Friday Night Lights - General Discussion

[ChlcGirl]

A favorite scene of mine was Coach and Tami in the cow field, discussing how to make it a football field for the semi-final game in "Mud Bowl." Connie Britton giggling and skipping away from cows is magical.

Oh! And any time Coach or Tami say GLEN in disgust when talking to/about him lol

[ChlcGirl]

I am so, so, SO HAPPY that the FNL recaps on TWoP are going to stay available. I've never been able to read Coach's hair as well as the recapper :D

[madam magpie]

"By default, I've kissed Glen!"

[Indy]

Man just after reading the first post in this tread I realized how much I miss this show and how badly I need to start rewatching it on DVD. 

[Blue Castle]

When Coach takes Smash to the A&M try out and tells him how much he believes in him and to "go all the way."  Man, that moment gets to me!

Tami telling Eric she's pregnant the night before the State Championship game.

Vince coming over to the Taylor's house to tell Coach not to leave, even though they've been on the outs and Vince has been benched.

The Lions beating the Panthers in 4th season.

Coach's entire rant about who deserves a smoothie.

[mjforty]

I don't know that I blame Julie for her relationship with the TA.  Unless I'm remembering incorrectly (and that's possible), the TA lied to Julie and told her that he and his wife were separated and that their marriage was over.  So I don't necessarily look at it as "Julie slept with a married man."  I guess, technically, he was but to Julie, he was not in a relationship and, therefore, available.  I also disliked Julie in Season 2 but mainly it was because I felt she was ungrateful.  One of the reasons they were still in Dillon was because Tami didn't want to move and disrupt Julie's life AGAIN.  And Julie's attitude towards her new sister was just awful.  Besides the murder plotline, I think this is the other plotline that the writer's could have done better.  I think Julie could have been made more sympathetic if they explored Julie's abandonment issues a little deeper.  They touched briefly on it, making it seem like it was just her father's absence that bothered her but I think it was Tami's absence Julie probably felt more keenly.  Tami was completely overwhelmed by the new baby, being basically a single parent and she no longer had the time to spend on Julie.  And a newborn baby takes a lot of time and attention so I could see some jealousy on Julie's part towards her sister.  But they never really explored that and so Julie's tirades just seemed bratty, entitled and ugly.

As for Tim Riggins, perhaps it's simply because I've seen the type too often in real life, but I don't see Tim having much chance of being a success.  On the show, Tim Riggins always takes the easy way out.  He's an affable guy, doesn't mean to do harm but ends up causing it because he loves the one he's with so he doesn't honor his promises or commitments in the long run.  And I'm not talking about romantic relationships.  He'll blow off a friend if someone else presents an idea that sounds like fun.  Plus, Tim is a drunk.  And drunks are unreliable and eventually fuck up.  Tim Riggins has no follow through and we saw that throughout the series.  He does fine in the beginning, when things are interesting but he eventually gets bored and abandons it for the next shiny thing on the horizon. He was actually one of my least favorite characters because he was such a loser, it was so frustrating to watch.

[madam magpie]

As for Tim Riggins, perhaps it's simply because I've seen the type too often in real life, but I don't see Tim having much chance of being a success.  On the show, Tim Riggins always takes the easy way out.  He's an affable guy, doesn't mean to do harm but ends up causing it because he loves the one he's with so he doesn't honor his promises or commitments in the long run.

I don't see this at all. This is a guy who went to jail so as to ensure that his nephew grew up with a father. He made a real connection with that kid Beau, but the child's mother called it off. He's also the one who brought Becky to Tami and made sure she had a place to live when her father was being a jerk. He's the one who went with Jason to New York to find his son. He's the one who let Coach kick him out in the street rather than rat out Julie for being drunk after he saved her from a letch at a party. And on and on. My impression of Tim is that he's lost and he's definitely a drunk, but he'd lay down his life for you if he loves you and he loves a lot of people. Tim is probably the best, most loyal friend anyone this show had except for Tami and he has a heart that just doesn't quit. None of that is enough to erase his own personal demons, and in real life, those demons might do him in eventually, but dang. He definitely commits, and fiercely.

Edited April 10, 2014 by madam magpie

[TheGongOfDoom]

Surprised this hasn't been posted yet.

