Friday Night Lights - OAD 2/1/8

[JETarpon]

My recording screwed up. Can anybody post a summary?

[That Don Guy]

The recap should be up at NBC's Friday Night Lights site soon. Until then, if I recall everything right, the main points were...
Smash had his TMU scholarship offer withdrawn because, according to them, he has "questionable character", and as far as Smash is concerned, no school will touch him; Saracen discovers the hard way that the answer to his life's problems is not cutting classes to listen to Riggins over a beer or two; more fun with Tyra, (I think it was) Landry, and that new girl, who's now reasonably serious about being with him. They didn't play a game; the show ends with a game about to begin.
Oh, and not only did Texas high school volleyball apparently switch back to 15-point games, but touching the net is now legal - either that, or they spend all of their money on football officials as the volleyball referee must be the blindest person in Texas.

-- Don

[Neenahboy]

Landry is a moron. That is all.

[Graymalkin]

Yeah, Landry's a moron, especially since Geek Girl is so obviously gorgeous under those thick glasses and goofy dreadlocks. But who can resist Tyra the Valkyrie? BTW, did Tyra have a growth spurt? She looks to be over 6 feet tall now.

Julie needs to stop whining, although Tami did do her wrong by missing the DMV appointment. But Tami did make up for it with that valient last-minute effort.

Matt did a really good job with that revelatory moment in the bathtub. I know how painful that feeling of abandonment can be. Nice touch with Grandma telling Coach Taylor, "Matt needs help." Just when you think she's completely lost it...

Of course, Matt now can sue Coach and the school board for physical abuse and get a potload of money and get Grandma some permanent home aid. :D

Are the Julie and Matt plotlines conspiring to bring them back together?

Would somebody please nominate Connie Britton for an Emmy? Morons.

[Bryanmc]

Landry is a moron. That is all.

Yes. Yes he is.

Stick with the girl that worships you, not the one that required someone else to make her realize her feelings.

[smallwonder]

Yes. Yes he is.

Stick with the girl that worships you, not the one that required someone else to make her realize her feelings.

So he's a moron for finally getting his dream girl? In my book he'd be a moron for telling Tyra he loved her and then falling in love with another girl 3 weeks later. Tyra was right, they got together under highly stressful circumstances. It's perfectly okay to take some time to figure things out. Hell, he's nearly proposed to her, constantly declaring his undying love for her - that would scare any high school girl silly and for someone like Tyra who's had to rely on herself, it freaked her out.

At least now that things have settled down she realizes how she feels about him. Landry should be counting his nerdy blessings that 2 woman actually want him.:)

[cmontyburns]

At least now that things have settled down she realizes how she feels about him. Landry should be counting his nerdy blessings that 2 woman actually want him.:)

Amen to that. :)

He did the right thing. The show has done a great job of transforming Tyra from a pneumatic vamp to a complex girl looking past the surface for fulfillment and trust. If she were the female Riggins, Landry would obviously be making a mistake, no matter what his feelings. But she isn't now. And given that, he never would have been able to have a good relationship with whatshername while having all those unrequited feelings for Tyra anyway.

[Peter000]

He did the right thing. The show has done a great job of transforming Tyra from a pneumatic vamp to a complex girl looking past the surface for fulfillment and trust. If she were the female Riggins, Landry would obviously be making a mistake, no matter what his feelings. But she isn't now. And given that, he never would have been able to have a good relationship with whatshername while having all those unrequited feelings for Tyra anyway.

Yeah, even though they probably won't make it in the long run, Landry's got to go with the girl he has feelings for. Not necessarily the right choice, but the undeniable one. Gotta take the shot.

[DevdogAZ]

Totally agree that Landry did the right thing. The geek girl does nothing for me, and Tyra is hot as can be.

Adrienne Palicki is 5'11", and I think that's been the case for awhile. However, they seem to have been shooting at angles that didn't make her look so tall before, but now that it's a plot line, they've really been playing up the height thing. She made geek girl look like an oompa loompa.

We also noticed the touching of the net. I still can't believe how little attention to detail they're paying in the volleyball scenes. It wouldn't be that hard to tell Tyra to keep her arms straight up.

[Bierboy]

Wow.....I'm speechless. I don't believe I've ever seen a better scene in a TV drama than the one with Saracen and coach after they brought his grandmother back from the hospital. Especially that scene in the bathroom. Just when I think this show has reached its pinnacle, it goes a step higher.

Oh, and I disagree here with the common sentiment; Landry IS crazy to dump Jean for Tyra. It's very obvious Jean is crazy about him. I don't think it's that obvious with Tyra.

