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Post by housemouse on Jan 26, 2007 11:38:10 GMT -5
Good night nurse, you two are obsessed. Obsessed and loving every minute of it!!! You are both so in love with this show that I'm feeling really brave saying anything at all! I love that you are saying what you are - your points are all excellent and well taken! 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. That is exactly what I was thinking about Buddy. Shmeep, you described him perfectly as a walking cliche'. I think that is the purpose the writers want Buddy to serve. He is the big blustery fat cat who likes to throw his weight around and has no concept of political correctness. Even if he does know about political correctness, he doesn't give a damn. 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. I think this was one more scene where they writers are conveying Jason's struggle to define himself in his new role as "town cripple" (Jason's words). It started when he knocked that glass down, continued with his quad rugby scrimmage, and sexual interaction with Lyla, and they are showing him still moving through the stages of grief. t'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 dialog 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. Here, here! There is some amazing writing for the character of Tammy Taylor (love the alliteration - I'm a sucker for alliteration). I love, love, love, love, love the Taylor's marriage. It reminds of my own marriage. It has stressful moments, but they both know they are together forever and that is the context for all of their communication.
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Post by shmeep on Jan 26, 2007 12:30:58 GMT -5
That is exactly what I was thinking about Buddy. Shmeep, you described him perfectly as a walking cliche'. I think that is the purpose the writers want Buddy to serve. He is the big blustery fat cat who likes to throw his weight around and has no concept of political correctness. Even if he does know about political correctness, he doesn't give a damn. And here's more praise of what this show can do: Buddy, however clichéd he is and however boring is his conversation, is still a fleshed-out and complex character who is neither all good nor all bad. Lyla almost cringed when he spoke of her going to the new "Asian restaurant" (knowing her father didn't know or care that Japanese food is not exactly like all other "Asian" food) and that was a very subtle and wonderful touch. And, annoying as he is, Buddy cares about his community and is willing to help those in need. He gave Matt's dad a job and even listened to Tim's plea on behalf of Tyra's mom. Of course when he actually gave her that job, it was very slimy. First he lied about having filled the position and then, after seeing how pretty Tyra's mom was, gave her the job without even finding out if she was qualified. So...he's decent at times, but also very smarmy. And eew! Tyra won't be happy when her mom goes from being a battered girlfriend to being Buddy's mistress. That will make things nice at school between Tyra and Lyla, won't it? And those two were always such chums! I think this was one more scene where they writers are conveying Jason's struggle to define himself in his new role as "town cripple" (Jason's words). It started when he knocked that glass down, continued with his quad rugby scrimmage, and sexual interaction with Lyla, and they are showing him still moving through the stages of grief. They've been on the mark the whole time about Jason and what he's going through. Jason goes through spells of being wistful and angry or sometimes just numb, but he's always Jason and there's always a smile in there somewhere and a willingness to try new things and to live his life. I've almost never seen such a subject so well handled in my life. It's very touching and emotional but is never overly sentimental. Just a perfect balance. I love, love, love, love, love the Taylor's marriage. It reminds of my own marriage. It has stressful moments, but they both know they are together forever and that is the context for all of their communication. Yes! It's a lot like my marriage too. We bicker and sometimes seem on the verge of getting downright nasty, but we can laugh at our irritation and admit when the other is right and we never go to bed angry. We each know who we married and we know we're in it for the long haul and that makes a big difference in the dynamic. Watching the Taylors sometimes makes me tense because I'm always sure that THIS time, the fight will turn into something that can hurt the marriage, but it never happens and that's beautiful to me and it rings true. The perfect example of this is when Coach strongly expressed how uncomfortable it made him that Tammy was going to join the lesbian mayor's campaign and Tammy told him he'd just have to be uncomfortable with it, then. I thought it was about to go sour, but then Coach just laughed and said there was never a dull moment with her. I wanted to cheer. They both know who they married, good and bad, and that's it. It's sad that such a portrayal is so rare.
