Friday Night Lights

[housemouse]

admin said:

It's not over yet! It's doing a little better so far in the new time slot and NBC is intentionally scheduling re-runs when American Idol will be on at the same time (like next week...that will be a re-run as far as I know) so NBC is proud of the show and wants it to succeed. They kept American Dreams on for four years despite truly awful numbers because it was a quality show and the network believed in it so I still have hope.

I actually like the idea of them putting on reruns, that may help some of the people who got looped in a bit late to get caught up on the older episodes. There was a lot of back-story getting to this point.

[hoosier]

It was sad that Tyra actually believed her mother would chose that scumbag over her and that she felt that she had to issue an ultimatum. Has this kind of thing happened before (choosing a man over her daughter)? Who plays the mom? I meant to check the credits and then forgot. She looks very familiar.

I laughed when they showed Buddy giving thanks in the empty church for the team's loss that put them in the playoffs and then asking God to do just one more favor by letting the town's team win. And they say that Indiana high school basketball is fanatical!

I felt that Jason was being rather hypocritical-- going to the coach and saying that the lawsuit was done against his wishes and how he would still be his coach but then agreeing with his parents that they should have better prepared him for the field. How long had he been playing football??? Its hard to believe that he had he never been hit before or never tried to stop an opponent. Even professionals who have played for years make mistakes and tackle wrong, ending up with fractured vertebra. Its not that I don't feel feel sorry for the family, the medical bills and therapy plus the dreams you have for your child all gone in the blink of an eye, but that is the risk you take playing contact sports. What are schools going to have to do, have athletes sign wavers that if they are injured through their own actions the school and athletic department are not responsible?

[housemouse]

Shmeep, Kevin Rankin, who plays Herc is in the Family episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is airing on FX tomorrow. I will be interested to see him in other roles.

I agree Hoosier...

hoosier said:

I felt that Jason was being rather hypocritical-- going to the coach and saying that the lawsuit was done against his wishes and how he would still be his coach but then agreeing with his parents that they should have better prepared him for the field. How long had he been playing football??? Its hard to believe that he had he never been hit before or never tried to stop an opponent. Even professionals who have played for years make mistakes and tackle wrong, ending up with fractured vertebra. Its not that I don't feel feel sorry for the family, the medical bills and therapy plus the dreams you have for your child all gone in the blink of an eye, but that is the risk you take playing contact sports. What are schools going to have to do, have athletes sign wavers that if they are injured through their own actions the school and athletic department are not responsible?

to a point. I mostly feel horrible for Jason. That kid has been dealt such an awful hand. He has fallen from such heights. He has gone from town hero to town pariah. It looks like next week he is going to lose Lyla on top of it all. I don't know what other choices the parents had, but I agree that it was pretty much Jason's fault. In the pilot when they show what happened, it is pretty easy to see that the tackle was not executed correctly, he basically jumps in the air and throws himself - head first - into the other player. He has to have at the very least seen lots of tackles. Jason said it himself in one of the episodes, he was pissed and went after the guy, so there was a lot of emotion there, not a lot of thought. But man, what other choices do his parents have, they gotta have money to take care of Jason.

What I find interesting is that the things Herc predicted when Jason first met him are starting to come true. He talked about things ending with Lyla, about the lawsuits beginning and Jason's parents breaking up. Fabulous writing.

[shmeep]

housemouse said:

Shmeep, Kevin Rankin, who plays Herc is in the Family episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It is airing on FX tomorrow. I will be interested to see him in other roles.

I remember reading that. I saw that one not too long ago, but I didn't make the connection. It's a small role on Buffy. He plays Tara's brother when the family comes to try to take Tara back home with them. Not a likable part at all.

