(S02E02) As I was watching the show tonight, thoughts on this post were running through my head. Initially I planned on doing like last week and pushing the Landry/Tyra stuff to the end of the post, after we go through the parts of the episode that actually make some sense. But then I typed out that episode title, "Bad Ideas", and I just can't get over how well that fits. They may have intended that title as a reference to what is going on with many of the characters. Things like Tami's admission that her insistence that she and Julie stay in Dillon was a bad idea, how Buddy's own actions have created his situation, the experimental Mexican surgery proposed to Street, or even Antwone's trip to the Justin Timberlake concert. To me though, THE bad idea is nothing that any of the characters are doing. It is this Landry and Tyra story that the writers and producers have cooked up. So we'll get started there, after the jump.
If you are curious about the hows and whys of this story coming to be, there is a good interview with Jason Katims over at blog.nj.com. For the click averse, I'll hit his high points here. According to Katims, they did this to take the relationship between Landry and Tyra into a place it wouldn't have otherwise gone. At the same time, it also brings Landry's family life into the show. He goes on to add that they were so impressed with Jesse Plemons that they wanted to get more of him into the show.
In the interview, Katims suggests that fans should wait until they see a couple more episodes before passing judgment on the story. That's a fair request I suppose, but after these first two episodes, I just don't see how they can fix the mistake that was already made. Something that is highlighted when he defends this story by comparing it to Street getting paralyzed, the Lyla/Riggins affair, and the Smash racism story. I think it's a flawed comparison and shows what the real problem with this story is.
It's a very fuzzy line between doing a drama based in some kind of reality, and making a soap opera. Those other examples, a successful athlete suffering a career ending injury, an affair, and dealing with racism are all things that, while we may not have experienced them personally, they are in our frame of reference. Now, even if we're not clear where the line actually is, trying to cover up what was arguably a justifiable homicide by dumping a body in a river falls somewhere on the soap side of it. That's not to say that soap operas are inherently bad, just that the Friday Night Lights we all bought into in season one was not a soap opera.
The part that really gets to me is that they could have achieved all of this without the hokey conspiracy. The first and most obvious question is why didn't they just call the police right away. There was a report filed after the initial attack. The guy is attacking Tyra again. There will be questions to be sure, but you could reasonably assume that Landry would be found free of guilt. It's a question that I believe came up for the writers and producers. Because, the version of the incident that showed on premiere night had a change from the one sent out on the screener. In the original version, in the middle of the attack, Landry picked up a bottle and hit the attacker, causing the injury. Yet, in the aired premiere, he attacked the guy from behind while he was walking away. A small difference, but I think it is supposed to sell us on the idea that they had to cover it up.
Had they gone the other way though, we'd still have this dramatically changed relationship between Landry and Tyra. We'd still have an opening for bringing Landry's father and his home life into the story. And I think it would have been a story that would be much easier for fans of the show to embrace, rather than what we do have, which feels so out of place in the show.
That being said, I'll finish on the Landry and Tyra stuff by adding that while I am really not a fan with what they are doing here, Jesse Plemons and Adrianne Palicki are doing a great job with what they have been given. They were right about giving him more to do. I'll certainly stick around to see how it all plays out, but I don't have a good feeling about it. I'm really hoping that the little hint they dropped about the watch isn't taking us into a murder mystery.
Ok, now that we got that out of the way... there was some other stuff going on tonight. The Taylor family dominated the action, and I was actually surprised by how it played out. This wasn't the reaction that I was expecting from Tami. The confident, do it all and take no crap, woman that we are used to seeing is just not handling things well. It's a dramatic change, but one that I think fits with the situation she has put herself in.
With baby Grace demanding so much attention, Eric being away, and Julie seemingly offering no help at all, it's a lot to handle. I liked the addition of Glen. He works as a sounding board to let Tami figure things out, and managed to bring along a little comic relief with his nervous act, revealing that he is frightened of Tami. I do fully expect Tami to bounce back from all of this, with or without Eric, but it should be interesting seeing how it works out.
