NBC sure has had a weird roller coaster season. Studio 60, the self-proclaimed best television drama ever conceived by man, premiered and immediately nose-dived (nose-dove?). Heroes, on the other hand, was a little more quietly promoted, yet ended up being the breakout hit of the fall. 30 Rock, which I really want to find funny but somehow just can't, was also touted as being awesome and then went on to disappoint. And then we have Friday Night Lights - still largely unknown to lot of people I think, which is unfortunate because other than Heroes it's probably the best drama that NBC has at the moment (at least until The Donald returns, bringing drama of a more classy and luxurious nature).
Tuesday's episode was no exception. Just when I think I've recovered from last week's RENDING OF MY SOUL, it just goes and does it all over again. Between this and Battlestar we're all lucky enough to be able to get out of bed in the morning. Anyway, last week Jason found out about Lyla *cough bitch cough* cheating on him with Tim Riggins, whom he then awesomely punched in the face. Disabled my ASS. Also, Smash started taking steroids, the Riggins brothers duked it out, and Matt Saracen asked Julie Taylor out on a date, causing the Taylor 'Rental Units to adorably freak the fuck out.
We open this week with a raucous gospel choir singing their little hearts out. Not unlike the way I begin my mornings, actually. We get a mini-montage switching back and forth between Lyla baking cupcakes and Smash injecting himself while waiting in the car for church to start. Steroids, cupcakes, steroids, cupcakes. Roidcakes! Cut to Lyla praying in a chapel. Cut to Smash in church. After making damn sure Jesus can hear all this, the Reverend asks the congregation to pray for Smash, who has a big game coming up on Friday (see title of show). Smash acts all embarrassed, which to the churchgoers and his family seems like humility, but to us, the knowing audience, reeks of SHAME.
Speaking of shame, Lyla is now approaching Jason's room at the rehab facility with great trepidation. And rightfully so. Because at the moment he's tearing down all his pictures of the once happy couple, and this is just made all the more sad because he can't really do it very well, what with not having control of his fingers and all. Gah. My soul hurts. Anyway, weepy Lyla apologizes repeatedly, but Jason just tells her to get out. But not before asking how much sex they had. Oh, Lyla. You're better off just moving to Alaska to seduce a bear than to try and cry your way out of this one. He yells a little more and she slinks off, crushed, leaving the perky bag of cupcakes out in the hall on the floor. What? WHY? Why would you leave a delicious treat for your crippled boyfriend in a place that makes it difficult for him to retrieve? I'm surprised she didn't also grease it with baby oil and surround it with a moat full of piranhas.
"What the FUCK."
But now it's time for the obligatory montage of idle football chatter from local radio stations to provide us with the exposition for this week's episode. The big game this Friday is against Gatling, whose star player is Junior Silverio, Smash's old friend. Smash is home, polishing his cleats and listening to said radio. This game is a big deal for him, because Gatling is where he grew up, and when his father died his mother pulled the whole family out of there and moved them to Dillon, a less ghetto-rific town.
Tami and Eric talk about the Matt Saracen Dating Crisis of '06. Tami insists that it's not going away and that they're going to have to deal with it. Eric, still in denial about his daughter owning a vagina, is not pleased.
Tim sits outside the school, stewing in his Shamemobile. The boys are in the locker room, suiting up for practice. One of them, I don't know his name but he looks like maybe a Corky so we'll go with that, asks Matt if he knows anything about the whole Lyla-Tim thing. He doesn't. Then, speak of the devil, Tim enters and the air thickens with a palpable mix of awkwardness and anger. Delicioso.
Tim's one and only fan.
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Comments (11)
What, no comments yet?
I LOVE this show, and I've never heard of Screampillar but I like you a lot too. Great re-cap.
Could Matt be any cuter?
1 of 11 | Posted by noodle
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Posted on December 8, 2006 4:34 PM
great recap. i was totally confused by one thing though... what the hell day was it when all this stuff was going on?
i assumed that all games took place on a friday (well, since the name of the series is friday night lights), but if that's true, how could all the cars drive into gatling and give smash time to hit the silverio family BBQ, miss bed check, and visit his father's grave all before kick-off?
they must have driven in a day before the game, but that would mean everyone in town missed school or work on friday to watch the game? wtf?
