JackDee

The way I took it was that Jason was searching for his identity. Dating Lyla made him feel he had to be the quarterback she loved. Maybe quad rugby was a way of trying to duplicate his football persona. When that didn't work out, he was torn between building a new identity, and Lyla, and in the end, he had to build a new identity. I also think what Buddy told him about Lyla affected him, even if he and Herc ridiculed it.

I would like to see the alternate reality version of the show with Street never getting hurt, starring at QB, then he and Lyla going on to success together. Not saying that would be a better show, but it makes me happy to imagine it. I don't understand why the show went from 25% football, 75% relationships in season one, to 2% football, 38% relationships, 10% preaching, 20% murder (?!?!?) and 30% irrational teen shrieking in season two ... How did it get so far off the rails?

I thought the Mac racism thing was handled bravely. Everybody expects certain outcomes on TV shows and FNL defied those expectations. The two cliches would have been either 1) Mac is a purely evil and stupid villain who is fired and is last seen losing his house or being sued and we are supposed to gloat at his defeat, or 2) Mac realizes how wrong he was, and converts 180 degrees, in the process winning forgiveness. Reality in these areas is more complicated and is often more about perspective than a clear, irrefutable reality. Mac integrated the team (per dialogue), defended Smash from the police, and made some stereotypical comments. Do the comments outweigh the actions? Maybe, maybe not ... It is a matter of opinion, and people rarely do 180s on major topics at Mac's age.

The marriage scenes they show are great, but how did season 2 Julie happen?

Julie Taylor, season 2, is a 15-hour ad for why teens need to be spanked, and I don't even support that. 99 percent bratty with little rays of sunlight 1 percent of the time. She is a beautiful girl, but how the Taylors raised such a moody, spoiled daughter is a mystery to me.