oh, I didn't know that the actor for Spencer was Jewish! That does certainly....affect the racial dynamics of what's going on there.

And yeah, Fridge's storyline is definitely the least well done of all of them. I was apparently working too hard at Not Thinking About It during the movie watch but now that you mention it I'm like, oh, ouch. I can see what they were trying to go for with Fridge, having him learn to see value in things he can do that aren't just physical prowess. But that arc would have been much better served if the movie had done what you suggest and I wish that's how things had happened, sigh.