In the aftermath of Mel Gibson, Michael Richards and Isaiah Washington, did we really need yet another perspective on celebrities saying stupid, insensitive and utterly indefensible things? I was fatigued by it all (though I am still disgusted). However, after watching this episode, my appreciation for this gem of a show was yet again renewed. I’m not sure whether this had anything to do with the recent spate of somewhat similar incidents in the entertainment industry — certainly it was written before Greysgate, part II occurred — but the story line was mercifully subtler than anything I would have expected it to be, which I definitely appreciated.I refer to Mac McGill as a celebrity because I am sure that in the town of Dillon, he is. He was caught in a somewhat relaxed and unguarded moment, so one has to ask, is he racist or is he a terrible speaker? I’m leaning heavily toward racist, even though he may not think of himself in that regard. However, dismissing ...
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Jerks of the episode: Daddy Riggins and Matt Saracen. Yes, folks, that’s right, Matt Saracen. Sure, he protested a little, but then he fell into a hot tub and was reborn a jerk. We all knew it was coming, we saw the promos, and yet my love for him still died just a little. Like Julie asked, why did he lie? That just made it ten thousand times worse. He was always better than the rank-and-file Panthers, the ones who give football a bad name, and yet there he was, in a hot tub sandwiched between three girls, drinking and smiling for the camera. This can either go one of two ways: He never does anything like this again and works it all out with Julie, or (horror of horrors) continues down that path. Because he’s Matt Saracen, I’m going to guess that it’ll be some variation of the former, but one never knows.More depressing than bile-inducing, though, was the Riggins family. It's still unclear whether there was one specific incident that caused Billy and Tim’s ...
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Thank god the Panthers are going to the playoffs because now that the Eagles are out of the running, I need a team to cheer on. I’m not going to lie — I knew they were going to succeed A) because I get my TV Guide on Wednesdays, and the description for next week mentioned something about them having made the playoffs, and B) what were they going to do for the rest of the season if they didn’t? Nevertheless, it was certainly sweet to watch them win (and on a Matt Saracen-designed play no less!), and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens when the expectations get ratcheted up even further.In addition to giving us the joy of winning, FNL does devastation better than any other show on TV right now. Mrs. Williams' vehement reaction to Smash’s misdeed was matched in intensity by that of Coach Taylor, and even of Smash himself. In watching him and the coach during their late-night encounter, all I could think was, “Where is the cocky kid who rapped in th...
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I always thought that Tyra was kind of a second-rate character on this show. To some extent, I still think that. She always seemed out of place and a little too dramatic, too haughty, too much for a small town like Dillon, someone who would have been at home wherever it was that Dawson’s Creek took place. While the promos made it look like her fight with her mother’s boyfriend was going to be an overblown Lifetime-movie moment, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it was done. There was no huge showdown, just pure rage coming from the humiliation on her mother’s part. And it all happened so quickly that it struck me that here was the real Tyra Collette. She loves her mother deeply — she just doesn’t want to be her. So good for her to not take Tim Riggins back, because after that “I’m sorry” speech, I fully expected her to — even though (as she rightfully acknowledged) that would make her a hypocrite.I think that the whole episode boil...
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I tried to watch the FNL marathon I so shamelessly plugged here, and yet I realized that I couldn’t. Before you judge, give me the chance to explain myself in the context of this episode. Matt’s “I hate him, I hate my dad,” juxtaposed against his confused gratitude in coming across the man taking care of his grandmother was just wrenching. This is not just because I’m not sure whether Matt doesn’t, in fact, hate his father, but more because I still don’t know what this means for him. Is he going to Oklahoma? Does he get to stay? Will his father leave the army? I’ve said this before, but were this any other show, the answer would be patently obvious. In some ways, it is still because I think we can all agree that without Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen, this show would lose a huge part of its soul. On the other hand, there is plenty to go around, and tough shows like this tend not to spare anyone (Lost, The Sopranos, I’m looking at you). For...