Speaking of Eric, they managed to completely confuse me with his story, in the good way. Clearly, the separation from Tami and the family is weighing on him as we see from that opening conversation. Something that was echoed back as Antwone went on and on about him being away from his new baby. That all lends itself well to the idea that Eric could be headed back to Dillon. However, at the same time we see Eric settling in and starting to find his place with the coaching staff. His scenes with Antwone were classic Coach Taylor stuff, and his speech for the disciplinary committee was fantastic. Add in the fact that the head coach just didn't come off as a powerful presence. You could easily make the jump to this being a huge opportunity that Eric will be reluctant to give up on. I've no idea where it's headed.
Something that might offer some sway though, is the actions of daughter Julie. I didn't think they were headed here with her. I thought that after the bar fiasco we would see a newly focused Julie that had come around. Not so much. The breakup with Matt was understandable, and while I don't completely follow her reasoning, she's a teenage girl, so there are no requirements for her reasoning to be sound. I did find the whole thing with the Swede rather disturbing. Do we know how old this guy is? Whatever his age, if you are not in high school and you are luring high school girls into your van, you're creepy. And it also doesn't bode well for him when word gets back to Eric.
Matt might have lost Julie, but he gained a live in nurse, which I think is probably something that he needed more anyway. I actually liked that angle of his story this week, but I'm left unsure about the football side of Saracen's story. It's as if we are watching him go through all of the same things we did last year. Surely he had to gain something from all of their successes.
The destruction of Buddy Garrity continues. None of that was particularly surprising as Buddy has been headed down that road for quite some time. The more interesting part of his story actually happened while he was passed out. The little scene that Lyla and Riggins shared was short, but it clearly shows that things are not over between the two of them. There is a noticeable change in Riggins when he shares a moment with Lyla.
Smash is still floating in the background. I hope they remedy that before too long. And we are just getting the beginnings of Street's story. His trip to the doctor stood out to me mostly for the overwhelming lack of Herc. Unfortunately, Kevin Rankin got a better gig on Bionic Woman, so I'm afraid we won't be getting nearly as much Herc this season, if any at all. It looks like this season is going to be Street's quest to walk again. I'm wary of experimental Mexican surgeries, as Street should be, but I did enjoy his scene with Tami, and the hope it brings.
So, where does that leave us two episodes in? Overall, I'd say the show is a little bit off from season one. For me, the Tyra/Landry story is dragging it down, but it's still a very good show, and well worth watching to see if it can all be worked out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-13-2007 @ 10:03AM
Bash said...
I've been waiting all day long for this post to appear :-)
I thought about it and honestly... I am now kind of ok with the story. There's a simple reason: they tore EVERYTHING apart. Everything was good at the end of season one and we felt all fuzzy and warm inside about it. There were problems but in the end everything came to a good ending. They won. The relationships worked out. No drama, no conflict. Everybody seemed to be in a good place. Or sort of.
Now they throw in almost everything imaginable to tear things up. Relationships too good to be true. Religion. Alcohol. Murder. All things that keep viewers interested in a show.
You are most definitely right that the murder does not fit into this show. But then again this was a show that had a happy ending compared to the movie. Things had to change. They need to put something on the screen that makes people tune in. That's the reason they did this and honestly I hated it when Landry and Tyra kissed no matter how good they acted. It just feels off. They assure each other that they did what they did because they feel something for each other but they could just as easily have deal with it in the "report it/go to jail/wait for the trial/get jailtime/wait for your loved one to get out" kind of way, but honestly: wouldn't that have been boring? They (kind of) did that on "My Name Is Earl" (sans the murder) and used it to tell stories about the people Earl knows in prison because of his criminal history. On FNL, we most likely will see Landry in jail at some time in the future I think. Maybe even raped or whatnot. Desperation is the key to this storyline. Everything that is new in this season makes people depressed, desperate, hurting. It really (kind of) fits if Landrys father weren't a cop :-/
You said what I also thought (and said last week): this is soap. It feels off. We don't like it.