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Post by hoosier on Jan 26, 2007 19:22:10 GMT -5
I actually thought the best written scene in FNL this week was the interchange between Coach and Smash in the diner. quote] I loved that scene! So many kids think that their ticket out of town is hitting it big first in college and then in professional sports. They never think (or don't want to think) about how it is the dream of every other kid too. Smash needed to be reminded that wanting it and living it are two totally different things. This scene reminded me of the movie Hoosiers where the character played by Dennis Hopper had lived and relived his high school glory days for 30 some years, never having done anything with his life because life never lived up to high school. And Mama Smash, taking the bull by the horns and laying down the law! I loved Coach's reaction when she lit into him. She is one of my favorite characters.
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Post by housemouse on Jan 30, 2007 14:53:19 GMT -5
I decided that FNL deserves a board to itself. Here is a link to the new Friday Night Fanatics message board: fridaynightfans.proboards79.com/index.cgiIt is only about an hour old, and all needs all the support it can get! So if you watch the show and want to talk about it - come and check it out!
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Post by Chris on Jan 30, 2007 17:45:55 GMT -5
I decided that FNL deserves a board to itself. Here is a link to the new Friday Night Fanatics message board: fridaynightfans.proboards79.com/index.cgiIt is only about an hour old, and all needs all the support it can get! So if you watch the show and want to talk about it - come and check it out! Good luck with your new board, Mouse Friday Night Lights sounds like a great show but I haven't seen it and I probably won't get to, since people over here really don't get American Football at all, so a show about that ? Nah, I don't think so... It sure does sound cool though.. Take care and keep smiling - Chris
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Post by shmeep on Feb 5, 2007 10:29:14 GMT -5
I thought Mouse would enjoy the TWoP recaplet of last week's Friday Night Lights:
Coach Taylor is just generally pissed at the world until Tami tells him to relax and ease up on punishing Smash for the steroids. So he makes a house call to tell the kid that he is forgiven, and also to give him a heartwarming speech about how sometimes they all forget why they love the game so much. Coach knows when to let things go.
Tim needs to get his dad to sign something related to a traffic ticket he got. He goes on a little trip in search of him, finally locating the good-for-nothing louse…at a golf course. Not quite the "gritty" familial drama I had hoped for. Just like Billy warned his little brother, his father is charming at first, until he reveals himself to be a jackass who doesn't know when to let things go.
Matt is more and more caught up in football jock nonsense, which from what I can tell generally involves: a) a lot of "wooooo!!!"-ing; b) rally girls wearing not much more than football jerseys; and c) beer. Since it does not really include much Julie, Julie takes this opportunity to become even more awesome by befriending Tyra, who brings her to a strip club, teaches her how to shoplift, and puts together the most awesome girls' night ever involving Julie, Tyra, Grandma Saracen, geriatric pedicures, and white wine. But when Matt's carousing becomes slightly indiscreet, Julie seems like she's ready to let him go.
Oh, and Jason and Lyla probably aren't going to get married. Bravo, show, with the knowing when to let the novelty plot twists go.