I'm still disappointed that Herc isn't in a wheelchair in real life. He's really convincing so I guess I assumed they had recruited someone from the Murderball documentary (which I have yet to see) and put him in the roll. Good acting. Still...I used to go to an acting class in Hollywood called PATH (Performing Arts Theatre for the Handicapped) with my friend who had one leg so I was surrounded by people who were disabled and talented and who couldn't get a role because their parts were constantly being given to able-bodied actors. I can understand using an able-bodied actor to play Dunbar or many other such roles, but there are plenty of talented disabled actors who can be cast in smaller parts, but this rarely happens. I can understand why they get frustrated. I remember how annoyed my friend was when she saw a casting call for an attractive 25-year-old female amputee and her agent didn't even contact her about it. She did get a role on Northern Exposure, though. She probably pissed off some paraplegics that time because she was an amputee playing a wheelchair racer so all the other people at the audition (I went with her) were in wheelchairs and she wasn't. Oh well. At least they cast someone who was really disabled.

[housemouse]

admin said:

I'm still disappointed that Herc isn't in a wheelchair in real life. He's really convincing so I guess I assumed they had recruited someone from the Murderball documentary (which I have yet to see) and put him in the roll.

I agree with you. When I first saw Herc, I really thought he was a guy from the documentary Mark Zuppan. It isn't him, but there is no doubt in my mind Herc is based on Zuppan. They have cast at least some disabled actors, such as Robert O. Boothby as Corey. I'd also bet that several of the actors in the quad rugby scenes were disabled.

[housemouse]

I can't get enough Friday Night Lights at this point. Shmeep I thought you might be interested in this excerpt from an recent interview with Scott Porter:

NRAMA: What was filming the recent “Murderball” scene like?

SP: That was possibly the most fun I’ve had with the show until now. I mean, everything’s been amazing, but that was kind of bittersweet, because I was a football player myself, and I was all stoked about playing football. And I knew going in that Jason was going to get hurt, but that took football away from me. So “Murderball,” or quad rugby, came up, and they tried to put a stunt player in, and I was, “Nope, no way. There’s no way I’m getting out of this chair. Strap me in it, I’m going to be in it all day.”

We shot for 13 hours that day. We shot eight hours of footage for the “Murderball” game. And it’s just…it’s really an intense sport. The guys who play it are amazing. Everybody in that scene, except Herc (Kevin Rankin) and myself are members of the Texas Stampede, which is a national quad rugby team that Mark Zupan (star of the documentary Murderball) plays on. If anybody has not seen the film, I suggest you see it, and get Zupan’s book Gimp and that you read through it. Because these really are just amazing men who, you know, could have had their life end, but instead chose to start a new life in spite of their injuries.

I actually saw most of Murderballon the plane ride home from New York after I saw Doubt. It is an intense film and worth watching.

[housemouse]

Things I Love About Friday Night Lights

By House Mouse

***Spoilers***

1. Buddy Garrity is a bigger jerk than we all thought he was.
2. After his redemption in last week's episode Matt's dad left for Iraq again.
3. Smash's mom
4. The mayor of Dillon is a lesbian
5. Herc called Jason "Grasshopper"
6. Tyra refused to get back together with Tim (and called Jason on getting back with Lyla).
7. Jason proposed to Lyla.
8. The music.

[maggiethecat]

O MOuse, O Shmeep! I finally saw it and I loved it. (I guess I've either been working or I'd fallen asleep when it was on in a later time slot.) And I do confess that I woulkd rather be hanged by my thumbs than watch so much as one minute of football, even while channel-surfing . . . which is probably why I'd been quietly staying away.

Really good show. Kyle Chandler, by the way, is the only one who gets the accent right (mostly a matter of rhythm), and I'm glad most of the cast doesn't even try for one.

Ooh, that Jason is a cutie and a half, and I very much like that he's underplaying the role and keeping it simple.

[housemouse]

Kyle Chandler is fabulous. I loved him in Early Edition, Coach Taylor couldn't be a more different character, but his performance is pitch perfect. He is originally from Georgia, I wonder if that has anything to do with the accent. I love Coach and Mrs. Coach's relationship.

