Tapeworthy: Friday Night Lights

Friday, October 05, 2007

Friday Night Lights - Summer Lovin'

Friday Night Lights - Last Days of Summer - Season 2 Premiere

Well, the good news from Global moving Friday Night Lights back to 9pm was that I was able to watch Pushing Daisies again on ABC. Thus essentially watching the best new show and the best show on TV back to back. On a Friday night. I seriously need to take over a network programmers job. On a side note, before I start spewing my love for the return of Friday Night Lights, this will be my last post until mid-next week since I'm off to Chile tonight (which will also explain why this post will be short and not that much of a recap since I'm cutting it close to my flight by watching the entire episode. Yes, I need help. That's how much I love my Friday Night Lights). Also, happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

If Pushing Daisies is fantastical and whimsical, then Friday Night Lights is painfully real and honest and grounded, yet as different as they could be in styles, both are funny, romantic and strangely life affirming.

It's summer, everybody's at the local pool and showing some skin, Saracen is jealous of Julie talking to a fellow Swedish lifeguard (who she subtly rejects/flirts in a detail so small and brilliant, with a slight twist of a shoulder, that this is why I believe this show deserves an Oscar, as they can just bypass the Emmy's for ignoring them). Tami comes to the pool, but her water breaks in the water, 3 weeks early, and just as Eric is flying back from TMU where he has taken the new assisting coach job. We are not even at the first commercial break and I'm already misty eyed. Damn you Friday Night Lights!

New things are abound in Dillon. The Panthers thus have a hardass new coach McGregor (Chris Mulkey, Twin Peaks, Any Day Now) and locks out Buddy Garrity. The Taylors have a new baby girl Gracie. Lyla is baptised in the river and becomes a Chirst Teen Messengers. Tyra and Landry are sort of hanging out, still much to Landry's surprise. Jason Street is now officially a new assistant coach for the Panthers. Tyra is being stalked. Lyla Garrity's mom is dating a new guy and Buddy is pissed.

And yet some things don't change. Tim Riggins is still drunk and leading his hedonistic lifestyle. Julie and Eric are still seeing things differently. The show is still brilliant in its peak into the lives of the Dillon residents world.

I love the raport between Landry and Saracen. Watching Landry attempt to seduce Tyra is both sweet and painful and hilarious. McLovin's got nothing on Landry. I love that Julie and Eric Taylor interact like a real father daughter relationship would have it. Especially after Julie gets a pick up from a bar after Julie goes to meet Anton, the Swedish lifeguard (who happens to have a girlfriend already). Their car talk, revealing Julie's fear of turning into her parents because Matt and her relationship is going too well, was honest and heartbreaking (TRUST ME JULIE, KEEP IT WHILE YOU HAVE IT).

Meanwhile, the big controversial twist, the OMG shocking moment that still has my hand comvering my mouth (which is still on the floor), Tyra is attacked again by her attempted-rapist from season 1, and after knocking down Landry as well, Landry retaliates with a metal pipe, killing the attempted-rapist. Tyra and Landry obviously panic, and try to get rid of the body. It's shocking. It's sick. [I felt] It was portrayed totally realistically and it was a mistake that was warranted. My heart's still beating.