Friday Night Lights

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swo17
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Re: Friday Night Lights

#26 Post by swo17 » Mon Jun 06, 2011 2:26 pm

As in life, one of the pleasures of FNL is learning to enjoy the company of people you initially find irredeemably annoying.

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Andre Jurieu
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There's a fox in my henhouse and I don't like it.

#27 Post by Andre Jurieu » Mon Jun 06, 2011 3:42 pm

swo17 wrote:As in life, one of the pleasures of FNL is learning to enjoy the company of people you initially find irredeemably annoying.
SpoilerShow
Oh, Billy & Mindy: you're like the trailer-trash version of the Taylors.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Friday Night Lights

#28 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Jun 07, 2011 10:00 pm

Minka Kelly's top in Episode 6 alone has taken this series from good to great

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#29 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Jun 13, 2011 11:32 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:Ugh, more Buddy? If there's a molestation storyline (look at the guy) around the corner for him, I quit
Wow, the writers made quick work of taking Buddy from totally creepy to nearing Coach Taylor levels of sympathetic on a dime. Definitely doesn't fit the character we met in the first few episodes, the character I was sure was going to be peeking in the boys' locker room after a game or something in no time.

Also, while she is wonderful for the role and obviously very beautiful, Minka Kelly is the definite acting weak link of this show. I'm on Episode 10, and she's given an opportunity to emote over and over again, and always just gives this strange half smile thing and tries to squeeze out a single tear... it's kind of hard to watch.

One more note: I don't know if it's possible for me to root for Smash any more than I am.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#30 Post by mfunk9786 » Fri Jun 17, 2011 1:55 am

The show is still controlling me. Even before the point in the story that you were probably referencing, domino; I am in love with Tyra and looking forward to the expansion of her storyline even as it's happening. As far as family-friendly television dramas go, I don't think I've ever seen one better.
Last edited by mfunk9786 on Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#31 Post by mfunk9786 » Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:10 pm

When Smash said "Got any room on this bus?" during the whole racial debacle, Coach Taylor totally should have broken the ice by saying "Only if you sit in the back! Just kidding." Writers, missed an opportunity for comedy there

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domino harvey
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Re: Friday Night Lights

#32 Post by domino harvey » Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:00 am

You're fast approaching the highly contentious Season Two and I look forward to your thoughts on it-- I am definitely one of the few apologists for it, but aside from some arguably outlandish storylines and plot threads that get severed never to return, one of the reasons it is so frustrating is that there is a lot of bad things happening without enough catharsis, so there's all this build up without any satisfying release of anxiety or pressure. Which is another reason season three is as great as it is, because the whole thing feels like extended catharsis for season two. Still, things like Julie's frustrating behavior are so dead-on and well observed, to name one example, that it'd be a shame to get hung up on That Storyarc Which Shall Not Be Mentioned (which I must admit I also like-- probably the only one with the balls to admit / foolish enough to actually say that, though haha)

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#33 Post by mfunk9786 » Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:14 am

I'm looking forward to guessing which storyarc you're referencing. By the way, Julie and Tyra shopping for underwear prior to The Big Sex is pretty much exactly what I imagined that girls did together back in high school.

Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton are so damn good that I find myself constantly taking their talents for granted. I don't know if I've ever seen an actress cry with more authenticity than Britton.

As a football nerd, Riggins' style of play and general attitude towards football reminds me a lot of former Oakland Raiders fullback Jon Ritchie, who's trademark was an ill-fitting helmet that he refused to replace, one that resulted in his face being drenched in blood by the end of each and every game.

This thread has become my blog.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#34 Post by mfunk9786 » Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:51 am

Buddy's notepad sleuthing is easily the funniest moment in the series to this point

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domino harvey
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Re: Friday Night Lights

#35 Post by domino harvey » Sun Jun 19, 2011 8:49 am

You won't have to guess the storyarc haha

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#36 Post by Professor Wagstaff » Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:35 pm

domino harvey wrote:You won't have to guess the storyarc haha
Said storyarc was so clearly a game-changing, bad idea (completely out of character for the show) that I can remember freezing up in my chair, unable to accept I was watching the same show. Still, Domino gives a nice, discreet breakdown from an apologist's standpoint. I hope you stick with the show after it all because there is so much good to come in later seasons.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#37 Post by domino harvey » Mon Jun 20, 2011 9:44 am

I'll offer a stronger defense once mfunk gets through the second season, especially since I can't remember when that storyline ends up getting resolved and don't want to reveal something he hasn't seen yet

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#38 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:06 am

You guys are all so considerate. *group hug*

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#39 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:06 am

Just finished the first season. I loved the reprise of the Daniel Johnston cover (the original recording would have been better!) and I loved the low-key, sly cliffhanger, even if it doesn't end up being one at all. And oh boy am I suddenly head over heels in love with Tyra

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#40 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:17 am

Just when I couldn't hate you more, Lyla

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#41 Post by domino harvey » Wed Jun 22, 2011 6:50 pm

Well, I finished Season Five and it's hard to accept that I won't have these people in my life anymore. This show hits so hard for so many reasons, many different for different viewers (One of my good friends called it a blueprint for how people should interact in society, which is as good a description as any), but to me it's simply that I've never become so attached to fictional characters in any medium where they stopped seeming like narrative constructs and took on the life of real people-- I feel like I know the inhabitants of this show, in the grand novelistic tradition, and care what happens to them.

Season five-specific spoilers within:
SpoilerShow
Though the final season didn't reach the emotional highs of the previous two seasons, certainly it continued many of the series' prevalent concerns-- though did the show really need to put Julie through another backslide ala the Swede-era? But I have to admit, for a show that always seems relatable and real (particularly coming from someone who lived most of his life only one state over), I was surprised that Season Five contained a storyline lifted directly from my life almost verbatim. I had a really good friend who was a professional beauty pageant participant, lived with a stripper, and eventually and covertly earned some quick money at the club, at risk to her titles and future. God, these writers really are as good as their cast.