 

[TheGongOfDoom]

Beating out Rob and Laura Petrie on the Dick van Dyke Show, Paul and Jamie on Mad About You, Ma and Pa Walton.

Tami and Eric argue and fight and tease and love and care and don't go upset with the fact that people keep showing up and knocking on their front door at all hours of the day and night with issues or problems or maybe just looking for a "Hey y'all" from Tami and a "GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GROWLY GRUMBLE GROWL I have game tape to watch" from Eric, unless of course it's Buddy Garrity in which case Tami plasters on her fake smile and talks through her teeth and Eric's fuse gets shortened down to a nub and then lit.

As I wrote in the "They Had a Blanket...You're an Idiot Favorite scenes thread, the "They had a blanket...you're an idiot is my all time favorite scene and thus my alltime favorite Eric and Tami scene.

One of my favorite behind the scenes stories is when Connie Britton told Peter Berg that she and Kyle were going to follow each other from LA down to Austin to start shooting, Kyle on his motorcycle, Peter was terrified and thought it was a horrible idea because he was positive they'd be doinking before they got out of Arizona, which would have been a bigger issue than usual because Kyle was and still is married. Peter told Connie his concerns and she told him to stop being an idiot.

[mjforty]

I'm not saying that Tim doesn't have his moments but he disappoints as much as he helps.  He fails to support his friend who has recently been paralyzed and tops that off with sleeping with said friend's girlfriend.  He gets too drunk to attend practices.  I haven't watched the show in a while but I seem to recall several instances where he blows off a promise to do something with one character because another character talks him into doing something else.  That's the sort of thing I'm talking about,.  Sure, if you're right there in front of him and ask Tim Riggins to do something, he'll do it for you.  But if you ask him to show up at a time and a place for a favor, you're talking your chances that he won't show up because someone else, who is standing right in front of him, asks him to do something else.  That's what I'm talking about.

[madam magpie]

Sure, I can see that, though a lot of the mistakes you mention come from fear, not disloyalty. But Tim does have a hard time with the follow through, but he's also only supposed to be about 20. I mean, I consider Julie much more of a general disappointment as a friend, girlfriend, daughter, etc., but she's still really young and there's no way to know who exactly she will become. I guess my feeling about Tim is that the basis for a really spectacular guy is there, he's just muted by drinking and misery. But Tim has a lifetime to pull himself out of that. Maybe he won't. Maybe he'll forever be the kind of guy who can't be counted on to show up unless you drag him over yourself, but even that guy isn't a loser who's noncommital. Like many alcoholics, Tim is a really tormented soul, but he's also so deeply good that you can see the potential if he really cleaned himself up. I got the feeling at the show's end that he definitely could do that.

Edited April 12, 2014 by madam magpie

[ChlcGirl]

You know, I don't think that Tim is actually an alcoholic.  I just think he's a conformist. 

Dillon seems to be the type of place where drinking beer (most of the men) or wine (for the ladies) is just part of the daily routine.  Tim drinks heavily, yes, but I usually put that down to him being a stupid kid as opposed to an alcoholic.  Stupid kids drink so much they get blindingly drunk.  Most of the kids in this show have been seen in that state at least once.  Tim is definitely a partier.  I consider an alcoholic a person who HAS to drink to get through the day.

This is not to say that he might not become an alcoholic at some later point.  But I just don't see it within the time that the show presented.

[madam magpie]

The definition of alcoholism isn't that specific. Basically, anyone who has a compulsive and uncontrolled need to drink and who drinks to the detriment of his/her health and relationships is an alcoholic. That includes kids who are big partiers. I do think Tim is one. He's young, so the effects aren't yet as dramatic as they would be on someone who'd been doing it for a lot longer, but he's unable or unwilling to do much without drinking and that caused him a lot of harm over the course of this show. He also tried to quit drinking at least once and failed. But I don't think even that means he's a failure at life. This show was very alwasy hopeful and it saw great potential in everyone, so I do think that we were supposed to see Tim's journey as really beginning at the series' end. He has an entire life ahead of him, as symbolized by the vast open space he loves so much.

[bettername2come]

I really started watching in season 2, so that season gets more love from me than it probably does from others, so...

