Freaks And Geeks: D&D Moral Alignments Of The Main Characters

Freaks and Geeks has been called one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and justifiably so, given its accurate portrayal of teenagers in the 1980s. Even though it was canceled after 18 episodes, this show provided a host of classic characters, all of whom were underdogs that audiences found themselves rooting for. In fact, many of its cast have had successful careers following the show.

Although each of them was fraught with conflicts at home or school (or both), their personalities were marvelously singular — from music fanatics to mathletes, cheerleaders, and stoners. To that end, here are some of Freaks and Geeks‘ major characters according to their moral dispositions, grading each one with the alignment system used by Dungeons & Dragons.

10 Harold Weir – Lawful Good (Crusader)

Harold Weir is a conventional father of two, Lindsay and Sam, and behaves exactly as one would expect from a member of the Silent Generation (preceding the Baby Boomers). He served in the Korean war, and, as a consequence, expects a similar amount of discipline from his children.

Harold is a typical Crusader: Diligent but compassionate, which is shown when he temporarily “adopts” Nick after his father booted him out. Lindsay is upset that Harold seems to be more supportive of Nick’s drumming, but her father explains that this is because he “expects more from her.”

9 Lindsay Weir – Neutral Good (Benefactor)

Lindsay has always been a gracious person, even after she renounces her academic interests in favor of hanging out with the so-called losers at the school, aka the Freaks. As a Benefactor, Lindsay aims to help people unable to help themselves, such as when she saved her brother, Sam, from being beaten up by a bully (although Sam sees her act of protection through the lens of self-pity).

Lindsay does not display any form of bigotry towards her new friends, accepting that their behavior is a consequence of their upbringing.

8 Kim Kelly – Chaotic Good (Rebel)

Kim does not take well to Lindsay’s entry into the Freaks, regarding it as an intrusion by a person of privilege. However, Kim becomes best friends with Lindsay after she scolds the group for not being concerned about what they will do after high school.

Kim is a Rebel; at home, for instance, where she regularly faces mistreatment at the hands of her mother and stepfather. Her rebellious nature takes her down dark paths, on occasion, as she sees nothing wrong in shoplifting or doing drugs (even on school grounds.)

7 Jean Weir – Lawful Neutral (Judge)

Jean Weir — Sam and Lindsay’s mom — embodies the Judge. While she is a giving person in general (and a devoted wife), her first priority remains the children. Jean expresses her thoughts in the form of organization: She runs the household with a firm but incredibly tender hand.

In no event are either Jean’s husband or kids lacking in anything, be it emotional advice or a delicious home-cooked meal at the dinner table. Although Jean feels that her children’s school life and her own weren’t very different (they were worlds apart), she does work hard to comprehend what Sam and Weir are going through.

6 Ken Miller – True Neutral (Undecided)

Ken Miller is incredibly smart but prefers to direct his intelligence towards sarcastic comedy. Being Undecided, Ken doesn’t really care about anything — it isn’t clear if he even cares deeply about the Freaks. In one episode, he reveals that he plans to inherit his highly profitable family business, sell it, and spend the rest of his life relaxing in Hawaii.

Ken doesn’t like to be categorized as anything, opting to stay in the background, away from most attention. His lack of ambition could also be ascribed to his childhood, considering that his parents were never around, leaving him to be brought up by his nanny.

5 Daniel Desario – Chaotic Neutral (Free Spirit)

If there ever was a Free Spirit, it would be Daniel Desario. He ambles around campus in a perennial stupor of weed and laziness. This casual attitude of his is, in part, the reason for his coolness (the other part being James Franco in a black leather jacket).

Daniel is not aligned with academia; he has failed to graduate for two years in a row. However, the show slowly unravels the reasons for his conduct, suggesting that Daniel only fools around because he has an overwhelming fear that he is unable to do anything right.

4 Sam Weir – Chaotic Neutral (Free Spirit)

Sam is a Geek, displaying traits of shyness and anxiety in the presence of students deemed “popular.” However, he learns to break out of those stereotypes, as audiences see when he streaks through the school halls after Alan locks him out of the locker room buck naked.

This Free Spirit persona of Sam allows him to take risks that none of the other Geeks would have had the guts to — like when he dates Cindy, a cheerleader, or when he invites Daniel to play Dungeons & Dragons with the other Geeks.

3 Coach Ben Fredricks – Lawful Evil (Dominator)

Ben Fredricks is a good-natured gym coach at McKinley High School who exhibits a real love for his job as well as the kids. However, he can be often irresponsible, with a prime example being when he is chatting up a new gym teacher while Alan bullies the Geeks without fear of retribution.

As a Dominator, Fredricks demands that all students in high school take a shower after gym class — a prospect that the Geeks find intensely humiliating, given their insecurities about their still-growing bodies.

2 Karen Scarfolli – Neutral Evil (Malefactor)

In the episode “Kim Kelly Is My Friend,” Karen’s Malefactor personality is shown when she bullies Sam by scrawling “Pygmy Geek” on his locker door, totally oblivious of the body image issues that cause Sam considerable anguish.

Karen does this simply because she is upset with her boyfriend, Ricky, for dumping her and takes her rage out on innocent victims who just happen to be in the way. Unfortunately, Karen is humiliated when her ex-bestie, Kim, spray-paints “slut” on her locker as revenge for messing around with Daniel.

1 Alan White – Chaotic Evil (Destroyer)

Alan White is an aggressive bully that has it out for the Geeks. He beats up Bill and Neal in the first episode when they decide to stand up to him, and even steals Neal’s bike. As a Destroyer, Alan rarely plays fair; in gym class, he and his friends violently hurl dodge balls at the Geeks, with a special focus on Sam.

However, the reason for Alan’s behavior is explained in a later episode, when it is revealed that he hates the Geeks for rejecting him when they were in middle school.

About The Author

Ajay Aravind
(429 Articles Published)

In real life, Ajay disguises himself as an academic, mainly writing textbooks for children — who all hate him for making their lives more miserable. He also writes about TV and film, strewing his opinions across the internet to see if people care (they don’t). You can find him @stain_dprinc_ss on Twitter.

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