7.3/10. This one finished better than it started. Given the abruptness of last season's ending, it was interesting to see where and how they picked things up here, and the import seems to be resetting things back to the original pilot in several ways. Coach is again worried about his future; it's unclear how the team is going to jell with its star player gone, and there's a lot of questions on the periphery. So let's take things bit-by-bit.
I can't say I'm pleased with where they went with Smash's storyline. I realize that if they were going to include the character in Season 3, they probably needed to find a way to keep him in Dillon somehow, but given that he'd already gone from being recruited by top schools, accepting an offer at his dream school, and then having everything revoked was already a gut punch that left him settling for something less flashy, but which might give him the structure and support he needed. Knocking him down yet another peg with a knee injury just feels like piling on at this point. There's something to the idea of the doctor telling him he'll never be as fast as he used to be, and Coach helping him to realize that he can play the game even if he has to change his style (becoming a shifty back rather than a speedy back?), I'm just not sure we needed yet another setback for Smash.
Tim Riggins is playing tailback for the Panthers in Smash's stead, but the real focus is on his relationship with Lyla, and the fact that she refuses to go public with their pairing. On the one hand, I don't really mind because it sequesters the two weakest characters (hoping/assuming that Jason Street is gone for good) away from the rest of the show. On the other hand, Lyla claiming that TIm needs to take himself seriously, and that's why she's hesitant to be public with him feels like such a jerk thing to say, and the fact that it's him giving into it is what convinces her she doesn't need to hide their relationship anymore is a bit much. Plus, I just never bought Tim and Lyla, so doubling down on the two of them doesn't compel me.
That said, the other storylines set up in the episode definitely interested me, even if the execution of them left something to be desired. Case in point, Tami becoming principal seems very convenient to the show, even if she seems more than capable. That said, I really like the idea that she is becoming acutely aware of how funds are allocated disproportionately to the football team when the school is ailing financially and pushing back against the unfairness of it. The push and pull between athletics and academics is a big issue, and I'm pleased to see FNL addressing it. That said, taking a check that Buddy Garrity gave with a clear intent to go to the football team and declaring that you're going to use it for the rest of the school, however much those funds are needed for supplies and teachers, is dirty pool. The right thing to do would be to say that you can't accept the money when the school has more important academic needs and return the check, and the smart thing to do would be to institute a policy saying that the school won't accept donations to the football team that do not also include a certain percentage of the funds meant to be donated to academics. If they're going for complexity here, that's one thing, but it feels like the show wants us to be on Tami's side when "reallocating" the money, and it feels off.
Similarly, I really like that Tyra's trajectory for the season seems to be figuring out how to get to college and more importantly, get out of Dillon. It's relatable and matches up with what we've known about the character for two seasons. I do not, on the other hand, like the fact that she and Landry broke up, because it either undoes everything that we went through with the two of them with a single line of dialogue or it's another arbitrary roadblock for them to overcome. What's more, the episode grossly oversimplifies the dichotomy between the newly seen Vice Principal who tells Tyra to think "realistically" and Tami who says to reach for her dreams. Adrianne Palicki owns the character at this point, and so sells Tyra's moments of distress, dismay, and disillusionment. But again, the show seems to want us to be wholly against the Vice Principal as some kind naysaying prick here, when the truth is that with a 2.6 GPA, Tyra's options are going to be limited, and while he shouldn't have told her that state schools were impossible (and Tyra's own research suggests he wasn't necessarily embellishing), he's not a monster for trying to get her to think about what her opportunities are going to be based on her portfolio as it exists now. Like Tami's story, it's another one where the show's heart is in the right place, but it seems to take some kind of moral stance or pick a side where something is more complicated or seems kind of unfair to the "bad guy."
