An episode that focuses on how everyone's affected by Jason Street's injury. Riggins(?) is despondent and even tears up despite his macho leanings; Lyla is never-say-die and arguably emotionally and wilfully blind to the reality of the situation; Matt is simultaneously enjoying the added perks of being QB1, but also finding himself overwhelmed and worried about whether he'll be able to step up; and Coach Taylor (and his wife for that matter) are feeling pressure from all sides as to how to handle this, and he's worried that with Jason, his "meal ticket" gone, he might soon follow.
It's a worthwhile tack to take, looking at the same event through many people's eyes and following the ripples. The execution was just a bit too cheesy to really work for me. The music really didn't help this episode, with a swelling score making already somewhat hokey scenes feel even more emotionally forced. Bits like "you're a good man, Jason" after he offers a cliche sentiment about how Matt listens to Bob Dylan and that means he could be creative on the football field if he's set free, or Tami's monologue about how she believes in her husband, or the entire empty-field yelling montage that ends with "I want this!" just go too far for my tastes. Trading in the usual platitudes of both football and drama doesn't move me as much as they should, and this episode suffers in my estimation on that account.
(The same, incidentally, goes for the scenes between Smash and bad girl, which feels like such a Varsity Blues development it hurts, even if Smash's mom's no-nonsense attitude quickly made her my favorite character in the show.)
That said, what I liked about the episode is the little details that make the setting, if not the stories, feel real and lived-in. Simple things like a meal taking place at Applebee's or the nature of the book club meeting or the way Matt's mom deifies Coach Taylor when he comes to visit does a lot to give character to the town and the place football holds in it in ways that the dialogue and the plots haven't been able to do as well thus far. Kyle Chandler does a good job at showing the way Coach Taylor is saying all the right things to all the right people and nodding and smiling and turning it on as appropriate, whilst he's really cracking up a bit inside, but that's much more a quality of the performance and non-verbal displays than the writing.
A bit better than the last one, but still a little too blunt and cliched in its presentation so far. (Though I'll admit, hearing a Bright Eyes song was a very pleasant surprise.)
Shout by Max KBlockedParentSpoilers2022-08-19T03:45:27Z
• Don’t really get the point of the book club scene
• Loving the Tim and Smash scenes/dynamic
• “Thanks coach I’ll run practice today” chad move, reminded me of Moneyball with all the guys talking about what Billy need to do
• Almost cried during the Coach and Street scene - the music helped I’m sure
• If Layla doesn’t stay loyal to Jason it will shatter my heart
• I relate to Tami because I too, believe in Coach Taylor
• “How much do you want this” goosebumps
• It’s a character episode but its a good one at that.
• Clear eyes full hearts CANT LOSE!