What better way to start off the new year than by not watching another awesome episode of Friday Night Lights? Because according to the ratings that's what everyone is doing. Or maybe it's football season and all of its regulars are switching over to actual football instead of the average five minutes of it that this show provides. Either way, I fear that it's catching the dreaded Veronica Mars Syndrome and in the future could be facing cancellation because America prefers According to Jim over quality television.
Okay, weekly rant done and beer bottle thrown across room. On to the recap.
We begin with a Jason Street morning routine montage, which I'm convinced is a ploy designed by the makers of this show to deliberately give me the vapors. While working out he decides that he wants to listen to Nirvana but can't find his Nevermind CD, so he begins to shout like a child and suffers a mini-meltdown. Mom can't understand the sudden freakout so Jason not-so-calmly explains, "Because I'm crippled and I want to listen to Nirvana!" Can't really argue with that. Jason might have an excellent future as a lawyer. Angry and Cobain-less, he decides to wheel all the way over to the record store.
Many sweat-filled minutes later, he finds the CD and hilariously kisses it and holds it up like some sort of grunge trophy. He runs into Lyla and puts on the "I'm going to destroy you with one simple line of snark" face, but instead busts out with accusing her of liking Clay Aiken. She zings back that Clay is already his boyfriend, which he confirms with a charming "Hey, what Clay and I have is special, okay? America loves him and so do I." He goes on to describe the wedding, which includes Ryan Seacrest and a harp. The adorableness is pouring out of my television screen and onto the floor all over my new carpet, which sucks because I hear that stuff stains. The two former lovebirds engage in some civilized chitchat for once, and when her friends try to get her to leave for class (do the kids these days usually hang out in record stores before school starts?) she ignores them and says that they should go somewhere to talk.
And by talk she of course means have vicious sex. But seeing as how disabled lovin' is not part of the Texas high school curriculum, neither one is quite sure how to do it, and various gymnastics and awkward positions ensue. Eventually he falls out of the chair and lies on the floor while she takes his pants off. Alas, it's too late. Little Jason has gone the way of the dodo, and big Jason gets pissed and frustrated and yells some more.
"I'm really enjoying this in-depth conversation."
Sadly there is no sports radio episode exposition this week, so I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. Matt Saracen is talking to someone on the phone about his grandmother's Medicare, while she babbles on about his father being out front. He calmly reminds her that he's in Iraq, but this time the crazy lady knows what she's talking about, since his father has in fact returned. Matt yells "You're home!" over and over while hugging him, and it's all very touching. I defy you to not be touched.
Over in Tami Taylor's Guidance Office O'Death, Tim Riggins is getting grilled by the queen of awesomeness herself. She accuses him of getting the rally girls to do his homework for him. Tim looks really bored and denies it. GOD, I hate him. Or I would if he weren't so chiseled. Tami makes him dig out the paper on The Scarlet Letter that he "wrote" last week, on which he got an A-. When she asks him what the book is about it and Tim answers "a girl named Scarlet, obviously," she gives him an ultimatum: no pass, no play. And I say good for her. I always hated the academic special treatment the athletes got in my high school, and now I have my revenge in the form of a fictional television hardass! Who's a theater nerd now, bitchaz?!
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Comments (12)
Thanks for the recap. I love this show. Matt Saracen is the cutest character on TV right now.
1 of 12 | Posted by sluggerbun
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Posted on January 7, 2007 12:49 PM
Great recap! I really think this is just about the best show on television right now. I'm with you on Matt's jerky Dad... just go away!
2 of 12 | Posted by midwestliberal
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Posted on January 7, 2007 4:23 PM
I am in love with Matt after this episode!! I am so worried, though! About this show, I mean! Crap -- I'm gonna get into it like Conviction and then NBC is gonna break my heart again. : (
Thanks for the recap!
3 of 12 | Posted by dainsey
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Posted on January 7, 2007 8:35 PM
awesome recap for an awesome show...
If we all agree this is the best show on TV right now, we just have to convince every one we know to watch. The plot is not that difficult to pick up on... And who would not get addicted to this writing and these kids???
And while MAtt's dad was a jerk, did anyone else think he looked alot like Matt will look in 15 years?
4 of 12 | Posted by dent
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Posted on January 8, 2007 5:31 AM
Hello!