Thankfully, Coach Taylor's story avoids this pitfall. New freshman stud quarterback J.D. McCoy's dad makes a great case, even if his greasing of the wheels with slushees and scotch doesn't feel above board, and his argument that his son is "the real deal," and the fact that Coach could get a championship performance out of a replacement level talent at QB means he could work wonders with a potential star like J.D. is a compelling and sympathetic one, especially when the Dad basically says that he moved his family to Dillon because of how much he believes in Coach. On the other hand, it does one of the things I like best in FNL -- give Coach a decision that pulls on both sides of who he is. On the one hand, Coach is loyal and believes in hard work, and while J.D.'s dad is probably right--Matt is undersized and an average talent--he's worked hard and done everything Coach has asked of him and led him to the promised land because of it. Coach knows how much it would hurt Matt to take the job away from him now, especially with last seasons abandonment issues.
And yet, the rumors are that Coach's job is once again up in the air. That, again, feels pretty convenient. The idea that Coach was left scrambling after Smash's injury seems odd considering that one of the big storylines last season was how the Tennesse coach was planning to be more dependent on Smash, whereas Coach Taylor was likely to better use Matt. But accepting that as a necessity for the show, there's also the idea that Coach's job is to win, and if J.D. give the Panthers the best chance to do that, it's not fair to the rest of the team or its supporters for him not to make it a pure and fair competition, especially if J.D. is as good a soldier as Matt was. (Though I have to imagine J.D.'s dad's attempt to advocate for his son will muddy the water a bit, considering that Coach hates the optics of that type of stuff.)
One of Coach Taylor's great qualities is that he always tries to do the right thing. But FNL is frequently at its best when the right thing isn't clear, and both options have their merits, and either one will leave someone hurt or unfairly denied. That's the moral complexity where Coach's stories in particular thrive, so it's nice to see the show lean into that here. A good sign for things to come.
(Oh, and Julie is still being something of a brat apparently, or maybe she's just being a typical teenager. As with last season, the way she's acting makes a lot of sense for who he is, but isn't terribly endearing, but hey, let's see where they go with her this season.)
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-07-17T03:10:36Z
7.3/10. This one finished better than it started. Given the abruptness of last season's ending, it was interesting to see where and how they picked things up here, and the import seems to be resetting things back to the original pilot in several ways. Coach is again worried about his future; it's unclear how the team is going to jell with its star player gone, and there's a lot of questions on the periphery. So let's take things bit-by-bit.
I can't say I'm pleased with where they went with Smash's storyline. I realize that if they were going to include the character in Season 3, they probably needed to find a way to keep him in Dillon somehow, but given that he'd already gone from being recruited by top schools, accepting an offer at his dream school, and then having everything revoked was already a gut punch that left him settling for something less flashy, but which might give him the structure and support he needed. Knocking him down yet another peg with a knee injury just feels like piling on at this point. There's something to the idea of the doctor telling him he'll never be as fast as he used to be, and Coach helping him to realize that he can play the game even if he has to change his style (becoming a shifty back rather than a speedy back?), I'm just not sure we needed yet another setback for Smash.
Tim Riggins is playing tailback for the Panthers in Smash's stead, but the real focus is on his relationship with Lyla, and the fact that she refuses to go public with their pairing. On the one hand, I don't really mind because it sequesters the two weakest characters (hoping/assuming that Jason Street is gone for good) away from the rest of the show. On the other hand, Lyla claiming that TIm needs to take himself seriously, and that's why she's hesitant to be public with him feels like such a jerk thing to say, and the fact that it's him giving into it is what convinces her she doesn't need to hide their relationship anymore is a bit much. Plus, I just never bought Tim and Lyla, so doubling down on the two of them doesn't compel me.