Matt's "Everybody leaves me! What's wrong with me?" scene with Coach Taylor.

Landry freaking out and trying to get someone to arrest him after his confession to the cops.

Tim protecting Julie from the tornado.

"Enjoy your depraved hedonism!" "I will."

[ChlcGirl]

The hedonism quote reminds me of one of the moments when Lyla started to win me over.  Near the beginning of that scene, Tim says something tactless to her about how she is still the best he ever had.  I really loved the way she looked right at him and said that he doesn't get to speak to her like that.

Not many women would have the balls to be so calm if an ex said something like that.  I like that the writers had her doing so.

[pithy]

Tami busting in on the boosters' meeting and "checking" with Joe McCoy that they understand that he threatened to do an investigation of previous Panthers championships. Loooooove. 

[whyjen8]

Coach Taylor telling Vince "Listen to me. I said you need to strive to be better than everyone else. I didn't say you needed to be better than everyone else. But you gotta try. That's what character is. It's in the trying."  That needs to be instilled in every child.

I loved the season 3s "The Underdogs", not only did we get Tyra's amazing college essay VO but when the Panther's lost the championship game Coach Taylor gave my favorite speech.  

I also really love when Jess says helping out with the Lions was the greatest experience of her life and Coach Taylor tells her taking on the job of coaching them was the greatest experience of his life as well.

[jellysalmon]

The scene at the Taylors dinner table in The Son.

It's everything. It's horrible. It's beautiful. It's awful. You want it to stop. The tension in the air from the moment Matt comes through the front door. Eric showing his concern and how he cares with "Didya drive?" Julie's heart exploding as she flails around trying to grab on Matt and FIX THIS but having ZERO idea how to go about that. Matt who has been keeping this in pretty much his whole life, finally letting it all out but still trying to maintain his control. Even though Matt is losing it he is SO polite and so well mannered, when he could be excused if he'd thrown his plate against the wall. Eric and Tami's silent looks of concern.

This is mine. You pretty much nailed why I love it. It's one of like 3 moments in TV to get me to tear up. That episode depicts grief so well. I also really enjoy when the soldier comes to see Matt and Matt gets all riled up when the soldier calls him a funny guy.

Edited April 18, 2014 by jellysalmon

[halgia]

I don't know that I blame Julie for her relationship with the TA.  Unless I'm remembering incorrectly (and that's possible), the TA lied to Julie and told her that he and his wife were separated and that their marriage was over.  So I don't necessarily look at it as "Julie slept with a married man."  I guess, technically, he was but to Julie, he was not in a relationship and, therefore, available.  I also disliked Julie in Season 2 but mainly it was because I felt she was ungrateful.  One of the reasons they were still in Dillon was because Tami didn't want to move and disrupt Julie's life AGAIN.  And Julie's attitude towards her new sister was just awful.  Besides the murder plotline, I think this is the other plotline that the writer's could have done better.  I think Julie could have been made more sympathetic if they explored Julie's abandonment issues a little deeper.  They touched briefly on it, making it seem like it was just her father's absence that bothered her but I think it was Tami's absence Julie probably felt more keenly.  Tami was completely overwhelmed by the new baby, being basically a single parent and she no longer had the time to spend on Julie.  And a newborn baby takes a lot of time and attention so I could see some jealousy on Julie's part towards her sister.  But they never really explored that and so Julie's tirades just seemed bratty, entitled and ugly.

(Quoted because I moved things around and this really belonged here.)

[halgia]

Hey y'all again: I moved a bunch of posts into the Tim / Julie / elsewhere threads, for the sake of putting the two completely separate conversations that were happening here in separate places (to make it easier to continue with one or the other). There are a few posts in the Tim thread that have sections both about Julie, which unfortunately the software doesn't let you split up; I tried to insert quotes in the Julie thread so that still makes sense. I also renamed the thread, since we're trying to avoid "talk about everything in one place" threads. It's a little messy now, but hopefully that makes it easier going forward. :)

[Danny Franks]

I would argue that the show never let us know whether Tim was an alcoholic or not. He drank, and he drank a lot, but I don't think they ever told us he had to drink.

