his new works of art. Also one of the most famous of Beethoven's works and one of the best-known pieces of classical music. Unusual for a symphony because it uses solo vocalists and a chorus.
Lizzie and Miranda both wear chokers with their first initial on them.
Filming dates: November 4-7, 2001.
The music video Gordo directs and Lizzie and Miranda perform in is entitled "Detention." The video's ID tag says "Rosman Records." Mark Rosman is the director of this episode.
Lanny's last name is listed in the credits as Onasis. If the Lizzie episodes had been shown in the order they were filmed, this would have been the first mention of Lanny's last name. But it had already appeared in the credits for "Just Friends" (ep. 39, production no. 218) and it was used in the dialog of "In Miranda Lizzie Does Not Trust" (ep. 41, prod. #212).
Miranda wears a shirt with a "word search" puzzle design.
Sam McGuire asks if Matt snuck into the kindergarten class to take a nap again. This is a reference to "Bad Girl McGuire," in which Matt had no bedtime and was staying up too late, then was taking naps at school.
In the "music video" footage near the end, Hilary Duff (as Lizzie) does two consecutive head-over-heels flips, apparently without a double!
Even though this episode is concerned with eating disorders, the word "anorexia" is never used.
The outfit Lizzie wore for the video won in the "Lizzie McGuire's Most Fashion Forward" category on "A Raven New Year's Eve", hosted by the cast of That's So Raven.
The choreography for the "Detention" video was done by southern California dancer Nicole Bastidas, who is only 16.
Sam's vehicle is a 2000 Volvo V40 Turbo Wagon although it's a little hard to tell from the side view and with all the paint Matt put on it. It is also seen in the episode "Aaron Carter's Coming to Town."
In one scene where Sam and Jo are discussing Matt, Sam can be seen using a Gateway notebook computer. It can also be seen in the episode "A Gordo Story."

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48. Movin' On Up
gs: Christian Copelin (Lanny) Vanessa Sapien (Wheelchair Student) Joy Lauren (Cheerleader) Willie Green (Student)

Gordo has received some big news: he has the chance to skip the eighth grade and start high school immediately. When Lizzie and Miranda hear this, they strongly encourage him to do it, saying high school is so much cooler than junior high. But Gordo isn't sure about it, and when he points out that a move to high sachool will split up the trio, the girls all of a sudden have something serious to think about too. Lizzie and Miranda now decide they don't want their best friend leaving them, but they are shocked when they find Gordo cleaning out his locker the next day--he's going to high school. Miranda recovers quickly and wishes him the best, but Lizzie is clearly stunned and her alter ego Toon Lizzie urges her to say something to Gordo to try to make him stay, but she doesn't.

On Gordo's first day at high school, Lizzie is still terribly troubled by his absence. Miranda is more realistic. She'll miss him too, but she knows it's what he wants and it's something that is good for him. For his part, Gordo has a rough time in his new school, not academically, but socially, one of his problems being that he's about a head and a half shorter than most everyone else. After being taken advantage of by a high schooler who sells him a fake elevator pass, he heads home on the bus, and is surprised to find Lizzie waiting for him at his stop. When she asks how his day went, he tells her everything was fine. Again Lizzie is dying to tell Gordo how she feels about his leaving, but she doesn't. Later at her house, Lizzie talks to Miranda, still unable to come to terms with Gordo's absence. Unexpectedly, Gordo drops in and tells the girls he's not going to stay in high school. The girls are glad, but Lizzie presses him to tell her why. Gordo gives several reasons before finally telling Lizzie what she wants to hear--that he misses her and Miranda. The three friends seem to be closer than ever before.

Meanwhile, Matt and Lanny plan to try out for the cheerleading squad at school. Matt's dad Sam, perhaps feeling a bit insecure after his wife Jo fixed the kitchen sink when he couldn't, is not so sure this is a "manly" enough venture for his son, so he tries taking him on several "male bonding" adventures, which of course end up disastrously. When Matt and Lanny arrive for the tryouts, they're told there is only one spot open for a boy, but they audition as a pair anyway. The boys do a spectacular routine (and no, Lanny doesn't cheer out loud!), but rather than split up their duo, both of them refuse the spot on the squad.

b: 13-Sep-2002 pc: 202 w: Nina G. Bargiel & Jeremy J. Bargiel d: Mark Rosman

NOTE: Music includes:
*"Macho Man" by the Village People, who were a popular singing group in the late 1970's. The band was formed by a French producer who got the idea after seeing costumed young men in gay discos in New York. The Village People always appeared in costume, as a construction worker, a policeman, a biker, a military man, an American Indian, and a cowboy. "Macho Man" was their first hit, and though it only rose to #25 on the charts in September 1978, it ended up selling over a million copies. It's heard when Sam and Matt are doing their "male bonding" thing.
*"Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. This is an unusually straightforward ballad for R.E.M., the Athens, Georgia-based band who were the kings of alternative and