FNL Saved! (Perhaps)

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Yes honey, I'm your prize Guernsey.

Friday Night Lights – May The Best Man Win
Smash refuses to give up on his college football plans, a visit from Tami’s ex irks a jealous Coach Taylor, Street receives life-changing news, and Riggins continues to pursue Lyla despite her new relationship.

Friday afternoon I made an impassioned plea for you all to watch Friday Night Lights. Now I’m embarrassed. Considering that it’s entirely possible this may have been the final ep of the show, it was pretty disappointing. Here’s the rundown:

Smash, still reeling from the news that TMU has revoked his scholarship, starts contacting the schools he turned down. No one bites, especially the University of Alabama, who “doesn’t play second fiddle” to anyone. Notice the increased use of “Brian” instead of “Smash,” which is a nice little touch. Running out of options, Smash meets with the director of an arena football league, who tells him that he could be making big bucks. Finally, Eric takes Smash to meet Coach Deeks at Whitmore. Deeks says six years ago he told Eric that Smash was the “whole package,” and that the Whitmore team is like a family. Touched, Smash realizes Whitmore is the place for him.

Now, most of us probably saw something like this coming back when Whitmore first offered Smash a scholarship … but NBC managed to ruin the surprise for those who didn’t by running a commercial with a little poll asking which option Smash would choose (A. Alabama, B. Arena League, C. Whitmore) … before Whitmore was even mentioned in the ep. Nice going.

In other big news, Street and his terrible hair are working at the dealership when Erin (the waitress from a few eps ago) pops up and announces she’s pregnant. Much like the Landry/killing storyline, this is overall pretty lame and yet has some great moments. Street is shocked by all of this, as his doctors had told him it could never happen. When Street shares the news, Herc’s response is to call the girl a bitch. I love Herc. Herc is also the voice of reason, suggesting that if it's not supposed to be possible then perhaps the child is not his. For whatever reason -- probably hope -- Street accepts Erin's claim that she has not been with anyone else and views the pregnancy as a miracle. He tries to convince Erin that they should have the child, which she is totally not down with, but since nobody on TV ever has an abortion I think we can all see where this is going. Street meets with Eric for guidance, explaining that this could be his only shot at having a child. It does have interesting implications – we feel for Street, but at the same time it is not fair of him to put this kind of pressure on a 19-year-old girl be barely knows. He goes to talk to Erin again, and begins to wear her down.

I think the best moment to come out of this storyline was Street telling Erin quite loudly, in the middle of her place of work, “I didn’t know I had the duct function to get sperm into the semen.” It doesn’t translate too well on paper, but it was priceless.

Riggins continues his pursuit of Lyla by regularly going to church and getting a job at the radio station hosting his own sports call-in show. Considering the size of Dillon and the reputation Riggins has, I find it hard to believe the station would give him his own show, but I guess it makes sense that the station would want to use his fame to bring more kids into the fold. Again, we got a couple of nice moments out of this, particularly the revelation that most of the calls were girls asking him out, and the girl who calls in to say that “his long hair reminds her of Jesus.” Nice. Also, Riggins defends Smash on-air, saying that he would have done a lot worse.

Thankfully Lyla remains unresponsive to Riggins’ wooing, though Chris tells him to back off anyway. Chris takes Lyla to meet his family, where we had a weird extended montage of the family eating dinner and laughing uproariously to the strains of some song I can’t remember. After dinner, Chris and Lyla get hot & heavy but he doesn’t want to have sex. Even though it’s dumb, I get why Lyla would feel rejected. BUT, her running straight to Riggins was pretty awful. It implied (to me at least) that Lyla doesn’t even really like Chris. In the end, Riggins tells Lyla that he will do “whatever it takes” to win her, and it is clear that he is wearing down her resolve. Grrrr.

I believe this ep had the briefest Saracen scene we've seen yet, in which he and Landry talk about Tyra and Matt basically calls her a whore. Fantastic.

Finally, in perhaps the stupidest story of the night, Tami’s ex-high-school-sweetheart Mo McArnold comes into town and Eric is jealous. I love me some Peter Berg, and he was great in this role, but this is the Taylor family’s finale story?!? The trio goes to dinner, where Mo and Eric drink an entire bottle of Jack Daniels and get into a fistfight. The end.

Overall, this was not a great ep, and it certainly wasn’t worthy of a season finale. If, as it appears, it was actually the series finale, then I am sorely disappointed. What do you guys think?

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose.

Please, for the love of god, read this and WATCH FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS TONIGHT!

Oh, I said bitch.

Friday Night Lights – Leave No One Behind
Julie deals with jealousy yet again, this time over her mom's bond with Tyra. Landry has a new love interest, Smash seeks guidance from Coach Taylor, and Matt loses perspective on what really matters.

As the ep opens, Saracen is left to care for his grandmother after Carlotta’s departure. He has a run of bad luck – his car breaks down, Smash is benched for the rest of the season – and he flies off the handle at the slightest provocation. In art class [finally, a second reference to Matt being arty], he is sullen and rude, and calls the teacher a bitch under his breath. When she asks what he said, Matt replies, “Oh, I said bitch.” I chuckled at that one. Anyway, he skips class and practice, and stops caring about everything.

While this turn in Saracen’s character certainly didn’t come out of nowhere, it seemed to come just a little bit late. Frankly I expected this to happen in the season opener. That being said, it was fantastically well done. While looking at motorcycles, Matt runs into Riggins, who “always skips Wednesdays” and takes him drinking. Matt gets drunk and rants about Carlotta. The scenes involving Tim Riggins always have the best lines, and this was no exception: Matt calling Carlotta “the breakup fairy,” Riggins asking "So you want a funnel, or...?" after Matt downs a beer, Riggins telling Chris “you look great, you have great hair,” and Matt calling “Shalom”! when he sees Lyla and Chris. AND, we learn that Riggins consistently goes to the restaurant at which Lyla and Chris eat lunch daily. Though little time was spent on this, he’s obviously hoping to drive a wedge between them.

Riggins takes drunk Matt to practice, where he keeping fucking up. Mac asks Eric if he can smell the alcohol on Matt, and Eric tightly replies, “No. I don’t.” Much like the Street of first season, Saracen is Eric’s “meal ticket,” especially with Smash on the bench. And speaking of Smash, he is horrified that Matt has chosen Riggins as his new role model. There has been a lot of animosity between Matt and Smash this season, but this simple line made me realize that perhaps Smash wants Matt to look up to him. I don’t know, maybe I’m reading too much into it, but Smash is a big-time senior football star with a huge ego [and is also a big brother], and it must bug him that little sophomore Matty Saracen doesn’t come to him instead.

Another day, Riggins and Matt are drinking at the Landing Strip when Matt gets a call that his grandmother is in the hospital. Since Matt is wasted, the hospital calls Eric, and when they get home Eric throws Matt into the tub [literally] and starts yelling at him. And finally, finally, Matt Saracen breaks down, screaming, “You left me for a better job. Your daughter left me for a better guy. Carlotta left me for Guatemala. My dad left me for a damn war. Everybody leaves me. Is there something wrong with me?"

