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"Shoes of Destiny" is the first segment of the second episode of season one of The Weekenders and the third episode of the series overall. It was paired with "Sense and Sensitivity" and originally aired on March 4, 2000, on ABC.

Synopsis[]

Carver has always wanted to be popular, though despite his best attempts, could never manage to get noticed. The gang decides to help Carver study Bree and Colby, two of the popular kids, in order to help him be more like them, in hopes that it will improve his chances of becoming popular.

Plot[]

The episode begins with Tino explaining to the viewer of how Carver's need to be cool has had him wanting to be one of the cool kid his whole life with zero success. Tino shares his theory that a small part of the brain is concerned with being cool, and Carver's just happens to be inflated. He muses that Carver might be lucky this weekend before boarding the bus ride to the mall.

While standing next to his seated friends, Carver brings up picture day because he's confident that this year, he'll be standing with the cool kids, shocking his friends since doing so will make Carver or anyone cool for the whole year. Carver wants to become C.A.R.P., which stands for everything he wants to be: Cool and radically popular. His friends don't hold a lot of faith in his goals since he's never succeeded before, but Carver is determined to make it happen.

They arrive at the mall and find that the cool kids, Bree and Colby, are also there. Tino explains to the viewers that for the cool kids, he and his friends don't exist and even places Cool-O-Vision glasses on the screen to allow the viewers to see life through the cool kids' eyes. The group disappear, although the frozen yogurt Lor is holding remains visible. When the cool kids pass the group, Carver strikes poses and greets them. Bree and Colby stop to claim they heard nothing, though Bree is now craving a frozen yogurt.

This frustrates Carver, so Tish tells him he needs something flashy and with style so the cool kids will notice him. As she's speaking, Carver notices a pair of shoes on display behind her. He believes these shoes will allow him to be C.A.R.P. and that he needs them, which Lor finds ridiculous. He buys them anyway, and when he puts them on, his friends are awed by him in his new shoes.

Tish notices that the cool kids approach them again. This time, they notice Carver and his shoes when they walk past by them. This pleasantly surprises his friends, since the cool kids refuse to acknowledge anyone. However, Tino wonders if Carver will abandon his friends by being too cool for them. He imagines himself as a fan asking for Carver's autograph and having to explain that he is a friend to a bodyguard. Carver stops the bodyguard, but then requests that Tino be made into a pair of boots. Of course, Tino knows he's exaggerating, but he remains worried.

Tino comes home to talk to his mom, and though the subject is old news, his mom understands that Tino is worried that Carver's coolness will cause their friendship to become stagnant. Ms. Tonitini reminds Tino that he and Carver have been friends since they were five, and he needs "to trust that that means something to [Carver]." If not, Carver will return to them in the end. Tino thanks her for making him feel better and Ms. Tonitini then says he can go clean his room.

At the beach, Tino is surveilling the cool kids with his binoculars. He, Lor, and Tish are studying Bree and Colby so that Carver can perfect their mannerisms. Carver perfects the "cool kid shrug", and they then head to the mall to choose clothes that will give Carver the "cool kid look". Then at the park, Tish measures how wide the cuffs on a pair of jeans must be, since all microscopic detail is important. At Tino's house, Carver displays the new him in his new outfit. They all congratulate him, though Tino's friends leave when Ms. Tonitini suggests a group hug.

Lor, Tino, and Tish watch Bree and Colby from a rooftop as they walk across the street. Carver stands on the corner waiting for them; he signals them with a shrug and joins them. Lor, Tino, and Tish cheer for him and Tino waits for the other two to realize that Carver can't hang with them while he's being cool. Once they do, Tino states that they had to help him even if what he wanted didn't include them.

Meanwhile, Carver and the cool kids spend time walking silently around the mall and leaning against walls. Naturally, Carver gets a bit bored and asks if that's all they do all day. The day passes with them leaning against a tree and walls.

They are leaning against a counter in the pizzeria when Lor, Tino, and Tish enter. Lor greets them but retracts it when she remembers she shouldn't be talking to him. As the three sit and Tino begins to try to catch almonds in his mouth, Bree and Colby admit that they do, in fact, do something other lean against walls: mock people they deem to be below them. They both begin to mock Carver's friends for having fun, and when Bree asks Carver if he’s going to mock those "geeks", Carver tells them that they are his friends. The cool kids leave him.

That evening at sunset on Tino's balcony, Carver admits that being with the cool kids was boring. Tish then tries to share a quote from Shakespeare, reminding Lor and Tino that they forgot to do their homework. They leave to do so. Before Carver leaves, Tino thanks him for sticking with his friends.

Tino wonders if Carver truly learned the episode's lesson and says he may return to trying to become one of the cool kids again. He decides that the "cool part" of Carver's brain is a little smaller than he thought and his "friends part" isn't so little. He asks the viewer not to share his brain theory since he doesn't want to be seen as crazy. He says goodbye to the viewer with "Later, days!". On Monday, the cool kids stand far away from the rest of the class while Carver, Lor, Tish, and Tino stand together.

Cast[]

Trivia[]

  • Pizza Place: Pizzas of Eight 
  • Moral: Don't let pride get the better of you.
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