conniebritton

(S02E01) And we're back for another season with the Dillon Panthers. You have to think that there is some pressure on the folks behind the show as they kick off this new year. The renewal was great and all, but I suspect it came with some helpful suggestions as to the kind of numbers the network is looking for on Friday nights. It should be interesting to see how the show performs on the new night.

Over the summer we lost eight months of Texas time, but that really doesn't matter. For the most part, we pick up all of our ongoing stories where we left off last spring. Anything we really need to know is handed off to us as we are reunited with these characters again. Since the show kicked off with Matt and Landry at the pool, let's start there.

Last week was certainly the biggie for the kickoff to the new season, but this week isn't too shabby either. In fact, this week brings us the premiere of my most eagerly anticipated returning show, Friday Night Lights. Honestly, there is a part of me that is still a little surprised that we are going to get to see season two. The first season was a bit of a bumpy ride in the ratings department, but NBC stepped up to the plate and I'm holding out hope that it pays off for them.

Let me take a look at my trusty calendar. Okay, tomorrow I take the kids to the doctor. On Thursday I get that bikini wax. Friday? Well, I do the same think as I do every Friday -- try to take over the world (Snarf!). Now, for next week . . .

Sweet Niblets! Next week (July 19th, to be exact) they announce the nominees for the 59th Emmy awards to honor achievements for what has gone on previously rather than what is going on now. Which is opposite of the Golden Globes or the SAG awards, which honor achievements that are going on both presently and in the past. Wait, let me read that again . . . yep, that makes sense!

So, in preparation for the television wonk's biggest night of the year I have asked the humongous staff over here at TV Squad to give me a hand in picking out who will be the likely nominees and winners in the Best Actor/Actress/Drama/Comedy categories. Of course, your opinions may differ. But, hey, what fun would it be if we picked the same things you did?

(S01E22) Can it really be? We've been through twenty-two episodes of Friday Night Lights already? Maybe it's just my reluctance to have the show end, but it seems like this season went by awfully fast. Last week I guessed that the team would win the game, Eric would stay in Dillon, and that the show would get a second season. We got answers for those first two, but we'll have to wait a bit longer on that last one. News that the network has ordered six more scripts is certainly positive. We'll cross that bridge when word comes out.

Throughout much of the season I made a point of noting that this isn't a show about football. Most of the Panther games we got to see were given very short bits of episodes, and were usually not the focus of the episode. This episode altered that balance and gave a lot more time to the game. Understandably so, this was the state championship. It's something that these characters have been working toward for the entire season, so a big payoff was fitting.

(S01E21) In case you missed it, Joel wrote an interesting post a few days back asking whether Friday Night Lights has a chance at a second season. I bring it up because one of the things he praises the show for is how well acted it is. I completely agree with him, but as great as it has been all season, I think tonight might have set a new high mark.

I'm talking specifically about the argument Eric and Tami had over her proposal that she and Julie stay in Dillon while Eric goes to Austin. It's great writing to start with, and performed amazingly by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. Over the course of the previous 20 hours of television we have learned a lot about their relationship. They are one of the great television couples, but part of what makes them so great is their imperfections. We get the chance to see the happy, madly in love Taylors, but we also get to see the struggling, fighting Taylors. My favorite part was Eric's admission, "I'm not mature, I can't handle that." They are endlessly fascinating to me.

(S01E20) As the season winds down for the Panthers, the focus turns more to football. As has been the case for the show all season though, there is much more going on than just another football game. It's an interesting line that the show walks. Things like last minute comebacks and a semi-final game in a renovated cow pasture run the risk of seeming contrived. Fortunately, they managed to pull it off in an interesting way.

Let's start with the game. I liked that the rains came and the game turned into a big sloppy mess where neither team could score. More points for how they handled Saracen's performance as well. The tutoring he received from Street over the past couple weeks provided some technique, but more importantly it also brought a needed confidence boost. That, combined with a game ending bootleg was a good way for the Panthers to win. Watching him stumble his way through the mud and puddles fit right in with both the conditions and how he has grown as a player. He is now that guy that can seize the moment.

(S01E19) After a short break, we are back for the final run of the season. There were answers to a couple lingering question, the avoiding of another one, and, as the title says, changes are in the air for many of the residents of Dillon. There was so much going on for everyone this week, it's hard to know where to start. Let's talk about Street.

There will be no trip to Beijing in Street's future, and I'm happy about that. His progress on the rugby adventure has seemed rather quick, so I liked hearing Herc's explanation for Street not making the team. He's not comfortable in the chair, and given how recent his injury still is, he really shouldn't be. That scene with Herc was very good. They do share in a lot of ribbing of each other, but they've developed a nice friendship. Herc is rough around the edges, but you can tell he wants what's best for Street. I also liked his line, "This is championship QB, not therapy."

