Ep 17. Be True To Your Elf;Sideways Protest

In Wayside season 1 episode 17, titled "Be True To Your Elf; Sideways Protest," viewers are in for a dual treat. The episode revolves around a set of two short stories, each with its unique set of hilariously relatable narrative.

In the first story, "Be True To Your Elf", Todd, the class president, and Dana, his ineffectual vice-president, team up to make the upcoming school dance a resounding success. A flyer with the theme: "Be True To Yourself" floats around school, inviting everyone to come as their authentic selves. Todd, cognizant of the power of words and their capacity to influence the masses, advises everyone to embrace their true selves and not conform to societal expectations. Dana, on the other hand, connotes the theme to mean being "kooky and weird" and sets about creating her dream costume as a unicorn. Her costume design clashes with Todd's classic suit and tie. As the election for the best costume approaches, the friends resort to trickery and hijinks to put each other down. The episode's climax occurs when Dana's hard work pays off, and her opponent's carefully constructed suit falls apart.

The second story's focus, "Sideways Protest," is on the new substitute teacher, Mr.K, who throws the class into chaos with his bizarre, backwards approach to education that favors detentions over regular lessons. The students share their grievances and come up with the idea to organize a peaceful protest to express their displeasure towards Mr.K's methods. But protests are not allowed on school premises, so they decide to stage a "sideways protest" by sneaking around the school to protest secretly. The group sets a plan in motion, and everything that can go wrong, literally does. A series of hilarious misadventures ensues, but the students stay undeterred and determined to have their voices heard. In a surprising twist, the teacher seems to embrace their protest and turns out to have a connection to a famous "protestor" from the past.

Overall, "Be True To Your Elf; Sideways Protest" presents itself as a vividly imaginative and humorous episode, offering much-needed relief from the everyday mundanity of school life. The episode engages viewers with its witty one-liners and clever character dynamic, while effectively conveying thought-provoking themes of individuality, integrity, and protesting. Like every good Wayside episode, it takes an ordinary event and escalates it to absurd and unexpected levels, leaving viewers on the edge with humorous anticipation.