(S01E02) We pick up where we left off with the town dealing with the injury to Jason Street. Everyone seems to be handling it in different ways. While Riggins is drinking his way through it, Smash is already trying to take over Street's role as the big man on campus. Lyla has an unflinching optimism that is sweet, but it's very clear that the line between optimism and denial is a thin one. It looks like we'll be getting into that next week. Coach Taylor has his own problems. While he's concerned about Street, and there is a very father/son type of relationship there clearly, he has the pressure of the town telling him how they need that W. Matt is almost a deer in the headlights, wondering just what he's got himself into. It makes for all kinds of drama.
The practice scenes with Matt are a mixed bag. They look good, and Kyle Chandler is so good as Coach Taylor, but they've just made Matt too bad. This is supposed to be the number one team in Texas. I can accept that Street would have got most of the snaps, but Matt would have had to be better than this. Their playing that underdog card a little hard right there. And it undermines the idea that Coach Taylor is a great coach. It's hard to believe that he is that good, yet never bothered to check and see if his backup even knew the plays. I really would have preferred that Saracen knew the offense, but suffered with the speed of the game and the pressure of being QB1. The show doesn't need the extra help to make his first game dramatic.
I'm curious about Tyra. We need some more of her back story to see where she is coming from. The scene where Smash's mother walked in on them was great. Her look when she said, "You must be Mrs. Williams?", as she was buttoning her shirt, was perfect. And Mrs. Williams doesn't miss a thing, asking if this was to get back at Riggins. She also had a great line with "I work at Planned Parenthood, you probably haven't seen the last of me." I'm looking forward to more Mrs. Williams.
The thing I keep coming back to with this show, what makes it so good to me, is Kyle Chandler. I'm completely sold on every scene he does. The highlights this week for Eric were the scene in the hospital with Street, and then out on the football field with Matt. When he tells Street "You're the reason guys like me want to coach.", that's the good stuff right there. And while I think they dropped the ball a bit with regards to Matt's abilities, the motivational speech Eric gave him was very good.
Overall, this was a pretty slow episode in terms of the overall story. Almost a calm before the storm. I think it was necessary to give the weight to the Street injury, and it did set everything up for next week. Things should really pick up when the Panthers play game two. I have no idea which way they are going to go with it. A loss will ratchet up the tension on both Eric and Matt, but I could see them going with a win where Matt is mostly relegated to giving Smash the ball.
I'm also curious to see the ratings for this week. The premiere didn't do so well. Hopefully, the rebroadcast and the video on the website helped bring in some new viewers. It's that time of the year when the network trigger fingers start to get a little itchy. And as a side note, was that Maggie Wheeler in the background when Tami was at the book club?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-11-2006 @ 9:31AM
Big Dave said...
People need to start watching this show...
I do not want this one to die early.
I also laughed my ass off at Mrs. Williams with the Planned Parenthood line, good stuff.
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10-11-2006 @ 9:48AM
mattS said...
Well, this episode made my wife cry in the first fifteen minuts, so it must be doing something right. I'm impressed that even the soapy parts manage to maintain the overall tone pretty well. And the scenes you point out -- coach's talk with Street and the entire part with Saracen was excellent. And can I mention here how great the music choices are for this show?
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10-11-2006 @ 11:13AM
Erica said...
I gotta say this show is blowing me away. Kyle Chandler is a revelation in this role. And I really like the pace and tone of this show. It's such a welcome change. I wish I had more time to articulate just what about this show I find so amazing but for now I'll second Big Dave and say I really hope this show doesn't get an early death.
And the music is excellent!
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10-11-2006 @ 12:07PM
e said...
Doubtful it was Maggie Wheeler. Most of the incidental characters are local Texans.
See this Austinist interview with the AD of FNL (he talks more about it):
http://www.austinist.com/archives/2006/10/03/austinist_interview_friday_night_lights_assistant_director_michael_waxman.php
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10-11-2006 @ 12:17PM
Brian said...
I'm really enjoying this show. I almost didn't give it a chance. Good stuff.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:46PM
kip said...
As a coach, I love this show. I had a parents meeting during this so I came home and fired up the Tivo. I coach a sport that most people have no idea how to play,lacrosse, let alone experience playing it yet they all have opinions. I think the lunch scene with Kyle and the rest of the people fromt he town for lunch was perfect. So many people think that success on the field is limited to wins or losses but as coaches for high school kids we are responsible for helping and nurturing girls and boys to become great adults. This show is fantastic !
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10-11-2006 @ 2:54PM
Brent McKee said...
I love this show not just for the characters but for the whole feeling of that town, starting with the church services on Sunday. It's hard to imagine places like that, so obsessed not with pro sports but with the exploits of a bunch of 16 and 17 year old boys. It's something that urban people - even people in a small city - find inexplicable. There's a sort of oppressive pressure to succeed because as someone pointed out in this episode, without a winning high school football team this town has nothing. People need to watch this show - it's not teen angst on a football field, it is so much more.
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10-11-2006 @ 3:25PM
WENDY said...
This show is fantastic. I wasn't really all that excited about it until I sat down and watched it with my husband. Now it is MUST SEE TV for me. I hope people give this great show a chance and it sticks around.
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10-11-2006 @ 5:26PM
cdmc said...
Sadly, the ratings were down from the already-abysmal premiere ratings.
NBC, this show deserves a great lead-in!
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10-11-2006 @ 8:26PM
beanspants1 said...
I'm the target audience, but the issues with the show you point out (the backup doesn't know the plays -- he probably played in 8th grade, and on JV before varsity - he's ran the same plays before 1000 times. The backup also runs the practice squad offense, so not only does he have to know his own teams' plays, he also knows the visiting teams' plays. the neck injury, and 5000 yard pass to win the first game) against the backdrop of the realism (the church, the town shutting down, the praying) really hurts the show.
the guy should either just go varsity blues with the cheesiness (but still good) or go all realism. The mix they go with (to ratchet up the drama i suppose) brings the show down.
fix it or cancel it.
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10-12-2006 @ 8:20AM
Mary said...
I am so in love with this show. It pulls you in and makes you feel like you are right there. The emotions are so real; you can actually feel the tension in the air.
Kyle Chandler is outstanding in the coach role. The scenes with him and Connie Britton are fantastic...well, all of his scenes are great, but I really love the chemistry between these two.
NBC, please give this show a chance!
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