6teen/The Big Sickie

The Big Sickie
Season 1, Episode 2
Airdate	November 14, 2004
Written by	Sean Cullen
Directed by	Karen Lessmann
← 1x01 Take This Job and Squeeze It	1x03 → The Slow and Even-Tempered
6teen — Season One

The Big Sickie is the second episode of the first season of 6teen.

Guest Stars:

Plot Overview

While Jude visits with Caitlin at the Big Squeeze, Stanley the brat comes along and uses his nerf-ball gun to shoot at Caitlin and make fun of the lemon hat she wears. Cait retaliates by telling Stanley that he will never get back his nerf-balls for what he has done, when Stanley's mother comes by and makes Cait give the balls back, essentially rewarding her son for his bad behavior, before she and Stanley (who sticks his tongue out at Caitlin and fires another shot at her) walk off. Caitlin laments having to work at the lemonade stand when a jittery Wyatt drops in with his morning coffee. When Jude asks what the matter is, Wyatt tells him that there is a week-long sale on country music CDs going on at Spin This and, due to being subjected to hearing nothing but country music played at the store the whole time and because of his hatred of that genre, it has driven him to distraction. When Caitlin asks Wyatt how many coffees he's had, he says he is onto his fourth one and adds that he needs it due to not getting any sleep the night before because he was afraid to have a dream he once had about a cowboy coming to get him for running off with his wife in the dream. As he continues his story, Wyatt turns around and suddenly freaks out in mid-sentence as he sees a cowboy—who looks like the same one from his dream—causing Wyatt to run away in fear.

Later on, Caitlin reassures Wyatt about his dream, telling him that not all cowboys are out for him, when Jen runs up in a hurry and requests a lemon whip, saying that she may get in trouble at the Penalty Box if she runs late for work. Nikki comes by and takes a seat as she greets Jen and Wyatt, but when Caitlin says hi, Nikki ignores her. Jen then explains about her situation, telling the gang that she just got off probation at work and that if she's late, Coach Halder will put her back on. When Caitlin tells Jen that Halder should have no reason to put her on probation because she is Halder's best employee, Nikki mocks Cait's way of speaking. Jen explains that the reason she ended up on probation is because she had folded sweatshirts instead of putting them on the rack, drawing a sardonic comment from Wyatt concerning Halder's methods of discipline for a relatively trivial action. Caitlin finishes making the lemon whip and hands it to Jen, who takes a sip and promptly spits it back out, giving it a poor review because of the drink's sour taste, and Caitlin explains that she has not yet learned how to make lemon whips from the store's manual. Jonesy then arrives and, after Nikki pokes fun at the outfit he is wearing (a straw hat and a cane), he asks the gang what's wrong and they tell him that they hate their work. Jonesy then reveals that he has a new job at The Galleria's indoor amusement park and he offers to get his friends in for free, to take a "mental health day" off from work. While most of the gang take up Jonesy's offer, Jen is the only one who refuses, reminding him about her getting off probation and adding that she could get fired if she is caught. Jude then attempts to change Jen's mind by delivering an inspirational speech about the sick day which draws applause from bystanders, but Jen leaves to go to work halfway through Jude's long-winded speech. Wyatt, Jude, Nikki and Caitlin then arrange to go make their excuses to get off work for the day at their jobs and meet back at the food court at 10:30 a.m.

At the Khaki Barn, Nikki walks in and tersely tells The Clones that she is taking the day off, saying that she has a "friend" who comes to town once a month and that she doesn't "enjoy her visits" because they drive her crazy, before walking back out and leaving the scared Clones behind. At Spin This, Wyatt feigns shell shock from listening to country music all week long when a co-worker, Chad, asks what's up and Wyatt explains. An understanding Chad helps Wyatt to his feet and tells him that he has been down the same road himself as the one-time new guy at the store, then tells Wyatt to go home and put his favorite bands on his stereo for musical therapy, giving Wyatt the chance to make his escape. At the Stick It food court kiosk, Jude dresses up a department store mannequin and sits it in a chair behind the sales counter before he leaves. After conference calling each other on their phones, Nikki, Jude, Wyatt and Caitlin meet back at the Big Squeeze while talking with Jonesy, but Caitlin notices Jen is missing and she decides to call her at work. Over at the Penalty Box, Jen helps out a nerdy customer with buck teeth regarding a sale when the gang calls her, but Jen still refuses to join them at the amusement park. Nikki refuses to give up, however, and she cooks up a plan with the rest of the gang to get Jen to join them for their sick day.

