• Original airdate: October 8, 2004 in the UK on Fox Kids
• TNBC/DCKids original air date: January 15, 2005
• Australia original air date: October 14, 2004
• Writers: Thérèse Beaupré
• Director: Stacey Stewart Curtis

Guest Stars:
Actor's name	Character played
Jennifer Miller	Kirstie Edwards

  Josie is preparing to go skateboarding. Corrine comes out of the bathroom, warning Josie that she has cut too many classes. Also, Principal Durst will be teaching Science today. It turns out that Principal Durst believes that Professor Z is too lax with his students so Principal Durst will be taking over for the day to employ some structure upon the class.

      In her office, Principal Durst takes a book from the shelf and hands it to Professor Z. It is the Blake Holsey Code of Conduct. Professor Z objects, saying that the rules are outdated, dating back to 1879, and are no longer relevant. Principal Durst tells him that that is what his problem is – educators must discourage delinquent behavior; rules don’t become outdated. Professor Z tells her that students will naturally behave if teachers act as good role models and reach out to students. At that moment, both look out the window, observing Josie skateboarding along the driveway (Josie waves at Professor Z as she skates by). Principal Durst uses Josie as an example, saying that Josie is just the type of student who the rules must be applied to.

      Kirstie Edwards rushes down the stairs and enters the Science room. Principal Durst has already begun the lesson when she sees Kirstie walk into the door and swiftly assigns her detention. Principal Durst continues. Chirality, opposite forms of the same thing will not match if overlapped, is today’s lesson. As she speaks, Principal Durst observes Lucas slouching and she comes up behind him, tugging his hair and pulling him into a position of sitting up straight. Marshall and Corrine follow suit. Principal Durst explains that this is important because some molecules in their “left-handed” chiral forms can be harmless while in their “right-handed” chiral forms can be deadly. The molecule Carvone smells like Caraway seeds. For a lab, the students will be converting Carvone into its chiral form.
      Completing the lab, the students discover that Carvone’s chiral form smells like mint. Each takes a smell of it, including Principal Durst. However, Principal Durst can’t seem to stop smelling it and seems to be getting a lot of pleasure from it. Lucas has a slightly embarrassed look as he tries not to focus on Principal Durst, exclamation. Fumes from the jar escape and journey under the door.

The fume seems to be watching for an approaching person. At that moment, Principal Durst comes walking up the Science room. He is ready to tell Principal Durst that she is wrong when the fume shoots up his nose. For a second, he appears like he has smelt something vile but quickly recovers and says that he will “show no mercy.”

  Josie sits in Principal Durst’s office. She is being lectured by Professor Z, who waves a pointing stick around, about how she has broken the rules. Josie tells Professor Z that what she is learning in English, reading Emma Bovary and Tess of the d’Urbervilles, does not matter and that his class is the only class that she ever learns anything in. Josie becomes frustrated as it seems that Professor Z is not listening to her. She is correct. He, who was busy writing on a piece of paper, hands it to her. It is a notice of two weeks detention. When Josie questions his ability to do this, he adds another week, and another.

      Josie walks into the lounge, where Corrine is. She tells Corrine that there may be something wrong with Professor Z. Corrine shrugs it off on the fact that Professor Z is angry with Principal Durst and tells Josie that Principal Durst had the class do an awesome lab on DNA. Josie does not care though, as she continues, telling Corrine that she was given 11 detentions by Professor Z, pulling all the notices out of her vest pockets. Vaughn, Lucas, and Marshall walk in, all annoyed. They too have detention for throwing a football around in the hallway and for singing – both with are infractions under the Blake Holsey Code of Conduct. No time passes before they hear Professor Z shout out Kirstie’s name in the hallway, stopping her outside of the lounge. The four observe Professor Z explain to Kirstie that carrying pom-poms in the hallways is an infraction because the pom-poms are not a part of the official school uniform. He hands her a detention ship and walks off. Josie rips up the detention ships, saying that she is not going to go. Lucas tells her that not going will only make things worse and that she should talk with Professor Z if she wants to do something positive. Just then, a vile odor reaches their noses. Corrine tells them that it is coming from the Science room.

