By Jonathan Pacheco
It took me a while to pinpoint what it was about this episode that rubbed me the wrong way, but I finally did. Watching the events unfold in "Tami Knows Best," too much of it seemed contrived. The writers knew where they wanted to end up and they manufactured ways to get there. The problem is, instead of polishing and reworking those scenes, they just left them at that. The moments they did focus on were fantastic; they were emotionally genuine and true to each character. The journey it took to get there just felt wrong.
Tyra and Tami’s situation is a prime example. I could tell that the focal scene for their story was their final one, with Tami expressing her disappointment when Tyra stoops to the lowest common denominator to win the student body election. The scene's emotion, especially from Tyra, was very sincere, and I found it somewhat heartbreaking for Tyra to have lost the respect of the person she looks up to the most. Even though Tami sounded a bit too much like Eric (purposefully or not), the moment was true to the characters. But everything leading up to it—Tyra getting strippers to dance around while she passes campaign flyers—felt so gimmicky. I’m not so sure that Tyra would stoop that low, at least not so blatantly. This feels like the Tyra of the first season (who, with Billy Riggins, once threw an after-game party that involved strippers as well). Plus, it all seemed to happen so fast, especially after her big resolution in the season premiere. If Tyra were to sink to a lower level to get ahead, I imagine it would be more subtle, more gradual.
I complained a bit last week that some of the Tim/Lyla situation felt manufactured just so we could get a desired resolution, and I'm afraid that continues this week. The dinner scene with Tim, Lyla, Buddy, and the McCoys was absolutely painful. Not uncomfortable, which is what they were aiming for, but poorly executed and acted. The scene that follows, with Tim accusing Lyla of trying to turn him into someone "classy enough" for her, comes out of nowhere. The reasoning behind the argument is flimsy, creating conflict for the sake of conflict. Again, it all leads to a scene that I did enjoy (Tim, pant-less, drinking beer as Lyla comes by to bring him a cheeseburger), but why take the phony route to a sweet, genuine moment?
Coach is training Smash hard to get him prepared for any possible tryout that may pop up. The former star is having trouble adjusting to the healed knee, and we learn that part of the struggle comes from fear. Fear of what? I'm not quite sure. Getting hurt again, not being good enough anymore—something like that. It didn't all make sense, which is why Smash's early moments in the episode frustrated me. The scene where Riggins knocks Smash down during practice, resulting in a Smash hissy fit, felt so forced. Even after the player's explanation, it still doesn't make much sense to me.
Smash has never been scared of playing ball. Now, for some reason, he is. He has a theory that he was only great because he was a Panther, because the team needed him to be. He was part of something bigger than himself. Now he's just a guy training on his old high school field. Brian has had an epiphany that some 10 year NFL veterans haven't even had: it's not about him. One man can't win a championship. Take a look at this year's Dallas Cowboys. Started out as Super Bowl favorites with one of the largest collections of talents in recent memory, and where'd they end up? Missing the playoffs, because they weren't a team. Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Roy Williams—they're big names who are nothing without a team. Smash has realized that teamwork and teammates are what made him great. So what happens when there's no team on the field, just Brian? I love this insight, but at the same time, isn't it a bit mature for a guy who just graduated high school? I don't know if we've seen this kind of wisdom out of this character before, and it still doesn't explain his tantrum.
At first, I thought that we were seeing a bit of a change in Matt. In the past, he seemed to care for his grandmother almost without reservation; he wanted to be the one to watch out for her. This week we see him no less concerned for her, but also expressing desires to go to college and be his own person without having to worry about Lorraine. I soon realized that we saw a bit of this side of Matt when his father briefly came back home from Iraq. To Matt, it seemed like an opportunity to finally relinquish his role as caretaker, and he only takes it back when he realizes that his father is somewhat of an inept nanny. And it's not like Matt can count on his mother (Kim Dickens of Lost and Deadwood) to help him out, since when he shows up at her door, he has to introduce himself with, "It's me, Matt. Your son." The boy did get the emancipated minor papers signed so he could care for his slowly deteriorating grandmother, but you wonder what kind of decision he's going to have to make when he wants to leave for college.
