Tori Tortures Teacher

Tori Tortures Teacher

        Hey. I enjoyed my time with this episode. I hadn't seen it before. 

The main focus on this episode is (as the title would suggest) Sikowitz. For his 10 year anniversary of being a teacher Tori invites him to see a play with the group- however the play ends up being a close reflection of Sikowitz's life through with the protagonist being fraught with depression and self loathing.

   Sikowitz flips through his phone and quietly leaves the play in a way that feels surprisingly real for a children's show.  When something hits you and you try and escape it flipping through old texts and pointless webpages as if to trying to run away from your own introspection and eventually it collapses. Really takes you back.

   So Sikowitz shows up to class noticeably depressed, and after a while we're informed that Sikowitz wasn't made sad by the play, but by a text he received from his girlfriend during the play breaking up with him. The group makes a scheme to find him a new girlfriend, but Sikowitz reveals he's not too shaken by the breakup, but by the loss of his pet "Bunny".

  Tori gets Sikowitz a new bunny only to find out that Bunny is the name of Sikowitz's old cat. She petitions the group to help her find a cat for him; only for the rest of the group to storm off in protest.

There's a B-plot where Trina (and to a lesser extent Cat) work to date some guy who we're told is attractive but doesn't seem particularly good looking. It's alright. 

Oh and there's a C-plot where Beck and Jade are having a texting argument which we never learn the details of. It's clearly just there to give the two characters something to do in this episode, but it works out well.

It's just a good simple episode. The jokes are very connected to the plot (normally they're a bit disjointed) and it's just a solid plotline. Tori for once isn't a monster in this episode and makes a genuine effort to solve a problem that doesn't involve her.  Sikowitz is still eccentric but feels honestly relatable and causes the audience to feel deeply involved in his depression/breakup. It concludes nicely as well, the group is ultimately unsuccessful in 'curing' Sikowitz; but of course why would they be? Sikowitz says  "It's something I'll get over" as he leaves the episode,  the realistic response to his situation. The protagonists do a good job, but ultimately it's just not their battle.

8/10