Zach Gilford blows me away every single episode as Matt Saracen. That boy is talented. His role isn't as flashy as Jason, but he is exceptional.

As for Scott Porter (Jason Street), that fella is just too much to be believed. His performance is amazing. He plays Jason with so much heart and so much class, I am in awe. I think I mentioned that I sent him a message on his myspace and he actually returned it, his response was very sweet. I have a myspace friend who I met through his myspace and she says he is a doll.

Welcome Maggie - to the best show on television. Might I even say (at the risk of offending one or two people on this board): The. Best. Show. Ever.

[maggiethecat]

housemouse said:

Welcome Maggie - to the best show on television. Might I even say (at the risk of offending one or two people on this board): The. Best. Show. Ever.

Okay, okay, okay. Sheesh. Best show running now, maybe, but I just can't come around to thinking the best show ever. (Sorry!) There's still too much . . . football. Give me a tec squad and the Mean Streets of NYC any day. Give me Law & Order and Broadway actors and shooting on location in The Big Apple. Give me sharp angsty dialogue -- preferably in the mouths of jaded, world-weary policemen or soulless lawyers -- or the warped sensibility of Denis Leary and the demented men of 60 truck.

Don't get me wrong -- I am very much liking this show -- but I don't see edgy yet. And I lo-o-o-ve edgy. I need to be convinced!

BTW, now that it's finally running on A & E and not HBO (which I never had access to), I have finally caught up with The Sopranos. Uh . . . that's it? This is what got a kazillion Emmys? Nowhere near as good as Wiseguy . . . .

[housemouse]

maggiethecat said:

Okay, okay, okay. Sheesh. Best show running now, maybe, but I just can't come around to thinking the best show ever. (Sorry!) There's still too much . . . football.

Okay, maybe not the best ever, but definitely the best show in the air right now.

It's funny, I thought I would want to fast forward over the football, but I find myself watching it. huh.

maggiethecat said:

Give me a tec squad and the Mean Streets of NYC any day. Give me Law & Order and Broadway actors and shooting on location in The Big Apple. Give me sharp angsty dialog -- preferably in the mouths of jaded, world-weary policemen or soulless lawyers -- or the warped sensibility of Denis Leary and the demented men of 60 truck.

I think one of the things I like about FNL is that it is not full of procedural stuff. The television screen is filled with jaded, world weary cops and lawyers and doctors and investigators. I like this show because it is so not that, yet it is just so real and well written.

maggiethecat said:

Don't get me wrong -- I am very much liking this show -- but I don't see edgy yet. And I lo-o-o-ve edgy. I need to be convinced!

I would not use edgy to describe this show. But keep watching, you just might be convinced!

maggiethecat said:

BTW, now that it's finally running on A & E and not HBO (which I never had access to), I have finally caught up with The Sopranos. Uh . . . that's it? This is what got a kazillion Emmys? Nowhere near as good as Wiseguy . . . .

I agree with you on the Sopranos. I was never able to get into the way other people I knew seemed to. I thought it was all right but as my mom would say it was "no great shakes."

Now Wiseguy, there is a great show for you. It had great writing, great characters, Jim Byrnes and two words - Kevin Spacey.

[shmeep]

Welcome, Mags! I'm thrilled you have decided to give the greatness of FNL a chance. Have a fun ride! But...it was never on in a later time slot. Always at 8--except for one special ep they aired after Heroes once. I think it should be a 9 or 10 o'clock show, but I'll take it wherever I can get it.

And Mouse...karma for this:

housemouse said:

I think one of the things I like about FNL is that it is not full of procedural stuff. The television screen is filled with jaded, world weary cops and lawyers and doctors and investigators. I like this show because it is so not that, yet it is just so real and well written.