      In the Science room, Principal Durst, with her hair messed up, is laughing as smoke has filled the air. Test tubes are bubbling with liquids. She tells Marshall, Josie, Lucas, Corrine, Vaughn, Kirstie, and the other students who enter that she was trying to convert Beta-santalol to its chiral opposite form which is supposed to smell like sandalwood. Josie says that the smell is sulfurous. Principal Durst opens a window and fans the area. Professor Z, holding the Code of Conduct in his left arm, appears in the doorway, with an angry look on his face, and asks to see her in his office, immediately.

      In Principal Durst’s office, Professor Z scolds Principal Durst as he sits behind her desk. Principal Durst tells him that even he said that it is important for educators to reach out to their students. Professor Z counters by saying that educators should be proper role models and tells her that she no longer is. He directs her attention to the computer on the deck. On it is an e-mail from Victor Pearson making Professor Z acting principal of Blake Holsey. He tells her that they both thought it was for the good of the school. Professor D storms out of the office.

      In the lounge, Vaughn tells Josie, Marshall, Lucas, and Corrine that his father is impressed with Professor Z’s efforts, believing that a new Blake Holsey could become the best school in the country. Principal Zachary has assigned Josie to cleaning the school grounds for refusal to serve the detentions. Josie goes over how it doesn’t make sense that Professor Z and Victor are getting along when Marshall reminds them that Principal Durst being fun teaching Science is weird all on its own. Josie steers the topic back to Professor Z, telling them that she is not going to put up with Professor Z’s tyranny any longer. She marches out of the lounge, followed by Vaughn, Lucas, Marshall, and Corrine who try to call her back.
      As Vaughn, Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas listen at the door, now baring the label “Principal Zachary,” Josie tells Professor Z, looking out the windows, that she is not cleaning the school. Principal Zachary, standing tall wearing bolder glasses, a more formal suit, and slicked back hair, explains, with sternness that giving her detention was supposed to teach her a willingness to uphold school rules. Josie asks him what has happened to him and that she thought that he understood her. Principal Zachary seems affected by this as his tone softens. He tries to harden up and continue to tell her that her disobedience will not be tolerated but Josie interrupts him, saying that she is leaving. Principal Zachary seems stunned by this as Josie refuses to come back and he chases her into the hallway.

Vaughn, Corrine, Marshall, and Lucas back away from the door, to the stairs, witnessing the argument between Josie and Principal Zachary. Principal Zachary orders Josie to not speak another word. Lucas runs up to them and tries to tell them to calm down but he is ignored. Josie challenges Principal Zachary by asking what he will do if she does not comply, forcing Principal Zachary to expel her. Vaughn, Corrine, Marshall, and Lucas are in disbelief. It seems that Principal Zachary realizes that he has made an error in judgment as his tone softens again, saying that he “just did” after Vaughn says that Josie can’t be expelled. Hardening up again, Principal Zachary threatens the rest of them, saying that he can expel them as well, and swiftly walks back into his office, slamming the door behind him. Holding back tears, Josie walks off down the hall.

      Meanwhile, Professor D is going over chirality with Kirstie in the Science room, doing a cheer, with Kirstie’s pom-poms, for a mnemonic device. Kirstie says that she thinks she understands when Lucas, Corrine, Vaughn, and Marshall run in; saying that Principal Zachary has expelled Josie and that she has to make him see reason. Professor D agrees, going off to face Principal Zachary. Kirstie leaves too. Corrine, Marshall, Vaughn, and Lucas go over what they know about the recent events. It seems like Durst and Zachary have switched personalities. Marshall brings up the idea that perhaps they have chiral forms, one poisonous and one harmless. Professor D is Durst’s harmless form and Principal Zachary is Z’s poisonous form. Vaughn, holding himself together, asks if there is a way to switch them back and get Josie unexpelled.
While they try to figure out a plan, Principal Zachary and Professor D argue. The clash on teaching perspectives does not seem to interest Principal Zachary though. After it appears like he is listening, he swiftly tells Professor D that she is fired. Professor D laughs at him and walks out. Principal Zachary sits at his deck, clicking his pen, frustrated.