And there was Homecoming in season 1, where he quit drinking and didn't show any adverse effects that I can recall. Yes, he started drinking again in the next episode but not because being sober was so hard, but because Jason learned about him and Lyla. I also don't recall him visibly significant amounts in season 3, when he was with Lyla. Yes, we saw him drink but it seemed very much like social drinking. Which is obviously an issue for a 17 year old, or whatever Tim's age was supposed to be, but I wouldn't actually call it alcoholism until they showed that he couldn't stop.

However, if his plans consist of nothing more than sitting on his land and drinking for the rest of his days, then I'm sure alcoholism will kick in at some point.

[bettername2come]

I just thought of a few more I really like:

The scene where Landry tells Matt that Tyra was almost raped, and Matt tells him that he has to tell somebody. The way Matt goes from playful teasing to "what the hell is going on here?" to freaking out to being the voice of reason in about a minute flat is well played by Zach Gilford. 

 

The third season finale has a few gems:

Matt and Grandma Saracen: "You're the only person who's never left me. I'm not gonna leave you."

And the Tim and Billy scenes in the episode. Tim's absolute joy at Billy having "a little football coming our way," and later Billy insisting that Tim's gonna go to college, which I'm just going to quote in its entirety:

Billy: Come here. You listen to me, you little idiot. You are not gonna wuss out on this. You're gonna go to college and you're gonna get a degree. And I don't care if it takes you 7 years, all right? And when you start thinking it's too hard or that you can't handle it, I want you to remember one thing. I want you to think about the kids that you don't have yet. And I want you to think about my kids. Me and Mindy's kids that we don't have yet. And you're gonna get the job done so that one of these days I can tell them that they don't have to settle for second best. That they can be whoever the hell they want to be because their uncle Timmy went to college. And God bless our mom and dad, wherever the hell they are.
Tim: Yeah.
Billy: But we gotta do better by our kids. Do you hear me? Tim!!?
Tim: I thought...
Billy: Do you hear me?
Tim: Yeah.
Billy: All right.

As screwed up as the Riggins boys were, they always stood by each other.

And last but not least, the scene in "The Son" where Landry, Tim and Billy accompany Matt to the funeral home to see his dad's body. The guys all try to speak for Matt to make it easier on him, but he won't let them, so they just linger behind and watch with concern as the funeral director shows Matt the body and he tears up. 

[bettername2come]

To quote Eric Taylor: Damn, Julie. Damn.

She was always the character I thought so much more could have been done with. She'd have moments where she would really show potential - her relationship with Matt I thought brought out the best in her. They were just so cute together, and I love how she freaks out in "The Son" when Matt leaves with her "We can't just let him hurt like that." I'm glad they were together in the end.

[Lillybee]

I know that Connie Britton has done American Horror Story and Nashville.  So what are the other actors doing?

[ChlcGirl]

Well ... Kyle Chandler has been in A LOT critically acclaimed movies ( Wolf of Wall Street, Zero Dark Thirty, Argo ) in supporting roles.  Taylor Kitsch tried to do the action hero thing without success (Battleship. John Carter) but did pretty well (I think) with Lone Survivor.  Jesse Plemons was on Breaking Bad.  I don't think anyone else has had anything really successful going on.  I could be wrong though!

[photo fox]

Gaius Charles has been a regular for the past couple of seasons as a resident on Grey's Anatomy. He's out after this season, though.

[halgia]

Scott Porter is on Hart of Dixie and apparently does a voice in Season 2 of the Walking Dead video game (that's where I knew that voice from!).

 

Aimee Teegarden stars on Star-Crossed, not that I watch that.

 

Zach Gilford was on The Mob Doctor (lol).

 

Michael B. Jordan starred in Fruitvale Station and is now going to be the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four reboot.

[photo fox]

Ah, yes, Scott Porter is on HoD. He was also on The Good Wife, in possibly the worst written role they've ever had on that (otherwise) excellent show.

Zach Gilford was also in the short-lived Off the Map, AKA Grey's Anatomy in the Jungle.

[ChlcGirl]

Scott Porter is on Hart of Dixie and apparently does a voice in Season 2 of the Walking Dead video game (that's where I knew that voice from!).

 

Aimee Teegarden stars on Star-Crossed, not that I watch that.

