Friday Night Lights

MSCL may be gone from the tv screen, but there are lots of good (and bad) new productions airing each week. Talk with other MSCL fans about your favorite shows or the shows you hate. Of course you can also discuss TV show DVD releases here.
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Natasha (candygirl)
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Natasha (candygirl) » Jun 11th 2010, 5:33 am

I started watching again this season (and honestly, despite my earlier post, remember NOTHING of the episodes I watched the first season). I don't have DirecTV so I just watched The Son (4.5) and holy crap. I cried and cried and then cried some more. If the kid playing Matt Saracen doesn't get an Emmy or at least a Golden Globe, then things just ain't right. He broke my heart, to the point that just telling someone else about the episode made me start crying again.
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Sascha » Jun 11th 2010, 7:46 am

Zach Gilford ("Matt") showed indeed an amazing performance (not only) in that episode. Also, Taylor Kitsch ("Tim") really grew as an actor over the past seasons. Unfortunately both will get probably an Emmy nomination at best -- the jury has a sad history of overlooking FNL for years now (and with terrific shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" it gets even tougher).

I really hope the show can keep its high standards in the upcoming final season, although again many cast members will leave the show.

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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by slimeball » Aug 19th 2010, 11:17 am

If you've not seen this show before (or you want to see it again) here's your chance to it all from the beginning, ABC Family will be airing reruns of Friday Night Lights staring September 6th. http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/friday-night-lights

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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Bacchante » Apr 23rd 2014, 2:56 am

I'm almost done watching the first season, and man is this show great. And of course I noticed lots of MSCL parallels:
1) Lyla and Tim's first kiss out of desperation really reminded me of Betrayal
2) Landry and Tim = Brian and Jordan
3) Julie and Tyra = Brian and Rayanne?

Now the important question, for anyone who's seen FNL, is: Is Tim an improved version of Jordan, in terms of maturity and caring to do the right thing? I kind of think he is.
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Jody Barsch* » Apr 23rd 2014, 11:33 pm

Oh, I'm excited for you to be watching FNL for the first time! (It gets a little crazy here and there for a little while, but push through, it always comes back.) FNL doesn't make my list of top favorite shows, but I do love it, and I will say that the actors on that show collectively act circles around other shows, the screen breathes with life.

Tim (and I'm going to throw in Daniel Desario from F&G, even though it isn't a Katims show) may have their roots in Jordan Catalano, just as he has his roots in so many characters that preceded him, but I think both Tim and Daniel (as i'm writing this I'm half remembering a discussion that might have looked like this in the Freaks and Geeks thread...) benefit from more character development than Jordan was ever given. Jordan had moments, just enough to peek into what we may imagine to be his inner life, but he's never on screen in a story just his own or just with his own friends and we pretty much just see him as Angela does - unattainable, and not quite fully formed. Tim Riggins gets more a chance to interact with the world beyond the object of desire (or the person objectifying someone else) -- his brother, his teammates, his coach, his friends. I think Jordan had a mature streak to him, I think he also wanted to do the right thing (look to his reaction to his own words when he unthinkingly implies Angela's 'abnormal') but we see him operating at cross purposes with himself. Season one Tim Riggins doesn't treat Tyra all that great, Jordan's break up is much more respectful than that, especially given he and Angela had hardly any history.

Interesting question... Thanks for prompting some discussion! :D Enjoy the show!!
Sometimes I write a little MSCL fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1039807/Jody-Barsch
Also, after multiple V. Mars reiterations, and finally a Deadwood movie, still wishing for some continuation of The Riches !

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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Bacchante » Apr 24th 2014, 8:45 pm

Thanks for the reply! I'm so excited about this show somehow. Maybe the fact that I live in Austin adds to the fun of it :)

The episode I watched last night involved another MSCL-like moment, where Julie called her mom to the rescue, even though she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be, namely at Tyra's. And now I'm watching Tim being a father figure.

I agree that Jordan just didn't get much of a chance to develop. And trust me, even I say Tim is a better version of him, I'm a huge fan of Jordan's :) And yeah, his break-up with Angela was so gentlemanly (in his own way). But would Jordan go sit with Angela (like Tim went to sit with Lyla when people were shunning her and calling her a slut)? Maybe, or maybe not. He was not very good with displaying emotion/weakness in public (except for one awesome scene ;)), whereas Tim seems less shy about that. But I firmly believe Jordan has it in him to be a great person. And it would have been interesting to see him as a father figure!