Amen, Sister! I like a good legal/cop drama as much as the next person, but we are so inundated by them these days that even the good ones are starting to feel stale to me. I seldom even bother getting into the new ones because I'm getting sick of the entire genre. I watched Blind Justice despite the genre, not because of it, and loved it but...a lot of early reviewers complained that it was just another procedural--but with a twist! They saw the blindness as a gimmick to get people to watch yet another cop show (and most didn't think the cop stories lived up to most of what's out there today) and that made them overlook much of the greatness of the series.

Mouse, I completely missed your post yesterday morning about FNL and I wondered all day why you weren't going to say anything about the episode. Sorry! I don't know where my brain went.

This weeks episode was one of the best yet, in my opinion. Not enough Riggins, although I got a kick out of Tyra's mom telling Tyra to get back together with him because of how cute he is, but the Lesbian mayor storyline killed me--particularly the part about how uncomfortable it made Coach. I loved Coach telling Mrs. Coach that the mayor obviously came out to them because she knows what a forward-thinking individual he is.

Of course the high point of the entire episode was the showdown between Jason Street and Buddy Garrity over why Buddy had set his daughter up with another guy. That rang so true as I watched. The acting couldn't have been better. Jason, sitting in his wheelchair, chewing his gum hard, demanding that Buddy admit that he no longer wanted his daughter to be with him now that he's no longer the star quarterback. And I even came away with some respect for Buddy because he was honest and raised some very good points. The thing that really made me feel that scene was the camera angles. Jason seemed so far below Buddy as they spoke because the camera was shooting down at him and Buddy seemed to be looming above from Jason's angle, just as a person standing beside someone in a wheelchair would. You could just feel the inequality in their positions. Brilliant. Even better...Jason and Herc, talking over what had happened. I loved Herc's comment about the Buddy Garrity's of the world who would make Jason feel worthless. And I also loved Jason's resolve to be like Herc, to become an even better man than the one he would have been had he not been paralyzed. It was just perfect. I don't know that I like that a high school student has proposed marriage, but I love that he knows he'll still be good enough for Lyla.

What this show does so brilliantly is show that football, the town obsession, isn't all there is. Coach showed Smash someone who had made it to Notre Dame, only to fail once he got there and ended up working at a fast food place. Jason had all his hopes and dreams built around his football career his entire life only to realize he will now have to do something else--and do it better. And Smash's mom...LOVE her! She hit just the right note, telling Smash that, while she loved watching him play football, she wished there wasn't all the pressure on him to make it big and take care of the entire family. Another strong female in the show! I can't say enough about how great the women of FNL are. Mrs. Coach, Julie, Smash's Mama, Tyra, even Lyla is starting to grow stronger, although I still don't care for the actress. This show really gets women and the dynamic between really shrewd women and a bunch of jocks who don't always get the big picture unless it's hammered into their heads.

And I have to say...Herc calling Jason, hiding in his hood, "Unibomber" when they pull up to spy on Lyla's "date"--and then Herc honking and yelling to get Lyla's attention as they drive off with the two wheelchairs blatantly sitting there in the back of the truck...I was dying.

And Matt's face when his dad left for Iraq! Someone give that boy an Emmy! But I got teary when Matt's senile grandma hugged him with tears in her eyes and then included Julie in the hug. I don't know why, but that image was very moving. It's too bad Matt's dad never got to see Matt being a hero at one of his games. The first game, Matt blew it because his dad made him nervous, and then there wasn't a game the next week, so this would have been Matt's only opportunity to really shine in front of his father. I'm glad he did shine and that he saved the day, but it's really sad his dad couldn't see it. It was kind of sweet that his grandma genuinely thought his dad would be able to pick up the game on cable wherever he landed--that a Dillon Panther high school game was important enough to be picked up no matter where in the world you were. Heh.

Did I mention that I love this show?