 

Zach Gilford was on The Mob Doctor (lol).

 

Michael B. Jordan starred in Fruitvale Station and is now going to be the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four reboot.

Holy hell!  I completely forgot about Michael B. Jordan!!!  He has had a great movie career since the show.  I usually only associate him with ANOTHER favorite show though - The Wire :)

[solotrek]

Kyle Chandler is filming a new Netflix original series by the same people who did Damages. Given their track record, should be great.

[smrou]

Taylor Kitsch plays a role in the upcoming HBO production of The Normal Heart.  Trailer here.

Edited April 25, 2014 by smrou

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Taylor Kitsch says FNL movie is definitely NOT happening

[maraleia]

...

[GodsBeloved]

One of the reasons they were still in Dillon was because Tami didn't want to move and disrupt Julie's life AGAIN

That was one of the excuses Tami gave Eric when she decided she was not going to Austin.

 

Tami had no problem disrupting Julie's life before she had a light bulb moment and realized that staying in Dillon and working with those kids was what she wanted to do. Disrutping Julie's life only became an issue for Tami when she was looking for reasons not to go to Austin with Eric.

 

I love how she freaks out in "The Son" when Matt leaves with her "We can't just let him hurt like that." I'm glad they were together in the end.

 

The Son is one of my favorite episodes and that dinner scene (and Coach going after Matt and walking him home) is one of the best FNL scenes ever.

 

Matt's breakdown crushed me but I was glad he had his second family there with him.

 

I'm also glad Matt and Julie got their happy ending. Coach and Mrs Coach 2.0 :)

 

I liked Julie but I did want to scratch her eyes out during The Swede and TA situations. I was also glad Julie didn't get off easy. She paid for those choices. Matt didn't take her back. She had to sit by and watch him with other girls for the rest of season 2. She was humiliiated by the TA's wife. I think she was crushed with Eric's disappointment in her.

Edited June 19, 2014 by GodsBeloved

[GodsBeloved]

To name just a few ...

 

Everything said about The Son upthread.

 

When Buddy tells Eric about his affair with Angela. Buddy's "contriteness" and Eric's reaction ... all gold!

 

When Mindy and Billy took Becky back home when her mom returned. That "goodbye" between Mindy and Becky had me in tears. I fell in love with Mindy and Billy.

 

Grandma's "You I adore".

 

Both times when Matt stood up to Coach or tried to at least LOL. When he informed Coach that he was dating and would continue to date Julie in season 1 and that he was going to marry her in season 5.

[Hava]

I just finished marathoning FNL, and I've been anxious to come online and read/discuss the show. Interestingly, I have found that I hold some unpopular opinions about the show. I hope it is ok that I made this thread because I didn't know where else I could post these thoughts.

 

I think the most unpopular opinion I have is that Saracen was not one of my favorite characters. From what I've gathered, he was a universally loved character, and I haven't found more than a couple of people who did not like him. While I liked Matt--and loved him at times--I never warmed to his character like I did the others, like Riggins, Smash, Street, Tyra, etc. Even though I think it's just a matter of my gut reaction to him, I've tried to discover the possible reasons why.

1. I didn't like his voice or speech patterns. While a seemingly-superficial complaint, it was just something annoying I could not get past. To me, it came across lazy as opposed to endearing.

2. I became attached to Street in the very first episode, and his paralysis left me devastated. As silly it sounds to say this about a fictional character, I guess I kind of resented that Saracen replaced Street as the hot-shot QB and became the hero of the team. And related to that, I found Saracen's rise from bumbling second-string player to star QB to be quite predictable and cliche--something that prevented me from becoming invested in that arc.

3. I thought he had an air of douchiness about him--I don't know if that was the acting or his character.

4. I found him the most unlikeable with Julie. Something about their teenage love story--as opposed to Street/Lyla and Tim/Lyla--was ever so annoying. Which leads me to my other unpopular opinion...

