7.5/10. The show's continuing with the complexity it had on display in the last episode, which I liked and appreciated, but a lot of the story developments in this one felt a bit rushed, which keeps it from matching up with the prior episode.
So let's start with the big one. The Street Family suing Coach Taylor and the school is an interesting storyline. It runs the risk of being cliche, which is the bane of this show, but I like they way they've depicted it. The scene where Jason is distraught at the revelation and how the town treats him after the news breaks, and his mother explains why it's necessary was especially good. You can see the cognitive dissonance having to evaporate, the way that even though this isn't something they want to do, when they realize it's something they have to do in order for the family to be able to afford the help Jason needs, they start justifying it to themselves. The same thing comes through in the scene where Coach Taylor confronts Jason's Dad. His speech about how their savings have dwindled with all that it takes to give Jason what he needs, and how Jason's dad is already at the end of his rope with his son having been severely injured, how "he's dead already" and clearly been blindsided and devastated by all of this is palpable. The quiet nod between Coach and Jason at the fair was a nice beat as well.
The problem is the last act, where every storyline in this episode went just a bit too far. The reconciliation scene with Coach and Jason wasn't necessary, especially how they said more with just a look than their corny dialogue and cheesy on-the-field meeting could.
The same is true for Smash's story. I like the idea that for once Brian has somebody he's chasing rather than being chased, and he doesn't know quite how to handle that. So he spends a third of the time being puzzled, a third of the time wondering why Waverly doesn't just get him like all the other girls do, and a third of the time trying to be what she wants but not really being able to do it because he doesn't get her anymore than she does him. It's one of those very relatable stories of growth, when you realize that just because you like someone, or you have chemistry, doesn't mean you're right for each other, that you can just be too different to really work.
The catch is that the last scene between the two of them. I like Brian's realization that this is who he is, and that he likes his interests and doesn't want to apologize for them. That's perfectly legitimate and a sign of, to some degree or another, maturity. The catch is that the response I was hoping for out of Waverly was something along the lines of "That's great, Brian. I'm glad you're secure in who you are, it's just not what I'm looking for." And they walk away as friends. Instead, his no-looking-back walk away with her gazing suggests that she's been woo'd by his speech, and it feels like a rejection of the idea of growth or pushing oneself to expand horizons as it does an affirmation of being who you are. I don't think Brian should change himself wholesale or anything--the depths behind his bravado have been one of, if not the best parts of the show so far--but I also like Waverly calling him on his bullshit, and I hope the show doesn't use this as a chance to reject that.
Tyra's storyline got real very quickly. The whole creepy stepdad tight talking about his stepdaughter's body felt like an after school special in the making. But the scene of domestic violence felt all too real all too quickly and frankly took my breath away. It's the most visceral, terrifying scene the show's done so far. At the same time, Tyra's conversations with her mom about being independent and not having to be tied to a man in order to be happy felt layered and provided insight into the ethos of a character who started out as a one-note bad girl and has gotten more and more complex as the show's gone on. Her rejection of Tim had some clunky dialogue, but it was also a nice moment to bring things home for Tyra. The only part of her story I didn't care for was (wait for it) the segment of it in the last act. Tyra packing only for her mother to reveal that she'd lived up to the ultimatum Tyra had given her. It was just a bit too Hallmark Channel for me.
Then, there's the story with Matt and his dad. I have to admit, it felt a little tonally jarring from the last episode, and I don't know that we got enough connective tissue to get us from the dad's resistance to his being willing to say. Frankly, I liked the story, but the whole thing felt rushed and probably would have worked better if it had gotten time to breathe over the course of a few episodes. Still, Matt's conversation with Julie about wanting his dad to want to be there, but refusing to be mad because he could tell his dad was trying and that's all Matt could ask for was incredibly mature. One of the great things about the Matt character and the actor who plays him is that the character is likable and easy to root for, but also doesn't feel impossibly good -- he feels like a genuine, awkward teenage boy with a good heart who's trying his best, and that's a hard thing to pull of without coming off as boring or unbelievable.
Julie's commenserate level of understanding and willingness to help Matt around the house is a good beat for her, and her return home to tell Coach and Tami that they're the best parents in the world, with Coach's smug realization and Tami quickly realizing that something terrible has happened was a touching, incredibly funny moment. The fact that it leads to Matt's dad going back to Iraq happens a little too fast, but his struggles to sell his integrity in order to sell cars works for what we know of the character, as does the idea that the army's all he knows or is good at.
And hey, the last act isn't all bad! Buddy's prayer to God to win state, and his statement that God must be all powerful to make a crap team like Buckley win was one of the funniest moments this show's ever done. Overall, there was about one-moment per story that threw me off, but each of the storylines were good, and each had a lot of good character moments and ways for the characters to grow. On to the playoffs!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2016-06-23T02:37:23Z
7.5/10. The show's continuing with the complexity it had on display in the last episode, which I liked and appreciated, but a lot of the story developments in this one felt a bit rushed, which keeps it from matching up with the prior episode.