And yes, I fucking lost it during that final montage. Oh man, am I glad no one was in the house during that!

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#42 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Jun 22, 2011 10:56 pm

If it weren't for the sweet Tyra/Landry chemistry, Season 2 would have me slitting my wrists at this point.

(Sorry Domino, I didn't mean to go all pagebreak on your lovely post)

Jason's song in Mexico is the most cringeworthy thing on television ever.

Also, whoa! at the Inspector Gadget style ending of S2E4 with Julie giving a PSA... I figured it was just another ridiculous plotline at first

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#43 Post by roujin » Thu Jun 23, 2011 12:24 am

Season 2 is a whole lot of bad decisions, but Season 3 redeems all that nonsense. So the struggle through those episodes is worth it.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#44 Post by mfunk9786 » Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:12 am

Still in the process of ripping off the Season 2 band-aid. Is it bad that I couldn't care less who confesses what and I just want to see Tyra and Landry get back together again? I mean really, if I have to wait much longer I am going to kill myself. This is probably very candid, but I had a very loving relationship in high school that stemmed from my witnessing a sexual assault while a movie was being screened in class. I understand the deep romantic feelings that can come from being alone in a situation like that among conjecture and whispers and judgement. While the stakes are higher here, it's something I can completely empathize with.

Also: Hellooooo nurse

By the way, I'm going to start spoiler tagging in Season 3, even though I think any new viewer of the show should be smart enough to stay away from this thread through at least Season 4, now that it's two pages long

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#45 Post by mfunk9786 » Sun Jun 26, 2011 7:37 pm

Ugh, so I finished Season 2 without realizing I'd finished it, and I'm writing this as I watch the season premiere of Season 3. The Smash storyline at the end was patently ridiculous. Football is football, and there are far more troubled (and troubling) kids that make their way to college with a whole lot more on their rap sheet than Smash. Making matters worse, it seems like the show has chosen to pile onto him, judging from the start of this episode. I am totally tortured by Tyra and Landry - the show convinced me to be happy about Landry's adorable new romance, and then sucked me back in when they got back together. Then we get one of those bullshit one-liners about what's been going on over the summer and it appears to be back to square one offscreen. And much like an academic parallel to last season's Smash storyline, the expectations on Tyra are wholly unrealistic - the average student at University of Texas had a 3.8 GPA? Oh really? Puh-lease.

There's still a lot to like in this show, but there's a whole lot that's crumbling apart here. Could someone explain to me how it's possible that all the prominent players (aside from Smash) on the Panthers were only sophomores during Season 1? How are we supposed to believe that Lyla and Riggins are still in high school?

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#46 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:17 am

I haven't really had any desire to tune back into the show since my little explosion here, and I could sure use someone to step up and be all Dan Savage-y and give me an "It Gets Better" speech right about now. I am really disappointed with the way Season 3 has begun.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#47 Post by domino harvey » Wed Jun 29, 2011 12:48 am

Season Three is pretty much the best season of the best dramatic series in the history of the medium. FNL season premieres are often disorienting and maybe even choppy but each season settles into the groove nicely before long. But I also didn't plow through the entire series and took a break between seasons of a couple months after season two, so maybe give yourself some breathing room?

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#48 Post by reno dakota » Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:05 am

domino harvey wrote:Season Three is pretty much the best season of the best dramatic series in the history of the medium. FNL season premieres are often disorienting and maybe even choppy but each season settles into the groove nicely before long. But I also didn't plow through the entire series and took a break between seasons of a couple months after season two, so maybe give yourself some breathing room?
Now that mfunk has finished season 2, will you be saying more about "That Storyarc Which Shall Not Be Mentioned"? It's been so long since I've seen that season that I'm honestly not sure which storyarc you're talking about or why it shouldn't be mentioned.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

#49 Post by domino harvey » Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:10 am

SpoilerShow
The rapist getting killed

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Andre Jurieu
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Re: Friday Night Lights

#50 Post by Andre Jurieu » Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:03 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:I haven't really had any desire to tune back into the show since my little explosion here, and I could sure use someone to step up and be all Dan Savage-y and give me an "It Gets Better" speech right about now. I am really disappointed with the way Season 3 has begun.
Truthfully, though I haven't watched it in a while, I thought Season 3 was probably the most consistent season of the series and it's finale might have been one of the most serene and perceptive reflections on high school athletics that any network drama has produced (or been capable of - though, in this case, it draws heavily from the source material, though it's executed far better than prior attempts).

Plus, if you drop out now, you'll miss the stunning highs of the Season 4, which were somehow both entirely unexpected and utterly earned after the struggles of the previous seasons. From what I can remember, Season 4 isn't as consistent as Season 3, but it achieves some fantastic moments.

Also, you kind of have to give them some leeway on the fact that the cast is still around in high school. Realistically, due to the writers' strike in Season 2, the show had to re-adjust it's plans since a great deal of material for character development had to be placed on hiatus. Plus, at some point they had to make some tough choices about who sticks around on the cast and who graduates, and some of these decisions were made by the cast-members themselves.

As far as the stuff with Smash (again, I'm hazy on the exact details of the plot), no one really wants to admit the overwhelming corruption that takes place in recruiting and throughout upper-tier NCAA programs for the major sports (football and basketball), so you have to allow FNL to still pretend that their characters have some values and ethics, which probably aren't as realistic as they could/should be. However, they do come closer to the reality of corrupt recruiting practices in Season 5 (though, again, it's the PG-version).

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