 

I really liked Carlotta! And I really liked Matt and Carlotta together--I think that's when I liked Matt the most. So imagine my shock when I finished the series and found that almost all fans hated Carlotta! First, I never thought Carlotta was much older than Matt so I never felt any ickiness about their relationship. Second, I thought their chemistry was amazing. I loved the slow build-up of their relationship, and I loved how it was such a stark contrast to his relationship with Julie. Matt/Carlotta felt so much more mature and meaningful. It was such a relief to me that Matt was able to move on from his relationship with Julie. I honestly thought that Matt/Carlotta had endgame potential, but I was shocked and disappointed when the relationship was never mentioned after season 2. (And I should also mention that it was refreshing to see an interracial relationship on the show.)

Edited June 28, 2014 by Hava

[Hava]

I just finished marathoning the show, and I loved it. The characters just put a smile on my face. I can't say, however, that it is one of the best shows ever. I think the show had too many inconsistencies and dropped plots/characters to put it up there with the greats, like Breaking Bad. I think everyone knows the problems I'm talking about. The disappearances of Waverly and Santiago without even a line mentioning where they had gone. The fact that season 3 begins as though season 2 never happened. The appearance of a whole different side of town. And the biggest problem, IMO, the ages/grades of the characters. I understand that a lot of people just ignored this issue, but it really bothered me. I was genuinely confused when I saw Lyla in school in season 2 as I had believed she was a senior in season 1. For me, the fact that Tim, Lyla, and Tyra were actually sophomores in season 1 really messes up the tone of the season. The uncertainty about their future after high school is no longer salient, and the VERY adult things they go through just feel unrealistic. 

 

As for seasons 4 and 5, I have to agree that they don't match up to season 1-3. While I didn't hate the new characters (with the exception of Becky), I never came to love them like I did the original characters. 

[Hava]

Not a fan of Julie because I found her to be a poorly-written female character. Almost all of her story lines revolved around her love life--each stage of her life was defined by the guy she was with at the time. Two issues I had with this. First, teenage romance is generally not interesting to me (with very rare exception). Second, it's plain disappointing. To me, it seemed as though Julie was emotionally stable when she was Matt, and I find that to be problematic. Tara and Lyla also had relationships, but, unlikely Julie, I felt like they were complete people outside of these relationships. I was really hoping that the show would delve into Julie's college journey, but it got derailed by the TA storyline and her running back to Matt and getting engaged.

 

Also, I was not impressed with the acting. I'm not sure if I would have liked Julie if she was played by a different actress, but the acting didn't help. 

[Hava]

Tim Riggins was my favorite character. I think his character could have easily been a cliche--the troubled bad boy--but I think Taylor Kitsch infused the character with a lot of depth and, let's be honest, a lot of sexiness. A lot. 

 

I actually didn't start loving Tim until the second season, when more of his humorous side came out. And then him and Lyla hooked--and OMG I couldn't love him more.

 

But, sadly, I was disappointed in his character's direction in the fourth season. I wanted him to give a college a real try. And, while it was realistic that a kid like him would come back home and be aimless, towards the end of the season I just felt like his presence on the show felt pathetic. He had graduated and was still hanging out with high school kids. Plus, I found Becky to be incredibly annoying and their "relationship" grew tiresome fast. As much as I loved his character, I think it would have been better if they had decreased his presence on the show just like they had done with the other graduates. I think the only highlight of that season was when Lyla visited, but that also ended on a sad note because Lyla was moving on and Tim was, again, left behind. I kept wishing he would follow her, but I guess he loved Texas more than her. 

[Athena]

But, sadly, I was disappointed in his character's direction in the fourth season. I wanted him to give a college a real try. And, while it was realistic that a kid like him would come back home and be aimless, towards the end of the season I just felt like his presence on the show felt pathetic. He had graduated and was still hanging out with high school kids. Plus, I found Becky to be incredibly annoying and their "relationship" grew tiresome fast. As much as I loved his character, I think it would have been better if they had decreased his presence on the show just like they had done with the other graduates. I think the only highlight of that season was when Lyla visited, but that also ended on a sad note because Lyla was moving on and Tim was, again, left behind. I kept wishing he would follow her, but I guess he loved Texas more than her. 