Matt and Julie getting friendly again worries me, not because I don't enjoy their scenes, or because I find the relationship contrived, because I don't. I only worry that the writers of Friday Night Lights may not be able to find new ground to cover if the two get back together. The first season had them dealing with sexual issues, Matt's newfound popularity with the girls at school, his responsibility to his grandmother, and much more. I’m curious: if they hook up again, will the writers retread some of the old stuff? Or worse, will we end up with a perfectly pleasant relationship that provides no challenges? It's what stops The Office from being a better show; Jim and Pam are together, and now they're an absolute bore thanks to a lack of conflict. You feel that the writers had to get the two together, but at the same time, they might have done so too quickly. I fear the same thing for Matt and Julie. The seeds are being planted to bring them back together, and while the emotional viewer in me wants to see that happen (Julie is downright adorable, and a great catch when she's not being a rebellious brat), the critic in me fears that such an event could kill any dramatic tension. We do know that Matt desires to leave Dillon and go to college, but I don't know yet if that will provide enough conflict to keep things interesting.
Speaking of conflict, I'm quite enjoying “Tami vs. The JumboTron.” With the local press trying to pit the principal against her husband, she's finally asking Eric what he really thinks about her decision to take the JumboTron funds and put them towards academics. He avoids answering her when he can, but she's starting to wonder if they truly are on opposing sides. Coach Taylor himself is preoccupied with football matters (after another blowout win, all anyone can say to him is, "So when do we get to see that McCoy kid again?"), so he decides to explain to Tami a harsh truth: if Buddy and the boosters want that JumboTron, they're going to get it. Period.
If there was any doubt of that, Buddy and Mayor Rodell pay Tami a threatening, Godfather-esque visit. I was glad to see Tami standing strong against them, but Rodell and Garrity do make a very important point: the funds were raised in good faith that the money was going to a scoreboard. Tami tells her husband that she feels her decision was risky and courageous. "This is how change is made," she says. Her point is that if the boosters have that much cash to toss around, they should let a teeny-tiny bit of it spill over to academic endeavors, to which Eric retorts, "Baby, there's a big difference between 'teeny-tiny' and 'JumboTron.'" It looks like the situation is just going to keep escalating after the funds were frozen by the superintendent, pending a formal hearing.
I guess what bothers me about "Tami Knows Best" is that the forced moments and scenes I've mentioned manage to taint the really honest ones. It has me walking away from the episode wanting to feel good, but unable to shake a certain vibe. That's why I enjoyed the last scene of the episode so much; it was an untainted, enjoyable, genuine conversation between Matt and Julie. Sure, it's there to move the relationship forward, but other than that, it's almost superfluous—in a good way. Last week's episode had a lot to pack in, but as people have pointed out, one of the most endearing things about Friday Night Lights is when the show allows itself to linger on scenes where people just talk, look, and stutter, and overlap. After a week of playing catch-up, this final scene is a step back that direction.
Some miscellaneous notes:
Jonathan Pacheco is a current web developer and future freelance writer. He blogs and reviews films at Bohemian Cinema.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday Night Lights on Saturday: Episode 3.2, "Tami Knows Best"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
I'm not sure what it is that's confusing you about Smash's behavior in this episode. He's aware that his injury kept him from college, so isn't it understandable that he'd be hypersensitive about reinjuring the knee? Someone who has never had any reason to think about his vulnerability is now confronted with his body failing him for the first time. Yet if he had a speech where he revealed his fear you would have criticized the writing for being too on-the-nose.
As for Tyra, I wouldn't be unhappy if FNL changed its name to the Adrienne Palicki Show. But seriously, I think part of the thing with Tyra is her seeing the football players get away with everything at school - and I think we've seen enough of her over the years to view the stripper campaign rally as at least in part a reaction to that.
Simon, your thoughts got me thinking about a lot of different things, and I tend to be wordy, so I kind of spit it all out below.
My problem and confusion with Smash's behavior is this:
First, the hypersensitivity and hissy fit practically come out of nowhere. One week Brian's complaining that he wants his speed back and he wants to be The Smash again, next week he almost cries because Riggins pushed him on the floor. I understand that each episode will bring new storylines and new problems to keep each week fresh. That's fine. For me, I enjoy it more if it doesn't feel so episodic, if that make sense. So when I sit down to watch "Tami Knows Best," and on Smash's second scene he's developed a hypersensitivity problem that he didn't have last week, it's a bit jarring.
