[pop music playing]
Sorry.
Tyler. Hey, check this out. It's got this cool little train beat at the end.
[Tyler] Uh-huh.
Awesome. But do you always have to use my locker?
Seth. How many times have I told you?
No drumming in the halls. That's why we have a music room.
Yeah, but it's at the other end of the school, so…
[sighs]
You can get these back after school.
Don't worry. I've got an extra pair in my bag.
- Ah. [chuckles] - [chuckles]
You ready for the math test?
What? There's a test?
How could you forget? Ms. Balfour mentioned it last class.
I was joking.
[chuckles] Never mind.
Not to jinx anything, but I think I might be able to get a C this time.
Me too. [sighs]
Last night, I was babysitting, and the dog ate my homework.
Seriously. No joke.
[principal] Good morning.
So, it looks like we have a situation on our hands, and it's not good.
Yesterday, after school,
someone got into Ms. Balfour's computer and stole the answer key to today's test.
Now, obviously, whoever did this knows it was wrong.
So, I'm giving them till the end of the day to come see me.
Otherwise, Ms. Balfour's gonna have to write all new questions,
which means double the study time for all of you.
[students sigh, groan]
And if no one comes forward,
I will meet with each of you one-on-one till I figure out who did this.
"In fact, 74% of students
report an increase in efficiency in their core subjects after they--"
Trick is not to read the speech. I use bullet points.
Gives it more of a laid-back feel, you know?
How can I help you, Seth?
Well, you said the guilty person has till the end of the day, so…
You stole the test key.
Somehow, I'm not surprised.
- Ouch. - Have a seat.
All right… [sighs] …let's see here.
Who are you calling?
Your parents.
Oh, no, I don't really think that's necessary.
They're very busy people.
Yes, hi, this is Principal Young.
Please call me back at your earliest convenience regarding Seth.
A situation has come up that I would like to discuss with you. Thank you.
- Pretty sure I'm about to be grounded. - [sighs]
If it makes any difference, I really regret what I did.
Good. But it doesn't.
Once I talk to your parents, we will decide on how to handle it.
[sighs]
[Young] I'm glad you told me, though.
At least you did that right.
As you all know, Newton is a tech mecca,
and our school has produced one of its titans.
[student] Oh, wow.
I am very excited that Dr. Anna Myers has returned
to give us a sneak peek at her newest invention.
And it wasn't long ago
when she was sitting where you are all sitting right now.
Which goes to show you, with hard work, anything is possible.
[machine beeps]
We haven't officially launched this yet, so you are the first to see it in action.
In simplest terms, this allows basic thoughts to be exchanged
or swapped within a fraction of a second.
Like telepathy?
Sort of.
I need two volunteers.
We'll do it.
Wait. It's already working.
[gasps] Tyler, how dare you say that.
Hey, you started it.
[students laughing]
Okay, that's enough. Have a seat, Tyler.
I'll do it. [chuckles]
You remember being their age. [chuckles]
- Seth. - Yes.
These electrodes will allow thoughts to be shared instantaneously.
[beeps]
[Dr. Myers] Now, close your eyes.
You might be able to sense as if something's with you,
even if it's faint.
Almost as if someone's looking over your shoulder.
I always feel like Principal Young's looking over my shoulder.
[students laugh]
[machine beeps]
[Dr. Myers] Okay, that means the connection's been made.
Now, the other person can't see all of your thoughts.
They can't read your mind.
But they can receive a thought you create.
And they can access it if you think about them or think of their name.
- Cool. - I agree with Seth. Very cool.
Okay.
[beeping, whirring, static]
[thud]
[electronic voice] Transfer completed.
What did you do? I'm in the body of a 12-year-old.
[students laugh]
In my previous tests, only simple thoughts and basic sentences could be exchanged.
But… [inhales deeply] …you've literally swapped everything.
You can fix this, right?
I can't run the school in the body of him.
Wow, you have really bad eyesight.
Don't worry. I should be able to reverse the effects
by recalibrating the brain-to-processor neural interface.
How long will that take?
