Ep 12. Bizarro

Mr. D season 4 episode 12, titled "Bizarro," takes place in Xavier Academy, where Gerry Duncan teaches history. Xavier Academy has never seen a substitute teacher like Mr. Pickles, who looks and acts like a doppelganger of Gerry, except that he is much nicer, funnier, and supremely popular with the students. Mr. Pickles is filling in while Gerry is away on a professional development day, and it's becoming abundantly clear that the students prefer Mr. Pickles' approach to teaching over Gerry's.

As the episode progresses, we see how Mr. Pickles is gaining the admiration of all the students, including Gerry's top student, Lisa Mason, who suddenly starts questioning Gerry's teaching methods after learning from Mr. Pickles. Meanwhile, the teachers' staff room is in disarray as Mr. Leung's Chinese New Year preparations are causing a big mess.

Elsewhere, in Ms. Biggs' class, a new student named Gwen arrives who is almost a carbon copy of Trudy Walsh. She looks like Trudy, talks like her, dresses like her, and even has the same mannerisms. Trudy is quite taken aback by this, but it's Ms. Biggs who is initially shocked, and then thrilled when Gwen turns out to be an excellent student. She starts to imagine big dreams for Gwen, like winning the Intel Science competition.

As the day wears on, Gerry starts to realize that he is not as popular with the students as he thought he was. He hears them talking about how they love Mr. Pickles, and he realizes that maybe his old-fashioned teaching style isn't effective anymore. He tries to impress the students by teaching them about history in a more interactive way, but it just doesn't work out.

As the day moves forward, we also see how Mr. Leung's Chinese New Year celebration plans come to fruition, but in the meanest way possible. He forces Gerry to wear an Asian costume, complete with a pig nose and pig ears, which infuriates him to no end.

As the episode reaches its climax, the students' reactions to Mr. Pickles are not unnoticed by the school authorities. They realize that Mr. Pickles is doing an excellent job and decide that he should replace Gerry permanently. However, this doesn't go down well with Gerry, who suddenly realizes how much he loves teaching and can't bear the thought of giving it up.

As the episode wraps up, we see how Gerry finally convinces everyone that he's the right teacher for Xavier Academy and that Mr. Pickles is just a flash in the pan. Trudy finally accepts that Gwen is not a threat and invites her over to her house for dinner, and Ms. Biggs starts to dream of bigger things for Gwen once again.

Overall, Mr. D season 4 episode 12 is an entertaining episode that highlights how even the most confident of teachers can feel threatened by a more popular substitute. The episode also throws light on the importance of keeping up with the changing times and learning to adapt to new teaching methods. The performances by the cast are excellent, and the episode is filled with humor and warmth.