That said, the other storylines set up in the episode definitely interested me, even if the execution of them left something to be desired. Case in point, Tami becoming principal seems very convenient to the show, even if she seems more than capable. That said, I really like the idea that she is becoming acutely aware of how funds are allocated disproportionately to the football team when the school is ailing financially and pushing back against the unfairness of it. The push and pull between athletics and academics is a big issue, and I'm pleased to see FNL addressing it. That said, taking a check that Buddy Garrity gave with a clear intent to go to the football team and declaring that you're going to use it for the rest of the school, however much those funds are needed for supplies and teachers, is dirty pool. The right thing to do would be to say that you can't accept the money when the school has more important academic needs and return the check, and the smart thing to do would be to institute a policy saying that the school won't accept donations to the football team that do not also include a certain percentage of the funds meant to be donated to academics. If they're going for complexity here, that's one thing, but it feels like the show wants us to be on Tami's side when "reallocating" the money, and it feels off.
Similarly, I really like that Tyra's trajectory for the season seems to be figuring out how to get to college and more importantly, get out of Dillon. It's relatable and matches up with what we've known about the character for two seasons. I do not, on the other hand, like the fact that she and Landry broke up, because it either undoes everything that we went through with the two of them with a single line of dialogue or it's another arbitrary roadblock for them to overcome. What's more, the episode grossly oversimplifies the dichotomy between the newly seen Vice Principal who tells Tyra to think "realistically" and Tami who says to reach for her dreams. Adrianne Palicki owns the character at this point, and so sells Tyra's moments of distress, dismay, and disillusionment. But again, the show seems to want us to be wholly against the Vice Principal as some kind naysaying prick here, when the truth is that with a 2.6 GPA, Tyra's options are going to be limited, and while he shouldn't have told her that state schools were impossible (and Tyra's own research suggests he wasn't necessarily embellishing), he's not a monster for trying to get her to think about what her opportunities are going to be based on her portfolio as it exists now. Like Tami's story, it's another one where the show's heart is in the right place, but it seems to take some kind of moral stance or pick a side where something is more complicated or seems kind of unfair to the "bad guy."
Thankfully, Coach Taylor's story avoids this pitfall. New freshman stud quarterback J.D. McCoy's dad makes a great case, even if his greasing of the wheels with slushees and scotch doesn't feel above board, and his argument that his son is "the real deal," and the fact that Coach could get a championship performance out of a replacement level talent at QB means he could work wonders with a potential star like J.D. is a compelling and sympathetic one, especially when the Dad basically says that he moved his family to Dillon because of how much he believes in Coach. On the other hand, it does one of the things I like best in FNL -- give Coach a decision that pulls on both sides of who he is. On the one hand, Coach is loyal and believes in hard work, and while J.D.'s dad is probably right--Matt is undersized and an average talent--he's worked hard and done everything Coach has asked of him and led him to the promised land because of it. Coach knows how much it would hurt Matt to take the job away from him now, especially with last seasons abandonment issues.
And yet, the rumors are that Coach's job is once again up in the air. That, again, feels pretty convenient. The idea that Coach was left scrambling after Smash's injury seems odd considering that one of the big storylines last season was how the Tennesse coach was planning to be more dependent on Smash, whereas Coach Taylor was likely to better use Matt. But accepting that as a necessity for the show, there's also the idea that Coach's job is to win, and if J.D. give the Panthers the best chance to do that, it's not fair to the rest of the team or its supporters for him not to make it a pure and fair competition, especially if J.D. is as good a soldier as Matt was. (Though I have to imagine J.D.'s dad's attempt to advocate for his son will muddy the water a bit, considering that Coach hates the optics of that type of stuff.)
One of Coach Taylor's great qualities is that he always tries to do the right thing. But FNL is frequently at its best when the right thing isn't clear, and both options have their merits, and either one will leave someone hurt or unfairly denied. That's the moral complexity where Coach's stories in particular thrive, so it's nice to see the show lean into that here. A good sign for things to come.
(Oh, and Julie is still being something of a brat apparently, or maybe she's just being a typical teenager. As with last season, the way she's acting makes a lot of sense for who he is, but isn't terribly endearing, but hey, let's see where they go with her this season.)