(S01E18) "Extended Families" was a good name for this episode. More than most episodes, this one was balanced out pretty evenly between the whole Friday Night Lights family. Saracen got a little short changed in the deal, but considering all the other good stuff, that's ok.

Let's start with Tim Riggins. Normally I would refer to him simply as Riggins. Or occasionally Tim, if Billy is involved in the conversation. Today, because Bo's repeated use of his full name made me laugh, I'll use the whole thing. That whole story just came out of nowhere, and I'm a little iffy on it actually. On the one hand, it seems a little late in the game to be setting up yet another love interest for Tim Riggins, and that sure looks like what they are doing. Although, if they want to carry it right on over into season two, I'm good with that. On the other hand, I do really like the casting of Brooke Langton (Melrose Place, The Net, pictured).

(S01E17) Well, they certainly are hitting all the hot buttons. The big sex episode is nothing new for a drama that deals with high school kids. Even though I knew going in that we would be traveling a familiar path, I was looking forward to it for the simple reason that we would get to see Tami Taylor's reaction. Connie Britton didn't disappoint. She continues to turn in one amazing performance after another.

The scene where she confronts Julie about having seen Saracen buying condoms was the highlight for me. It was a nice setup to the discussion she had with Eric later. With no real idea of what she was supposed to do, she just jumped right in. "I saw Matt Saracen buying condoms today." There's an icebreaker. By the end of it, she's so concerned, and so close to just losing control of her emotions. Great stuff. The interaction between Tami and Eric as they tried to deal with all of it was also very good.

(S01E16) After where we left off last week, it was pretty clear what direction we would be heading this week. Where we would end up, that was the mystery. The resolution to the "Blinders" cliff-hanger wasn't all that was on the agenda though. And as good as it was, it wasn't even my favorite part of the episode.

This week, that title goes to the Taylor family drama. While part of that plays off of the controversy surrounding the team, there were also a couple great scenes as a result of Eric and Tami's struggles with Julie. Her fall from grace has come about a little quickly, but I'm willing to chalk that up to the compressed time of the television season.

(S01E15) The previews for this episode gave away the main part of the story. Really though, it's something that has been coming all along. It just took fifteen episodes to get to it. They did a nice job pointing to that with the scene between Riggins and Smash at the diner.

If you remember, when we first met these two in the pilot, another reporter tried to play up the racial angle between them. From there, it was clear that at some point it would be an issue to be dealt with. Waiting this long to do it was a good idea. It's a heavy episode, and it carries more even weight after having 14 hours of background to help get us invested in these characters.

(S01E11) After almost a month off, Friday Night Lights is back on a new night. It's great to see a new episode, but will the move give the show a much needed ratings boost? We'll have to wait and see. They did pick a good episode to come back with though. There was a lot of good stuff going on this week.

They tipped their hand with where this episode was going in the previously on segment. Lots of Street and Saracen, and a look back at Saracen talking with his dad. That was driven home with the scene where Henry returned home. At first, I thought it maybe missed the mark a little bit, because it didn't seem to be the happy homecoming it should have been. Of course, as we found out later, it wasn't a happy homecoming.

Almost all of the Saracen story was really good. They've done a great job over the first ten episodes setting up the stresses and pressures on Matt. He's been put in a very difficult position, raising himself and taking care of his grandmother at an age when he really shouldn't have to. Part of what got him through all of that was the belief that with his father's return would come a break from all of it. A chance to just be normal and let someone else carry all the weight. When that didn't come through, he finally snapped. And that was a fantastic scene.

(S01E06) This show just keeps getting better. Episode six brought to a head a few different story lines that have been brewing over the course of the first five episodes, some bigger than others. And some more surprising than others. The episode should have been called Do The Right Thing, as we had a number of characters all struggling with that idea. Would Eric come clean about the Voodoo recruiting? How would he deal with Reyes? Does Saracen stick up for his friend or take one for the team? Will Riggins finally live up to being Street's best friend? Will Lyla finally put an end to the cheating relationship with Riggins?

(S01E01) I had a first look at this one a couple weeks back, and now we are finally to the premiere. Friday Night Lights has taken a back seat to both Studio 60 and Heroes where the NBC promotional department is concerned but it is one of the new series that deserves to find its audience.

Right from the start this episode sets the tone for the show. I really like the radio voice over as we peek into various scenes around the town. It takes its time and isn't in a hurry to force too much at the viewer. It also showcases what is the Friday Night Lights look. Lots of handheld camera, shooting on location, and a very real and gritty vibe to everything. It's different, and refreshing.

When I first heard that Peter Berg was going to make a series based on his movie Friday Night Lights I was curious. How would the series relate to the movie? And would the viewer lose anything by not having seen the movie?

Having watched the first two episodes of the season, I can safely say that if you didn't see the movie, you won't be missing anything in the series. There are some aspects and ideas from the movie that are brought over to the series, but this is a whole new story with new characters. Without giving any crucial plot points away, here is a first look at what NBC has in store for us with Friday Night Lights.