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Lizzie McGuire Season 2 Episode 32

My Dinner with Dig

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AIRED: 8/15/03

Lizzie is in a tizzy--she casually mentions to Mr. Dig at lunch one day that he should eat more home-cooked, well-balanced meals, and somehow she ends up inviting him to dinner! She's in a panic at the idea of having to deal with a teacher outside of school, and sure enough the dinner with Mr. Dig starts out disastrously. But the next day at school she tells Gordo and Miranda that the evening actually turned out well. As a matter of fact her father Sam and "Digby" seem to have struck up a friendship. Her mind changes, though, when to her horror, her dad actually shows up at school to exchange CD's with his new buddy! Meanwhile Matt has his own problems. He, Melina and his classmates are all being terrorized by their teacher Ms. Chapman, who seems to always be in a bad mood of late. Matt and Melina decide that she needs to get a life outside of the classroom to make her a more relaxed person, so to that end Matt invites her over for dinner at his house one evening. Lizzie is freaked out by Mr. Dig hanging around their house bonding with her father, so she tries her best to "break them up," but to no avail. She talks to her mother about the problem. Jo McGuire agrees that the situation is awkward for Lizzie and says she'll talk to her husband about it. But Lizzie then realizes that her father deserves to be able to pick out and enjoy his own friends too, so she determines to put up with Mr. Dig. When Ms. Chapman arrives at the McGuire home for dinner, she appears to be very stiff and formal, but once she hears that Digby Sellers is going to be their also, she gets very enthusiastic. And once Mr. Dig arrives, some old romantic sparks begin to fly again between the couple. They blow off dinner with the McGuires and leave together, solving Lizzie's problem about Mr. Dig spending too much time at her house.moreless

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Fan Episode Reviews (1)

Everyone Digs Mr. Dig!

4.8

By The_Match_Maker, Feb 14, 2006

An average episode I suppose. Certainly nothing to write home about. But a few recent trends stick out to the observant viewer.

For example, Hilary (Lizzie) and Lalaine (Miranda) don’t share a scene alone together—but yet again Hilary and Adam (Gordo) do (multiple times). Perhaps more subtle proof of backstage turmoil?

And while on that, Gordo and Miranda play a very small part in this episode. Mostly they are used as “props” to which Lizzie can pour out her feelings as opposed to offering opinions of their own.

As for the plot, it would appear unanimous: Jo’s considered a great cook! This despite her near legendary failure at preparing Beef Stroganoff and Chicken Noodle Casserole.

Mr. Dig, being a bachelor, obvious knows not how to cook. Thus, to ensure his survival he lives on fast food (what, he can’t afford to eat at a sit down restaurant?). Someone get this guy a table at the Olive Garden! *LOL*

Feeling sorry for him, Lizzie inadvertently invites him over to her house for dinner (Mmmmm, meatloaf). Though in doing so she thinks a valid point that *all* students have thought throughout the history of public education: That students should never see teachers outside of school! The invisible wall that separates one’s home life with one’s school life is sacrosanct, and should never be pierced. But alas, for Lizzie, it will be.

Though, to be fair, one has to wonder why Lizzie sees Mr. Dig every day at school. As this episode points out, he’s “just” a *substitute* teacher! Teaching at Hillridge Junior High must be a hazardous job—they are always in need of a sub to fill in for one teacher or another! What do these people do, moonlight as extreme sports stars?!? ;-)

While not necessarily putting their best foot forward, the McGuire’s hit it off with Mr. Dig (whose first name is used for perhaps only the second time in this series). In fact, Mr. Dig and Sam find they share the same taste in music, and a bond is formed. And thus Lizzie’s “problems” begin. The idea of seeing her (substitute) teacher over at her house, hanging out with her dad, is too much for her.

But Jo (doing what she does best) makes Lizzie realize (in an oh-so-backhand manner) that her father is allowed to have friends as well, just like she does, and they have the right to come over, just like hers do.

This little bit of parenting by Jo is so much a part of what makes this series as a whole great that it just can’t go without mentioning. Jo is the quintessential television mom. Heck, she’s the quintessential mom period!