[breathing shakily] Maybe, uh, 24 hours or so.
Twenty-four hours?
We can't let this get out.
It won't look good that we let some scientist
perform dangerous experiments on a student
just because she once went to school here.
You think this looks good for me? I could lose my funding.
So we agree? We keep this quiet.
Are you kidding?
Seth?
I get to be principal and run the school?
- Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. - Hold on, you're not running anything.
I could do a very convincing you. In fact, I do a killer impression.
Uh, it's very tasteful though. [clears throat]
[Dr. Myers] I better get to work.
Um, just hang in there for the next 24 hours.
If we're gonna pull this off, we need to have some rules.
If anything comes up that seems important, come find me.
What could come up? I'm the principal.
I'll just raid the fridge in the teachers' lounge
and nap on the couch.
Oh, FYI, I have a fitness test in PE later, so good luck.
Also, I have drumming lessons after school.
Also, you have a lot of history reading to do for tomorrow.
Mr. Berg assigns a ton of work. Yes.
And don't touch anything in my office.
[sighs]
[door closes]
Excuse me, Principal Young.
Yes. That's me.
Seth's parents are on line one. You said it was important.
Yes. It is. Thank you.
Mom?
Mom of Seth? [sniffs, clears throat]
Thank you for returning my call.
[cell phone buzzes]
Hey. I love your apartment.
Do you happen to have an extra toothbrush?
'Cause I feel kind of hinky using yours, even though, technically, I am you.
Don't touch my toothbrush.
There's an extra one in the sink. Throw it away when you're done.
Okay, got it.
[toothbrush buzzing]
-What's going on over there? - [mom] I could use a hand.
Your parents made steak.
- Ooh. Lucky you. - I'm vegan.
Seth, no phones at the table. You know the rules.
Gotta go.
Sorry… Dad.
We got a call today from your principal.
He said you're doing great, and we should be proud of you. [chuckles]
He also suggested we buy you a new drum set, which was curious.
Are you sure he wasn't talking about another Seth?
Maybe check again tomorrow after 2:00.
I don't know why you say the principal is so mean. He seemed nice to me.
Mean?
[both chuckling]
Well, dig in.
[dad] Mmm.
[exhales deeply]
[sighs] What a slob.
Hmm, Seth's drumsticks.
[sighs]
[sighing]
[exhales deeply]
["Get Up and Dance!" playing]
- Honey. - [exclaims, grunts]
[chuckles] S-Sorry to startle you.
I thought you had a lot of history reading to do.
I do.
Just letting off some steam first.
I forgot to ask about your math test. I know how hard you studied for it.
These flash cards you made really helped.
I know you were nervous, but you definitely knew your stuff,
and I am sure you aced it.
Lights-out in an hour.
[sighs]
Seth did study?
Perfect score?
[pop music playing]
Oh, sorry.
[imitates drumming sound]
Yo, Kev!
Morning, Lisa.
Ms. Balfour. [clears throat]
Is it me, or was that odd?
Very odd.
Yo, Ty. That fit is straight fire.
No cap. [chuckles]
Really, really odd.
Oh, hey. Does your assistant bring you a pastry every morning?
Give me that.
What happened to your face? I mean, my face?
Never shaved before.
Also, this morning when I woke up, my lower back hurt.
I think it could be a side effect of the experiment.
It's called getting old.
Let's talk about the stolen answers. You were prepared for the test.
What's going on?
[sighs]
These were my mom's idea. I barely used 'em. [laughs]
Come on, Seth.
You knew your stuff.
Who did it?
Was it Tyler?
He's barely passing Math
and English and History.
I did it. Why would I lie about something like that?
I'm not sure.
But you're covering for someone.
[school bell rings]
Better get to class. [clears throat]
Hey, Tyler.
I gotta tell you something.
Yesterday, I told the principal I stole the test key.
You stole the test key?
Not so loud.
No, I didn't steal it. I just said I did. We both know who actually stole it.
We do? Who?
You, Tyler. You stole the test key.
No, I didn't. Why would you even think that?
'Cause your grades are bad?
My grades have always been bad.