In Taylor family land, Julie is preparing to take her driving test, to which Tami will accompany her. Jules is increasingly jealous of her mother’s devotion to the volleyball team, and especially of her growing bond with Tyra. She feels neglected. After the VB team wins a game, Tami invites the girls back to her house to celebrate, completely forgetting about Julie’s test. This storyline had some real potential – Julie actually having a reason to be a brat for once – but unfortunately it was wrapped up by the ep’s close. Tami takes Julie to the DMV and begs the guy closing down the office to let Jules take the test. And he relents. The one good thing about this scene, for me, was when Tami tried to use her connection to the Panthers to convince the guy and he replied, "I hate football."

In angsty relationship land, Jean approaches Tyra to find out if she’s competition for Landry’s affection, but Tyra assures Jean they are just friends. [And via some wonderful camera work, we see that little Jean only comes up to Tyra’s boobs. Awesome.] However, when Tyra sees Landry and Jean together, she broods. Tyra asks her mother and Tami for advice, which has an interesting outcome in that neither woman seems to believe that Tyra could actually like Landry. Tami says that she had a similar problem in high school and she finally decided it wasn’t fair to the boy, and Tyra’s mom says that she has always liked the chase more than the finale. Tyra interrupts Landry and Jean’s date and, with no stammering or attempted evasion, tells Landry that she likes him and wants to give their relationship a shot. However, Landry says that it is nice to be with someone who isn’t embarrassed of him, and turns her down. Naturally this can’t last, and the next day Landry breaks up with Jean, arrives on Tyra’s doorstep, and kisses her.

In dethroned prince land, Smash is feeling the wrath of the team for getting benched. After his scholarship from TMU is revoked for “questionable character,” he goes to Eric for guidance and has a nice moment with his mother. At the end of the ep, he appears in the locker room before a game to put on a happy face, wish his team luck, and give them an enthusiastic pep talk. Once they all run out, though, there is a nice long shot of Smash standing alone in the locker room, where he breaks down in tears.

I never much liked Smash until recent eps, and although I enjoy this storyline I admit it is a bit ridiculous. First, in reality high school athletes have done truly terrible things with few consequences. This story might make you want to punch someone yourself. Second, with Smash as such a hot commodity, would this one [relatively] benign incident – in which he punched a kid for making racist comments – really be his undoing? My friends Pants and I were talking about Smash last week, and I made an offhand comment about how I hoped they didn't use the punching incident as a reason to keep him in Dillon. Now I'm extra wary.

You’re going to apply a grade 9 education to the stock market?

This huge, hand-embroidered love letter to FNL was created by our very own staff member Alligator! Check out her other work here, she's amazing.

Friday Night Lights – Humble Pie
Smash must deal with the consequences of his actions, Tami becomes coach of the girls’ volleyball team, Street gets a new job, and Riggins struggles with his feelings for Lyla.

Finally, the return of Jason Street! And Guy cracks Riggins over the head with a beer bottle in the middle of a parking lot in broad daylight! And the cops arrive to arrest Smash for assault! And all before the credits!

Phew. I admit I came into this ep just a little late, but something is wrong with Jason’s truck so he goes to Buddy, who offers him a job. Again with the continuity. Unless I’m missing something, wasn’t the last major interaction between these two when Buddy didn’t want him marrying Lyla? And now he goes to Buddy for help? Perhaps I am just a person who holds grudges. Anyway, all the other salespeople at Garrity Motors are irritated because Street can play the wheelchair card. And he totally pressures a “looky loo” into buying a truck. The same truck that we then see an advertisement for. An advertisement that uses the scene from FNL as part of the ad. I can’t even find the words.

Fortunately, in this ep we also see how Street and Herc are doing living on their own. Street is probably my favorite character, with Herc following close behind, so I hope this means they are back for good. I was, however, confused about the lack of mention of Street’s girl. I guess the waitress and he are no longer together? Or perhaps the writers thought we’d forget?

In other news, Riggins begins to pursue Lyla, who has become smitten with Chris. Riggs shows up at church and asks Lyla to come over later, and when she does he has cooked her dinner and set up candles and flowers. Puh-leeze. Fortunately, he immediately admits “this isn’t me.” Lyla walks out, he follows and says he loves her. She says, “How do I react to that?” He says, “Brutal honesty.” And she tells him it’s never going to happen, and that she doesn’t feel the same way.

Lyla then tells Chris everything – about what just happened, about how she slept with her paralyzed boyfriend’s best friend [they sure do love that phrase on this show], everything. And Chris, bless his heart, doesn’t judge her. He just asks if she has feelings for Riggins. And she says no, but does this very suspicious, slightly longing sidelong glance. Grrrr. I really, really do not want Lyla to have feelings for Riggins. I think it would be so much better if she honestly did not love him back, and he would have to learn that he can’t have whatever he wants,whenever he wants it. Especially when it comes to girls.

In other Riggins news, Guy knows that he stole the money and comes after him. The Riggins boys are jumpy, and every time someone knocks on the door they prepare for a fight. Eventually Lyla gives Riggs the $3000 (what?!?) and he & Billy return the money to Guy, foolishly thinking this is the end of the situation. During the exchange, Billy gets all protective of his little brother and attacks Guy, who pulls a gun, and I honestly thought Guy was going to shoot him. But the Riggins boys escape. Guy is kind of a weird character for the show to have utilized for so long, but the guy who plays him (Joey Oglesby) is super creepy.

In the Taylor family, Eric the Athletic Director convinces Tami to coach the girls’ volleyball team. But wait -- in the last ep wasn’t Tami just about to quit her job because she was spread too thin? Shake it off. Anyway, Tami takes over as coach and tries to whip the girls into shape, but they are truly terrible. When Tyra comes over for dinner, Tami sizes her up and realizes that she could be a good addition to the team. I do not believe for a SECOND that Tyra would join organized sports, but whatever. She does love Tami. She joins, and it instantly really good. [And there is finally some nice continuity in that Riggins is helping out, as part of his punishment].

Meanwhile, Landry has met a new girl named Jean who is super cute. They have a ton in common (music, movies, etc) and Tyra is jealous. When Tami is trying to coax her to put her heart into the game of volleyball, she tells Tyra to pretend the ball is someone she hates. So instead of pretending that it’s Jean, or even Landry, Tyra pretends it’s Riggins, which makes absolutely no sense but does make for a fun scene in which Riggins is forced to avoid a ball being smashed at his face. And the girl’s VB team wins their game, which is also ridiculous considering how terrible they were.

One thing this ep absolutely had going for it was a preponderance of excellent lines, mostly from Riggins. Lyla asking Riggins, “Why would you steal $3000 from a meth addict?” was particularly amusing, as was Riggins’ background chortling when Jean approaches Landry to give him a power metal mix CD and tells him he can listen to it in his car or his bedroom. “Wow, bedroom. Deep. Soulmate, right there.” Later, he asks Billy, “You’re going to apply a grade 9 education to the stock market?” And of course, Eric telling Tami he’d love to butter her toast.

In other player news, Smash is arrested for assault. His family is receiving obscene/threatening phone calls. He makes a formal apology, but then sees the boy he punched on TV railing on him. Suddenly a reporter appears, and Smash is coerced into telling the truth, which is that he wishes he had done worse to the kid. The ep ends with Smash coming home to find his mom and Coach Taylor in the living room, and Coach tells him that the board has chosen to suspend him for three games. “But that’s the rest of the regular season. How are we gonna get to State?”

