Monday, May 31, 2010

WHAT IS A LION? Having finally caught up on the last couple of episodes of this season of Friday Night Lights, I wanted to say a few things. First, in no small part because of the substantial rebooting this season involved, this is shaping up to be the strongest season since the first. While we've lost some interesting characters (Tyra, Jason Street), we've also lost some performing deadwood (Minka Kelly, who, while exceedingly nice to look at and much improved over the three seasons, wasn't playing on the level of the rest of the cast), and the new cast members have proven quite solid. Second, I would watch an entire show that is nothing but Tim Riggins doing things that aren't quite appropriate for him to be doing (dress shopping, explaining Broadway theatre, etc.)--comic gold, I tell you. (And he can take off his shirt from time to time, to cover appeal to that segment of the audience).

Third, because of the East/West divide introduced into the show this year (paralleling the real-life Midland/Odessa divide that's a big part of the original book), the show has found a new way to explore issues of race and class. Now, such issues have typically been the domain of HBO (particularly the David Simon shows), though they find their way on to networks from time to time (Izzie's background on Grey's, Foreman's backstory on House, and some very mild stuff on Good Wife), but rarely in such depth. Credit is also due to the FNL crew for doing it without beating any political message over our head (though I understand there's some pretty expressly political stuff, albeit not on the race/class front, coming down the pike). And, as always, really nice work from Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton is just anchoring the show.

11 comments:

  1. Dan Suitor1:17 PM

    Just as a non-spoilery warning from someone who's already seen this season in its entirety: there's soon to be another really great example of the show dealing with a tough issue in a non-preachy but still meaningful way.

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  2. kevbo nobo7:31 PM

    Love the show.  And Riggins is one of the great philosophers that TV has given us.

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  3. Christy in Phlly8:39 PM

    Riggins with the dresses was AWESOME!

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  4. Christy in Phlly8:39 PM

    Riggins with the dresses was AWESOME!

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  5. Linda9:38 PM

    This is one of the best shows on television.  So glad to have the folks from Dillon back in my life for a while.  Love the nuanced explorations of race and class tensions that are happening this season. 

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  6. Paul Tabachneck8:50 AM

    Having seen this season, I know believe that there should be a new Chuck Norris-style list, for Tim Riggins.  I constantly wanted to change my status to reflect my latest thought on Tim Riggins but didn't want to spoil the show for my friends.

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  7. Genevieve11:00 AM

    Missed Riggins opining on Broadway -- which episode was that?  I'll have to on-demand it.  LOVED him in the dress shop. 

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  8. Riggins on Broadway was last season in the Jason Street farewell episode.  Riggins reading sections of Ben Brantley's review of "Gypsy" is just priceless.

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  9. Marsha1:28 PM

    Very, very, very annoyed at Ausiello - he felt the need (for absolutely no reason) to spoil tow big plot points of this season of FNL when listing his suggested Emmy nominees in EW. Incredibly annoying, especially since he didn't disucss plot at all in any of the other potential acting nominees' little blurbs.

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  10. Genevieve1:31 PM

    That is extremely obnoxious.
    Thank you, Marsha, for saving the rest of us from the spoilers - won't read Ausiello.

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  11. Genevieve1:32 PM

    Thank you, Matt!  I'll look for it.

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