Seems like every week, since this season started, I find something that bugs me with Friday Night Lights. But that’s only because I love this show so much, and as good as it was last year, I think it can be even better. But that won’t happen if it relies too much on sports clichés.
What happened to Landry in this week’s episode is one of those magic stories of the little kid who became an instant star when no-one believed in him. But on the “realest” drama on TV, how real is it? Can anyone truly see a kid on his first year on the team, who hasn’t even played yet, stand up in front of the whole team and give such a great motivational speech that rallies the whole team behind him? And then he goes on the field and practically wins the game for his team, leaving the field to a thunderous chant his name from the supporting crowd. But that’s not all. That kid is doing all that while he’s also preoccupied with the possibility of going to jail manslaughter if the truth about himself and his girlfriend comes out.
But Landry is not the only example. Matt and Smash were ready to kill each other last week and it went on further when this week’s episode started. Not even a dinner at Eric’s house could bring these guys to work together. But suddenly they reunite in the last minute of the game. Sure, their egos couldn’t handle someone else getting the glory when they’re sidelined, but it all happened too fast for my taste. Besides, I don’t think the Panthers should have won this game. They could have built up both the tension between Matt and Smash and the Landry storyline a little more and provide more drama in the next episode or two before resolving it.
But there was also good. Matt finally gets some balls. It started with Smash and now he’s not taking sh*t from anyone. Not from coach Taylor and especially from Julie. On one hand it was nice that Matt remained this quiet, insecure guy that he was before he became QB, but at one point his fame had to catch up with him and he needed to gain more self confidence. Good for him and while I think he and Julie made a cute couple, he needs to move on after the way she treated him.
I won’t go into details of everything that went on this week. It’s good to see that the whole experimental surgery thing is over and that the boys will be back in Texas next week. I don’t see Landry and Tyra being separated for long, as they have a shared secret, no matter what Landry’s dad thinks. And when it comes to the best TV couple today, it’s was nice to see the way Eric took care of Tami, even if it was just to get some bed fun at the end.
Like I said earlier, I only mention the bad things because I love FNL. It’s still one of the best dramas on TV and it doesn’t really suffer a sophomore slump, it’s just going through some adjustments that don’t always turn out for the best. So far they managed to think on their feet and fix the issues that required it. I know they’ll continue to do that.