And, with that climactic ending, we come to one of my main issues with FNL’s second season. Unlike season one, football has seemed utterly unimportant. We have seen almost no games, and the sense of urgency has been missing. Suddenly they’re concerned about going to State? Why weren’t they concerned before? Just because they won last year, that means nothing. For me, the lack of emphasis on actual football games means that the show has also stopped giving the impression that these kids are superstars in Dillon. Smash giving a press conference to apologize reminded me of that. I don't mind the character development, for sure, but I definitely think that football needs to come back into it in order to bring back the urgency.

I have developed feelings. Like, serious feelings.

Friday Night Lights - Who Do You Think You Are?
The Taylors consider daycare for Grace, Lyla takes a job at a Christian radio station, Matt has a realization about his feelings for Carlotta, and Smash's love life is scrutinized by those close to him.

The “previously on” shows Santiago! This is a good sign.

As the ep opens, Eric and Tami are enrolling baby Grace in daycare. Eric is concerned about the daycare center, so Tami goes alone to drop Grace off. However, once she gets there she finds she can't do it. This is actually a pretty cute scene, and makes me like Tami again. Eric talks to Mac about the situation, and Mac proves that although he semi-redeemed himself for saying something racist in first season, he has no problems being sexist [albeit kind of funny]. He tells Eric that women want to stay home and take care of babies, and that Tami should quit her job. Eventually Tami decides on her own that this is what she should do, but Eric convinces her that they have other options. It takes 4 tries, but eventually Tami leaves Grace at daycare, though only because Eric is there to support her.

Meanwhile, in the most boring storyline ever, Carlotta tells Matt that she has to go back to Guatemala because her family needs her. I don't know why, but the whole Matt-Carlotta story has never resonated with me. I realize this was supposed to be a really sad ep for Matt [and I do love me some Matt Saracen] but it just … wasn't. Anyway, he tells Carlotta he loves her and then she leaves a day early without saying goodbye. Big whoop.

In more exciting news, an old friend of Santiago's named Devon pops up again, and it's Weevil from Veronica Mars. He wants to drag Santiago back into his evil clutches, but Santiago refuses. Buddy meets Santiago's friends and tries to be all “cool” by inviting them over on Thursday night. In reality, he's nervous because the kids are all "thugs" and he takes all of his valuables to Eric's, blathering on about being worried, should he trust Santiago, he should, shouldn't he? It's cute. He ends up taking his stuff back home and Santiago sees him setting everything back up. Santiago's small gathering turns into a huge rager, and the whole time he's nervous and compulsively cleaning. After the party, he realizes that Devon has stolen Buddy's watch, so he goes after him and they get into a fight to the strains of “driving rap music,” according to the subtitles. There is a lot of fighting on this show recently; lots of testosterone being thrown around. Devon tells Santiago he has forgotten where he comes from, and that Buddy wouldn't care a bit about him if he didn't play football. Santiago goes home beat to hell, and Buddy takes care of him. Awwwww.

In equally exciting news, Noelle invites Smash's family to dinner to meet her parents and once they get together, all the parents tell the couple that they don't want them dating because the folks of Dillon are small-minded. Smash tells his mom that she has humiliated him. Smash takes his little sister Noannie to a movie, but really he is meeting Noelle for a secret date. Everyone at the theater [read: all white people] looks at them like they are lepers. At the movie, some [white] boys sitting behind Noannie start harassing her, so Smash intercedes. And one guy says “You got one of ours, why shouldn't we get one of yours?” So Smash punches him in the face. And they run out of the theater. Later, Smash asks Noannie not to tell their mom what has happened, even though she is really upset.

Finally, in the second-lamest storyline of the night, Lyla gets a job at a Christian radio station working as co-host of a call-in show, and she meets the adorable Chris (Logan from Gilmore Girls, although very un-Loganesque). Riggins & Herc call in, with Riggins pretending to be a girl, and ask stupid questions. Street makes only the briefest of appearances in this ep, asking Riggins if this is his way of telling Lyla he likes her. Lyla goes to Riggins' house and tells him that the radio show is important to her and she would appreciate if if he could respect that, so then he feels bad and suddenly realizes he's in love with her. The reveal was actually pretty cute, with him listening to her on the radio and then saying "Damn it, Lyla" as he realizes he loves her. However, because it's these two, I say "puh-leeze." So he buys flowers and goes to the station, but he sees Lyla and Chris kissing so he throws the flowers down and storms out.

I actually like the Lyla-Chris story, it's nice to bring in new blood, but the Riggins part just strikes me as ridiculous. I guess I don't see why Riggins is supposed to be in love with Lyla, plus I prefer the brooding playboy Riggins to the heartfelt flower-buying Riggins. Additionally, Chris was not given any real personality; he was just there to attract Lyla. I guess in a way this is realistic; when you first meet a person you don't know everything about him immediately. But a little more character development would have been nice.

This episode was rather boring overall, and brought up even more holes in the continuity of FNL. When Riggins calls into Lyla's show, he is hanging out at Street's place. So … why was he living with the Taylors when he could have been crashing at Street's? Additionally, the return of Landry was a little out of place. We have weathered a lack of continuity in relationships through the Smash/Matt feud, the Landry/Tyra love affair, the Julie/teacher connection, and now it happens again. Matt and Landry are joking around, cool as can be, although the last time we saw Landry wasn't he all brooding about being let off the hook for the killing? It just felt weird. Plus Landry looked really different, didn't he? Like more blonde, or something.

It’s Mama’s choice, let’s watch Foul Play again!

Friday Night Lights – Jumping The Gun
Smash feels pressured to make a commitment to a college, Coach Taylor worries about Riggins and Julie, the Panthers gear up for the biggest game of the season, and Tami clashes with her sister. Photo © NBC.

As the show opens, we learn that Smash is dating Noelle, the recruitment-savvy girl we met a couple of eps ago. Noelle is cute and disarming but smart and tough, and her brother has gone through the recruitment process so she is a great help to Smash. His mother, however, does not like Noelle, or the recruitment process itself—she is being courted just as much as Smash, with recruiters accosting her even in the middle of her grocery shopping. She thinks Smash is spending too much time worrying about recruitment and not enough time on his schoolwork. Smash is feeling a ton of pressure to commit to a college even though his top choice, TMU, has not yet approached him. Tami suggests that Eric speak to Smash, so Coach, Smash, and Noelle have a meeting and Eric reminds Smash to consider all of his options very carefully. I was concerned the Noelle would be difficult, but she backs up everything the coach says. Finally, the TMU recruiter shows up, and Smash accepts his offer in front of an entire restaurant full of people. In the end, he brings his mom flowers, and the Williams family is relieved to be done with the recruitment process.

