8.5/10. An interesting episode about how football brings people together. But let's start with the bad.
Oh man am I ready for the Jason Street stuff to be over. Everything that happens to him is implausible, and the idea that any part of his house-flipping plan succeeded strains credulity. The rest of Team Knucklehead challenges him on being bossy, and he gives this big emotional speech that's supposed to persuade them and the audience, but it really only serves to demonstrate that Scott Porter isn't much of an actor. Of course, he mysteriously and randomly gets an invitation to New York (that's right near where his babymama is!) so with any luck, it'll at least be a hint toward an exit for him.
But I liked essentially every other storyline here to varying degrees. The Jamarcus storyline was a stand out, if only because we've gotten a lot of Coach vs. Tami this season, and it's a nice reminder that even when they disagree, they love and support one another, and when they work together, they're nigh-unstoppable. I especially like the idea of people who are outsiders to Dillon and who see the cult of football as bizarre being won over by the idea that independent of the "silly game" itself, people like Coach Taylor teach and empower these young men and it translates to the rest of their lives (though if Jamarcus is lighting people's hair on fire, maybe that's not a great sales pitch for it working?). It's a nice way to look at what this show is about apart from the sport at its center.
And it's clear that Coach wants Joe McCoy to care about his son apart from this sport. Coach is clearly uncomfortable with how Joe treats J.D., but he stays out of it to the extent possible, wisely, because J.D. is not his son. Still, Coach does a good job at working within his boundaries, and keeping Joe outside of them, when it comes to football, and their cold war is a meaningful one. I especially like how Coach connects it to his own difficult relationship with his father which we've heard discussed before, and how you see that Katie McCoy is not just another conspirator, but someone who loves her son and understands how her husband can be overbearing on him. Some real depth and complexity there.
There's not nearly as much depth to Landry discovering that his would be rebound is, in fact, a lesbian, but I still appreciated it. The realization that there are people outside your worldview and experience is a much better direction to go with this sort of thing than another quirky girl love interest like the show did last season. Landry's acceptance of Devon, even if it takes some feeling sorry for himself (n a great scene with Tami that shows how awesome a character she is), is a nice beat to end on, and gives Landry a way to make it past his romantic hangups without falling headlong into another one.
Buddy Garrity's story about feeling estranged from his kids who have been brainwashed by their stepdad and who are resentful of him now was a little rushed. The football game basically magically fixed everything. But the conflict, though exaggerated, felt real, and Lyla and Buddy's heart-to-heart in the car after the blow up was well-done. Those two characters are never as effective or endearing as when they're playing off one another.
And so help me god, it was sappy as all get out, but I loved the Tim Riggins highlight video that Billy Riggins put together to help his little brother get into college. Billy has stealthily become one of my favorite characters on the show because he's so believable -- he's a selfish, hotheaded, screw up who nevertheless cares about his brother and tries to do what's best for Tim despite himself. The show never fully redeems him or fully damns him, just show's him as the complicated guy he is, and I appreciate that. It just makes it all the more heartwarming when he does right by Tim.
So overall, a good episode sans the Jason stuff, which is really all you can ask for.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-07-28T01:48:39Z
8.5/10. An interesting episode about how football brings people together. But let's start with the bad.
Oh man am I ready for the Jason Street stuff to be over. Everything that happens to him is implausible, and the idea that any part of his house-flipping plan succeeded strains credulity. The rest of Team Knucklehead challenges him on being bossy, and he gives this big emotional speech that's supposed to persuade them and the audience, but it really only serves to demonstrate that Scott Porter isn't much of an actor. Of course, he mysteriously and randomly gets an invitation to New York (that's right near where his babymama is!) so with any luck, it'll at least be a hint toward an exit for him.
But I liked essentially every other storyline here to varying degrees. The Jamarcus storyline was a stand out, if only because we've gotten a lot of Coach vs. Tami this season, and it's a nice reminder that even when they disagree, they love and support one another, and when they work together, they're nigh-unstoppable. I especially like the idea of people who are outsiders to Dillon and who see the cult of football as bizarre being won over by the idea that independent of the "silly game" itself, people like Coach Taylor teach and empower these young men and it translates to the rest of their lives (though if Jamarcus is lighting people's hair on fire, maybe that's not a great sales pitch for it working?). It's a nice way to look at what this show is about apart from the sport at its center.
And it's clear that Coach wants Joe McCoy to care about his son apart from this sport. Coach is clearly uncomfortable with how Joe treats J.D., but he stays out of it to the extent possible, wisely, because J.D. is not his son. Still, Coach does a good job at working within his boundaries, and keeping Joe outside of them, when it comes to football, and their cold war is a meaningful one. I especially like how Coach connects it to his own difficult relationship with his father which we've heard discussed before, and how you see that Katie McCoy is not just another conspirator, but someone who loves her son and understands how her husband can be overbearing on him. Some real depth and complexity there.
There's not nearly as much depth to Landry discovering that his would be rebound is, in fact, a lesbian, but I still appreciated it. The realization that there are people outside your worldview and experience is a much better direction to go with this sort of thing than another quirky girl love interest like the show did last season. Landry's acceptance of Devon, even if it takes some feeling sorry for himself (n a great scene with Tami that shows how awesome a character she is), is a nice beat to end on, and gives Landry a way to make it past his romantic hangups without falling headlong into another one.
Buddy Garrity's story about feeling estranged from his kids who have been brainwashed by their stepdad and who are resentful of him now was a little rushed. The football game basically magically fixed everything. But the conflict, though exaggerated, felt real, and Lyla and Buddy's heart-to-heart in the car after the blow up was well-done. Those two characters are never as effective or endearing as when they're playing off one another.
And so help me god, it was sappy as all get out, but I loved the Tim Riggins highlight video that Billy Riggins put together to help his little brother get into college. Billy has stealthily become one of my favorite characters on the show because he's so believable -- he's a selfish, hotheaded, screw up who nevertheless cares about his brother and tries to do what's best for Tim despite himself. The show never fully redeems him or fully damns him, just show's him as the complicated guy he is, and I appreciate that. It just makes it all the more heartwarming when he does right by Tim.
So overall, a good episode sans the Jason stuff, which is really all you can ask for.