19. Wrong Side of the Tracks

Complete story — includes the ending

Shawn experiences an emotional crisis and becomes deeply disheartened after a girl named Jill dumps him solely because of his family's financial struggles and living situation. Internalizing the rejection, Shawn begins to believe he is destined to be nothing more than "trailer trash." He distances himself from Cory and attempts to shift his social circle by joining Harley Keiner's gang of high school thugs. To prove his allegiance to Harley, Shawn acts out by flooding a school hallway. Much to the dismay of Cory and Mr. Turner, Shawn embraces an "internship" under Harley, skipping classes to loiter in the parking lot. Cory and Mr. Turner frantically try to intervene, forcing Shawn to confront the reality that his self-worth and future are determined by his choices, not his economic status. Turner successfully diffuses a tense confrontation between Harley and Cory, ultimately pulling Shawn back from the wrong path. Meanwhile, Eric lies to a girl named Valerie about his athletic abilities, claiming to be an expert ice skater to secure a date with her. Realizing he cannot skate, Eric seeks help from his best friend, Jason. Jason gives Eric an instructional audio tape to listen to while sleeping, hoping to subliminally teach him the mechanics of the sport. While Eric is asleep, he experiences a vivid, surreal dream sequence where he receives a personal, professional skating lesson from Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan who guest stars as herself. The subliminal tape successfully allows Eric to skate gracefully on his date with Valerie, though it comes with a bizarre, unintended psychological side effect that causes him to avoid eating food afterward. Special guest star: Nancy Kerrigan as herself Guest stars: Jason Marsden as Jason, Blake Soper as Joey, Ethan Suplee as Frankie, Kenny Johnston as Harley Keiner, Khrystee Clark as Valerie, Becky Herbst as Jill, Shay Astar as Mindy Note: Danny McNulty, who portrayed Harley Keiner, was replaced by Kenny Johnston for the role.