Well, Grandma Saracen is none too pleased about any of this. "We got Brian 'Smash' Williams benched, not playing. Mysteeeerious circumstances." Oh, grandma. Love you. Matt (how have we gotten twenty minutes into this episode without him?) is watching a tape of one of their opponent's games and finds a hole in their defense that he believes he can use, even without Smash in the picture. And then he gets all excited, which is adorable but sad because any time Matt Saracen ever gets happy about something, a large thunderstorm of gloom and doom strikes him down almost immediately. Dad tells him that he's not going to be able to make the game because he's shipping out on Friday morning. Matt, polite as always, says it's all right and that he understands. Damn, Matt could repeatedly be shot in the face by a drunken Dick Cheney and still be like, "Naw man, it's cool." Grandma makes the excellent suggestion of trying to get the game aired over in Iraq. If they can get the Super Bowl, surely they can get high school games from Texas!
Coach and Tami are in bed watching the Mayor on the news. It's at this point that Coach mentions that she has an alternative lifestyle and I smack myself in the head. Tami tells her loving husband that she did look over her website and admits that she really likes her education plan. But can you handle this, says Coach, with "everything you got on your plate, Julie and me, and my needs and demands..." Fantastic. Suddenly, there's a knock at the door! I hope it's Landry!
Alas, it is only Smash. (Where IS Landry? On tour with Cruicifictorious?) He apologizes yet again and demands to know if he's off the team for good. Coach reminds him that he is risking his job by not reporting this, that he has a wife and daughter to support and he needs to think about them too. He's not sure what he's going to do but he'll inform Smash as soon as he decides, as long as he can keep his mouth shut until then. And I have to say, despite all the stress and moral dilemmas Coach is facing this week, he is looking fabulous. Somewhere between the Jason Street lawsuit and the Tim Riggins academic suspension problems, he must have gotten himself to a spa or something. Those ever-present bags under his eyes - GONE.
After giving some sort of press conference regarding Smash's absense, Coach is assaulted by Buddy Garrity, who demands to know what the hell is going on. He follows him into his office, where Coach stands his ground and fights off the hungry car salesman with a rolling pin. Well no, but Matt does interrupt them and Coach waves him in, happy for the distraction and kicking Buddy out in the process. Matt tells Coach all about his strategic theories for the game, and he even drew a few neato diagrams. But our fearless leader is too distracted by other things at the moment and doesn't have time for Matt's refrigerator drawings, no matter how many gold stars they have.
Jason and Inspiring Yet Irritating Buddy Herc are on a little joy ride. Jason instructs him to pull the truck over outside the aforementioned amazing Oriental restaurant, where Lyla and College Boy are inside chowing the mein. Jason asks Herc if it looks like a study session or a date, and Herc, unaware that this was to become a stalking expo, admits that with her track record it looks like a date. He goes on to make fun of Jason, who gets embarrassed and tells him to drive away. As they do, Herc waves and honks and yells hello to Lyla, who looks out the window to see a mysterious truck loaded with wheelchairs. Who could it be?!
Stealthy.
Tyra grabs Tim and asks him for a favor that will not involve sex. Tim says it's not all about sex for him. Yeah right. Cut to Tim in front of Buddy Garrity, in a conversation that goes a little something like, "Sir, I realize that I banged your daughter six ways from Sunday while my best friend and her boyfriend was in the hospital and I nearly ruined both of their lives but if you could just find it in your heart to give my ex-girlfriend's druggie mother a job I sure would appreciate it." Now, I sure expected Buddy to, I don't know, eat him or something, but since Tim threw in a couple "you're a big man"s in there, Buddy tells him that he's a good kid and that she can come by to see him tomorrow. Also, does he know anything about Smash?
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Comments (16)
I know I had some comments but all I can think about are the previews for next week where little Matty appears to be getting his topless bump and grind on with various football-lovin-groupies!! Ahhhhhh!
1 of 16 | Posted by dainsey
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Posted on January 27, 2007 10:54 AM
I agree, not the best FNL epi ever but the show still has my vote. Thanks for the great recap, loved the screencaps!
2 of 16 | Posted by sweetleaf
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Posted on January 27, 2007 6:22 PM
"Imagine if Mama Williams and Dr. Bailey got together for a Happy Hour or something. I'd pay to listen in on that."
Now that would be MUST SEE Tv.
I love Mama Williams - I can't imagine how Smash has turned out to have such a colossal ego with a Mom like that. I love when she threw him out - yeah Mama!
Was anyone else disappointed when Coach and the Mrs. were in bed smooching and that blasted doorbell rang? I love when they get kissyface. She was so cute in his office - she is the one person who can totally stand up to him and he is helpless to it. It's great!
3 of 16 | Posted by TinkerbellAPixie
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Posted on January 27, 2007 10:48 PM
I just love love love your recaps of this show!
I had all kinds of witty things to say as I was reading this, but they have all left my brain.
Thanks, anyway!
4 of 16 | Posted by angieb
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Posted on January 28, 2007 6:07 AM
Your recaps continue to impress! I thought this was a good episode, it was nice to see Smash cool the ego a little! Props to Momma Smash for being a good mother.
Buddy Garrity is such a sleaze! Tyra's mom probably can type like 2 words a minute. And I love how mom of the year suggests getting drunk to her teen-age train-wreck-in-training daughter! That was pushing it a little for me. Not that I'm a prude or anything...!