As for the subplot, it ends up merging with the main one this time out.

Ms. Chapman, Matt’s teacher, has suddenly gone rigid and uptight. As Matt makes a point to say, she used to not be like that, but now she runs the class like a dictator. Everyone is suffering. It’s so bad that Melina, the original hard case, little Miss Trouble, is shaking in her shorts, fearful of what her teacher will do next! Never have we seen her so scared! The mighty Melina shaken… Unbelievable.

Taking a page from Lizzie’s book, Matt decides to invite Ms. Chapman over for dinner; in the hopes that she and Jo will strike up a friendship, and thus lighten up in class. Unfortunately, Ms. Chapman’s a hard case. She doesn’t eat meat. She doesn’t eat carbohydrates. She eats her salads without dressing. Things look to be going badly until Mr. Dig shows up.

Who knew that he and Ms. Chapman know each other from school? Or that he was her inspiration to become a teacher in the first place?

Get a load of how she “digs” Mr. Dig! Cranky attitude? Frustrated over little details? Why, classic symptoms; all she needed was a man! A dangerous buildup of certain, ah, shall we say “urges” that only a man could help, er, “relieve” as it were. ;-)

Anyway one slices it, Matt got his wish: Ms. Chapman *instantly* mellowed out.

A “filler” episode at its heart, and an okay one at that. Though in retrospect one does start to wonder at Lalaine’s (Miranda’s) constant “estrangement” from the rest of the cast visually.

But, other than that, an average episode, if not a bit light on plot.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Robert Carradine	Sam McGuire
Hallie Todd	Jo McGuire
Hilary Duff	Lizzie McGuire
Jake Thomas	Matt McGuire
Lalaine	Miranda Sanchez
Adam Lamberg	David "Gordo" Gordon

