vaznetti | Friday Night Lights (Reply)

There's this thing American TV shows do, where everyone gets kind of broken, and then they come together in the end and everyone helps each other, at least a little. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and schmoopy (a couple scenes in Jericho spring to mind, especially the corn-harvesting back in the first part of the season) but I am pretty much a sucker for it under any circumstances, and especially when it's done well, as it was last night. I needed the scenes with the four boys out on the field, with Jason actually helping Matt out, and regaining himself in the doing, and Riggins and Smash pushing them both to it -- and also, a reminder of why Smash is a good leader, the way he made that whole night happen. Because Tim would have bought the beer as his apology and then walked away, uncertain of his welcome.

I really like that Jason did not make the team, and why he didn't: yes, he's an athlete, but he just isn't comfortable enough in the chair to play for the team. I'm kind of back to not caring about the Jason/Lyla thing, except in the way their story mirrors what happened with her parents. So I loved Lyla, on the night of the father-daughter dance, smashing the cars at Buddy's dealership and then walking away. Because she wanted him to be forgiven the way she was forgiven, for a singe crime (or mistake), something that happened once and never again: and now she can't, and she may not be able to forgive herself either.

My parents phoned in the middle, so I missed some stuff with Tyra at the Taylor's but all-in-all I love that it isn't easy for her to do this or for her mother to accept it (and her mother crashing the father-daughter dance, too, was one of those perfect moments which don't actually fix anything but do make you feel less bad about the situation.) I don't think that storyline is over, or fixed: I think Tyra still has a rough time coming.

The actress who plays Tyra's mother is just amazing. She makes the character sympathetic without glossing anything over.

The Taylor family drama took a bit of a back seat this week, which was fine; or anyway, it didn't make a great impression on me. It worked, but I've seen the "great job offer" plotline on a thousand shows and see no reason why it won't turn out the same here.

Tim is a little too much the "damaged boy" for me to find him attractive, but I loved his scenes with the bullies, and teaching that kid to punch, and then of course having the whole Mrs. Robinson thing. It just all seemed so typical of the way his whole life is completely out of control.

But that scene with Matt and Smash and Jason and Tim made me smile and cry all at once. And next week looks like more of the same. I am really looking forward to that.

So this thing called "work"... I guess I should be doing some of that, hunh?