 

I have mixed feelings about Riggins in the fourth season. I felt it was very realistic that he stayed given his upbringing and personality. I also missed my original S1 team so much and he was one of my favourites from then. I was so glad he was still on the show, but like you, I had issues with a couple of things. His storyline and character were wasted on Becky. I am very glad that relationship remained platonic or sibling like. I didn't like Becky much. I don't know if I consider myself a Tim/Lyla shipper, but they had more chemistry with each other than their other partners except Jason. Tim and Jason had a lot of chemistry.

 

I wish Lyla had been in the finale. I thought it was an odd choice to have Tyra come back and just declare her continued love for him. I didn't think Tim was that much into her anymore.

[Hava]

 

His storyline and character were wasted on Becky.

That is the perfect way to put it. In addition to not liking Becky, I didn't think the actors had any chemistry, romantic or otherwise. So, yeah, they definitely wasted any good potential story lines by sticking him with Becky. Ugh. (I'm sorry, but she literally made it hard to watch the last 2 seasons for me. I started fast forwarding through her scenes.)

 

I wish Lyla had been in the finale. I thought it was an odd choice to have Tyra come back and just declare her continued love for him. I didn't think Tim was that much into her anymore.

 

I loved Tim and Lyla together (even though I also liked Lyla and Jason together...go figure). Their relationship was playful and their chemistry was off the charts. But, oddly, I didn't mind the Tyra thing in the series finale. I would definitely have preferred it to be Lyla, and I kept hoping she was going to show up at any moment. But when it became clear that she wasn't going to, I just didn't want to see Tim alone. And if Tim was going to end up with someone other than Lyla, Tyra actually made a lot of sense to me. In a lot of ways, Tim and Tyra were kindred spirits--they came from similar backgrounds and had a comfort level/bond that they didn't share with anyone else. So, it kind of felt "right" that the show would come full circle like that, especially when it was clear that Tim and Lyla were going in different directions. At the same time, however, I felt that the ending kind of ignored a little bit of what happened before between Tim and Tyra. Tim really mistreated Tyra in the beginning, and didn't really seem all that into her, romantically. Plus, once Tyra and Landry became close, her friendship with Tim felt by the wayside, so I kind of wish that writers had spent the time in earlier seasons building up their friendship so the ending didn't feel out of the blue.

 

One thing that just occurred to me though: Tim told Tyra that maybe their dreams could merge some time in the future, essentially when Tyra is done with school. If Tim is willing to wait for Tyra to finish school, why couldn't he do that for Lyla? It didn't make much sense to me that Tim and Lyla wouldn't at least give a long distance relationship a try. Oh, well. 

[Athena]

At the same time, however, I felt that the ending kind of ignored a little bit of what happened before between Tim and Tyra. Tim really mistreated Tyra in the beginning, and didn't really seem all that into her, romantically. Plus, once Tyra and Landry became close, her friendship with Tim felt by the wayside, so I kind of wish that writers had spent the time in earlier seasons building up their friendship so the ending didn't feel out of the blue.

 

One thing that just occurred to me though: Tim told Tyra that maybe their dreams could merge some time in the future, essentially when Tyra is done with school. If Tim is willing to wait for Tyra to finish school, why couldn't he do that for Lyla? It didn't make much sense to me that Tim and Lyla wouldn't at least give a long distance relationship a try. Oh, well. 

 

The return of Tyra and her declaration of love did seem out of the blue. Not to say it was unbelievable that she carried a torch for him because he was her first love and none of other Tyra's boyfriends connected with her the same way. But it wasn't the same with Tim. He was into Lyla much more than he was ever into Tyra. Yes, they TnT looked good together, but I felt their romantic story had resolved itself to a friendship. They just sorta pushed these together back together again so that neither of them would be 'alone' after the finale.

 

That line about their dreams did seem strange. Why didn't he say that to Lyla? I guess they couldn't get the actress, but it felt disingenuous to Tim. Oh, well indeed.

[ChlcGirl]

While I agree that the Tyra thing was a bit "huh?" I never felt that it was all that odd that they might find their way back together.  Tim and Lyla had crazy chemistry but I always felt that Lyla's future plans didn't include returning to Dillon except for visits.  Tim never would have really been comfortable in the kind of world Lyla was destined to be a part of.  Tyra on the other hand?  Oh yes, Tyra would be back.  Not just because of her mother and Mindy/Billy/kids but because she would want to return and make a big difference in the town.  It makes sense to me that they would perhaps get back together.