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Carly Schreoder	Melina Bianco	Guest Star
Tonya Rowland	Jasmine Chapman	Guest Star
Arvie Lowe	Mr. Dig	Recurring Role
Robin Simpson	Kid in Matt's class (uncredited)	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (10)
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- When Mr. Dig goes to the McGuire house and presents himself to Sam and Jo, he says, "Digby Sellers, nice to meet you.", and Toon Lizzie says, "Digby Sellers?! No! You're Mr. Dig! Mr. Dig!" However, in the episode "Last Year's Model" when Lizzie ran into Mr. Dig inside a classroom, if you look closely at the upper right corner of the board behind the teacher's desk, in chalk is written, "Digby Sellers or call me DIG." She spent more than a minute in that room and yet did not notice it. Also, Mr. Dig was her substitute in other episodes, so it's very likely he would have written that in her other classes. [Ed. As a matter of fact, something similar can be seen on the board in the episode "Educating Ethan."]
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- When Matt asks Melina if he can borrow a pen, and Ms. Chapman comes over, Matt's notebook is open to a page divider but when it shows Ms. Chapman and then back to Matt, his notebook is open to paper.
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- The CD Sam says he had trouble finding and brings to school is the one which says "Saucer People" on it. Yet in the montage of photos of the dinner, Mr. Dig can be seen holding it.
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- After Ms. Chapman tells the class to clear their desks, the desk of the girl behind Matt can be seen with books on it and without books over a series of four shots.
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- Nitpick: When Lizzie is talking to her parents about inviting Mr. Dig to dinner, she says "have" twice: "I should have never have invited him to dinner."
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- When Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda are talking to Mr. Dig about how good Lizzie's mom's food is, a girl in flowered pants walks behind Mr. Dig to a table. In the very next shot of Mr. Dig the same girl repeats the same actions.
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- Lizzie tells her mom that she saw pictures of when her parents first met doing roller disco, but in the episode, "Bye, Bye Hillridge Junior High" Lizzie's dad tells her that he met her mom during the first day of freshman year.
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- Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo all agree that Jo McGuire is a great cook. That's the opposite impression that we've gotten from episodes like "Working Girl" (where Lizzie lies about how much she likes her mom's beef Stroganoff, then Toon Lizzie says it smells like an old shoe), "My Fair Larry" (in which the mention of Jo's Stroganoff practically makes Matt, Melina, Moe and Marge run from the house) and "When Moms Attack" (in which Sam and Matt won't touch the leftover chicken noodle casserole despite how hungry they are). Although it is possible these dishes are simply the things she doesn't do well.
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- A nitpick: Mr. Dig asks Lizzie if she wants a soda from the refrigerator, but he returns with ice tea, hey it says nitpicks.
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- When Sam pours the dressing on the salad he clearly empties the bottle, but in the next shot he shakes the bottle and it can be seen that there is still dressing in it.
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QUOTES (7)
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- Gordo: The planets must be mis-aligned or something. Mr. Dig's at your house, your dad's at our school, it's not normal.
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- Toon Lizzie: Is it time for him [Mr. Dig] to go yet?
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- Miranda: You mean all you eat is fast food?
  Mr. Dig: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
  Gordo: You're my hero.
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- Toon Lizzie (about Gordo): If I didn't like him so much, I'd hate him.
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- Matt: I gotta call Lanny and tell him that Miss Chapman has a first name!
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- Sam: Well, you just hang in there, son. Maybe her bad mood'll go away. Women are funny that way.
  Jo: Hey!
  Sam: What? Aren't ya?
  Jo: Yeah.
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- Toon Lizzie: Did I just invite Mr. Dig to dinner? But you're not supposed to see you teachers outside of school! It's like seeing Santa in blue jeans.
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NOTES (13)
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- The director of this episode, Rusty Russ, is also listed on IMDb.com as William Russ.
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- For the second time Sam visits Lizzie's school, he was also there in the episode "Obsession."
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- When Matt's teacher is at the house for dinner she says "Digby, what Digby?" which is a reference to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby in which a character asks "Gatsby, what Gatsby?"
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- This episode aired before the new Disney Channel Original Movie The Cheetah Girls starring Raven, and after that movie was the premiere of the new music video "Circle of Life" by the Circle of Stars (which featured stars of shows such as Even Stevens, That's so Raven, Lizzie McGuire, Smart Guy and others). Following the rebroadcast of the movie, from 11:39 PM to 12:00 AM, this episode was broadcast again commercial free; marking the first time an episode of LM was rebroadcast since Disney changed its schedule. This was also likely the first time an episode has been seen without commercials.
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- The title of this episode was taken from the 1981 film My Dinner with Andre, directed by Louis Malle and starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn. That film consists entirely of one long conversation by two men over dinner in a restaurant.
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- Mr. Dig's full name, Digby Sellers, is used for the first time in this episode. However, he had already been listed as "Mr. Digby Sellers" in the credits for "Last Year's Model" and "Facts of Life" from season one.
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- The title of the CD that Sam loaned to Mr. Dig is Saucer People, an Internet search reveals no such group or CD so it's most likely fictional.
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- Character identification: Ms. Chapman's first name is Jasmine.
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- Matt is called Matthew by Ms. Chapman for only the third time. The other two instances were "I've Got Rhythmic" and "The Rise and Fall of Kate." Incidentally, in "Dear Lizzie" which was filmed two weeks later, Ms. Chapman refers to Matt as Mr. McGuire constantly.
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- Sam refers to Gordo by his first name, David, for the first time.
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- Characters mentioned but not seen: Lanny; Sam's softball buddies Jeremy and David, plus their chimp Fredo. Plus Clark Benson, a classmate of Matt and Melina, he was first seen in "Those Freaky McGuires."
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- The clapboard seen on the blooper reel at the end of the show gives the date of production as May 3, 2002. Which means over fifteen months passed between production and airing. In addition, this was the final episode in which Lalaine (Miranda) was seen.
  The blooper reel also contains a scene of Lizzie and Gordo which was edited out of the final version of the episode.
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- First aired in Australia on May 8, 2003.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Gordo's shirt: While he was talking to phone with Lizzie and Miranda
  On the center of his shirt, you see a Kanji saying "Kuu", which it means "Sky".
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