In other news, Julie wakes up from her night of hard drinking in tears. Eric pokes in his head to check on her, being very gentle and treating her … well, like a girl who has been taken advantage of. Julie tries to tell her father what happened, but he cuts her off, and honestly she really doesn’t try that hard. I am starting to hate Julie again. Flash to Tim, who has slept in the locker room that night. Eric, tough as nails, kicks him out. Julie eventually goes to apologize to Tim but says she couldn’t tell her dad what happened, and Tim is very sweet about the situation, surprisingly. I would be like, “Bitch, tell your dad the truth already!” FINALLY, at the end of the ep, Julie admits the truth, and Eric goes to Tim to apologize, telling him that he is an honorable man—and that he says this not as a coach but as a father. Cue the waterworks.

In other Coach news, Eric and the Laraby coach are not getting along, though Eric tries to make amends. (NOTE: “Laraby” is how the name was spelled in the subtitles, I used “Larribee” in my last post but it’s the same thing). The Laraby coach is distracted and it's obvious something weird is going on. At the Dillon-Laraby game, the coach’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and I'm thinking maybe his job is in trouble if they don't win the game. The Panthers pull some kind of switcheroo play [to be honest I wasn’t entirely clear on this] and the Laraby coach becomes so incensed that he runs onto the field and tackles Tim to keep him from scoring. Later, he admits to Eric that his wife is dying, which was a cheap sympathy ploy. I would have preferred my storyline.

Back at the Taylor household, Shelley passes her real estate licensing exam. Her presence is wearing on the family, but Tami doesn’t want to ask her to leave. However, after Shelley accidentally tapes “The Office” over game tape, Eric loses it and asks when she’s moving out. Shelley is hurt and embarrassed, as she thought that she was helping with Grace rather than being a nuisance. She leaves to check into a hotel, and Tami (who has no idea what has happened) runs into her as she is getting into the cab. Tami asks her to stay, but Shelley says no, and Tami is understandably pissed about Eric’s behavior. Later, Tami and Shelley meet for coffee and Shelley announces that she’s moving to Dallas. The end of the ep shows the new and improved Taylor household, back to the loving, joking family we grew to adore first season.

Finally, in more Tim Riggins fun, Tim goes back to Billy's and discovers a delinquency notice on the front door. Inside, the house is a disgusting mess. Jackie [hot mom/neighbor] is moving out, and tells Tim that Billy lost his job, and that they have broken up. Billy is also a mess, and he apologizes to Tim for dating Jackie. The brothers make up, but now they have a new problem, for the house will be taken away if they can’t pay their mortgage. Billy accompanies Tim to Guy’s [crazy meth-dealing roommate] so Tim can pick up his stuff, and Tim finds a stack of cash hidden under the couch … after he accidentally knocks Guy’s gun onto the floor. Personally, that would be my first warning signal that taking the cash would be A BAD IDEA. And, even though Billy knows it’s a bad idea, he lets Tim convince him they should take it.

Not that I’m complaining, but second season is really focused on Tim Riggins. I notice in this post I’ve started referring to him as “Tim” rather than “Riggins” which I think is a by-product of the in-depth character development we’ve been getting. And I love Riggins, but where oh where is my dear Jason Street? In this ep we had no Street, no Santiago, no Lyla, no Tyra, no Landry, no Buddy, barely any Saracen … geez!

I'm gonna go to my room and read Tiger Beat.

Friday Night Lights - There Goes The Neighborhood
A tornado forces the Panthers to share close quarters with a rival team; Julie befriends Riggins after he moves in with the Taylors; and Landry makes a decision about his relationship with Tyra. Photo © NBC.

Ok, first off, Tim Riggins is so freakin’ HOT. Good lord.

As the ep begins, we find that Riggins has moved into the Coach’s house and he and Shelley play with baby Grace while a storm brews outside. [How long is Shelley visiting these poor people?!?] Tim leaves for the store and runs into Julie, who accompanies him. Shelley, left alone in the house, reminds herself out loud that Riggins is jail bait. [Finally someone acknowledges the statutory rape factor!] Regardless, I totally think Shelley and Riggins should do it, cause their chemistry is electric.

While they are at the store, a tornado hits and Tim protects Julie with those rippling arm muscles. If she didn’t already have a serious crush, you can bet she does now. Time passes. Back at the Taylor house, Tami tries to talk to Shelley and Jules, and is irritated to find that they are too distracted by Riggins doing situps to listen. All of this adds up to Julie becoming seriously hot for the boy. Talking with Lois about Riggins and the tornado, Julie says he was “holding me like protecting me, not like I love you.” So, at least she is smart enough to know where she stands.

Riggins fits into the Taylor household well (except Tami is a bitch as per usual this season, and she and Shelley get into another huge fight about their differences). In a fun twist on the prevailing “father figure” theme of the show, Eric truly enjoys having a “son figure” around. Riggins and Julie continue to hang out, and this culminates in the two of them going to a party where Julie gets wasted. Some kid brags to Riggins that he’s going to do her, and “big brother” Riggins threatens his life. He takes Julie home and tries to put her to bed, and the drunken fool tries to kiss him. Naturally, this is when Eric walks in, and he screams at Tim to get out of the house. Man, Riggins just can’t catch a break with Coach lately!

Meanwhile, the Landry/Tyra story progresses. Landry tries to hold her hand in public, and she puts him off. Landry asks her to the dance, and she says no but goes with Chip, Larribee quarterback. Landry can’t handle watching Tyra and Chip talking, and starts a huge cafeteria-wide fight. (And calls a guy with excessively curly hair “Richard Simmons,” which was great). Finally, when Landry shows up at the dance looking for her, Tyra admits that she likes him more than she’s ever liked anyone else, and that scares her. Landry, however, is sick of waiting and he’s not gonna wait forever.

In football news, the tornado has forced the closure of the Larribee school (Panther rivals), so the students come to Dillon. Obviously this causes a great deal of strife, and the Larribee kids fuck up the Panthers locker room and pee on their stuff. Their coach does nothing, and when Riggins tries to take matters into his own hands, Eric interrupts and ends up throwing the Larribee coach up against a wall. Go Eric! This episode had a lot of fighting.

Finally, Buddy becomes even more worthy of the viewers’ sympathy when Pam announces that she is getting remarried. He tries to win her back but she gently rejects him. And he cries. Awwww.

I loved this ep. It had all the things that make FNL worth watching, including a bunch of shots of Riggins in tank tops. While I understand Eric’s knee-jerk “dad” reaction to finding Riggins bent over his daughter's bed, with her in it, I am kind of irritated that Eric doesn’t know better by now. I am still sick of Tami, Julie is returning to her former likeable self, Landry has finally thrown down with Tyra. The only sour note was a continued lack of Street.

Will Riggins finally move home with Billy? Will Julie be able to convince her dad that what happened was her fault? Will Tyra man up and deal with the fact that she actually cares for a boy? Will Matt dump Carlotta and become interesting again? Only time will tell…

Love that beta-carotene!

Friday Night Lights – The Confession
Landry comes clean about the killing, but his conscience still plagues him. Elsewhere, Herc urges Street to date, and the Taylors prepare to christen Gracie as the conflict between Tami and Julie grows. Photo © NBC.