[housemouse]

admin said:

Of course the high point of the entire episode was the showdown between Jason Street and Buddy Garrity over why Buddy had set his daughter up with another guy. That rang so true as I watched. The acting couldn't have been better. Jason, sitting in his wheelchair, chewing his gum hard, demanding that Buddy admit that he no longer wanted his daughter to be with him now that he's no longer the star quarterback. And I even came away with some respect for Buddy because he was honest and raised some very good points. The thing that really made me feel that scene was the camera angles. Jason seemed so far below Buddy as they spoke because the camera was shooting down at him and Buddy seemed to be looming above from Jason's angle, just as a person standing beside someone in a wheelchair would. You could just feel the inequality in their positions. Brilliant. Even better...Jason and Herc, talking over what had happened. I loved Herc's comment about the Buddy Garrity's of the world who would make Jason feel worthless. And I also loved Jason's resolve to be like Herc, to become an even better man than the one he would have been had he not been paralyzed. It was just perfect. I don't know that I like that a high school student has proposed marriage, but I love that he knows he'll still be good enough for Lyla.

It's funny, I didn't really notice the Buddy looming over Jason thing in that scene. I was busy feeling horrible for Jason as Buddy basically told him he had no future and at this point his life was pretty much worthless. My heart broke when he asked Jason point blank if he could have kids. What impressed me was how well Jason held it together with Buddy. Even though Buddy was breaking him down he sat there and took it and held his head high.

When I did notice the juxtaposition of Jason in the chair verses someone towering over him was when he was talking to Lyla. He sat there and looked up at here while he outlined what she had to look forward to and disparity between what their two lives might become. Scott Porter rocks.

admin said:

And Smash's mom...LOVE her! She hit just the right note, telling Smash that, while she loved watching him play football, she wished there wasn't all the pressure on him to make it big and take care of the entire family. Another strong female in the show! I can't say enough about how great the women of FNL are. Mrs. Coach, Julie, Smash's Mama, Tyra, even Lyla is starting to grow stronger, although I still don't care for the actress. This show really gets women and the dynamic between really shrewd women and a bunch of jocks who don't always get the big picture unless it's hammered into their heads.

Okay, maybe it was a stretch to call this the best show ever, but I don't think it is a stretch to say that these are the best written female characters ever. Every one of them is so real, so amazing, so perfect. Mama Smash kicks ass. There is nothing more to say. Liz Mikel takes one of the best characters on television and plays her perfectly, absolutely perfectly. That woman deserves an Emmy. Tami Taylor, Julie, Tyra, Mama Tyra, these women are fabulous. Their relationships are real, they are real, and in my opinion, it is the women who make this show.

admin said:

And I have to say...Herc calling Jason, hiding in his hood, "Unibomber" when they pull up to spy on Lyla's "date"--and then Herc honking and yelling to get Lyla's attention as they drive off with the two wheelchairs blatantly sitting there in the back of the truck...I was dying.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Kevin Rankin kicks ass!!! I love how they have taken Herc from being Jason's main antagonist to being his closest friend and confidant. Now Jason not only respects and looks up to Herc, he wants to be more like him. I laughed out loud at the "quad quote" and when Herc showed Jason how to fly the bird to Mr. Garrity. They looked at each other and they both seemed to understand the absurdity of the situation.

I only had one problem with the pick-up truck spying scene. How did they get the wheelchairs into the back of the truck? I'm guessing there is a way to get er done, but I can't figure out what it would be.

admin said:

And Matt's face when his dad left for Iraq! Someone give that boy an Emmy! But I got teary when Matt's senile grandma hugged him with tears in her eyes and then included Julie in the hug. I don't know why, but that image was very moving. It's too bad Matt's dad never got to see Matt being a hero at one of his games. The first game, Matt blew it because his dad made him nervous, and then there wasn't a game the next week, so this would have been Matt's only opportunity to really shine in front of his father. I'm glad he did shine and that he saved the day, but it's really sad his dad couldn't see it. It was kind of sweet that his grandma genuinely thought his dad would be able to pick up the game on cable wherever he landed--that a Dillon Panther high school game was important enough to be picked up no matter where in the world you were. Heh.