BTW, here's (http://www.nbc.com/Friday_Night_Lights/recaps/#cat=2&mea=214&ima=37773)the episode recap on NBC's Web site.

[Cainebj]

Wow.....I'm speechless. I don't believe I've ever seen a better scene in a TV drama than the one with Saracen and coach after they brought his grandmother back from the hospital. Especially that scene in the bathroom. Just when I think this show has reached its pinnacle, it goes a step higher.

I have to agree - that scene was heart wrenching and well done by the writers and actors. :up:

[cmontyburns]

I have to agree - that scene was heart wrenching and well done by the writers and actors. :up:

The great thing about that scene for me was that it was unexpected how it played out. I was getting a little frustrated during the ep with Saracen's acting out, understanding his heartbreak over the girl but not why it would bend his straight arrow so much. Except it wasn't only over the girl, as it turned out; she was just the last straw. Really nicely done.

[jsmeeker]

Oh, and not only did Texas high school volleyball apparently switch back to 15-point games, but touching the net is now legal - either that, or they spend all of their money on football officials as the volleyball referee must be the blindest person in Texas.

-- Don

and drivers license tests are now given by civilian DPS employees.



Landry isn't a fool. He went for the girl he really wanted. Oh, sure, geek girl liked him a lot, Landry got along well with her, she's kinda cute. But Tyra is the girl he wants.. There will be plenty more "geek girls" for Landry in the future.

[MasterOfPuppets]

I can't argue with Landry going for his dream girl, he's wanted her for a long time.
Although, if the option was there to still keep on with both of them...well, then maybe he is a moron. :p

[MassD]

I can't argue with Landry going for his dream girl, he's wanted her for a long time.
Although, if the option was there to still keep on with both of them...well, then maybe he is a moron. :p

Bah... Landry did the right thing. That little cute geek chick.. she's got the crazy eyes.

[Bierboy]

Bah... Landry did the right thing. That little cute geek chick.. she's got the crazy eyes.

....and Tyra's NOT crazy?

[MassD]

....and Tyra's NOT crazy?

Who cares????

We know this isn't going to end well. I mean, the geeky, crazy-eyed one will probably be boiling one of Landry's rabbits in no time. But when choosing between two batcrap crazy girlfriends, always pick the hotter one.

[dvdapex]

Re: Landry and girl of choice
It really doesn't matter because the way they slam in plot "twists", Matt will have a crush on him before too long.

Wouldn't it have been better for Julie (rather than the geek girl) to go after Landry? They have a history (through Matt) and that would REALLY create friction between Julie and Tyra.

[Peter000]

But when choosing between two batcrap crazy girlfriends, always pick the hotter one.That would have been a tough choice for me. They both are really hot, in their own ways. I love the look the geeky gf had.

[DreadPirateRob]

Yeah, even though they probably won't make it in the long run, Landry's got to go with the girl he has feelings for. Not necessarily the right choice, but the undeniable one. Gotta take the shot.

I agree. If Landry didn't go for it with Tyra, he would have forever looked back and wondered "what if..." Besides, it wasn't that long ago that he gave her the "put up or shut up" speech at the prom. Since that speech was the beginning of her coming around, he almost had to give her a shot. Besides, he's in high school. You can't expect him to make the mature choice - you expect him to make the impulsive one from his gut.

On a side note, it's almost scary how much Landry "acts" like his TV dad (Agent Pierce from 24) - their mannerisms are eerily similar. What a genius bit of casting that was.

Wow.....I'm speechless. I don't believe I've ever seen a better scene in a TV drama than the one with Saracen and coach after they brought his grandmother back from the hospital. Especially that scene in the bathroom. Just when I think this show has reached its pinnacle, it goes a step higher.

Agreed. That scene moved me immensely. And it was a complete 180 of what I'd been feeling leading up to it, which made it even more powerful. I had been yelling at Saracen (in my head, of course) the whole episode that he needed to man up, that he was being selfish, that he was smarter than this, that this isn't the Matt Saracen that we've grown to love and root for, and then when he broke down in the bathroom, it hit me like a ton of bricks. This was the Matt Saracen that we've grown to love and root for, but he had simply been through too much. It's amazing that he rolled with as many punches as he did, but too much is too much.