Re: Daniel from Freaks and Geeks, that's James Franco's character, right? He was obviously the Jordan-like role on that show, but for some reason I never liked him... There was also the quite interesting character of Charlie Hunnam's character on Undeclared, who I also found vaguely Jordan-like. And what I like about Jordan, Tim, and Charlie's character is that they all battle demons, so it's kind of Shakespearian, or something. I don't remember that being the case with James Franco's character, but I could be wrong.
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Jody Barsch* » Apr 26th 2014, 4:21 am

Hm... Interesting question. I'd like to think Jordan would do something similar (and it is a great FNL scene), but honestly, I don't think he'd be in the position. 1. Angela's not Lyla, so no matter what people say about her, her social standing fall would not be as great nor attract such cruelty. 2. Tim Riggins has prominent social standing in the school to throw behind her, or to shrug off for her sake, and it is never clear that Jordan has this. 3. I don't think Jordan would be in the lunch room at all; seems like word might eventually reach him and he would seek her out, but making the public stand wouldn't be quite as necessary or quite as possible. -- I don't think Jordan's a guy who consciously wants anyone to be in pain or humiliated, but he isn't exactly a person of action. Jordan in most things is passive. (He warns Rickie, but gives no indication he'd stand up against his friends on Rickie's defense.) We know Angela wouldn't be alone in such a situation, and I doubt Jordan'd look at the circumstance and decide what is needed is a public show of solidarity, or that his presence would do something to help. 4. Jordan's much more concerned with being cool than Tim is. Tim doesn't care at all about being cool (he just is), and he isn't nearly as damaged as Jordan is. (Although, uh, oh, that 'damage' might just be my fanfiction thesis coming through after all these years... hm...)
I don't know if that makes sense, or if it holds true...

It's funny that you mention Charlie; I love Charlie, he has some truly spectacularly hilarious lines ("Dad-deeh, I don't wha-ant, yer li-afe" "tha-at, is a ser'pris'in stuh-tistic") but I would never group him with Jordan or Tim Riggins. He's much too full of joy, for one thing. Daniel, on the other hand, I feel is very Jordan-esque. He struggles in school, sex comes easily to him, he doesn't come from a great home life, he knows EXACTLY what to do / say to get his way with girls and manipulate them, yet he is more vulnerable, well-rounded, and quicker to laugh.

I don't know, these are just random thoughts as I'm trying to stay awake... :D
Last edited by Jody Barsch* on May 4th 2014, 2:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sometimes I write a little MSCL fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1039807/Jody-Barsch
Also, after multiple V. Mars reiterations, and finally a Deadwood movie, still wishing for some continuation of The Riches !

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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Bacchante » May 2nd 2014, 10:23 pm

Ah, I completely forgot to check in on this thread, sorry!

I agree with what you said about Jordan. And I agree Charlie is full of joy. But there was one scene in Undeclared where he deeply reminded me of a completely tragic character, namely Sebastian Flyte of Brideshead Revisited (a British show of the 80s based on an Evelyn Waugh book). Sebastian was joyous and flamboyant yet deep inside very very sad, because he really wasn't compatible with this world, and there was one scene (I forget which, but he was wearing a bathrobe or something) where Charlie's character in Undeclared reminded me of that character.

I've grown to really like Riggins (partly because I have a thing for sad long-haired boys who need to be saved). There was a scene I just watched when Coach Taylor actually went up to him to tell him how honorable his behavior is. I like how Tim is never afraid to take the hit for someone else. And while I love Jordan, I think his passivity should not be excused too easily (whereas Tim is not passive).
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Jody Barsch* » May 4th 2014, 3:00 am

Bacchante wrote:'ve grown to really like Riggins (partly because I have a thing for sad long-haired boys who need to be saved). There was a scene I just watched when Coach Taylor actually went up to him to tell him how honorable his behavior is. I like how Tim is never afraid to take the hit for someone else. And while I love Jordan, I think his passivity should not be excused too easily (whereas Tim is not passive).
Totally agree :) Yeah, I think Tim is likable from episode season one, but as the series continues he just gets better. (I'm guessing that was the scene regarding the misunderstanding after bringing Julie home from the party? That's a good one!) I like that I'm not off base calling Jordan passive. I'm sure some of it is that I was fifteen when the show aired (and you just can't get over stuff like that), and some of it is dumb luck of transference, but I really do think that with as little as he was given to work with, Jordan Catalano really is such an interesting character -- he's so varied, and flawed, and contradictory. He has a code for how to be a good guy, it just happens his default is to be a jerk :mrgreen: (God, honestly, I have spent SOOOO many years on this forum writing about Jordan, and sooooo many hours writing thousands of words of MSCL fanfiction (I'm up to ~300,000), it's hard to know how much of my vision of him is accurate and purely show based, and how much of it is my invention...)