I had to stop reading before I finished the first page to sign in and comment on how funny this recap is! Love it! I wasn't sure that I wanted to read a recap on this show. I love FNL and watched all of my recorded epi's for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I watched all of them in 2 days! Hee hee I love this show. But, I was aprehensive about the depressingness possibility of this recap. Not so! Funny funny funny, thank you!!!
5 of 12 | Posted by sweetleaf
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Posted on January 8, 2007 7:16 AM
Matt's jerk dad has to go! Hopefully back to Iraq and they'll never mention him again! Lyla and Jason getting back together didn't surprise me... I think she was sorry for cheating on Jason, and she really loves the guy. This show rocks, I hope it doesn't get the ax!! Great recap as usual!
6 of 12 | Posted by Jojobear
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Posted on January 8, 2007 8:41 AM
I got hooked on this show a couple of weeks ago (I watched all the episodes online while at work). It it is an okay show. If you think Tim is hot, check the actor out in The Covenant. Damn.
The fact that this show is about football but does not actually show that much football is nice. It shows the story that a lot of football shows miss.
7 of 12 | Posted by carol
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Posted on January 8, 2007 10:10 AM
Thanks for the great recap! I continue to thoroughly enjoy your screenshot captions.
I hope they're going to make Matt's dad more three-dimensional. I can see why a character like him would be distant from his son and not able to deal with the stress of his mother's Alzheimer's, so hopefully the writers will bring that out instead of making him out to be Pure Evil.
I don't like Jason and Lyla together. Her chirpy can-do attitude about his paralysis gets more annoying every time she spouts her "we can do this together!" platitudes. I'd much rather watch something develop with Lyla and Tim---and Jason find someone new who can actually handle being with a disabled person.
Landry is the best. Every time he comes on the screen I know something quotable is about to happen.
I'm really loving this show and these characters. NBC, please don't cancel it!
8 of 12 | Posted by gatsby
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Posted on January 8, 2007 8:29 PM
Thanks for another stellar recap Screampillar. I just got to watch the ep last night, and there has yet to be a really subpar episode yet. I'm heartened to see a little more activity in the comments. Maybe we can break into the double digits . . . woo hoo! It would be a shame if this show doesn't survive. Hopefully NBC will have the faith to stick with it for another season and maybe it will pick up some viewers in summer reruns. I don't get why this show isn't a hit. Great writing, appeal for adults and teens, and MILF/wondermom Connie Britton to boot!
I'm a little more sympathetic to Matt's father's character. The guy has two weeks home and probably just wants some quiet and he's bombarded with hassles, which he probably has trouble dealing with due to a combo of PTSD and guilt about leaving his son to deal with more than he can, or should have to, handle.
Additionally, most soldiers who serve in combat or dangerous deployments think of their fellow soldiers in their unit as family, and with his belief in what's he's doing in Iraq, and his sense of duty and loyalty to them I'm sure it is unthinkable to Matt's father to "pussy out" of his deployment and leave his comrades to fend for themselves.
The last scene where Matt's dad is shown displaying some tenderness toward grandma makes it look like they will be developing his character further.
It wouldn't surprise me if we end up seeing Matt moving in with the Taylors when dad goes back to Iraq and grandma goes into the home, which would make for some great drama having the feared boyfriend living under Coach's own roof.
9 of 12 | Posted by JasonR
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Posted on January 9, 2007 8:11 AM
I think Matt's dad would be a more three-dimensional character if only they got an actor who could emote more than the same semi-blank, semi-indifferent face than the guy they chose. The writing of his character isn't terrible -- I think it does speak to what JasonR refers to above. The damn guy just can act to save his life, and it's killing the character.
In any case, I dig FNL, but I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that it'll be wiped off the schedule either at the end of this season or the beginning of the next one. I mean, look at the number of people who comment -- it's like a fractional percentage of the Real World Denver's postings, and come on, that show sucks (although, yes, I watch it religiously as well, so who am I to judge).
10 of 12 | Posted by dubbledubs
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Posted on January 9, 2007 10:12 AM
Dubbledubs, I'll give you that. It's either bad acting or bad direction. The actor was obviously chosen more on his physical resemblance to the actor who plays Matt than for his acting chops, or he's playing the Saracen deadpan thing a little too hard. I'll give him another episode before I pass judgment.
11 of 12 | Posted by JasonR
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Posted on January 9, 2007 12:59 PM
I love this show, but I don't think it will survive. Especially since it will soon be up against American Idol. They should move it to a different time following a better show to keep it alive.
12 of 12 | Posted by trixie12
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Posted on January 9, 2007 1:14 PM