The three way hug was so sweet, so real. I was very touched by how Grandma kept reminding Matt's dad to turn on the game as soon as he arrived in Iraq, and watching her heart break as the bus drove away. She is getting senile, but she was lucid enough at that point to know her son was heading off to war again. Great scene.

admin said:

Did I mention that I love this show?

What's not to love about the best show on TV?

[maggiethecat]

Good night nurse, you two are obsessed.

As for being inundated with procedurals, I agree, but I'm not sick of them because I stick to one and only one: Law & Order Classico, the Mothership, and not the spin-offs. I will occasionally watch CSI because I rather like William Peterson and Marg Helgenberger . . . but I avoid all other CSI shows (for obvious reasons) and Criminal Minds and that godawful Close to Home with the twinkiest girl on TV (talk about bad writing, bad casting, bad, acting!). Cop and lawyer shows come and go with the exception of L & O, which is better this season than it's been in a long time. As for lawyer shows, feh . . . with the exception of Shark, which is, sadly, uneven -- sad because when it's good it crackles with great writing and James Woods knows how to get the most out of a line.

So maybe I misspoke -- it's good cop shows I like, preferably with NY flavor and edgy writing that makes you think a little about issues and the way the law works, and the dynamics of society -- which is what you get in a really good closing argument on L & O. It's the writing for me, in the end.

I actually thought the best written scene in FNL this week was the interchange between Coach and Smash in the diner. Yes, the scene between Jason and Lila's dad was excellent -- mostly for the acting. I have to say, I've heard Buddy's speech before, in various guises, in movies and TV shows and so it's kind of . . . well, let's just say I've seen it before. SORRY -- cowering with my hands over my head! I mean, when Buddy came out with that guff about how was the kid going to take care of a baby in the middle of the night . . . well, that was a cliche. The only bit I thought really outstanding -- in that it went to another level -- was when Buddy asked the kid about having children, and he replied honestly. So I have to say, mixed reviews on the writing . . . so far. I mean SO FAR!!! ;D

You are both so in love with this show that I'm feeling really brave saying anything at all!

[shmeep]

maggiethecat said:

You are both so in love with this show that I'm feeling really brave saying anything at all!

I'm thrilled to have you in the conversation no matter what! And I like your points.

About Buddy...if you knew the show better, you'd know that he is kind of a walking cliche and words out of his mouth aren't generally all that original. And that makes it real too! A lot of people speak like that and think like that. That wasn't my focus in that scene. I was too enthralled by the creative camera angles that put me right there in each of their positions and by the way Jason Street's body language spoke so eloquently. His defiant expression, the way he was shaking his head as Buddy spoke, the gum chewing, the bravado coming from his eyes, and the way he kept his voice steady and respectful as he responded to the question about having children. And you're right, that question was what took that scene to another level. Buddy went from evading Jason to being honest and spouting off cliched excuses and then, unexpectedly, a rhetorical question became a real question that demanded a response and Jason seemed startled by his need to reply to that at all.

When my friend guest-starred on Northern Exposure, I remember the director really loved her and was constantly praising her for the way she listened to the other characters as they were talking. She wasn't thinking of her next line and affecting what she thought to be appropriate behavior. She actually seemed to be listening and responding and he thought she was natural. He talked about that a lot while we were watching dailies of her scenes. That's what I think all of FNL is. It's characters really reacting to what's happening around them and sometimes the unspoken is far more poignant than anything that's written. The best writing, as a rule, is for the Tammy Taylor character, though. She's just witty and her dialogue with the Coach is original and I have never seen that kind of interplay between characters on TV before. They spar and disagree and things almost get ugly, but there's such love and respect between them that they don't stay mad for long. There's tons of chemistry, but the writers never have to resort to creating annoying situations to keep them apart or mad. They just react naturally to whatever comes up and the conflict rises and falls between them much as it would between many well-adjusted and intelligent couples.