October 17, 2006: Velocity Kills, Gentlemen
Matt Saracen, we hardly knew ye. Just as the team finally coalesces, they're getting this new QB. That final scene left me incredibly frustrated. I guess that it just came to a point where security in talent trumped integrity, but I have to say I'm disappointed. It's a touchy issue, what with Tatum being a displaced Katrina survivor and his family living all together in one room in a crappy motel, but I can't say it didn't hurt. I wonder, though, if Saracen is in some way relieved that he won't have to deal with all of this pressure anymore. He's watching his grandmother succumb to what seems like Alzheimer's, his father is in Iraq, people are screaming "loser" at him, and yet he's enduring everything with such grace. I know I might be jumping to conclusions, since we don't know what's really going to happen with Tatum, but damn it, I
like Saracen.
It would seem that if last week's episode were all about suspense, this week's was about how everyone dealt with the pressure of the tough loss. We finally witnessed Coach Taylor crack under the town's expectations - "I think everybody in this damn town is telling me how to do my job!" - and we saw Riggins finally fall apart. Apparently, though, Smash dealt with all of this by blaming someone else. What a slap in the face to insult Coach Taylor in the televised interview. But then there was that barely perceptible nod when Taylor finally earned Smash's respect during that midnight practice, which made everything seem right. I know, the whole thing smacked of sports clichés - I couldn't help but think of the Gettysburg run in
Remember the Titans - but this show is so honest that I found it hard to hold that against them.
Of course, Street finally let Lyla have it, as I'd hoped he would have last week. Her relentless optimism was sweet, but terribly misguided. What I find really interesting is how this show could so easily descend into WB-style pathos, and yet it manages to avoid doing so. Maybe it's because these kids aren't hyper-self-aware. Angel Cohn had an
enlightening interview with Scott Porter (Jason Street), about why he took this role, and he touches on this issue.
It looks as if next week things are going to get really ugly. I won't give anything away, because I know that some people studiously avoid the previews, but suffice it to say that if last night's episode was any indication, integrity and self-restraint are fading fast.