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Post by housemouse on Feb 5, 2007 10:42:36 GMT -5
Coach Taylor is just generally pissed at the world until Tami tells him to relax and ease up on punishing Smash for the steroids. So he makes a house call to tell the kid that he is forgiven, and also to give him a heartwarming speech about how sometimes they all forget why they love the game so much. Coach knows when to let things go. Kudos for this scene. I loved how Coach and Smash interacted with those little kids. Very cool. I also loved Mama Smash standing on the porch watching. Tim needs to get his dad to sign something related to a traffic ticket he got. He goes on a little trip in search of him, finally locating the good-for-nothing louse…at a golf course. Not quite the "gritty" familial drama I had hoped for. Just like Billy warned his little brother, his father is charming at first, until he reveals himself to be a jackass who doesn't know when to let things go. The great thing about the interaction between Tim and his dad is that his dad is just a jerk. Nothing more or less. He is not evil personified like a lot of these types of characters. He is just a passive aggressive jerk who cares more about his own life than the lives of his kids. Great way to handle the storyline if you ask me. Matt is more and more caught up in football jock nonsense, which from what I can tell generally involves: a) a lot of "wooooo!!!"-ing; b) rally girls wearing not much more than football jerseys; and c) beer. Since it does not really include much Julie, Julie takes this opportunity to become even more awesome by befriending Tyra, who brings her to a strip club, teaches her how to shoplift, and puts together the most awesome girls' night ever involving Julie, Tyra, Grandma Saracen, geriatric pedicures, and white wine. But when Matt's carousing becomes slightly indiscreet, Julie seems like she's ready to let him go. Julie took a huge leap of faith in dating Matt, and his getting so wrapped up in the "football hero" thing is not helping the relationship. Poor little Matt, he is just a naive little guy tasting local fame for the first time, and he has no idea what to do with it all. Oh, and Jason and Lyla probably aren't going to get married. Bravo, show, with the knowing when to let the novelty plot twists go. I was pleasantly surprised when Lyla brought a little perspective to the whole "marriage" thing. Jason was pretty upset, but come on, they are still in high school. I love the recaps at TWoP, the ones I have read have all been witty and fun.
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Post by shmeep on Feb 5, 2007 10:52:39 GMT -5
I love the recaps at TWoP, the ones I have read have all been witty and fun. I agree. They are hysterical--and they can also really catch you up on a show if you've missed an episode here and there because the descriptions of everything are so thorough. If anyone wants to read up on some past episodes so the current ones make sense, here is where you can find all the recaps: www.televisionwithoutpity.com/articles/category_2929.htmlI am reading the full recap of the FNL Pilot right now and I just came across this hilarious sentence and had to share:
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Post by shmeep on Feb 8, 2007 9:18:54 GMT -5
How great was last night's episode? I laughed, I cried, I thought a lot...it delivered.
So much has been said about racism in various ways over the years that it's hard to believe that a show made in 2007 can bring it all to the here and now and make people realize it's still going on. Perhaps more in Texas than in some other areas but...yes, it still exists.
Starting from Mac's ignorant and insensitive ramblings to the press after their win, it spreads across the school and through the team. The most powerful thing is that Smash, usually so outspoken, doesn't even seem to notice it much and tries to tell everyone that it isn't a big deal. Until he tries to have his own dialogue with Mac about the incident and until his mother is turned down for a home loan after checking the "African American" box on her application. The episode title is "Blinders" and it soon becomes apparent that this refers to the fact that many people don't even admit there is racism until they're faced with it as Smash is.
Mrs. Coach, of course, tries her best to have a forum for the students to relieve their feelings. I thought this scene was completely believable. You can totally see all the perspectives, but still see how there is no easy way to resolve any of it. The black students say they're just different and that each race keeps to themselves--which is largely true even in California high schools. Waverly thinks there needs to be more communication to sort it out. One random white student complains that he can't even go to the movies without some loud black people talking in the next row (something that happens to me all the time here in Maryland, by the way--here black people talk during movies, in California it's old people. I don't know what to make of that, but it's true). Landry tries to explain that the whole thing is caused by the way they have all been socialized growing up--and that's undoubtedly true as well. Then it turns ugly and Mrs. Coach finds herself in the middle of an argument with everyone yelling at once.
One of the best scenes (the one that had me almost bawling) was when she gets home, completely discouraged by what happened and how Coach tells her how proud he is of her and how she never shies away from difficult issues, which is why she does so much good and makes people trust her. It was beautiful and, as is usual for this show, never once became schmaltzy. It was so very real!