“The Confession,” which could have been one of the best eps of the season, was actually kind of boring. Landry FINALLY confesses to the killing, and naturally no one really cares. I mean he accidentally killed a rapist who was in the process of attacking his girlfriend, so duh. The cops simply send him home after he confesses, and Landry freaks out, wanting—no, needing—to be punished for his perceived sin. But, he is the only one who sees it in those terms, and eventually everyone convinces him to plead self-defense (his dad even goes to Tyra for help, which was frankly unbelievable after he forced her to stay away from Landry in the first place). So Landry does tell the cops that it was self-defense, and that’s the end of that. No charges are brought against him. And after he tells Tyra this, the camera focuses on his mournful face and we see that he is not feeling any better. But hopefully this story arc is over. I was irritated when it began, because it is so not what FNL is about. Part of the charm of this show is that the problems are all rather commonplace (a la My So-Called Life in its heyday). To throw in something as dramatic as a murder and then have the story go nowhere is kind of lame.

And my complaints don’t stop there. WTF is going on with the continuity of relationships this season? As my friend Pants commented, it seems that each relationship exists solely to fulfill whatever role it needs to for a given ep. Some examples: Tyra & Landry, who I have complained about enough so I won’t bore you anymore. Street & Lyla, who had a dramatic breaking off of their engagement last season, and who had a kissy-cuddly moment in Mexico though the breakup business was never resolved, and who are now suddenly best friends chatting casually about who they are dating. Tami & Julie, who got into a HUGE screaming fight about Noah last ep and yet it is not mentioned at all in this one.

Come on.

Anyway, on with the recap. Street returns! Herc convinces him to date again, and he makes a date with a girl he finds online (WheelLovers.com if I remember correctly). Street meets the girl, who tells him she likes being peed on, and he tries to sneak out while she’s in the bathroom. His waitress objects to this until he tells her about the pee thing, and he ends up with her instead. She is cute, but doesn’t have quite enough sass. We’ll see. In other big news, Street moves in with Herc, and it’s about time. I am thrilled about the prospect of more Herc, and it will be interesting to see how Street grows now that he’s on his own.

The Taylor family is gearing up for Gracie’s christening, and godmother Julie is feeling overwhelmed and under-appreciated. She and Tami get into yet another screaming match, with Julie telling Tami that she would like to be thanked for everything she’s helping do. She storms out, and Tami retorts that she would also like a thank you, though she says this to an empty room. Awww, how sad. Or not, because she’s a mother and that’s her job. I get that Tami is also feeling overwhelmed and under-appreciated, but tough. Tami is behaving exactly like Julie, and Julie is FIFTEEN YEARS OLD. I haven’t had much sympathy for Tami this season. I’m not sure if you’re supposed to and I’m just an ass, or what.

Santiago returns! I knew Buddy would be a good dad, and I am so, so glad that I was right. With a game coming up, Santiago convinces himself that he can’t handle the pressure and freaks out on Buddy, telling him that he hates him. Buddy reacts by not reacting, and begs Coach Taylor to let Santiago play. After getting pummeled a few times, Santiago throws his all into the game and makes a fantastic tackle. I actually yelled, “Somebody hug him!” at the TV, but alas, no one did. The other players did pat him on the helmet, which is ok too. The “bad-player-suddenly-does-something-great” bit was awfully familiar (Landry, anyone?) but I liked it because I like Santiago. And when Buddy was outside waiting for him after the game and Santiago wholeheartedly thanked him for everything—whew! Turn on the waterworks.

Riggins’ creepy meth roommate stalks him before waking him up with a gun to the ribs, and Riggins finally leaves the house. I’m tiring of this storyline, though I imagine we have not seen the last of the roommate. Otherwise everything involving Riggins was fabulous, as Coach turns him into his own personal assistant as payback for Riggins’ recent bad behavior. From Riggins’ comments about the girls’ gymnastic comp he helps out with (“Jenny’s just not sticking her landing, she’s her own worst enemy”), to him sitting in the locker room with a ribbon baton (how very Get In Shape, Girl), to him sleeping in his truck outside Coach’s house until Eric wordlessly gives him a sleeping bag, it was all perfection.

Finally, Matt and Carlotta are blissfully in love and boring as hell.

And that’s it for FNL until 2008.

So, was it like Cabo in your pants?

Friday Night Lights – Seeing Other People
Smash visits a college that’s recruiting him; Matt considers an open relationship; Tami lashes out at Julie’s teacher; Eric is jealous of Tami’s relationship with a colleague, and Tyra’s attacker’s brother asks to meet with her. Photos © NBC.

I have newly converted a friend from work into a FNL fan, so I will likely be mentioning her in my FNL posts. Her name is Pants. Just, you know, FYI.

As FNL opens, Matt & Smash are at odds again. The Panthers have just lost a game, but Smash is far too self-involved to care. He’s being recruited, and that’s all he can think about, as he is on his way to visit McNair State for the weekend. Smash is starry-eyed after being wined, dined, and girlied by the college, and all of the players are welcoming – except one huge guy named Katrell, who is super rude to Smash for no reason. Later, Smash is in his boxers and on the verge of doing it with some random girl when Katrell bursts in, furious. Is it his girlfriend? His sister? Alas, it is not for us to know. Regardless, Katrell chases Smash from the room, and from the campus, screaming at him to choose another school. I sense we have not seen the last of Katrell, and I foresee some type of male bonding in the future. Pants wondered if Katrell is the brother of the girl Smash was macking on last episode, but we have no idea.

Meanwhile, Matt is given the opportunity to sleep with Lauren (previously known as “New Cheerleader”), but he refuses due to his feelings for Nurse Carlotta. Moments later, however, Carlotta attempts to shut down his growing crush by pretending nothing has happened between them. Later he makes another move, and this time Carlotta responds, but the two are interrupted by a surprise visit from Lauren.

The two storylines converge when Smash calls Matt to pick him up from where his hideout under an overpass. Apparently they are buddies again after all, although when did this happen? A few episodes ago, when Eric kicked Matt & Smash out of the game until they agreed to “be BFFs again,” it was obvious they were just doing it so they could play. But then suddenly, the rift between them has healed – when and how did this happen? Did I miss something?

Anyway, Smash tells Matt that the best way to get Lauren to dump him is to ask her if they can have an open relationship. This does indeed work, but Lauren is understandably upset and tells Matt she can’t believe his behavior after she told him what her last boyfriend did. I feel the crazy bubbling up, folks! Matt goes back to Carlotta and tells her that he has broken up with Lauren, that he can’t stop thinking about her, and that he “really likes her.” How adorable is this boy? He goes back to his room, but Carlotta comes in and attacks him, and Matt loses his virginity.

Although I'm no Lauren fan, I'm also not into the Matt-Carlotta relationship. As Pants pondered this morning, "Isn't that statutory rape, again?" When you think about it, there is an awful lot of that sort of thing going on in Dillon, and yet no one bats an eye.

Across town, Riggins has moved in with a freaky guy that Tyra’s stripper sister knows. The guy is kind of gross but seems nice, convincing Riggins that there’s more to life than football and taking him hunting. They have a nice day drinking and not shooting anything. But, in a not-so-shocking twist, the roomie turns out to be a drug dealer! Or he’s running a meth lab or something, I wasn’t really clear. But it’s something bad. And he tells Riggins, “It’s a good thing you’re a cool dude or I’d have to kill you.” And he’s totally not joking.

