Rooster Recap: If the Shoe Slips

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The band Phish has a good point when they say, “Whatever you do, take care of your shoes.” It’s advice Greg definitely should have taken on his first day teaching! His new, slick shoes caused all sorts of trouble, including a spilled cup of hot chocolate – a serious offense! But I’m being lenient with Greg because he’s new to the job and everyone else is much more experienced. It reminds me a bit of the movie 40-Year-Old Virgin – Greg is so innocent and kind, while everyone around him seems a little tougher and is quick to judge, make him feel awkward, or offer unwanted advice.

Greg is completely new to this experience, and the show keeps reminding us of that. He’s acting like a typical freshman – feeling homesick, trying to make friends, and stumbling along the way. Luckily, Steve Carell is so likable that his character’s naiveté remains endearing.

Katie is starting to come across as unlikeable. While she’s unaware that Greg secured his current position to help her, she’s been surprisingly harsh towards her dad. For example, she cancelled plans with him at the last minute and unfairly made her teaching assistant take the blame for something she didn’t do. I really liked Katie at the beginning of the series – I enjoyed her quirky and flawed personality – and I’m hoping this is just a phase. However, her behavior is starting to bother me, especially because it’s hurting Greg, and I really want to protect him, even from his own daughter.

Katie is really struggling with her confidence right now. She’s been watching Archie teach, and then went to talk to Dylan, the new dean. When she nervously visited Walt’s office, she jokingly mentioned possibly causing another incident. Despite still learning the ropes of the job, Dylan offered to try and get Katie’s suspension lifted.

Dylan unexpectedly benefits when Dean Riggs collapses after she confronts him about the cancellation of her poetry review. Giving Dylan more responsibility is a good storytelling choice – it allows us to see her challenged by things she usually handles easily, and it’s compelling to watch a genuinely good person deal with difficult situations. Later in the episode, she’s called on to deal with the new, problematic hockey coach (played brilliantly by Scott MacArthur). He’s clearly drunk and publicly berating his players. Their ensuing conversation is lively, with Dylan playfully teasing him and him accusing her of being harsh. We also discover Greg briefly played minor-league hockey for a team with a questionable mascot (it’s hard to believe he didn’t notice how offensive the jersey was!) and still enjoys watching the sport. This raises the question of whether Greg will be asked to get involved with the team, potentially leading to a situation similar to Ted Lasso, but with hockey. It makes you wonder if Steve Carell had a clause in his contract requiring a hockey-related storyline, given his skating ability.

Meanwhile, in a storyline that feels like its own separate show, Sunny is trying to land an internship before her pregnancy becomes obvious. She talks to her roommate about it, but Archie quickly shuts her down, seemingly preoccupied with his own problems. When Sunny suggests Walt as a potential advisor, Archie is strongly against it, remembering how intrusive Walt can be. He recalls a time when Walt overheard Archie mentioning he might want a dog, and Walt immediately showed up with a fully-grown dog named Roscoe. Honestly, I think it’s completely crazy to give someone a pet (or even a plant – anything that needs care) without their permission. I really don’t get why people gift dogs or cats in fancy boxes for holidays or birthdays. Just don’t do it!

Archie really bonded with Roscoe, which was good, because it saved the dog from getting a long and awkward Russian name! Archie loves kissing Roscoe, and when Sunny sends him an article about dog germs, he jokingly says he doesn’t want to read it. Archie has a good week overall, and eventually agrees to help Sunny find a mentor. He first tries to win over Dean Riggs with a nice bottle of wine, but quickly takes it back when Riggs has a health scare. Ultimately, Archie accepts that Sunny will be mentored by Walt. Walt is excited to watch the drama between Sunny, Archie, and Katie, and Sunny is happy to have a mentor who will be honest with her. It seems like these two will make a great team and things are sure to be interesting.

Returning to teaching, Greg is determined to ignore his limited formal education and concentrate on helping his students. He’s remarkably down-to-earth, freely admitting he didn’t go to college, but emphasizing his expertise in writing – he’s published eleven bestselling novels. He still refers to his books as “beach reads,” consistently minimizing his success, which most students find endearing.

Ronnie, the student who challenged Greg about sexism in his books during his first talk, is now in his seminar and seems upset that the instructor has changed. Most of the class is enthusiastic, though. Eva, who made a strong impression last week, is excited about the course—titled ‘The Art of the Page-Turner’—and Tommy and his friend Spooner are fully engaged. Ronnie, however, keeps criticizing Greg, leading him to jokingly call her his “white whale,” a reference to Moby-Dick. This comment gets him a meeting with the administration. Things get even worse when he slips and accidentally grabs a student’s breasts while trying to regain his balance. Luckily, the student understands it was an accident, but Greg’s start to his teaching career is off to a rough patch. I’m concerned about the emphasis on students being overly sensitive. College is a time for young people to find themselves, learn to express their opinions, and challenge those in power, and a liberal arts college provides a safe space to do so. Of course, some will be overly sensitive—they’re still figuring things out!

At the end of the episode, Greg is feeling down and sits at home throwing pennies into a jar – and he’s surprisingly accurate! The jar seems to be his only friend since his divorce; he even brought it with him when he moved from Florida. It’s a sad way to finish the episode, but knowing this is a show by Bill Lawrence, you can expect Greg to make some new friends before long.

Office Hours

When Greg gets back from Florida, he tells Katie that his friends threw him a party. He mentions the cast of Cheers – Sam, Cliff, and Norm – were all there. Katie quickly realizes he’s joking and asks about Coach, and Greg playfully replies that Coach’s character died in the third season of the show. The memory of Coach even appears throughout this episode, which seems like more than just a coincidence.

• “You wrote Grg, bro.” This made me laugh out loud for a very long time.

Cristle is clearly attracted to Greg. It was obvious before, but her comments to the disciplinary committee – calling him a ‘bad boy’ – really gave away her feelings. And it’s easy to see why!

Hi Nancy Carell! I really enjoyed watching your scenes with your husband – it was funny to see him playfully uncomfortable. I hope we see more of Dean Riggs’s wife in future installments of the story.

Is Ludlow College comparable to top-tier liberal arts schools like Swarthmore and Williams? Or would it be more accurately placed among colleges like Skidmore? (And to be clear, I’m a Skidmore graduate and value creative thinking!)

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2026-03-23 05:56