The Julie story line was also amazing. As a punishment for ditching class with Tyra, Mrs. Coach sentences the girls to playing on the Powder Puff football team. Oh, this is great through and through, from Tim picking Lyla on his team and leading them expertly to Matt stumbling through with an awkward team not helped any by sulky Tyra and Julie (who is bitter because Matt chose her third). The fun begins when Tyra, bitter against Lyla because she's on Tim's team and because Lyla's dad has been making advances to Tyra's mom, gets extremely competitive and takes charge of the team, harassing them into better performance. Then Matt makes Julie the quarterback and when Coach finds out--in the middle of scolding Julie for something else--he takes her outside and they have a private football practice. It's great, seeing how proud he is of his daughter for how well she plays. It's even better at the game when Coach lambastes Landry (the referee) during the game itself for a bad call against Julie. I enjoyed the game--especially the part where Tyra tackles Lyla and then calls her a spoiled snob and points out how friendly her father has been toward Tyra's mother. Lyla naturally dismisses that, but frets over being called a spoiled snob. Jason's face is priceless when she later asks him if that's true. He opens his mouth to speak and then laughs and says, "sort of." I would have lost all respect for him had he responded otherwise. One last note on the Powder Puff game...a really nice touch was that Matt's grandma was there holding up a pro-Julie sign and acting as excited about that game as she was about watching the playoffs. It was just a tiny moment in the background of another scene, but it was amazing.
But back to Jason...he's back at school, but not happy at how he's being treated by everyone else. He's warmly welcomed, but no one seems to have any expectations of him and he's not used to this after having been the hero of the town for so many years. He decides to take the GED and go try out for the national Quad Rugby team. Should be interesting, folks.
I'm no fan of football, but after watching Coach's delight in his daughter's football prowess, I told my husband that if we have any daughters, I want him to play football with them. He assured me he had every intention of doing just that.
Back to the racism part of the story...all the black players--led by a newly-aware Smash--walk off during a practice. I can't wait to see how this all pans out next week.
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Post by housemouse on Feb 8, 2007 9:49:56 GMT -5
Another fabulous episode.
Mama Smash just gets better every week. She is amazing. That scene in the bank where she reigns Smash in. Wow! The lines were dead on, the performance was perfect. Mama Smash, how I love thee.
Poor Tami Taylor, her plan to help alleviate some of the racial tension backfired. I loved Eric's pep talk. It took me back to "Eyes Wide Open" (the second episode) when Tami gave Eric the same type of talk to help him get on track with Matt. Again, this is a great - very real - marriage. Stuff like that is what marriage is all about - propping each other up when the need is there. Love that couple - love them!
So it looks like Tyra and Julie officially have a friendship and Tyra has not been a wonderful influence on Julie. I loved how Eric was tearing Julie apart about the whole cutting class thing, but as soon as he heard she was quarterback everything changed. So funny!
The powderpuff game was great. Tim was quite a task master as a coach. Poor Matt seemed a bit lost til Tyra took over for him. When Tyra slammed Lyla I cracked up. That was a whole lot of pent up aggression right there.
I hope Matt and Julie get back together.
Another fabulous interaction between Herc and Jason. I loved the scene where he was teaching him to drive. Herc kicks ass, he really does. Kevin Rankin - wow. Their conversation about people treating them "weird" after they got out of the hospital was just so real. Jason feels like Jason and really has a hard time understanding why other people don't feel the same way. Great dialog. I was sad for Jason when he went back to school. When he was trying to dissect that frog, oh my. I kind of don't blame him for talking about taking the GED and being done with it. I was proud of him when he admitted that Lyla was a spoiled snob sometimes. I think they nailed one more nail in the coffin in this episode, Jason and Lyla are just about dead.
This show gets better and better. Next week's episode looks great, it looks like Kyle Chandler is really going to steal the show.