2 of 11 | Posted by dubbledubs
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Posted on December 8, 2006 4:51 PM
Yeah, in Texas small towns like Odessa/Dillon, away games are way way way far away. I mean, Odessa, is so far away from anything, it's senseless that it even exists (except for the oil). So everyone takes off on Thursday afternoon for the Friday night away game. Awesome Screampillar. Matt won this week, mos' def. But I thought Jason-Tyra was OK. I was really afraid they were going to sex it up, but they held off, at least until next week....
3 of 11 | Posted by Ozone Dude
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Posted on December 8, 2006 8:41 PM
Love, love, love this show. It is creeping on Heroes as my new fave. Matt is the absolute cutest. Why isnt Taylor happy that his daughter is dating the nicest boy in school??
And also there is no way that Buddy Garrity could have a daughter as hot as Lyla- the genetics just dont work....
Great job, Screampillar!
4 of 11 | Posted by dent
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Posted on December 9, 2006 12:17 PM
But I thought Jason-Tyra was OK. I was really afraid they were going to sex it up, but they held off, at least until next week....
Or until that whole spinal cord injury thing is miraculously reversed.
5 of 11 | Posted by Miss Information
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Posted on December 9, 2006 1:16 PM
Screampillar, awesome recap! I love, love, love this show!
Instant tears? Add Grandma and Matt, then mix. Damn them for making me re-think the Buddy Garrity hate! Matt and Julie... Eric and Tammi 20 years later.
Can't wait for the next one.
6 of 11 | Posted by midwestliberal
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Posted on December 9, 2006 1:36 PM
"Lyla is like that split second of cold water in the shower that very nearly ruins your day. "
That comment really made me laugh, as it happens to me every morning, no matter how hard I try to avoid it.
Screampillar, you're a breath of fresh air. I assume you're female and one would think that your points aren't as snarky as the guys', but actually they're more so, in a passive/aggressive way only a woman can do. I mean that as a compliment, not criticism. You're better at sinking the blade than we are, is all.
Having gotten the compliment out of the way, I also thank you for a much needed rah for this excellent show. I think maybe the name counterintuitive. The show should actually be on Friday, no?
Having lived in Texas for 10 years I can tell you that, yes, people take Fridays off for away games and form a caravan to the opponents' town. As another reader pointed out, the Midland/Odessa area is way over to hell and gone in West Texas, so away games are often 3 to 4 hours away. It's also true that Odessa Permian High School treats its football players as local heroes. Those kids actually play at college level, and their players are recruited like college kids are, with families given jobs to get the best players there. There's another high school like that in Georgia.
I'll look for your recap again this week. Keep up the good work!
7 of 11 | Posted by Tony A.
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Posted on December 11, 2006 8:57 AM
I love the show, but the obligatory 'player taking steroids' storyline kind of annoys me.
8 of 11 | Posted by soflat
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Posted on December 11, 2006 9:05 AM
I'm kind of so-so on this show, but that was a great recap. There are A LOT of stereotypes on this show. The Tim Riggins character just makes my ass twitch.
The best part of the whole show is the Jason story line. I know this happened some weeks ago, but when they brought him onto the field for the first time since his accident - well let's just say that I bawled like a baby.
Great job Screampillar!
9 of 11 | Posted by gotogirl
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Posted on December 11, 2006 12:52 PM
I'm kind of so-so on this show, but that was a great recap. There are A LOT of stereotypes on this show. The Tim Riggins character just makes my ass twitch.
The best part of the whole show is the Jason story line. I know this happened some weeks ago, but when they brought him onto the field for the first time since his accident - well let's just say that I bawled like a baby.
Great job Screampillar!
10 of 11 | Posted by gotogirl
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Posted on December 11, 2006 2:07 PM
i can't stop! this show has taken over my life... and i'm so okay with it... although lyla garrity is one of those exceptional gorgeous human beings, she is also a dirty dirty whore... i really dont care for her... mostly because i want to BE jason street (wheelchair and all), that guy kicks ass. and can we just take a moment to say how much matt saracen rules? come on, he's such a tool, but he's possibly my favorite person in the entire world (fake or otherwise).
11 of 11 | Posted by umnata
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Posted on December 12, 2006 7:51 AM