madam magpie

I hear you and he definitely was capable of college, but I actually liked that he didn't leave. It's kind of the cliche (not cliche, that's the wrong word, but the typical story) that the small-town kids want to break free and leave the crap place they grew up, and plenty of the kids on this show did that. But Tim loved Dillon and Texas, I always thought. He didn't want to leave. He was a mess, for sure, and needed some direction and to grow up, but I do think he got his dream in the end. They all did really, which I loved because they all had different dreams and different places they wanted to go. I felt like all types of people were represented in this story...even ones who just want to drink beer and sit on their land bought with illegal money. That's not my dream, but I do think it kind of was Tim's.

I think that if the writers hadn't turned Teddy into such an evil character, it would be interesting to watch him, Rayna, and Deacon attempt to be Maddie's parents (and Daphne's), with the end goal that they all would eventually become their own kind of family. But as is, he's just so horrible that I don't see how the audience can forgive him. I don't necessarily want him out of the way so that Rayna, Maddie, and Deacon can live happliy ever after (though I certainly would not object to that), but I want him gone so I don't have to watch him be a gross, smarmy, leacherous, stalky meanie who makes Maddie sad and constantly tries to ruin Deacon. I like Eric Close, though. From all I've read, he seems like a lovely person.

With the exception of the murder (and I'll forgive them for that because everyone makes mistakes and it only mildly irritated me), I thought this was an incredibly tight, fully imagined story, perfectly cast and written by a group of storytellers who didn't rely on ridiculous melodrama to keep me interested. It was just regular people struggling, working together, and trying to make it. It also probably best represents my own personal value system, and I thought that the fact that it was shot like a documentary and often improvised just made it feel even more real. So to say I loved it is an understatement. :) Favorite episodes...I don't know. I loved both "Mud Bowl" and "Kingdom" also. I really liked "The Lights in Carroll Park," "I Think We Should Have Sex," and any time any of them went on a road trip. I thought the whole arc at the start of season 2 where Tami simply could not cope with the baby by herself was fantastic and heartbreaking. (Jesus, Bratty Julie Taylor! Help your mother!) But my favorite might be "Laboring." Is that the one where Tami refuses to read her preapproved abortion apology? Or was that the finale of season 4? I forget. Either way, I think that's my favorite one. The move to East Dillon worked for me, and I liked all the new kids a lot. The only thing that sort of disappointed me came at the very end. I really wanted Tami to have to make a decision about that job. Eric giving in was believable, but it let her off the hook. I know she said she was going to turn it down, but she never actually did and held on to the paperwork. Maybe that was just a necessary bit of story so that he would have time to come around, but still. I don't feel certain that I actually know what she was planning to do, though maybe she didn't either and that's the point. DannyFranks: Do you think Riggins was college material, though? It just seems like that would have been too confining for him. It was awful to watch him crash in seasons 4 and 5, but I liked how it ended, with so much promise that he was ultimately going to get what he really wanted: the ranch and Texas and a place that he felt at home. I didn't see him and Tyra coming, but I kind of liked it in the end. And in the interest of full disclosure, Tim, Tami, and Tyra were probably my favorite characters, though really I Iiked everyone except Julie.

Aw, I like Scarlett, especially in her relationships with Deacon and Rayna--and after last week, Juliette. She's really struggling and I hope finds her way back to the stronger girl we met early on. She's supposed to be pretty young, I think..23-ish maybe. So I find this all believable. She just has no emotional tools to cope with what has happened to her. She also needs to say no to drugs, even though they make her more interesting.

I love Rayna, she's my favorite character, I get her and empathize with her, but I agree that she needs to have a collapse about her decision regarding Maddie. I don't hate her for it and don't think Deacon does either, but it's just totally unrealistic that she wouldn't give him a sobbing apology, even if she believes she had no choice. She just loves him to much to feel completely justified, and what they lost together is too huge. I'm hoping that's coming soon.

I think the best way to get rid of Teddy is to get him elected to Congress. That way, he moves to DC and is not a real part of the story anymore, but his absence also doesn't cause any real fuss. Rayna (and we) can keep the kids and they can visit him occasionally. I wish for it every week.

Daphne and sass are always a good combination!