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Post by housemouse on Feb 10, 2007 9:45:27 GMT -5
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Post by shmeep on Feb 16, 2007 9:56:02 GMT -5
I thought I'd give Mouse a chance to be the first to say how amazing this week's Friday Night Lights was, but she didn't ( ) so I'll just do it now. With the team minus all 16 of its black players, Coach is in a tough situation. He could fire Mac--admittedly in the wrong for his comments but not a bad guy and very dedicated to the team--or he could play the next playoff game using JV fill-ins. Despite being told by Buddy and the booster club, by the black players, and by the deadly three-in-one counselor/wife/friend combo that Mac has to go for the good of the team, Coach refuses to fire him--even when he tries to resign. The black players are getting a little restless as they contemplate all they may be throwing away if they don't come back, but Smash doesn't see what else he can do. He's somehow become the leader of this black movement and Waverly is very proud of him for his stand. It takes the wonder that is MamaSmash to save the day. She marches into his room and orders him to get back on that team and to get the others to follow him, saying very wisely that there are always racists out there and that the best way to combat that kind of ignorance is to succeed. He and the other players do go back and they end up in an all-out brawl with the other team, who are far more racist than Mac. The game is called off, but the Panthers win because they were ahead after three quarters. The bus gets pulled over by some racist cops who are upset by their team's loss and want to humiliate Smash, but Mac stands up to them, calling their bluff and not allowing them to get to Smash without a warrant. He hasn't quite redeemed himself, but it's a good start. In another story, Matt buys Julie a make-up gift and tries to give it to her at the strip club. Julie and Tyra are only there to pick up some money from Tyra's sister, who works there ("Of course she does," Mrs. Taylor says later, when Julie tries to explain what happened), but when Landry gets busted for being there (I was wondering why such youngsters were allowed in a strip club--I'm glad that was addressed), all four of them end up in jail. Nobody is more upset about this than Mrs. Coach, who waits in the car with her husband for a while after the other parents have picked up their kids just so Julie can stew for a bit. "All the other parents have picked up their perps, why can't we pick up ours?" Coach asks his wife. I love that! I generally don't like it when good kids get corrupted and suddenly go bad on a show. Teenage rebellion isn't often handled well and it usually just ends up bugging me. This is different, though. Both sides are so reasonable and, while I hate to see anything upsetting the fabulous Mrs. Coach, she's maybe not listening to her kid quite enough. But Julie is being led astray by Tyra so...they're both right. Mrs. Coach thinks Tyra is all bad and, on the surface, who could blame her for thinking that? But Julie can see all that is good and she is starting to see for herself that not everything Tyra does is something she would want to do herself so...I don't know. Like many such relationships, this one is complex and I love the way it's unfolding.
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Post by housemouse on Feb 16, 2007 10:52:50 GMT -5
With the team minus all 16 of its black players, Coach is in a tough situation. He could fire Mac--admittedly in the wrong for his comments but not a bad guy and very dedicated to the team--or he could play the next playoff game using JV fill-ins. The scene with Riggins and his "charges" in the lunch room was great. He was making those fellows tow the line. Despite being told by Buddy and the booster club, by the black players, and by the deadly three-in-one counselor/wife/friend combo that Mac has to go for the good of the team, Coach refuses to fire him--even when he tries to resign. I may be off base, but I think the only reason Eric didn't fire Mac or accept his resignation is because Eric is a wimp. He needed to step up and fire the racist. Mac should not have said what he did, it was out of line. People have been fired for less. The black players are getting a little restless as they contemplate all they may be throwing away if they don't come back, but Smash doesn't see what else he can do. He's somehow become the leader of this black movement and Waverly is very proud of him for his stand. It takes the wonder that is MamaSmash to save the day. She marches into his room and orders him to get back on that team and to get the others to follow him, saying very wisely that there are always racists out there and that the best way to combat that kind of ignorance is to succeed. Another brilliant soliloquy from Mama Smash. I love, love, love, love that character. Waverly - not so much. Does she really want to date Smash or does she just want to turn him into a militant? He and the other players do go back and they end up in an all-out brawl with the other team, who are far more racist than Mac. The game is called off, but the Panthers win because they were ahead after three quarters. Two great things about that scene... 