Understandably upset after this glimpse of what life may have in store for him, Riggins goes to practice, suits up, and refuses to leave the field. He individually apologizes to each member of the team, and they all forgive him. Eric concedes to let Riggins take his spot, although he tells the boy that he still has a long way to go. Will Riggins move back home? I hope so, I love the relationship between Tim and his brother.

During the aforementioned football game, Shelley confirms Tami's suspicions that Julie has a crush on her teacher Noah, though she assures Tami that nothing is going on. Not one to treat such things lightly, Tami corners Noah in a classroom and reams him out, threatening to have him fired and thrown in prison. He looks completely taken aback, and FNL is walking a nice fine line with this character. It does seem possible that something untoward is going on, but at the same time Noah doesn't appear to be doing anything wrong. It's kind of nice that we don't really know what's going on, and are left to draw our own conclusions. Naturally, all the students find out about Tami's tirade and it sets the school abuzz. When Julie hears the news, she storms into the guidance office, screams at Tami, and then rips a few posters off the wall for good measure.

Moving on in her reign of destruction, Tami gets into a huge fight with Eric after she goes for a night out with some other teachers. Upon hearing that Glen was there, Eric tells Tami that he doesn’t like her spending time with Glen, and his reprimand is almost word-for-word what Tami has said to Noah earlier that day (right down to “lunch behind closed doors”). Eric tells Tami she needs to pay more attention to her family (!!!) and although it would have been perfectly within reason for her to smack him, instead Tami tells him that he’s sleeping on the couch. Finally, after a mini-fight with Shelley, Tami realizes that her actions have had mortifying consequences for Julie. She also makes up with Eric, who admits that he’s feeling neglected and he misses her.

Once again, no mention of Street. Also, no mention of Santiago. This sucks!

Last but not least, the cops come to see Tyra because her attacker’s brother wishes to make amends. Tyra agrees to see him but then freaks out, so Landry agrees to go in her place. But seriously, WTF is up with Tyra & Landry!?! After everything they have been through, and the way she treated him during their breakup, I can’t believe things have just gone back to normal. Their interactions are really stilted and weird, and I don’t understand what their relationship is supposed to be anymore.

Anyway, Landry meets with the brother, Jeff, who goes on about how he can’t believe his brother would do such awful things, it’s not like him, blah blah blah. Landry, suffering equal parts guilt and anger, gets increasingly upset until he finally blows up and walks out on the guy … and runs into a beatific Lyla. Landry admits that he has a terrible secret eating away at him, and Lyla tells him that truth is a surrender to God. This was really much less hokey than it sounds, and the show ends with Landry walking into the police station and confessing to the killing.

The scenes from next week’s FNL looked kind of awful.
“Was it murder … or self-defense? Will he be ... convicted?”

In an earlier post I referred to the incident as “the murder” and then I immediately felt stupid. Isn’t this pretty cut-and-dried self-defense, or at least manslaughter? Plus there’s the fact that this guy has attacked and raped other women, which we discovered in this episode. The attempt to entice viewers by dangling the possibility that Landry will be convicted of murder seems like NBC thinks we’re all idiots.

I still love FNL, but upon talking with Pants this morning I am left wondering what will happen at the end of this season. The seniors are graduating, right? Smash, Riggins, Street … how can FNL continue with all these boys in college? Will Riggins flunk out? Will Smash leave? What do you think? Leave us a comment!

The team will be his family.

Friday Night Lights - Pantherama!
Smash’s college options are revealed on the first official day of recruitment; Coach Taylor focuses on a new athlete; Matt is tempted by his grandma’s nurse even though he has a new girlfriend; Julie befriends a teacher; and Lyla and Tyra work on an event together at Tami’s bidding. Photo © NBC.

I would have rather opened this post with a photo of Santiago, but believe it or not I can't find a decent one. This episode was pretty much all over the place, so try to keep up! As “Pantherama!” opens, we learn that recruitment is beginning for the senior players of the Dillon Panthers. Eric sits all the players down to have “the talk” – accept no gifts, take no meetings without running it through him, etc, etc.

Smash receives call after call, and I can’t help but wonder what will happen this time (faithful viewers will remember that the last time Smash was faced with a recruiter, he seriously ate it). Fortunately, Smash is courted by all the best schools – and a black college with a paltry football program who tries to sway him by offering a full education scholarship instead. Smash and his mom get into it – she using Street as an example of why Smash shouldn’t put all his eggs in one basket, he retorting that he needs her full support because he is absolutely going to make it to the NFL – and finally he tells her that he will deal with recruitment without her help. She appeals to Coach Taylor to step up as a father figure, making my aside during last week’s post quite topical, and Coach puts Smash in his place.

And speaking of father figures! This week we find Santiago much improved at football, but when Coach sends him to Tami to make sure all his schooling is squared away, he is forced to admit that his parents were deported, and he has been living with his uncle … who hasn’t been home in 10 months. Tami informs Eric, and they get into a mini-fight about what to do after Buddy offers to let Santiago move in with him. In the end, Tami finally agrees that it’s better not to throw Santiago into the system, and he moves into Buddy’s apartment, where he heartbreakingly explains, “this is the first real bed I ever had.” Up to this point, Buddy seems to be trying really hard, but at this he looks awkward and leaves the room, leaving me to wonder if he can actually step up and do this. Don't fuck this up, Buddy!

Santiago is growing on me, and I am curious to see how the relationship between he and Buddy will play out. I have always liked Buddy, even when he was a cheating bastard, and I could see him being a good father for Santiago. The fact that he stocked his fridge with steak was cute, as was Tami telling him to "get some vegetables in here." And speaking of father figures and my amazing precognizance, when Eric explained to Tami that the team would be Santiago’s family -- I just loved it!!!

Meanwhile, Riggins has moved out of the house because he is uncomfortable being around Jackie and his brother. Or something. At first I thought she had moved in, but that makes no sense because she has a kid. So I guess it's just that she's there all the time. He goes to Tyra, who gives him a 48-hour time limit (I think, details like this are the casualty of my lack of Tivo), and he eventually ends up living with some random dude that Tyra’s stripper sister knows. I foresee this ending badly. Oh, and he’s still not back on the team, nor does this episode even mention it, which is pretty lame.

Julie, still upset about Saracen and the new cheerleader, befriends a young teacher who also happens to be the newspaper advisor. She writes a controversial story about the money raised during Pantherama & where it goes (Eric is not happy), and she very clearly has a crush on this guy, who looks like that guy from A Walk To Remember, although I don’t think it’s him. [Update: I looked it up, his name is Shane West). After seeing Julie and the teacher together once – and only for a few moments – Tami immediately knows that something is going on, but she doesn’t really say anything. For his part, the teacher doesn’t seem like a sleaze, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Tami, with her usual “sweet bulldozer” technique, forces Tyra and Lyla to run a portion of Pantherama, and they repay her by choreographing a striptease (in the loosest sense of the word) for the Panthers to do during a pep rally. Once again, Tyra is a side character here. Considering what has been happening in her life recently, and that she was JUST! forced to break up with Landry against her own wishes, she seems awfully carefree. Her hallway conversation with Landry was awfully uneventful, considering he was telling her that not only did his father figure out that he had killed someone, he then destroyed the evidence. WTF?!?