But I think they had to do it to keep this show going in a way - or maybe because they don't know what to make this show about. There's only so many stories you can tell about a small town in the middle of nowhere/Texas.
So let's try this: think about season one as something nice, warm and fuzzy, that we all could like and enjoy. This season we simply have to go with it a little bit longer to see how it plays out.
Take a look at Kyle XY. That show has become so awfully boring in season two but fitting with the original theme. It fits - but it's boring. Nobody cares. Smallville is just the same. Nothing really happens on that show, the only thing that keeps us coming back is the awful lot of eye-candy in that show. It's like Baywatch from Krypton :-)
Anyway, you hit the nail on the head for me but I guess I'm also already in the next stage of "let' see how this plays out". I'll give it at least another five episodes I think, just like I'm going to finish "Damages" even though it was at least three episodes too drawn-out already.
I think the murder storyline in FNL can be saved with a good finish. Let's hope they have some aces up their sleeves. The Fonz is still in the air on this one ;-)
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10-13-2007 @ 10:57AM
AJ said...
I am addicted to this show, if for no other reason...the relationship between Eric and Tami...healthy, normal, etc.
BUT...I was so unhappy with last evenings episode...and I think it was mostly Julie's behavior and the Tyra/Landry storyline.
I think they will need to eventually diagnose Julie with some DSM-V issue...depression? Bi-polar? The personality change between last season (the entire "sex" episode...the sweetness torwards Matt, etc...), I was a teenage girl not so long ago...I was emotional, a little neurotic...etc. But I never saw this kind of extremes even among my fellow neuroticly emotional "sisters"...
I love the nurse story-line for Matt...and if they had not brought her in to provide stability the other alternative would be him following in Riggin's footsteps...there is no way a young person can reasonably cope with all Matt has - the pressure of being QB1, Julie breaking up with him, his Father in Iraq, Landry who I imagine will be pulling away a bit from their friendship soon...and who the hell knows what is going on with his mom in Oklahoma...
I love the Lyla becoming evangelical storyline...and the awkward scene between her and Riggins was phenomenal...
Despite being profusely against the I Know WHat You Did Last Summer storyline...the final scene between Landry and Tyra pulled me in...I could feel my facial expressions changing from their emotions...I must say I agree with the producer/director(forgot which he is...), these are talented actors.
Anyhow...my two cents...GREAT BLOG!
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10-13-2007 @ 11:36AM
innamorata said...
No offense to you but I am beyond sick and tired by the negativity around the murder story.
I'm not thrilled by it and maybe Tyra and Landry could have found a way toward each other in a happier maner but FNL isn't a rom-com, it's a drama.
Even though a murder story is soapish to many and doesn't seem to belong to the show, the relationships between the characters are the meat of the show.
So instead of whining about a dramatic event occuring I prefer to focus on how the characters deal with it.
I love Tyra and Landry together, I'm glad to find out more about Landry, meeting his dad, seeing his room, I'm very happy Landry told Tyra he loved her, not to pretend she didn't know and that though he'd do it again killing the guy was not a man thing to do.
I loved Tyra admitting she's glad the guy is dead. She has no doubts he would have stalked her and hurt her, neither do I.
I loved that she told Landry he's the nicest guy she's known because it's true.
I'm sure one way or another they'll be separated because it is a drama but I hope they find their way back together.
I also loved Tim and Lyla. I am so very glad that the story seems to lead to them going back to each other.
And if not, I'm still glad they're in such sweet terms in this episode.
You know, FNL is not Grey's Anatomy ratings wise, it won't stick around, at least not as it is. So maybe the key for it to stay on the air as long as possible is to use disturbing storylines, to be more like other shows to attract new viewers.
So let's make lemonade out of lemons. Like the song said it's not about having what you want but wanting what you've got.
I want more FNL and as long as no ferry boat come crashing, I'll eagerly wait for more episodes and the stories of these flawed characters who entertain me so much.