And Coach was awesome as well. Kyle Chandler is just freakin' brilliant in this role - he shows so much with his eyes and facial tics. At the Super Bowl party we went to my wife and I were talking about FNL with her cousins, and my wife started cracking up all of a sudden. When I gave her a quizzical look, she said that she had just realized that the look Coach got on his face after Matt broke down was the same look I get on my face whenever things get too emotional around me, a cross between "how can I help?" and "I gotta get the hell out of here". :o

But when choosing between two batcrap crazy girlfriends, always pick the hotter one.

I think I need to write this one down so that I can remember to give this advice to my son when the time is right. ;)

[Bierboy]

That would have been a tough choice for me. They both are really hot, in their own ways. I love the look the geeky gf had.

+ me.
....On a side note, it's almost scary how much Landry "acts" like his TV dad (Agent Pierce from 24) - their mannerisms are eerily similar. What a genius bit of casting that was....
And I actually think they physically look like father/son; I see similarities there. I agree....brilliant casting.

[TAsunder]

Finally, a good episode. I haven't really enjoyed any of the plots that got us here - they could definitely have been more intelligently written - but the smash and seracen storylines might be diving into something more interesting now.

And I really enjoyed the tidbits of banter between seracen and landry. Those two need to spend more time together.

[AJRitz]

Landry made the right choice. Geek girl was cute, but geek girl is also a freshman. Landry is a junior or senior. Yes, it's only a couple of years, but Tyra is Landry's age and both are much more mature than even an above-average freshman (especially in light of all they've been through this season). Puppy love/hero worship only lasts so long . . .

[DeludedBuzz]

The whole recruitment of Smash is poorly done. Just read the recent series of articles about the Washington Huskies under Lambright and Neuheisel in the Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004147443_rboverview27m0.html

What Smash did is minor compared to what some other players did and still received football scholarships. And most players spend quite a bit more time being recruited before committing, including going on an official visit to the school (we missed some Jesus Shuttleworth moments there!)


The recap should be up at NBC's Friday Night Lights site soon. Until then, if I recall everything right, the main points were...
Smash had his TMU scholarship offer withdrawn because, according to them, he has "questionable character", and as far as Smash is concerned, no school will touch him; Saracen discovers the hard way that the answer to his life's problems is not cutting classes to listen to Riggins over a beer or two; more fun with Tyra, (I think it was) Landry, and that new girl, who's now reasonably serious about being with him. They didn't play a game; the show ends with a game about to begin.
Oh, and not only did Texas high school volleyball apparently switch back to 15-point games, but touching the net is now legal - either that, or they spend all of their money on football officials as the volleyball referee must be the blindest person in Texas.

-- Don

[DevdogAZ]

The whole recruitment of Smash is poorly done. Just read the recent series of articles about the Washington Huskies under Lambright and Neuheisel in the Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004147443_rboverview27m0.html

What Smash did is minor compared to what some other players did and still received football scholarships. And most players spend quite a bit more time being recruited before committing, including going on an official visit to the school (we missed some Jesus Shuttleworth moments there!)
Not to mention that the most sought after players often don't commit until Letter of Intent day, which is in February, so there really wasn't any urgency for him to make a decision. They portrayed it as the schools suddenly descending on him and his feeling all this pressure to hurry and make a choice, when in fact, the schools would have been in touch with him for well over a year and he would have been well-versed on the fact that he doesn't need to make a decision right away.

I think they missed the boat by not having more scenes between Coach and Smash with Coach helping out in recruiting and giving advice.

[DreadPirateRob]

I think Smash is going to end up going to the Black college (the one with the recruiter in the suit who Mama Smash really liked).

[Sparty99]

I'm absolutely fascinated by how many people are saying Landry made the wrong choice. If any straight man were faced with a choice of Jean or Tyra, and they chose Jean, they'd have to be put in an asylum. We know Tyra's got a heart and isn't exactly in line with her family's traits (which is what we were led to believe when the show started). I'm sorry, the two girls do not belong in the same discussion. Besides, as someone already said, it's high school. It's going to end no matter what.

The bathtub scene really hit home for me. I've had the exact same feeling of, "Everyone's leaving me, what's wrong with me?" so Saracen's "come-to-Jesus" moment was really powerful.

And I agree that Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton deserve the Emmy love, but how come no one ever mentions Mama Smash? She's had some very powerful scenes this season.

[mrmike]

If any straight man were faced with a choice of Jean or Tyra, and they chose Jean, they'd have to be put in an asylum.

How's that go again? No matter how hot she is, some guy somewhere is tired of her sh*t.

(And me, I'd probably go for Jean. She seems much more likely to curl up with me and a good book on a quiet rainy day, even if she is a bit intense. We were all intense at that age.)