Matt Saracen, trying to learn the moves for the aforementioned striptease, gets a little closer to his grandmother’s nurse, and then a little closer still when he unexpectedly kisses her in the parking lot after the pep rally. She looks uncomfortable, he feels stupid, but then the next morning at breakfast she lays her hand on his back as she puts his plate down and smiles over her shoulder as she walks away, and suddenly Saracen can’t wipe the grin off his face. But isn't he still dating cheerleader girl, you ask? Why yes, he is! This should be interesting. Cheerleader girl doesn’t have much spark yet, but for some reason I can totally see her as a psycho stalker a la Swim Fan.

And, in the most disappointing news of the night, Street is totally MIA from this episode. Damn.

Breaking News!

Logan from Gilmore Girls joins Friday Night Lights! I can totally see it!

You’re a brooding … rough … whatever.

Friday Night Lights – How Did I Get Here
Building pressure forces Landry to tell his dad the truth about the killing, the arrival of Tami’s sister (Jessalyn Gilsig) prompts Tami to reexamine her life, and Riggins has something to prove after he’s kicked off the team. Photo © NBC.

In the Taylor home, Eric is furious when he discovers that his salary has been cut by 37%. He goes to Buddy, who works out a deal to make Eric the school’s Athletic Director, though they tell him that it’s not really a job, just a title and a salary bump. However, we learn that is not the case when the Women’s Soccer coach comes storming into Taylor’s office with a deflated soccer ball, railing on him because the Football department gets all the school’s money. I’m sure she will be back, and if they even hint at the fact that Coach Taylor could possibly be unfaithful (even if he doesn’t go through with it, much like Sandy in the first season of the OC when he came this close to kissing another women), I will be pissed.

Tami’s sister Shelley (Jessalyn Gilsig as a nice person, hooray!) comes to visit in this episode, and we see how different the two women’s lives are. Shelley is a free spirit who travels a lot and doesn’t have a family to tie her down. Tami freaks out when she is forced to face facts and it hits her that she has 18 more years of caring for another human being in front of her. Though her sister comforts her, it doesn’t end in smiles.

Matt Saracen meets a new girl at school, a cheerleader, who introduces herself in the hallway. His teammates vibe him as he talks to her, laughing and nudging him, and he is so adorable that he asks why they are hitting him. Later, Julie comes to see Matt at the diner and apologizes for everything, telling him she hopes they can be friends again someday, and Matt reciprocates the sentiment. Even later, however, he makes out with new girl outside a party, where Julie sees them and tears up. Tyra, taking on a big sister role, takes Julie home for movies and ice cream. Other than that, Tyra does not make much of an appearance in this episode except when she provides Landry something to look longingly at.

And speaking of Landry, I WAS RIGHT!!!! Landry’s father figures out that he had something to do with the killing, and to protect his son he drives their station wagon out to the middle of nowhere and sets it on fire as he prays to God for forgiveness. I have no idea where this storyline will go next. Will the detectives figure everything out and end up arresting Landry’s father for tampering with evidence? Will he lose his job? I’ll be on the edge of my seat until we find out!

Meanwhile, Riggins has gotten himself kicked off the team, as missing a week’s worth of practice does not sit well with Coach Taylor. His brother takes him to meet with Tami (who has returned to her job as a guidance counselor), and after a hee-larious conversation about how a breast pump works, Riggins’ bro asks Tami to pull some strings with the Coach to get Riggins back on the team. Tami is not down. Riggins then proceeds to get drunk (who saw that coming?) until Lyla asks him to help her new ex-juvenile-delinquent buddy Santiago learn to play football. Riggins blows her off, but then sees Santiago practicing (horribly) by himself and comes to his aid. Smash and Matt join in the fun, and when Coach sees them he offers Santiago a chance to practice with the team. So far Santiago appears to be acclimating nicely to the school and the team – I expected to him to have more of a chip on his shoulder, although I guess nobody has done anything but be really good to him. They seem to be creating a character that can take over Riggins’ position, which is interesting. As Coach walks away, Riggins asks if he’s “showing him something” and Taylor just laughs and tells him he’s not even close.

I adore the whole notion of “coach as father figure” that this show has cultivated. The Dillon Panthers have great home lives, terrible home lives, and everything in between. However, one thing that most of them do not have is a father. Riggins’ father is a drunken jerk who abandoned his kids, Saracen’s father is a decent man who nevertheless abandoned his kid to go fight in Iraq, Smash’s father is dead (and we learned in first season that he was an adulterer)... The coach is all they have. He is the one who pushes them to be the best they can, who listens to them when they need it, who is tough on them when they that, and from who they are constantly vying for approval. In fact, I would say they are desperate for his approval.

Or at least, they were. Now that Eric abandoned them (to go teach at TMU), the dynamic is very different. They talk back to him more, and respect him less. I am looking forward to watching the relationship between Eric and his players mend itself as second season continues.

Finally, after a birthday party during which they WATCH A VIDEO OF HIM PLAYING FOOTBALL (!!!), Street realizes that he has to quit coaching the team and move on with his life. But what will he do in Dillon, a town that is all about football? Tune in next week to find out!

I sin daily and I'm a better Christian than you.

Friday Night Lights - Let's Get It On
Coach Taylor comes home to a team in chaos, fueled by the feud between Matt (who is becoming increasingly bitter) and Smash (who surprisingly is not actually being more of a jerk than usual). Meanwhile, Riggins and Lyla try to talk Street out of surgery, and Landry finds that he has a lot to contribute to the Panthers. Oh, and Tyra breaks his heart after his father forbids her to see him anymore. Bitch! Photo © NBC.

Sorry for the late post, dear readers. But this episode of FNL sure did give us a lot to discuss!

"Let's Get It On" centered around Tami & Coach Taylor finally getting back to a normal routine. This was all presented within the framework of their sexual relationship, which was both funny and touching. From Tami kicking Eric out of the bedroom so she could sleep, to Mac telling Eric about how he and his wife rekindled their own sex life (much to Eric's disgust), to Eric shuttling Tami off to book club in the hopes that she would get a little drunk and therefore a little horny, to the sweet ending scene of Eric chasing Tami into the bedroom ... it was perfect. The strained relationship between Eric and Tami has certainly been well played this season, but I am glad to see it go. Their realistic "fight & make up" dynamic is absolutely one of the best parts about this show.

About halfway though this episode I thought that the threesome scene teased by TV Guide's Matt Ausiello was about to reveal itself and I must say I was a little horrified. Will Riggins, Lyla, and Street really have a threesome? Have some self-respect, people! I was shocked when Street got back together with Lyla after her dalliance with Riggins during the first season, and I find that the whole threesome thing falls a little flat. But with that being said ... yum. Lyla Garrity is one awfully lucky girl.

Best line:
Lyla: "All you've done is go to whore houses and karaoke bars."
Riggins: "Well yeah, we're in Mexico."

The developing relationship between Street and Riggins continues to floor me. In the scene on the boat, when Riggins tells Street that he loves him with absolutely zero self-consciousness ... sigh. Sure, it was hokey, but Street throwing himself from the boat only to realize moments later that he isn't ready to die made me sniffle a bit. Scott Porter continues to be fantastic in his role as a paralyzed football player who -- against all reason -- you somehow never pity.