That actually makes sense in a weird way.
[laughs] I'm just kidding.
I know you didn't steal it.
I-I-I don't get the joke.
Did you all know that they had these in the teachers' lounge?
How awesome is that?
So, what's going on?
- Usually, you start the meeting. - Of course I do.
But for today, let's switch it up.
Okay. Well, we need a fundraising idea for the new team uniforms.
We could sell chocolate bars.
Nah, that's been done. [sighs]
[snaps fingers] I got it: block party.
[stammers] Uh, excuse me?
You know, we get a deejay, decorate the gym with some graffiti art,
get some food trucks.
All the proceeds go to the uniforms.
- Actually, that's a good idea. [chuckles] - Mmm.
- [laughing] - [scoffs] Of course it is.
I'm the principal. [chuckles]
- What's next? - Revising the school lunch menu.
Get rid of the chili.
It's revolting, and everyone feels sick the rest of the day.
Replace it with pizza.
But Pizza Day is Tuesday.
Now Pizza Day is Tuesday and Thursday.
This is fun. What else?
I need help. I'm still having trouble with Jeremy.
- [groans] - He's a disruption to the class.
- [sighs] Jeremy's the worst. [laughs] - Principal Young.
Oh, come on, we're all thinking it.
- Mmm. - Mm-hmm.
[scoffs]
All right, well, if we're done here, uh,
I think I saw some Hot Pockets in the teachers' lounge.
Oh, uh, good luck at today's big board meeting.
Thanks.
Um, which board meeting you referring to?
I have so many I--
- Uh, cutting the music budget. - Cutting the music budget?
[sighs]
Wait for it.
- [dog barks on video] - That's priceless.
Seth, you never got back to me.
- I was a little preoccupied. - [tablet beeps]
- What did you think of my design? - What's it for?
My T-shirt printing business.
Be honest, would you pay 35 bucks for this?
Thirty-five dollars? For a T-shirt?
[scoffs] Not a chance.
[tablet beeping]
But I may not be your target audience.
Seth, I need to talk to you. Now.
Ooh.
You're cutting the music budget?
How could you? It's literally the only subject I like.
I'm not cutting the budget.
The school board is. I'm trying to save it.
- Oh, you are? Really? - Yes.
Believe it or not, I care about music, just not in the halls.
- I don't wanna cut the arts. - I'm sorry, I just assumed tha--
I have a big meeting with the board later.
It'll be fine. We just need the doctor to put everything back to normal.
Let's go then.
Let me just triple-check the connections.
Before we switch back, I-I just wanted to say…
I sort of spilled some sauce on your rug. And your hot tub broke, although,
- I think it was faulty to begin with. - It's only been 24 hours.
- Kay. We're good to go. Ready? - Yes.
- All right, shut your eyes. Concentrate. - [beeping]
[beeping, whirring, static]
Nothing happened. I'm still him.
Okay, d-don't panic.
Uh, the brain is a complicated tangle of neurons,
and this is-- this is new tech. It just takes time.
I have a presentation in 45 minutes. What are we supposed to do?
I have an idea.
It's a little out-there, but what if I gave the speech as you?
[sighs] I guess we don't have a choice.
[sighs] I'll do a good job.
We have to save the music budget.
Oh, by the way, I need you to write me a note so I can get out of class early.
Okay.
[students outside chattering]
[school bell rings]
Hey, got a sec?
- I need to talk to you. It's important. - What's up?
Tyler told me you took the fall for stealing the test key.
He said that?
He also said that you accused him of being the one who did it.
Why would you do that? You know it was me.
Oh, you know, to mess with Tyler.
Thanks for covering for me.
It's just been so hard to find time to study
since my dad lost his job.
I've been helping out around the house while he looks for work,
trying to make money by babysitting, the T-shirt business.
And you couldn't stand the thought of bringing home a bad grade
on top of everything else.
It's not an excuse. I feel terrible.
It was wrong, and I'm not letting you take the fall.
I only hope the principal doesn't come down too hard on me.
He's a good guy. You might be surprised.
I can't believe you did this. You're a really good friend.
