Tag Archives: Friday Night Lights review recap

Friday Night Lights “East of Dillon”/ “After the Fall” Review (4×01/4×02)

17 Jul

400 Coach East Dillon

Everything looks different! It’s East Dillon and West Dillon as we open the fourth season of Friday Night Lights, and although there are a number of major contrivances–it really seems as if East Dillon springs up from nowhere–it’s clear that the show’s going to use this new status quo to explore different characters, different schools, and various racial and class tensions. Season 1 placed Coach Taylor into a new and sometimes hostile environment, but season 4 places him in a situation in which he has no foundation to build upon. The pieces aren’t in place; he has to find them and put them together.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights Season 3, Episodes 5-7 Review

16 Jul

fnls03e051

*I wrote reviews of episodes 8-13 a while back, so I’m just going ahead to season 4 after this review. In case you’re looking for 8-13, here are some links:

Episode 8: “New York, New York”  

https://polarbearstv.com/2013/10/20/friday-night-lights-new-york-new-york-review-3×08/

Episode 9: “Game of the Week”

https://polarbearstv.com/2013/10/22/friday-night-lights-game-of-the-week-review-3×09/

Episode 10: “The Giving Tree”

https://polarbearstv.com/2013/10/26/friday-night-lights-the-giving-tree-review-3×10/

Episode 11: “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”

https://polarbearstv.com/2013/10/31/friday-night-lights-a-hard-rains-gonna-fall-review-3×11/

Episode 12: “Underdogs”

https://polarbearstv.com/2013/11/03/friday-night-lights-underdogs-review-3×12/

Episode 13: “Tomorrow Blues”

https://polarbearstv.com/2013/11/12/friday-night-lights-tomorrow-blues-review-3×13/     

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights Season 3, Episodes 1-4 Review

5 Jul

large_fnl-goodbye

EPISODE 1, “I Knew You When”

We’re back! It’s amusing–but also refreshing and understandable–how season 2 is pretty much swept under the rug here, fast-forwarding a bit as the show seems to wash its hands of whatever mess it got itself into. I appreciate the way this episode focuses on the natural conflicts and connections that arise between our central characters, some of which include the parallels between the Coach-Smash and Mrs. Coach-Tyra relationships; the Taylors are, as expected, being awesome people, and they seem to have taken it upon themselves to help foster a bright future for their respective “kids”. These are the struggles I want to see from people like Smash and Tyra (love her smackdown of the Asst. Principal), these real-life difficulties that interfere with their outlooks of the future.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights Season 2 Review

23 Mar

fridaynightlights_S2cast

Season 2 of Friday Night Lights begins with a fractured family, with Coach Taylor at TMU and with Mrs. Coach and Julie remaining in Dillon. In a way, this is reflective of the entire show this season: the pieces of the puzzle are present, but they never quite fit into place, never gelling in the way that the brilliant first season does. There’s a hell of a lot of potential, but much of it is squandered in favor of melodrama or storylines that have no place in this show.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights “State” Review (1×22)

15 Mar

fnl_122_11

“When Jason Street went down in the first game of the season, everybody wrote us off. Everybody. And here we are at the championship game. 40,000 people have also written us off. But there are some who do still believe in you, a few who’d never give up on you. When you go back out on that field, those are the people I want in your minds. Those are the people I want in your hearts. Every man at some point in his life is gonna lose a battle. He’s gonna fight and he’s gonna lose. But what makes him a man, is that in the midst of that battle, he does not lose himself. This game is not over; this battle is not over. So let’s hear it one more time, together. Clear eyes, full hearts, CAN’T LOSE!”

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights “Mud Bowl”/”Best Laid Plans” Review (1×20/1×21)

9 Mar

fnl_120_16

“It’s a football game. What you need for a football game is a football field, 22 kids, and a pigskin.” 

Sometimes, simple is the way to go. Sometimes, all you need to do is go out and participate in something you love, a passion that’s part of who you are. This is exactly what Coach and his players do in “Mud Bowl”, a thrilling, intense, and pretty much perfect episode of television.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights “Extended Families”/”Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes” Review (1×18/1×19)

7 Mar

Picture 2_0_7

EPISODE 18, “EXTENDED FAMILIES”

As mentioned in the title, this episode is about various family dynamics and how they play a role in shaping our characters’ decisions and attitudes. For example, we have Tim Riggins essentially integrating himself into a new family, which certainly makes sense due to the events that transpired with his dad; that sense of disappointment is manifesting itself in a desire to prove something to himself through Bo and her mother. Although as of right now, I have to say that these two new characters don’t do much to really peak my interest, I’m sure Kitsch will handle it well. I’m betting this will go down the “sleeping with Jackie” road.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights “I Think We Should Have Sex” Review (1×17)

9 Feb

Friday Night Lights“You and I have the exact same amount of experience being parents.”
-Tami Taylor, Piece of Wisdom #12,532

A nuanced and compelling take on sex isn’t something you see everyday on television, but FNL delivers just that with “I Think We Should Have Sex”. The great thing about this episode is that it not only explores the experiences of Matt and Julie, but also the relationship between Julie and her parents. It perfectly encapsulates the awkwardness, the hilarity, the fear…everything that leads up to and results from a first-time high school sexual experience.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights Season 1, Episodes 11-16 Review

6 Feb

Nevermind

EPISODE 11, “Nevermind”

Matt Saracen: Here’s a kid with a father who, by physically distancing himself from his family, emotionally distances himself from their problems. It’s something I’ve seen before, and I understand the situation Matt’s in. He’s shouldering all these responsibilities, having to be the man of the house when in reality, he’s missing an essential part of childhood…having a father. He’s also smart enough to see what’s going on here, and although a small part ofhim will always want to forgive his dad–this ties in interestingly with Jason’s feelings about Lyla in this episode–he’s been pushed to the edge.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Friday Night Lights Season 1, Episodes 8-10 Review

6 Feb

ht_friday_night_lights_jef_121012_mn

EPISODE 8, CROSSING THE LINE

The episode does a nice job of bringing Billy and Tim’s relationship to the forefront, shading in some more backstory and giving us a brawl at the end. What this is is a relationship that’s been simultaneously torn apart and strengthened by their parents, and Tim has been able to avoid coping with the reality of his parents leaving; it’s really emblematic of his character, the guy who avoids his problems and isn’t exactly appreciative of everything he does have. The entire episode consists of Billy and Tim trying to convince themselves that they have a beef with the other person, and it’s tough to watch the brawl. However, we also get a nice moment at the end, showing us that even amidst all the problems and the conflict, the two will be there for each other.

Continue reading →

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Newer Entries →