[jsmeeker]

How's that go again? No matter how hot she is, some guy somewhere is tired of her sh*t.



But Landry hasn't had a chance to get tired of her sh*t. He needs that chance.


Maybe all the people saying "go for jean" didn't start watching the show until Jean was introduced. That could explain a lot. I mean, if you have been watching the show since it started, you know how Landry feels about Tyra. Feelings like that don't get erases so quickly. Some new Freshman sure isn't gonna do it in a few weeks.

[Sparty99]

How's that go again? No matter how hot she is, some guy somewhere is tired of her sh*t.

(And me, I'd probably go for Jean. She seems much more likely to curl up with me and a good book on a quiet rainy day, even if she is a bit intense. We were all intense at that age.)
If you're looking at it in terms of who you'd rather be with now...um, ew. Gotta keep in mind what it was like to be a 16- or 17-year-old guy. Even someone in Jean's fraternity of geeks would be hard-pressed to turn down Tyra.

[mrmike]

If you're looking at it in terms of who you'd rather be with now...um, ew. Gotta keep in mind what it was like to be a 16- or 17-year-old guy. Even someone in Jean's fraternity of geeks would be hard-pressed to turn down Tyra.

Hey, I was a geek at that age. I wouldn't have had anything in common with Tyra and Jean and I would have been in the basement comparing B-movie collections the afternoon we met. Landry does have some chemistry with Tyra, but what they have is based on some very scary stuff and a large dose of puppy slobber. I'm not sure that's enough to build on. They've done a good job at making both of them more than caricatures of their neuroses but I'm unconvinced they can grow well together.

[RickyL]

Right or wrong, the think that gets me is who would have thought when the series started that the geek and the vamp would end up a jock couple.

[Bierboy]

How's that go again? No matter how hot she is, some guy somewhere is tired of her sh*t.

(And me, I'd probably go for Jean. She seems much more likely to curl up with me and a good book on a quiet rainy day, even if she is a bit intense. We were all intense at that age.)
+ me....too much Tyra baggage. And, yes, I've watched the show from episode 1. As a matter of fact, it's for just that reason that I'm convinced Landry made the wrong choice.

[MassD]

I'm not sure that's enough to build on.

Dude... they're supposed to be high school students! If Landry was 30 and looking to find a good woman, maybe the answer would be different.

But Landry is supposed to be some 17 year old twit... and when I was that age, If there was this 5'11'' blond goddess standing in front of me telling me that her loins yearned for me and me only. I'm sorry...

Besides, as I mentioned before... I got a funny feeling about Leah. She looks like she could be a regular passenger on the Crazy Train if you ask me. If I was a betting man, I'd say Tyra's going to see Leah's bespoked blond locks skulking in the bushes, plotting some revenge.

So, yes... Tyra got baggage. But I'd choose some baggage over voodoo dolls and love notes written in blood.

[anom]

Tyra's damaged goods. It's not her fault, I don't hold it against her, but that's how it is. Landry will be in way over his head dating her. This was pretty blatantly foreshadowed in her conversation with her mom about competing with other girls for men. And the writers created the perfect girl for a geek like Landry (probably unrealistically so) just to illustrate by contrast how bad his choice was.

Still, I can't blame him. Tyra is insanely hot. She must be in her mid-twenties in real life.

[DevdogAZ]

Tyra's damaged goods. It's not her fault, I don't hold it against her, but that's how it is. Landry will be in way over his head dating her. This was pretty blatantly foreshadowed in her conversation with her mom about competing with other girls for men. And the writers created the perfect girl for a geek like Landry (probably unrealistically so) just to illustrate by contrast how bad his choice was.

Still, I can't blame him. Tyra is insanely hot. She must be in her mid-twenties in real life.
She'll be 25 in May. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1597316/

But I do agree that the conversation she had with her mom probably indicates that she'll get tired of Landry once she's found out she "won."

[marrone]

Oh, Landry's definitely in over his head. I'm with the "he should have gone for the geek" crowd. Much more in common.

Regarding Smash's loss of scholarship...that does seem a bit out there. Maybe it can be justified that TMU (yeah yeah, a fake school) is more of a local school, and therefore local events would have more of an impact? If Smash chose Alabama, they probably wouldn't have even heard about it, nor care. I wonder if he can still go back to them (or another school) and say yes?

-Mike

[Bierboy]

...I got a funny feeling about Leah....
It's Jean, not Leah.

[MacThor]

Maybe Jean will start stalking Tyra, and Landry will have to smash her over the head with a bottle.....