- Hello, John. - Hi.
[whispers] Oh, yeah. [clears throat, chuckles]
[sniffs, clears throat]
[Young breathes deeply]
Who's this?
Oh, this is Seth. He is one of our music students,
he is a super talented drummer, like, insanely good.
You should get his autograph now 'cause he is gonna be huge.
- [Young laughs] - [clears throat]
Anyway, um, I thought he should come today
so you could put a face to the issue at hand.
- Hey. - Welcome, Seth.
We're all ears, John.
[clears throat]
[sniffs]
[clears throat, sniffs]
-"Newton is known to be a tech capital--" - Sorry to interrupt,
- but I believe you have slides, Principal. - I do?
Oh, yes, I do.
Of course, um, why don't you operate those for me.
It would be my pleasure, Principal.
- [Young] "Newton is known… - [device beeps]
…to be a tech capital,
but we must not overlook the importance of being well-rounded.
Art, physical education, and music are an integral part
of our students' development.
As you can see from chart A,
music has been linked with healthy brain development,
academic performance, and an overall positive mind-set--"
Sorry to interrupt again.
Can I have a word, Principal?
Yeah. Just one minute. [chuckles]
[Seth, Young speak indistinctly]
I'm trying, but it's super boring.
- I'm falling asleep just reading this. - Forget the speech. I have a better idea.
Be yourself. Just get up there, do what you do best.
- Which is what exactly? - Being a class clown.
Look, you're definitely passionate about music.
Make them see that.
[sighs]
Forget the speech.
It's just a bunch of facts and figures, and it's putting us all to sleep.
Music is not about numbers. It's about emotion.
- What do you listen to? - Oh, I listen to jazz.
Awesome. Some, Miles Davis.
Little bit of Coltrane?
- I bet it moves you, right? - Yeah.
How about you?
I like rap.
Didn't see that coming, but that's cool.
I like '80s soft rock.
Of course, you do. And I'm not gonna hold it against you.
The point is, music is the soundtrack to our lives.
It's what we listen to when we're writing essays,
or cooking dinner, or cleaning our rooms
after our parents have told us to do it, like, 15 times.
It's what makes us happy when we're sad. It makes us feel less alone.
We can't cut it from our schools, 'cause if we did,
we'd be cutting off a big part of who we are.
[gasps]
[mouthing words] Okay.
[drumming continues]
I didn't know you knew how to play drums.
I learned in music class. It's a blues beat.
Hit it, Seth.
- [beeps, upbeat music playing] - Come on. Clap along.
- Come on, let the music move through you. - [chattering, laughing]
There you go. Now, how about some air guitar?
[board members laugh]
Oh, don't tell me you don't all play air guitar in front of the mirror.
I know you definitely do.
- [Young] There it is. - [chattering, laughing]
[chuckles] Yeah.
What is going on at this school?
Odd. Very, very odd.
- [music fades out] - You did it, Seth.
They're not only not cutting the music budget, they're increasing it.
I have an idea on what drum set we should buy.
Okay, let's try this again. Shut your eyes. [sighs]
[beeping, whirring, static]
[electronic voice] Transfer completed.
[chuckles]
My back hurts. [chuckles] I'm me.
- [sighs] And I can see again. [laughs] - Oh, thank goodness. [breathing heavily]
This never happened.
I'm gonna miss being you, Seth.
It was nice being a kid again, except for the homework.
You know, in a strange way, I think this is gonna make me a better principal.
- You're already a good principal. - [chuckles]
I thought all you did was sit around making kids' lives miserable.
You do, but not on purpose.
Your job's hard, and you're good at it.
Better than me.
[sighs] I talked to Logan, and she told me what you did.
Yeah, I was worried about that.
Go easy on her, okay? She's going through a lot.
There'll be consequences, but don't worry, they'll be fair.
Covering for her was really stupid but also incredibly brave.
She's lucky to have you as a friend, and I'm proud to have you as a student.
See you in the halls. [chuckles]
Oh, one more thing.
Your new couch has a slight rip in it, but I think it was already there.