      Back in the Science Room, Marshall, Corrine, and Lucas are trying to reverse the chirality experiment. Marshall tells them that Durst changed when she smelled the mint so reversing the experiment should switch back Durst and Z.
      In Josie’s room, Josie is clearing out her things into her backpack and a duffle bag. Vaughn walks in, saying that the place is going crazy. Josie offers him her Freemont Park CD and her unabridged guide to navigating wormholes, saying that she wants Vaughn to have something to remember her by, but he turns them down. He tries to convince her to stay and tells her that he likes her. Josie tells him that she knows but leaving is something that she has to do.

      Outside, the Janitor is racking leaves when Josie walks out of the school. The Janitor stops to tell her that leaving may not be the answer to what is troubling her. Josie tells them that, even if it is not, it just feels good. D exits the building and the Janitor resumes racking. Josie and D walk down the driveway together; the Janitor watches them as he racks. D says that she thinks she will join the Peace Corps. Josie unenthusiastically rejoices that she will get a job and never have to read Emma Bovary or Tess of the d’Urbervilles again. D says that she hates how those women were weak and were quitters. Then, D stops walking, realizing that she and Josie are acting like the fictional women that they dislike so much, telling Josie that the women gave up and didn’t fight back. Josie says that she hates school too much to fight back. D inquires to why Josie dislikes school so much. Josie responds that she hates being force fed other’s ideas and is afraid that she may not have an original thought ever again. D tells Josie that they may be able to use some of Josie’s anger to change things. Reluctantly, Josie moves towards the idea and they both head back to the school.

      Back into the school, Josie asks what they will do about Principal Zackary. D tells her that she doesn’t have any actual plan when Corrine, Lucas, Marshall, and Vaughn come out from the Science room. They say that they have an idea as Marshall shoves an open test tube in front of D’s face. A fume flies up D’s nose. Another fume slithers to the floor and under a door into the cafeteria. Once there, other students wonder what the fragrance is as it slides across the floor and shoots up Principal Zackary’s nose. In the hallway, D demands to know why Marshall is conducting scientific experiments in the halls and threatens to give him a detention if he does not explain. D looks to Josie, who has a hopeful-turning-hopeless look on her face. Picking up her bags, D tells Marshall to never let her catch him in her hallways with a test tube. Coming close to him, she winks and walks off, up the stairs. Vaughn worryingly states that D winked, which mean that she did not change back. Principal Zackary walks down the hall to the five of them. They all line up and prepare for him. Seeing him without his rulebook, but instead a skateboard, Lucas asks where it is. Principal Zackary replies that he “left it where it belongs - In another millennium.” Marshall, Lucas, Vaughn, and Corrine back away, giving Zackary and Josie space, as Zackary hands back the skateboard to Josie and apologizes; Josie apologizes as well. Zackary tells Josie that he does care if she is not in his class and he walks back up the hall.

The others rejoin Josie. Marshall asks why the conversion didn’t work on Durst. Josie hypothesizes that there is not really a Z or a Durst; that maybe deep down Durst really has an impulsive, rebellious side. Durst, at her office, smiles and nods as she watches the janitor slide Principal Zackary’s name plate off the door, replacing it with Principal Durst’s, and then proceeds into the office.

  Josie rolls her eyes as she listens to Principal Durst lecture her that she is to attend every class from now on. Josie, annoyed, agrees. Principal Durst is pleased as she continues and tells Josie that otherwise Josie forfeits the privilege of taking an independent study, handing Josie the course outline. Josie reads the paper, outlined as “Women who changed the world.” Principal Durst hands Josie four books, one about; Madame Curie, Amelia Earhart, Elizabeth I, and Rosa Parks. Josie thanks Principal Durst and, as she is about to walk out, picks up the old rulebook off the desk and drops it in the trash can next to the desk. Principal Durst tries to object but Josie reminds her that if they want to change the school, tossing the rulebook is where they begin. Josie walks out. Principal Durst begins to take the rulebook from the trash can but then decides to leave it there.
      In the Science Room, Josie and Vaughn sit at a desk, Vaughn looking into a microscope and Josie examining her chart. A DNA strand model sits on the desk. Josie exclaims how she must have messed up the experiment because her chart says that her DNA strand moves to the left, instead of the right which all DNA does. Vaughn tells her that his chart also said that about him, although he didn’t tell anyone. While their DNA does not match, they share that one particular generic trait. Josie says that they may be the only ones on Earth with the trait as the Janitor watches them from outside, through a window.