Just like you, Simon, I don't want everything explained and spoon-fed to me. That's annoying and silly. What's also annoying and silly is when a character begins to reveal his emotions and reasons, only to cut himself off, change the subject, and swing the story in a new direction. The Alamo Freeze scene was meant to explain Smash's tantrum. So he actually begins to explain it. He's never been afraid to play ball ever before, not even after Jason Street.... All of a sudden he's talking about how being on a team made him a better player. Wait, what? I don't get it, is he trying to say that he's afraid because he's physically vulnerable...or is he saying that he's afraid because he doesn't have his teammates? The two didn't go together, but they were meant to. That's just lazy writing. It felt like the person who really wants to tell you something, so they'll find a way to work it into any conversation.
If the show can have its characters give speeches that reveal their emotions, and it can be done in an intelligent manner, then I won't blame it for being too on-the-nose. Heck, they did it several times in this very episode with great results (Matt revealing to Julie, Tami's disappointment in Tyra). You and I both know that Friday Night Lights is capable of using these speeches as well as more subtle storytelling techniques to reveal its characters. I say use whatever applies, and use it intelligently. I didn't think Smash's situation was handled intelligently from the storytelling standpoint.
To Tyra: I can see your point. I would take it even further, saying it's not so much what the football players get away with, but just the Dillon elite in general (aka everyone but her). At the rally, she brought Ginnie Warwick into it. "If Ginnie Warwick's mom can help her pass out cupcakes...." After last week, though, I got the impression that she was moving past the "life's not fair, so screw it" mentality. But maybe she's not. Tyra can be flaky sometimes, even when you think she's changed (look at her rollercoaster relationship with Landry). So I suppose it's possible for her to stoop that low, that quickly.
But the stripper rally still seems too blatant for the girl who woke Tami up in the middle of the night, near tears, begging for her help. I think the character is smart enough to know that pulling that kind of stunt for her campaign wouldn't be met with favor from Principal Tami. It's all just too self-destructive, especially after last week. That's why that plot turn seemed gimmicky to me; it's a quick, easy way to have Tami disappointed in Tyra.
This is a pretty spot-on assessment of the writing for this episode (I'm a week behind on FNL), which hit all the right points at the end of each plot point but took awkward narrative paths to get to each. But I have to take issue with one of your final comments.
I'm wondering how Matt tracked down his mother.
You're wondering about this and the legality of Matt's newly-signed emancipation papers, but you haven't questioned the fact that Tami went from school counselor to principal of a high school in the wink of an eye?
I come from a long line of teachers and maybe the education reforms of Bush's governorship of Texas left that state in such a mess that it makes sense, but in most states a person needs some years of education experience (of some sort), academic education to meet state certification guidelines for administrative duties, and tons of brown nosing to get into a high-paying principal position. Not to mention that far more often than not, you need to be a VICE principal first.
Tami's entire narrative arc this season is based on an incredibly convoluted and silly plot twist, but that aside I liked the fact that it's given the writers an opportunity to sink her in the same football booster mire her husband has been negotiating since the series began.
However, between Tami replicating much of Erik's experiences in season 1 and 2, Smash's fate becoming a thematic echo of Jason Street, and Matt and Julie getting back together, season 3 feels like a retread of much of the narrative we'd already been through.
I'm hoping they do something interesting with all of these rather than go through the motions all over again.
Joel,
Honestly, that's been something that slipped my mind, but it was something that bothered me when I first saw the season premiere.
I actually watched all of season 3 on its DirecTV run, and I now rewatch each episode several times while writing these reviews. I try to recapture the same thought process I had when I first saw each episode instead of looking too far ahead, but I suppose something that can get lost in that process are some of those initial reactions. Tami as Principal was one of those reactions. I suppose having seen the entire season and then having rewatched the first 4 episodes -- getting ready for this Friday -- so many times, I've accepted the leap in logic without realizing it.
With the spacing out of the seasons throughout the past couple of years, it's easy to forget that Tami wasn't even the counselor for 2 years before she became the principal. Now, I know that in some dinky towns, and sometimes in private schools (which I realize Dillon High is not), things kind of like this can happen when you have nepotism coupled with desperate circumstances. There's also an off-handed mention in one of these first few episodes of an interview that Tami had for the position. I also get the sense from the attitude of the Vice Principal that he's a bit upset with Tami's meteoric ascent, and a bit emasculated. For a moment there, I thought the first episode or two would feature a "that should have been my job" subplot involving the VP and Tami.
All that being said, I'd side with you when it came down to it. There are a few teachers in my family as well, but I won't pretend to know much about the processes of our education system. Yet, even under dire situations like in Dillon, it's quite a leap to go from being a relatively inexperienced guidance counselor to running the entire school yourself.
Post a Comment