On to Matt Saracen, who finally appears on screen for more than a few short minutes. Our sweet little QB is becoming increasingly bitter as the days wear on. Matt has basically been abandoned by everyone. Coach Taylor left him, Julie left him, his father left him, his grandmother's health is deteriorating. After a few typical Saracen moments -- including the stammering "so I'll talk to you when you call me" and the awesomely awkward scene in which he asks Tami if he's a chump -- he finally stood up for himself and told Julie she could shove it, and go to the Decemberists concert by herself. I keep waiting for a romance to blossom between Saracen and his grandmother's nurse -- anyone else? Perhaps now that he has finally stood up to Julie, that path has been cleared.

I too think Smash is kind of an ass, and I get that Matt is acting out due to his sense of general frustration, but regardless I am tiring of their feud. Coach Taylor trying to bring them back together with his "award-winning chili" was a cute moment, and I did love when the two decided to bury their feelings in order to get back into play after Taylor took them out of the game --the "we're BFFs again" line was a nice small touch -- but this fix is only on the surface and they will doubtless continue to fight. Which could get boring, fast.

Finally, we come to Landry, who is fast becoming one of the best characters on FNL. His evolution from season one has been great, and I'm waiting with bated breath for his father to finally figure out his role in the murder. I was unsure about the assignment of Landry as a football player -- he was the only male character who wasn't on the team, right? But I love that Coach calls him Lance, and every time he shouts it whoever is in the vicinity says "You mean Landry?" I loved the moment when Coach told him that he would become an important part of the team, affectionately rubbing his head. I was surprised that his father would forbid Tyra to see him, because I thought it was obvious to parents that that sort of behavior only drives people closer together.

I did NOT love Tyra in the moment that she broke up with him. Ouch! That was harsh. "Take a look in a mirror, I don't know what I was thinking with you." And his face just crumples, and it was the saddest thing. I found this to be completely out of character for Tyra. I understand the idea behind making a breakup so harsh that the other person is too stunned to react, or hoping that it makes them hate you too much to argue, and that I can see Tyra's character doing. However, I do not see our "bad girl with a heart of gold" crushing someone she loves simply because his father threatens her. It just didn't jive with how her character has heretofore been portrayed. And I was really annoyed when Landry walked back into the diner and looked at Saracen with that crushed puppydog look and Matt DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE. Hello, aren't they best friends? That was fucked.

In the realms of "TV on DVD Land" I have started watching "Studio 60." And I am pissed at myself for not watching it when it was on. Aaron Sorkin, holla! More analysis to come as I get further into it.

There is no bug or slime indigenous to church thrift stores.

Now that I’m feeling somewhat better, it’s time for a three-in-one post.



Friday Night Lights - Backfire
Riggins accompanies Street to Mexico to explore an experimental surgery involving shark blood. Riggins spends the entire trip drunk, except when he sobers up long enough to call Lyla for help. Meanwhile, Coach Taylor moves home to find out that the current Dillon coach refuses to leave. After a small battle, Taylor gets his job back. Finally, Landry wants to turn himself in after the police find a body in the river. Tyra convinces him to keep quiet and is called down to the station herself, but only so the police can tell her that they have found her attacker. Photo © NBC.

Part One: How Friday Night Lights Has Turned Me Into A Pedophile

I was grocery shopping on Friday evening after work, at a grocery store that happens to be near a high school, and as I was walking to my car I heard the booming of an announcer’s voice. And I realized—high school football game! As I drove out of the parking lot and past the field, I was thinking of FNL and checking out the players. And then I went home and barfed, cause they were at the most 18 years old. Damn you, Friday Night Lights!

I was incredibly wary of the Landry-Tyra-murder storyline when it first reared its little head, because a large part of what makes this show so fascinating is the relatively mundane nature of the characters’ lives and what they go through. However, I can admit that I was wrong. The story is unfolding quite nicely, although I assume that someone else will find out about what they did eventually. Perhaps Landry’s dad, but he will protect his only son? We’ll see. Another good thing: Julie finally realizes that the Swede is not so great, and stops being such a terrific brat. Hopefully now that she seems to be settling down and Coach Taylor is home, Tami will stop being a quivering mess (not that I blame her, mind you). Overall a strong season so far, although seriously lacking in Matt Saracen action.

Bones - The Mummy in the Maze
It's the annual Jeffersonian Halloween Ball, but a trio of missing girls puts the fun on hold. Booth & Brennan must solve the case before the killer strikes again on Halloween. Photo © FOX TV.

Really the only great thing about this episode was everyone doing lab work in costume. The end.

Reaper – Leon
The Devil, depressed by Halloween’s “commercialization of evil,” gives Sam an extra-tough assignment in order to make himself feel better -- catching the soul of serial killer named "The Butcher of Ballard." Meanwhile, Sock befriends a seemingly not-so-evil escaped soul (Patton Oswalt). Photo © The CW.

Reaper doesn’t try to be more than it is, but I sure do love it when they throw in little bits of wisdom that could actually mean something. I wish they would push that envelope further. So far the stories are all "Sam finds escaped soul, Sam is awkward around Andi, Andi is a bitch, Sam captures soul with help of friends." I wish it was a little more difficult for them to capture the souls once in a while -- they need to get beat up a little more. Currently it all seems too easy. I truly enjoy this show but it needs to step up its game a tad to keep the viewers' interest.

Tonight two lines that struck me were “God forgives sins if you are truly repentant” and “betrayal is the defining trait of humanity.” We know that Sam’s father has betrayed him (whether it was for “his own good” remains to be seen), and I half expected that when Leon repented at the end of the episode, he would somehow escape his fate. I guess I am too sappy. But hooray for Sam finally owning his bounty hunter position, and even standing up to the devil! I want him to stop with the moping "why must I endure this fate" melodrama and just become a badass already.

Now for the bad part. Seriously, what writer thought up the character of Andi? She is not endearing. She is not even charmingly neurotic. She’s just kinda nuts. These kids are supposed to be college-aged, so why does Andi behave as though she’s in middle school? Her ridiculous ultimatum that they couldn’t be friends anymore was pretty lame. I understand less and less why Sam is even supposed to like this girl in the first place. She’s a boring drama queen. No thanks. The show would be much better if Sam and Andi were just buddies, at least on the surface. They could even have obvious crushes on each other, but "keep it to themselves" and pretend to be just friends (Pacey & Joey Season 3, anyone?) The sexual tension would be more believable, like it was in the first couple episodes. Back then, I bought Sam and Andi's "flirtatious friends" schtick. The scene at the college when Sam is all set to declare his love just as Andi tells him she needs her life to stay the same...classic! But now, just a few episodes later, I don't see much chemistry between the two at all.

The fun bits:
- Ted dressed as Jack Sparrow.
- “If I were a serial killer I’d be Murder Man or Killbot.”
- The signs marking various businesses: “Booze,” “Tickle Massage,” etc.
- “I’m gonna give you a man hug.” “That’d be nice.”

How do you think Reaper is doing? Leave us a comment!