Episode notes:

• Janitor's secret message: "Left is right, right is left. Rebellion leads to betrayal. The two are alike."
• Carvone, smells like caraway seeds as it is found in caraway seeds.
• Beta-santalol smells like Sandalwood as it is found in Sandalwood oil.
• Emma Bovary - Madame Bovary, published 1857, tells a story of an adulterous Emma Bovary and her husband who doesn't know about the affairs.
• Tess of the d'Urbervilles, written 1891, is a novel involving the punishment of the character of Tess for a sin, involving morality and injustice.
• Madame Curie - First woman to receive a Nobel prize for her work in discovering Radium.
• Amelia Earhart - A woman pioneer of aviation.
• Elizabeth I - Reigned as queen, without a king, during the Golden Age of England when England experienced increased global power and influence.
• Rosa Parks - Figure in the American Civil Rights movement. Famous for her refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white man.

Personal thoughts:
Powerful episode. For the most part, it is a filler. It feels like an episode from season one where we go back and get a view of the characters. This episode focused on Josie, Professor Z (who's character seemed underplayed in the previous few episodes), and the overlooked character of Principal Durst.
The episode explores the relationship between Josie and Professor Z. We see the two struggle with set rules vs what they know works for each other. Josie's testing of Professor Z by continuously cutting his class is an interesting aspect. It can be interpretted that she wants him to pay more attention to her. Even when Corrine says that Principal Durst has changed, Josie just wants to focus on Professor Z. I'm sure there are other ways to interpet this.
I loved the camera work when Josie entered Principal Z's office, how it made him look tall and made Josie seem small. I also liked how Professor Z's clothes changed each scene and made him look stricter as time went on.
I liked how Professor Z seemed hurt when Josie said that he failed her expectations and he expelled her, as if he knew his actions were too rash.
We also get to explore Principal Durst's character. I loved how she laughed at Professor Z when he fired her and Professor Z had a frustrated look as if he wasn't sure how to resolve his issues. Interesting to see her complain about her English history lessons when she was a student. Josie connecting with Principal Durst is an interesting aspect since we usually see Principal Durst on the antagonist side of things.
Josie's attutide of leaving Blake Holsey High was set in Magnet so when she said that it's what she has to do, it is probably that she is so unused to staying at one school for so long and she forgot about getting expelled being the outcome of wherever she goes. The rebellious side of Durst was touched upon in Lifetime. It is great that that the two characters are being built upon instead of something new being presented about them.
In a lot of episodes, except Robot, we see Principal Durst and Professor Z on opposite ends of the coin. This episode seems to want to resolve that by saying that they don't actually lean against each other but are actually both in the middle of good vs bad, when Josie says that there is no total Professor Z and total Principal Durst.
The episode has an underlying lesson of a "coming of age" story. Knowing that rules are not effective as "zero-tolerance" is a vital aspect in life. One must know how to adapt rules to situations instead of forcing the rules onto situations, or when to not apply the rules at all. Also that questioning the rules is a part of making the world better.
The part at the end about DNA seemed a bit off of the episode's plot. By the time this epsiode was created, Jim Rapsas and the crew of BHH were aware of the StrangeDays forum's existance and knew that there were relentless questions and confusion about whether or not Josie and Vaughn are related spawned by the episode Genome. I wonder if the crew took it upon themselves to resolve the issue, seeing that people couldn't figure it out on their own. It could also be passed off as an explanation for Hologram about why the capsole responded to both Josie and Vaughn.
Rating: 10/10