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10-13-2007 @ 2:41PM
Bash said...
Inna it's just that we simply didn't believe they wouldn't call the police if Landrys dad is a cop. It seems ridiculous and soapish to do such a stupid thing because if you do it right away, you might just get away with it. If you cover it up you admit you are guilty. And that seemed totally idiotic. Landry will most likely lose any confidence his dad has in him over this. Hard to believe he would do something like this for a girl.
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10-13-2007 @ 2:55PM
amy3717 said...
I'm still getting into this season. I think that after watching season 1 with no commercials its hard to get back into watching then waiting for 2 minutes. Anyways...what I'm wondering is where Smash is. Just having him at the mic is not enough..
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10-13-2007 @ 3:31PM
Tom said...
In posting this I have to admit that I just saw the ratings from last night’s episode (3.6/6 down from 4.2/7 last week) and that might be coloring my judgment. That said, I really think the show has made a fatal mistake in these first couple episodes.
This was just the wrong way to open Season 2. Everyone’s scattered so there’s virtually no interaction between the characters (and some like Smash have been completely pushed to the background). Everyone’s depressed which isn’t really entertaining to watch if you are a new viewer not already invested in the show and the ridiculous “murder storyline” makes the show look like something it’s not. I love the show so much that I must have seen each season 1 episode at least 3 times and even I have to admit the first episode wasn’t great (this one’s a great improvement but still weak)
It’s tragic because most of the elements that I love about the show are still intact. Tammy scenes are still great, the Eric scenes were great, I even liked the Julie scenes (she is out of character but 16 years old who have parents who are falling apart are prone to being out of character). But I just can’t help but think this opening not only chased away any new viewers but probably even got a few existing viewers to jump ship. I hate to say it, but I think FNL has doomed itself.
My advice, as much as I hate Amazon’s Unbox I’d suggest everyone download the episodes from there right now because that will probably be the last you see of them. The way things are going the show will be gone in a few more episodes and the ones airing right now will never be seen again (ask anyone who’s tried to get the 6 Season 2 episodes of boomtown)
One last thing and this is a major…***SPOILER ALERT***…the rest of this comment is a spoiler…stop reading now if you don’t want to know…last chance… Coach Taylor is absolutely coming back soon. Imdb.com has some season 2 pictures up and one of them is Coach Taylor talking to (an obviously just out of the shower) Landry in the Dillon Coach’s office (Spoiler Link: http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0758745/NUP_109767_0176.jpg.html)
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10-13-2007 @ 11:42PM
Cody said...
I was really happy to see Mark Zupan in this episode, as he was the only thing missing from Street's Murderball plot last year, and it's nice to have that box finally checkmarked. I agree that Tyra and Landrey's murder plot is really pretty soapy, but it doesn't draw away from the show for me. This is such an awesome show from every angle that a murder plot here and there, when played out well, doesn't hurt. The watch thing may come back to bite Landrey, and I'm not so certain that he will get away unpunished. Not only did he get the spot on the team he wanted, but now he has the girl he wanted, so it seems that karma might be just around any corner to bite him in the ass.
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10-14-2007 @ 11:50AM
tdf said...
Liked this episode, some decent scenes for all characters except Smash (who I'm sure will get something to do soon). I'm also much happier about the Landry storyline after this ep - as mentioned elsewhere, it's not about the storyline, it's about their relationship.
I'm also liking casting of the 24 actor (whose name escapes me) as Landry's father - they do kinda look similar.
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10-14-2007 @ 11:51AM
tdf said...
By the way, this review has been posted under ER instead of FNL for some reason.
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10-14-2007 @ 11:56PM
Tom said...
Hey everyone, doom and gloom guy here, just fyi on the ratings: This last episode had the lowest ratings in the series history in the 18-49 demographic. Lower than they've ever been.
Again, Do what you want but if I were you I'd head over to Amazon and scoop those episodes up while you still can. You'll regret it once they're gone.
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