In the late 1970s, 14-year-old Brett and April take on the bullies at their junior high by exacting the appropriate retribution. No one knows who they are, just their nicknames, Rubber and Glue, but the principal is determined to stop their shenanigans before things escalate and total anarchy reigns over the school.
In the pilot, Brett and April, known to their peers as Rubber and Glue, get even with a boy who teased a gay kid, at Abraham Lincoln Junior High in the late 1970s. But this isn't their first caper, and Carla Wexler, the principal, is determined to catch the pair before their pranks escalate to something much more sinister. In the meantime, Brett is cornered in the local market by some bullies, not knowing that he is Glue, and proceed to cover him in ketchup and mustard when he attempts to flee on one of their skateboards and is unsuccessful. While Rubber and Glue go after the leader of the bullies, Principal Wexler enlists the aid of another troublemaker in hopes of luring out Rubber and Glue and capturing them.
Character DrivenPeriodPsychologicalRevengeThrillerTime Period: 20th CenturyStory Location: USASpecial Effects: Minimal SFXTarget Audience: Teenagers
Seems like dark-themed shows are really all the rage now, and this one is definitely in that genre. Plus, I think EVERYONE, adult or youngster, knows what it's like to be bullied and teased and feel hopeless to do anything about it. The audience can live vicariously through these two characters, who, while flawed, have a black-and-white sense of right and wrong. This is meant to be a limited series, and I liked placing it in the '70s, early '80s because I went to junior high and high school during this time and really liked the period, just not some of the unwanted issues... like being bullied and teased.
It also deals with some taboo issues like incest and open marriages and how these things would have to be kept secret for fear of losing one's job, in the case of Principal Wexler. With Rubber and Glue, we're teased for a while as to what their relationship really is, but the implication is that initially, they may be related, which could explain why they move from foster home to foster home once their taboo relationship is discovered.
