Season 8, Episode 4: The Scholarship of the Ring

Episode 4: The Scholarship of the Ring

Smoking weed on the roof, Miller told Gwendolyn Pinchot that he accidentally had sex with Todd Schrader, mistaking him for Sterling Schremerhorn. He explained that he was informing her because he knew he was supposed to tell his partner about his recent sexual activity in case of STDs. He wasn’t sure whether that applied retroactively, since this happened after he slept with Gwen, but just in case…

Owen Tasker was at his locker when class ring salesman Oral Hanks arrived to pitch his goods. When Owen expressed interest in a diamond ring, Oral tried to convince him that “diamondesque” was far superior.

Mr. Huggins congratulated Todd Schrader for bravely coming out of the closet. Insisting that he wasn’t gay, Todd claimed that he was only fighting with Miller when Miller pulled out a pipe. (“A fleshy pipe?”)

Ms. Munsen-Meyer met with Todd’s father, General Rip Schrader, but the General was oblivious to her hints about Todd’s coming-out. Finally, Munsen-Meyer grabbed the General’s bullhorn and announced that Todd was gay. General Schrader snatched back the bullhorn and used it to shout that he had no son.

Oral Hanks was selling class rings by the lockers when Sterling Schremerhorn walked by. He recommended his finest “rubish” ring. Sterling eagerly pulled out her credit card.

Assistant Coach Damon was trading in some food stamps for a meal at the Crash Pad. Sympathetic to his plight, Gwen threw in some extra mayo packets. Suddenly, getting wind of the free mayo, the Fighting Panhandler burst in for a handout. Damon and the Panhandler fought until Damon apparently killed the mascot. Ms. Munsen-Meyer attempted CPR, but it wasn’t until the school fight song started playing that the Panhandler came back to full strength.

Oral Hanks ran into his nephew, Miller. Since they’re family, Oral offered to give Miller a very special ring. (“Nine rings were crafted for the chess club. Three rings were crafted for the student council. But one ring was crafted to rule them all.”) With great fanfare, Oral presented Miller with the One Ring.

In the cafeteria, Owen Tasker told Sterling that he knew she was crazy about him. He explained that he’d seen her looking at him in calculus, but she retorted that she was only trying to cheat off of his papers. Owen swore that he would win her heart once he possessed the most powerful ring of all.

On the roof, Miller was savoring his “precious” new ring. Mr. Huggins arrived to discuss Miller’s encounter with Todd. Believing that Huggins was after his ring, Miller assumed a defensive stance.

Oral Hanks ran into Assistant Coach Damon in the hallway. Impressed by Damon’s style, Hanks offered him a job with Jasten’s, his class-ring company. Hanks explained that he was once a lowly assistant cafeteria worker when a man came through selling cock-rings, and his life was never the same afterwards. Now, he was offering Damon the same opportunity.

Gwen was sobbing in an empty classroom when Sterling entered. Gwen angrily blamed Sterling for her STD, since Sterling’s abstinence caused Miller to have sex with Todd. Sterling countered that Gwen only had her own sluttiness to blame. Unbeknownst to either of them, Ms. Munsen-Meyer was behind the podium and had heard everything.

In Miller’s van, Miller and Todd discussed their situation. Todd insisted that he wasn’t gay…even though they had just had sex again. Unbeknownst to either of them, Mr. Huggins was in the backseat and had heard everything.

Owen Tasker and Assistant Coach Damon were practicing dodgeball in the gym. Struck in the groin by a dodgeball, Owen doubled over and wound up with his face in Damon’s crotch. Unbeknownst to either of them, Mr. Huggins was in the gym and had heard everything.

The Fighting Panhandler was wandering around drunk when General Rip Schrader spotted him. Believing the Panhandler to be some kind of alien being, Schrader invited the mascot to his aircraft carrier. Having lulled it into a sense of security, Schrader ordered his men to fire the tranq-guns.

At the Crash Pad, Gwen was reading a pamphlet about her dilemma (“Gonorrhea: It’s No Clapping Matter”). Ms. Munsen-Meyer arrived to discuss Gwen’s future. Munsen-Meyer assured Gwen that her STD was curable and wouldn’t be held against her…but if Gwen ever wanted to get into a good school, she needed to give up her 27-year-old punk-rocker boyfriend.

In the hallway, Owen Tasker declared his love to Sterling Schremerhorn. She pointed out that “love” doesn’t mean making fake photos of her in compromising positions and then showing them to her dying ex-boyfriend, Lewis von Kemia.

Todd Schrader was walking home when he encountered the Fighting Panhandler, now transformed into a living killing-machine by the US military. Todd was helpless against the Panhandler, but was saved when Miller burst in and put on the One Ring. Unable to see Miller, Todd gasped in awe as the invisible opponent quickly vanquished the Panhandler.

NEXT WEEK: Miller asks Ms. Munsen-Meyer for help.