1. Smash keeping his cool 2. Riggins standing up for his teammate. The bus gets pulled over by some racist cops who are upset by their team's loss and want to humiliate Smash, but Mac stands up to them, calling their bluff and not allowing them to get to Smash without a warrant. He hasn't quite redeemed himself, but it's a good start. I was disappointed in this. This is wrapping things up in too neat a little package. This scene did not live up to the standards FNL has set for itself. In another story, Matt buys Julie a make-up gift and tries to give it to her at the strip club. Julie and Tyra are only there to pick up some money from Tyra's sister, who works there ("Of course she does," Mrs. Taylor says later, when Julie tries to explain what happened), but when Landry gets busted for being there (I was wondering why such youngsters were allowed in a strip club--I'm glad that was addressed), all four of them end up in jail. Nobody is more upset about this than Mrs. Coach, who waits in the car with her husband for a while after the other parents have picked up their kids just so Julie can stew for a bit. "All the other parents have picked up their perps, why can't we pick up ours?" Coach asks his wife. I love that! That whole scene was great. Landry is starting to grow on me. I generally don't like it when good kids get corrupted and suddenly go bad on a show. Teenage rebellion isn't often handled well and it usually just ends up bugging me. This is different, though. Both sides are so reasonable and, while I hate to see anything upsetting the fabulous Mrs. Coach, she's maybe not listening to her kid quite enough. But Julie is being led astray by Tyra so...they're both right. Mrs. Coach thinks Tyra is all bad and, on the surface, who could blame her for thinking that? But Julie can see all that is good and she is starting to see for herself that not everything Tyra does is something she would want to do herself so...I don't know. Like many such relationships, this one is complex and I love the way it's unfolding. I loved the lecture Eric and Tami gave Julie earlier in the episode. I got a little lost with the whole "the first person/second person thing" but I thought it was great. My nieces are 13 and 16 and these are the things I hear from their moms all the time. They are both great kids with good heads on their shoulders, but these are they types of the things they deal with. The issues are very real and very well presented. One other thing about this episode. Jason heading off to quad rugby training. His interaction with Counselor Tami cracked me up. He sat there and gleefully told her he was putting all his eggs in the quad rugby basket and he had no problem at all with that. And Herc rolling backward while Jason was kissing Lyla goodbye - priceless. Man Kevin Rankin kicks ass.
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Post by shmeep on Feb 16, 2007 12:56:54 GMT -5
The really good news is that FNL had some it's best ratings yet this week! Fans are starting to breathe a little easier and are actually starting to have hope that there will be a second season. This week had more than a million more viewers than last week, so that's great news. It was such a good episode, too. I'm hoping a lot of those new viewers will be retained. From my understanding, part of the reason the numbers are improving is that FNL is finally available on Itunes and it's doing really well over there and hooking a lot of new viewers who are getting caught up and are giving a lot of positive feedback about what a great show it is. That was how The Office started gaining viewers and why it is still on the air. The scene with Riggins and his "charges" in the lunch room was great. He was making those fellows tow the line. Here's what's so interesting about Riggins to me. He can go several episodes without saying a word, but then he's so aggressive on the field and so outspoken and such a natural leader that it makes me feel that he's really comfortable playing sports but that his real life is an awkward mess that he doesn't know what to do with. Love all the subtlety there! I may be off base, but I think the only reason Eric didn't fire Mac or accept his resignation is because Eric is a wimp. He needed to step up and fire the racist. Mac should not have said what he did, it was out of line. People have been fired for less. I wouldn't call Coach a wimp! I saw this as another perfect example of how well this show demonstrates the complexity of each issue as it arises and allows us to see it from so many different sides. I was on Tami's side and thought firing Mac was appropriate, but