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I never thought that cheerleading could get more dramatic than what I saw in Bring It On, but wow, that Britney girl was so incredibly petty. Based on the look on her face when the coach said that she wouldn’t be “flying” since Lyla had shown up, it certainly seemed to me like she made the website just to get Lyla to quit. It’s obvious that she didn’t get this mean streak from her parents, considering her father seemed disgusted by her when he went to apologize to Buddy. Either way, I was glad to see Lyla smile and enjoy herself again, after taking the power away from those who made her life hell. Her “yeah, the whore with the website” line made it pretty clear that even if she wasn’t getting over this, she was going to have fun for that one day. Her scenes with Jason hurt. It struck me that if this were any other show, we would have seen them reconciled by now, or at least after Tim went to go talk to him, but that hasn’t happened yet. I...
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Buddy Garrity, I forgive you. Even towards the beginning, when he was talking with Tami about what was going on with his daughter, it seemed that he was really hurting. The fact that he left the game to talk to her after her public humiliation spoke volumes about his dedication to his family. Yes, he’s (how to put it delicately?) not a nice guy when dealing with his beloved Panthers, but his, “It’s only a game, you’re my daughter” line just got to me. Remember how I said that no one on this show was beyond redemption? This just proves it.Tim and Lyla are personae non gratae in their respective social circles, and Tim especially seems OK with suffering quietly. I don’t know what it is about this team and smashing up cars, but it definitely sends a statement. The fact that a guy so full of rage earlier on this season is now so docile shows how much he cares for Jason, and how much he knows he’s screwed up. (Speaking of Jason, I would like to apologiz...
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While I appreciated Coach Taylor’s scared-straight approach to teenage dating, I would never, ever, ever want to have a conversation like that with my dad. I actually found myself saying the word “awkward” out loud. How many of you want to hear your father say, “Boys think about sex every minute of the day. That’s why they lie,” and “Your mother wanted me to add that football players are the worst offenders, but I think it pretty much crosses all lines”? Julie took it much better than I would have. I can’t say I blame her parents. The poor sophomore rally girl in Tami’s office — the one who was agonizing over whether it was worth it to have a threesome with her Panther in order to be a football player’s girlfriend — certainly gave me pause. So I can only imagine what kind of realization it forced upon Tami, who is unfortunately caught in between what her husband does and where her daughter is.Of course, Julie decides...
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Question: As I enjoy watching Friday Night Lights immensely, except for the herky-jerky camera work, one thing has dawned on me about the show. While critics and fans have been talking it up to keep it going, I believe Kyle Chandler needs to be praised, too, and that his performance merits strong Emmy consideration. He has been incredible at balancing compassion with toughness. He's also very believable, and he really is one reason the show is so good.
Answer: Funny you should mention it. Kyle Chandler is one of my "Five Reasons We Love Friday Night Lights," which appears in the current issue of TV Guide, on stands now. (Shameless plug over.) In an item labeled "Best. Coach. Ever.," I write: "In a career-defining performance, Kyle Chandler gives the show its hunky spine and rock-solid conscience as beleaguered coach Eric Taylor. He's a father figure for his players, a role model for the town, a sex symbol for the PTA moms. He's compassionate but brutally demanding. The tougher he gets,
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Hot off the news that NBC has ordered a full season of Friday Night Lights, we got a glimpse into what life is like post-high school football in a place like Dillon — and it ain’t pretty. Tami hit the nail on the head when she said of the local football stars, “They don’t know what to do with themselves, they fall flat on their faces.” We had Lucas, whose life completely fell apart during college, such that he never graduated. His desperation to get a coaching job was so disturbing that it actually pained me to watch him plead with Coach Taylor. On the other hand, if he had been offered a job, what kind of effect would he have had on the kids?The most emotional moment last night was, of course, when Street led his team onto the field. I don’t know why I got choked up (that’s a lie, I get teary at Kleenex commercials), but it was certainly something to watch the entire town rally around him. No one close to him could really agree on whether he sho...
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