Jason proposing to Lyla shocked me too. I'm sure Buddy will be impressed.
Screampillar, I thought the same thing about FNL's time slot...American Idol is gonna kill it. I HOPE they give this show a chance!
As for the previews of next week's show, looks like Matt will have some explaining to do!!
5 of 16 | Posted by Jojobear
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Posted on January 28, 2007 10:47 AM
I may be completely wrong...but I don't think that Coach Taylor told Smash that the kid flipping burgers was caught with drugs. I think he was trying to tell Smash that that kid flipping burgers was on that Scout's top 100 list and never amounted to anything...sort of as if to say...Smash, you don't need that list in order to be successful becuase it obviously doesn't mean anything. The reason Smash started doing drugs in the first place was because he didn't make it on the scouts list and felt pressure... I could be way off base, but I think that's what he meant.
6 of 16 | Posted by aloveaffairwithtivo
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Posted on January 28, 2007 2:39 PM
aloveaffairwithtivo - I took it the same way you did. I took it to mean not to let someone else determine your worth. He was doing just fine on his before he took the steroids -and it was only because that guy told him he was small that he risked losing everything.
7 of 16 | Posted by TinkerbellAPixie
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Posted on January 28, 2007 4:12 PM
Great recap! I love this show and hope it stays around for a while.
8 of 16 | Posted by sluggerbun
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Posted on January 28, 2007 7:00 PM
This show cannot go down with My so called Life, Freaks and Geeks, etc as one of those shows that everyone who watches loves, but really no one watches. NBC keeps talking about how much they love the show but puttingit on against AI is destined to kill it.
And please no my dear Matty, do not go the way of the groupies next week. You and Julie are the cutest things ever!!!
9 of 16 | Posted by dent
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Posted on January 29, 2007 7:59 AM
I'm hoping that this time slot is OK for FNL. It seems like AI is going to be on at 9pm instead of 8pm, so we may be alright.
That said, this wasn't one of my favorite episodes, but the Taylors rocked it! And Smash's mama too.
10 of 16 | Posted by helloooeverybody
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Posted on January 29, 2007 1:35 PM
OK, I love this show, but one thing has been bugging me since I watched it.
When Jason and Terc were driving by the restaurant with Lyla and that guy, they were in Terc's pickup truck, with their wheelchairs in the bed of the pickup. Now, how in the world do the two paraplegics get the wheelchiars out of the back and get into them? Really - does anyone know this?
11 of 16 | Posted by lawyergal
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Posted on January 30, 2007 5:55 AM
Sorry I'm a little late to the party here, but just watched the show on the DVR last night.
Not the best episode, but FNL is like sex or pizza, even when it's not the best, it's still pretty damn good. Another great recap Screampillar.
lawyergal (#11), the only thing I can think of is that Herc's pickup could have a hydraulic liftgate or ramp for the loading and unloading of the chairs. They were careful enough to show Herc driving with the aide of a special steering wheel so I can't believe the writers/director would have been so lazy as to just throw 2 heavy wheelchairs in the back of a pickup without giving it any thought.
By the way did anyone else get the distinct feeling that Dillon's "alternative lifestyle" mayor wants to get in Tami Taylor's pants? (not that I can blame her).
12 of 16 | Posted by JasonR
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Posted on January 30, 2007 6:51 AM
BTW I am liking the plotline for this week's episode. It is completely reasonable that Matt would be a little corrupted in his meteoric rise from mild-mannered nobody riding the bench behind the superstar QB Street to mild-mannered town hero. That's the great thing about this show. The characters are all flawed but all seem to be doing the best they can. Well, Tami may be a complete saint. Just when you think a character is completely destestable they show some good qualities: Riggins, Lila, Buddy, and even Smash.
Such good writing. I'll be so bitter if this show doesn't last. I'm hoping NBC sticks with it and that it will pick up some viewers over the summer in reruns and there will be some Emmy nominations in August that will bring more attention.
13 of 16 | Posted by JasonR
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Posted on January 30, 2007 6:58 AM
thanks for recapping this show. i only tuned in because the actress who plays tami taylor (connie britton) went to my church and my high school (i can still remember going with my family at age six to see her play the lead in the high school's production of 'hello, dolly!'). turns out it's a great show. the dynamic between connie and kyle chandler is so genuine and believable, the saracen kid is a grandmother's wish -fulfillment fantasy, and thus far the show really hasn't over-sentimentalized or exploited the very real issues of drug abuse and crippling injury in high school sports.
--loved the confrontation between buddy and jason. the actor who plays buddy does a fine job of toeing the line between being the meddling blowhard and the loving dad who just wants the best for his little girl. tough to watch, but honest and direct.
--smash's mom rules. 'nuff said.
--the sapphic-mayor twist was a welcome surprise, showing that FNL's writers can take this seemingly predictable concept in interesting directions.
--is it just me, or does that riggins boy always look like he just finished bathing in oil? somebody get that kid a haircut!
14 of 16 | Posted by jack
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Posted on January 31, 2007 6:57 AM
I just started watching and I am in love. This show is amazing.
I must also express my love for Screampillar! Your recaps capture everything I'm thinking and morning, and the screencaps? Priceless!!
Thanks for making a great show even better.
15 of 16 | Posted by ellebella
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Posted on January 31, 2007 6:29 PM
and by morning i meant more!
16 of 16 | Posted by ellebella
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Posted on January 31, 2007 6:33 PM