I was also proud of Eric for not caving to incredible pressure. I saw nothing weak in his behavior. I thought it took guts to even think of going to the playoffs with JV players rather than firing the man he believed was the heart of the Panthers. It was all about the loyalty. Another brilliant soliloquy from Mama Smash. I love, love, love, love that character. Waverly - not so much. Does she really want to date Smash or does she just want to turn him into a militant? Exactly! After seeing how MamaSmash broke it down for her son, it made me realize why Smash was the least offended of all the black players in last week's episode and why it took a lot of provocation (and Waverly) to get him to the point of being militant. MamaSmash raised him well and has given him great perspective and she knows exactly how to set him straight. I don't know if I've seen such a great example of good parenting on TV before. So wise and tough and loving all at once. Two great things about that scene... 1. Smash keeping his cool 2. Riggins standing up for his teammate. This is especially great in light of how Riggins hated Smash at the beginning of the season. First of all, Riggins stopped Smash in the hall and admitted he was the true leader of the team and that they needed him (something he never would have said before) and then he was the one to fight back during the game in Smash's defense. Very satisfying. I was disappointed in this. This is wrapping things up in too neat a little package. This scene did not live up to the standards FNL has set for itself. I see what you mean. It did tie up the racial storyline, but they usually leave us with more to ponder at such times. It was satisfying, though. But you're right. A bit of a cop out, when compared with all the rest of FNL. Interesting. Landry is starting to grow on me. Starting? I've loved him since he told Matt he was thinking of starting a Christian Speed Metal band in the pilot. I love him interacting with Tim. I love him hitting on Tyra. I love him constantly spewing terrible love advice to poor Matt (who listens to it all). Remember the Members Only jacket he convinced Matt to buy for his first date with Julie? That killed me. Even better was Coach's reaction when he answered the door and then took the jacket away from Matt with a shake of his head. Oh, Landry! That whole thing about the Mix CD was priceless! Landry tells Matt that all women love those and then, when Tyra begs to differ, suddenly agrees with her completely and turns against Matt, telling him he never should have made the mix CD. Whoever thought of his character is a genius: a misfit who kind of knows he's a misfit but who also thinks he's a little cool and who tries to take the lead with even less secure friends. Who hasn't known people like that? One other thing about this episode. Jason heading off to quad rugby training. His interaction with Counselor Tami cracked me up. He sat there and gleefully told her he was putting all his eggs in the quad rugby basket and he had no problem at all with that. And Herc rolling backward while Jason was kissing Lyla goodbye - priceless. Man Kevin Rankin kicks ass. Herc. He's reason enough to love the show right there. I'm delighted with how well the show did this week! It sounds like word of mouth is working.
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Post by housemouse on Feb 16, 2007 13:35:37 GMT -5
I wouldn't call Coach a wimp! I saw this as another perfect example of how well this show demonstrates the complexity of each issue as it arises and allows us to see it from so many different sides. I was on Tami's side and thought firing Mac was appropriate, but I was also proud of Eric for not caving to incredible pressure. I saw nothing weak in his behavior. I thought it took guts to even think of going to the playoffs with JV players rather than firing the man he believed was the heart of the Panthers. It was all about the loyalty. I still think he didn't fire Mac because it was easier not to. Maybe he isn't actually a wimp, but I think the pressure was there for a reason, he needed firing. Herc. He's reason enough to love the show right there. Check this out! Mouse's myspace message to Kevin Rankin: If you are... the Kevin Rankin from Friday Night Lights - you sofa king kick ass.
If you are not the Kevin Rankin from Friday Night Lights, watch that show because, Kevin Rankin sofa king kicks ass.Kevin Rankin's myspace message back to Mouse: Yo, this is Kevin Rankin from FNL, thanx for watchin' homie. I really appreciate the shout out. Wait till the next couple of episodes, training camp will be pretty nuts.It's official, I am in love with Kevin Rankin, Scott Porter is a close second, with Zach Gilford closing in quickly. I have sent myspace messages to all three of them, and all three responded. Kevin's is by far the coolest response. Should I go for broke and send a friend request? Hmmm...
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