So let's start with the big one. The Street Family suing Coach Taylor and the school is an interesting storyline. It runs the risk of being cliche, which is the bane of this show, but I like they way they've depicted it. The scene where Jason is distraught at the revelation and how the town treats him after the news breaks, and his mother explains why it's necessary was especially good. You can see the cognitive dissonance having to evaporate, the way that even though this isn't something they want to do, when they realize it's something they have to do in order for the family to be able to afford the help Jason needs, they start justifying it to themselves. The same thing comes through in the scene where Coach Taylor confronts Jason's Dad. His speech about how their savings have dwindled with all that it takes to give Jason what he needs, and how Jason's dad is already at the end of his rope with his son having been severely injured, how "he's dead already" and clearly been blindsided and devastated by all of this is palpable. The quiet nod between Coach and Jason at the fair was a nice beat as well.
The problem is the last act, where every storyline in this episode went just a bit too far. The reconciliation scene with Coach and Jason wasn't necessary, especially how they said more with just a look than their corny dialogue and cheesy on-the-field meeting could.
The same is true for Smash's story. I like the idea that for once Brian has somebody he's chasing rather than being chased, and he doesn't know quite how to handle that. So he spends a third of the time being puzzled, a third of the time wondering why Waverly doesn't just get him like all the other girls do, and a third of the time trying to be what she wants but not really being able to do it because he doesn't get her anymore than she does him. It's one of those very relatable stories of growth, when you realize that just because you like someone, or you have chemistry, doesn't mean you're right for each other, that you can just be too different to really work.
The catch is that the last scene between the two of them. I like Brian's realization that this is who he is, and that he likes his interests and doesn't want to apologize for them. That's perfectly legitimate and a sign of, to some degree or another, maturity. The catch is that the response I was hoping for out of Waverly was something along the lines of "That's great, Brian. I'm glad you're secure in who you are, it's just not what I'm looking for." And they walk away as friends. Instead, his no-looking-back walk away with her gazing suggests that she's been woo'd by his speech, and it feels like a rejection of the idea of growth or pushing oneself to expand horizons as it does an affirmation of being who you are. I don't think Brian should change himself wholesale or anything--the depths behind his bravado have been one of, if not the best parts of the show so far--but I also like Waverly calling him on his bullshit, and I hope the show doesn't use this as a chance to reject that.
Tyra's storyline got real very quickly. The whole creepy stepdad tight talking about his stepdaughter's body felt like an after school special in the making. But the scene of domestic violence felt all too real all too quickly and frankly took my breath away. It's the most visceral, terrifying scene the show's done so far. At the same time, Tyra's conversations with her mom about being independent and not having to be tied to a man in order to be happy felt layered and provided insight into the ethos of a character who started out as a one-note bad girl and has gotten more and more complex as the show's gone on. Her rejection of Tim had some clunky dialogue, but it was also a nice moment to bring things home for Tyra. The only part of her story I didn't care for was (wait for it) the segment of it in the last act. Tyra packing only for her mother to reveal that she'd lived up to the ultimatum Tyra had given her. It was just a bit too Hallmark Channel for me.
Then, there's the story with Matt and his dad. I have to admit, it felt a little tonally jarring from the last episode, and I don't know that we got enough connective tissue to get us from the dad's resistance to his being willing to say. Frankly, I liked the story, but the whole thing felt rushed and probably would have worked better if it had gotten time to breathe over the course of a few episodes. Still, Matt's conversation with Julie about wanting his dad to want to be there, but refusing to be mad because he could tell his dad was trying and that's all Matt could ask for was incredibly mature. One of the great things about the Matt character and the actor who plays him is that the character is likable and easy to root for, but also doesn't feel impossibly good -- he feels like a genuine, awkward teenage boy with a good heart who's trying his best, and that's a hard thing to pull of without coming off as boring or unbelievable.
Julie's commenserate level of understanding and willingness to help Matt around the house is a good beat for her, and her return home to tell Coach and Tami that they're the best parents in the world, with Coach's smug realization and Tami quickly realizing that something terrible has happened was a touching, incredibly funny moment. The fact that it leads to Matt's dad going back to Iraq happens a little too fast, but his struggles to sell his integrity in order to sell cars works for what we know of the character, as does the idea that the army's all he knows or is good at.
And hey, the last act isn't all bad! Buddy's prayer to God to win state, and his statement that God must be all powerful to make a crap team like Buckley win was one of the funniest moments this show's ever done. Overall, there was about one-moment per story that threw me off, but each of the storylines were good, and each had a lot of good character moments and ways for the characters to grow. On to the playoffs!