 

And awwww ... poor Becky is getting no love here!  While I found her slightly annoying at first (because teenagers) I absolutely adored her time with Billy and Mindy, especially once Mindy realized that the fox in her hen house wasn't going after her chicken!  And she and Luke were adorable together.  I mean, LUKE TRADED HIS PIG FOR HER!!! :D

Edited June 27, 2014 by ChlcGirl

[Hava]

 

But it wasn't the same with Tim. He was into Lyla much more than he was ever into Tyra. Yes, they TnT looked good together, but I felt their romantic story had resolved itself to a friendship. They just sorta pushed these together back together again so that neither of them would be 'alone' after the finale.

Yeah, I definitely agree there. Tim's love for Lyla was a glaring hole in the Tim/Tyra ending. By that point, the show had made it clear that Lyla's was Tim's true love and that he had never felt for Tyra the way he did about Lyla. It's almost unfair to Tyra to have that ending knowing what we know about how Tim feels about Lyla. I think the writers could have avoided if this if Tim had at least mentioned or addressed his relationship with Lyla, rather than completely ignore it and hope that we would forget about it. The writers could have had Tim acknowledge that he loved Lyla but that he was ready to move on because he realized that they were not meant to be, or some such. In that way, it would have been believable that a new Tim could love Tyra in a way that he didn't before and that their relationship wouldn't just be settling. 

[Hava]

I just watched El Acidente from season 1 for a second time, and it is one of my favorite episodes. I thought that everything in the episode worked. Jason confronting Tim about his absence was so well-done. I love depictions of friendships on TV where the friends have meaningful relationships and are not just buddies. The "field trip" was great. It was sad, in that Jason was so happy to be with his best friend and girlfriend, but he was oblivious to the fact that they had slept together. And once Lyla and Tim were able to get over the awkwardness, it was so nice to see Jason just have a happy, normal day that was a callback to the bonfire in the first episode. I've always loved these three in scenes together.

 

The Reyes story was also great. First, I loved Landry when he was an outsider to the football culture. And I loved him calling out his best friend for losing sight of who he was. Second, it was nice to see the football team brought down a peg. 

[Neurochick]

I have to agree with you.  It was nice to see an interracial relationship on the show, but I guess since the show was on NBC, people couldn't handle it and the relationship went "POOF."

[Readalot]

Best TV series ever for me. With the exception of Season 2 and the East Dillon move reaction. It bothered me to no end that the East Dillon staff and coaches acted like they didnt know the students. Didn't all the students come from Dillion HS? The school just split, so it wasn't a new student body.

[ChlcGirl]

FNL had quite a few interracial relationships.  Smash was with Noel - was that her name?  The one he was with when he beat up those guys in the movie theatre,  Landry was with Jess.  Smash was with Tyra once.  

[Athena]

Not an UO, but I really liked the Landry/Jess relationship. They had a lot of chemistry and she was definitely one of my favourite new East Dillon characters.

 

I think my main UO was that I found the show more boring after the East Dillon relocation. It had its pluses, but I missed the Panthers. I struggled with the new team. I couldn't stand Becky (which isn't an UO). I didn't mind Billy too much, but I thought there was too much focus on him and Mindy rather than on Tim. In general, I think most of my opinions on the show weren't necessarily unpopular.

 

I hated the Landry/Tyra murder plot, but I think most people did too. I really enjoyed most of the show for what it was. I don't think I would have changed a lot. I'm really glad the show got a second chance on Direct TV. I remember being afraid it would be cancelled constantly in S1 and most of S2.

[Hava]

FNL had quite a few interracial relationships.  Smash was with Noel - was that her name?  The one he was with when he beat up those guys in the movie theatre,  Landry was with Jess.  Smash was with Tyra once.

 

I think it is different when there is a relationship between a white male and minority female than between a minority male and a white female, and Matt/Carlotta was 2 seasons prior to Jess/Landry.

 

More generally, I had some issues with FNL's depiction of race. While it is commendable that FNL tackled race head on and did not ignore like some shows may have, I think it too often resorted to racial stereotypes. And I think the resolution to the Mac storyline was poorly handled.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Hava