I just got finished watching the second episode of the third season of Friday Night Lights, and so far, this season is shaping up to be the best of the three, and that's saying a LOT. Season one was fantastic, as was the second half of season two (a little bit of a rough start, but it got corrected, so it's cool) but this season could very well top them both.
One of the many things I love about FNL is how realistic it is. Pretty much anyone who grew up in Texas or any small town in America, can relate to the goings-on of the characters in Dillon, Texas. I'm not the first to say this, but there isn't a more authentic TV couple than Eric and Tammy Taylor. While there are many 'main' characters, those two carry the show, and their interactions are the most sincere of any television husband and wife that I can remember.
However, as realistic as the show can be, as with any TV program, it can be a bit far-fetched and unreasonable from time to time.
I wish I started this list from the first episode because I'm sure I'll forget some key moments, but like Mark McGwire would say, I'm not here to talk about the past. So here we go, some of the more unrealistic moments in the two-plus seasons of Friday Night Lights:
- The VooDoo plot line always bugged me. We're really supposed to believe that after Hurricane Katrina displaced the VooDoo family, they just posted up in a hotel room as coaching staff after coaching staff came to bribe the family so they could receive his football services? And that the UIL was fine with it? (until, of course, he decided to be a Panther) And that, two seconds after leaving Dillon he went to another high school, led them to the state championship and no one batted an eye?
- All of Dillon's last-second victories. One, maybe two are realistic over the course of a season, but it seemed like the Panther's had 10 heart-stopping finishes. The one that really got me was when Dillon played in Smash's former hometown. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the score was 6-2 with less than ten seconds remaining, and Dillon was pinned inside their own five. This time, instead of some crazy hail-mary, triple lateral finish, Dillon won with...get this...a counter play off left tackle. Seriously. What team, when down by four with ten seconds and ninety-something yards to go, gives it to the running back, basically up the middle? Of course Smash, who had been bottled up until that point, breaks a few tackles and scores as time expires. Un-likely. (Ed's note: the wild finishes and football scenes in general have been dramatically toned down in seasons two and three, so if that's what is keeping you from watching, don't-it gets better.)
- The thing that Landry does at the beginning of season two. I won't mention it for those who haven't seen it, but there was exactly zero reason to go down that road. Tons of bloggers and websites have torn this storyline to shreds already, but it bears repeating-totally stupid and unnecessary.
- Santiago. Great character, lots of potential story lines, but...where did he go? What happened to him? Did I miss something? But what really bugged me about the show's treatment of him was this: As a high school linebacker, why didn't his pants have pads, it's not like he's an NFL receiver, and why was his chin-stap upside down? Makes no sense to me, just a bad oversight by the producers/directors.
- This one is a bit nit-picky, but Coach Taylor wears his state championship ring to bed. Who does that?
- In what universe is every mom-or female over the age of 30-as attractive as they are in Dillon, TX? I know it's a TV show so they have to sex it up a little, but come on, it's getting ridiculous. I'm half-expecting Carmen Electra to guest star for a few episodes as Coach Taylor's mom.
- Speaking of good-looking mom's, what's the deal with Tammy's wardrobe? Again, it is a TV show, but what principal can get away with dressing like that? Oh yeah, one who leads a school who elects a student-body president who campaigns with her sister's stripper friends and makes speeches about getting laid at prom. Un-likely.
- Smash getting his scholly from TMU taken away because of one little dust-up at the movie theater. In the real world, big-time colleges sign guys with multiple arrests and pending court dates. A tussle at the movies would do nothing except raise Smash's profile in real life.
- Street and Riggins going to Mexico on a whim-with $10,000 cash. A funny episode, yes, but what varsity super-star gets away with going South of the border without telling anyone, drinks away the week, then gets back on the team shortly thereafter?
- Speaking of Riggins, how old are we supposed to believe he really is? In the first season, he's best friends with Street, who is a senior, and is getting ready to sign with a big university and go on to do great things in football. OK, fine, so Riggs must be a senior too, right? Well, apparently not, as he's back in season two, and goes on the aforementioned Mexico trip. Well, surely he's a senior then, no 16 year old would do that? Again, apparently not, as he shows up for season three, this time being a senior without question, as the show finally makes it known how old he is. This season isn't the one that bothers me, but going back to season one, he's supposed to be a sophomore back then? I'm just not buying it, what with him being best friends with the superstar senior QB, drinking his life away, hooking up with his older neighbor, being the envy of every girl at Dillon High, and generally doing things that many males in this country wait until they're, I don't know, 20 to do. However, props to the show's creators for not making him a senior in season one, because, outside of the Taylor's, he carries the show, has the most gripping story lines, and is the most relate able character. Without Riggins, FNL suffers tremendously, even if he is a sixth-year senior.
That's all I can think of now, I'll update the list as this season progresses, and as I remember past unlikeliness. If you're a fan of the show and can think of things I forgot, feel free to add them in the comments section, and I'll reward you with...recognition that you thought of something I left out. Deal? Great.
Also, LOST. Wow.
The Year of Living Biblically, by AJ Jacobs. I worried that this book, written by an agnostic Jew from New York, would be sarcastic and sacreligious, but it's an extremely honest, thoughtful look at religion from an outsiders view. I'm 100 pages in, and highly recommend it.