Back at the Khaki Barn, Nikki comes in with Caitlin and tells the intimidated Clones that her "friend" told her she needs shopping therapy, so she decides to use her store employee discount to get some items and declares that the discount is 90%. At an engraving store, Jude and Wyatt get name tags engraved as part of Nikki's plan and then visit a dollar store to get cheap sunglasses for their disguises. At Stick It, a customer, thinking that Jude's mannequin is a clerk at the kiosk, repeatedly requests service from the unresponsive "employee". While Jude and Wyatt get changed in the "loathsome washroom", Nikki again makes fun of how Caitlin talks, prompting Cait to call Nikki on her less-than-friendly attitude toward her. Nikki cuts Caitlin off by criticizing her for coming into their lives like an "insta-friend", adding that Nikki has a history with Jude, Wyatt, Jonesy and Jen while she barely knows Caitlin. Wyatt and Jude then emerge from the washroom dressed up as paramedics and Nikki checks them out, approving the disguises but asking where their name tags are. When Jude realizes that the tags were left back in the washroom, he and Wyatt are forced to go back into the decrepit facility to get them, making Nikki and Caitlin laugh before they head off to implement Nikki's plan to retrieve Jen.

Back at the Penalty Box, Halder answers the store phone and Nikki requests to speak to Jen, pretending to be Jen's "sister" named "Vikki" and claiming that there is a family emergency and that Jen is needed at the hospital because her aunt has suffered a bad fall and hit her head. Halder is initially suspicious because Jen made no mention of a sister on her application form and he has doubts about the emergency in question, but Nikki manages to pull a fast one on the gullible Penalty Box manager as Halder calls Jen over to take the call. When Jen answers, Nikki is at the other end and tells her that she and Caitlin have come to spring her from work, but Jen steadfastly resists and tells her to leave her alone, then Nikki responds by telling Jen that she needs the sick day more than she realizes. Nikki then calls Jude and Wyatt to come to the store while Caitlin stalls for time, using her mascara brush to poke herself in the eye to induce tears, then runs into the Penalty Box and, putting on a fake Southern drawl and pretending to cry, gets on her knees and begs Jen to go visit her "Aunt Beryl". While an impressed Nikki watches with binoculars from outside the store and then is relieved to see Jude and Wyatt finally arrive, Caitlin continues to ham it up and cries more as she sees the "paramedics" arrive with a stretcher. Wyatt announces that he and Jude have arrived to take Jen to see her aunt, and despite Jen's protests as she gets put on the stretcher and restrained, Halder relents and allows Jen to leave, telling her that some things are more important than work at certain times. Just then, Jonesy calls the store and, while pretending to be Jen's father, inadvertently sabotages Nikki's plan by telling Halder that Jen is needed at home to clean up the house after a food fight, causing a suspicious Halder to go find out what is really going on.

The gang, with Jen now joining them, arrive at the amusement park and are let in by Jonesy, and they have a good time as they play games at the arcade area, ride the Vomit Comet roller coaster (with only Caitlin remaining behind while the rest of the gang rides) and stuff themselves with cotton candy and corn dogs at the concession area. During their escapade, Jen quickly comes around and joins in on the fun, even scoring a teddy bear as a prize for winning at throwing darts, and she admits to her friends that she is glad they convinced her to join them. Just then, while Jen talks to the gang, Halder comes up behind her, listens and becomes furious over her speech as Jonesy and company try to get the oblivious Jen to look behind her, which she finally does when she sees Halder's hand reach from behind her and pick out a piece of her cotton candy. Halder immediately puts Jen back on probation and chastizes her for skipping work, telling her she is lucky not to be fired. After Jen sheepishly admits to her mistake and Halder leaves, Jen turns around and says to the gang that she'd love to ride the Vomit Comet again. Later at the Big Squeeze, Nikki welcomes Caitlin into the gang, praising her for her part in the plan to convince Jen to join her friends on their sick day; Caitlin then reveals how she pulled off her performance—she once wanted to be a soap opera star, causing Nikki to roll her eyes.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• Caitlin's reason for not riding the roller coaster with the rest of the gang is later revealed in "The Sushi Connection"
• Nikki's act in pretending to be Jen's sister over the phone to Coach Halder subsequently led to a sister for Jen getting introduced into the show later in the first season when Courtney is first mentioned in "Deck the Mall", then is officially introduced in "It's Always Courtney, Courtney, Courtney!"

Characters

• Tricia makes two very brief non-speaking appearances in this episode

Trivia

Allusions and References

• Nikki's comment about having a "friend" coming to see her once a month and pointing out that those visits "drive her crazy" are thinly veiled allusions to premenstrual syndrome
• The name on Wyatt's paramedic name tag, John Gage, refers to the paramedic character played by Randolph Mantooth on the 1970s medical drama series Emergency!

Memorable Moments

• Jude and Wyatt arriving as paramedics and strapping Jen onto the stretcher