Bacchante wrote:...and there was one scene (I forget which, but he was wearing a bathrobe or something) where Charlie's character in Undeclared reminded me of that character.
Is that the episode where the characters kind of switch personalities and Charlie has the existential crisis? :mrgreen:

PS (and I think I've said this elsewhere on the forum already) While Undeclared is super funny, and really reminiscint of my times in the dorms, it's no where near my top favorite shows, but that said, I think I quote that show more than any other show ever. It's just SOOO quoteable. The rotten part is, no one's seen the show so know one knows what I mean when I say "You_Make_No_Sense" or "Japa-knees" or "YOU'RE cathartic" or my favorites: "DANGER! (Steven Carp!)" and "And THAT''s from a group evite, bitch!" :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Sometimes I write a little MSCL fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1039807/Jody-Barsch
Also, after multiple V. Mars reiterations, and finally a Deadwood movie, still wishing for some continuation of The Riches !

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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Bacchante » May 4th 2014, 1:29 pm

Re: Tim scene -- yes, exactly, the scene where he brings Julie home. Btw, I do think Julie is somewhat interested in him, and that has been the case since a certain dinner scene in season 1. We'll see what happens there.

Re: Jordan and your fan fiction: What is his history, based on your fan fiction? (Or can you point me to a representative piece you wrote?) :)

Re: Charlie, yeah, I think it might be that scene. Undeclared isn't my favorite show at all either, but it was something I watched when I was in "NEED MORE HIGH SCHOOL SHOWS" mode. Btw, a high-school show I liked more is one called "Higher Ground", with Joe Lando from Dr. Quinn :D
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Bacchante » May 4th 2014, 2:59 pm

Oh man, guess what I just realized. I'm watching the finale of season 2, and this is when Lyla is all about Christianity, and Tim is doing this sports radio show on the Christian Radio. And someone just called in to say how his long hair reminds her of Jesus, which is of course ridiculous, but what I realized is that Tim's number, 33, may not be randomly chosen! (33 being the age at which Jesus died and all...)
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Bacchante » May 4th 2014, 4:06 pm

I should stop blabbing about this show, but I just thought I'd note how strong the scene with Saracen and Coach trying to get him sober (by pouring water on him) was for me. That's when Saracen started hanging out with Tim and drinking, after Carlotta left. Saracen's breaking down and saying how everyone leaves him for something else was quite powerful and well-acted, I thought.
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Jody Barsch* » May 4th 2014, 5:53 pm

Yeah, that show can act its pants off. (I don't really know what that means, but... yeah, it's well acted) I can totally picture a drunk Matt saying "you're daughter"

Fan fiction... (if the mods were still actively around (I MISS YOU CG!!! I hope all is well!!) they might chastise for getting off topic of this thread, but I think it's year 2014, there hasn't been a lot of activity lately, and it's indirectly related, so I'm going ahead and answering here instead of linking)

A big chunk of my work is posted here in two different threads in the fan fiction forum, but two years ago I moved over to fanfiction.net, which, if you are going to read something, is where I recommend you do it. I have added a TON, I have done a LOT of editing and rewrites, and everything here, as was the established practice (and one I really supported) is written in script form. FF.net does not allow script format, everything must be written out in narrative style, so I switched it over, which I think makes it much easier for others to read, and in the long run is much better. (Some of my early posts I still have to go back and edit -- I wasn't into the "he said" "she said"s and so there's an unfortunate and conspicuous lack of verbs :P )

My MAIN story, the one that all my work here has been or eventually will be fit into is "MSCL Vignettes".
A lot of my chapters deal with Jordan and his father, or the effects of it, but I'll highlight a few: "The American Pastime", "Not in the mood, to be treated like dirt", "Trying something new", "Here comes Marie" ... and "Congratulations". Unrelated to Jordan's family past, most readers favorite this chapter "Stay Away from Drummers".

My favorite story (an early version of which is posted here), is "What Now"; it's a little bit of an alt. reality, only in the sense I don't see the story actually happening on the show. (There's a Jordan and dad scene in that as well)
Sometimes I write a little MSCL fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1039807/Jody-Barsch
Also, after multiple V. Mars reiterations, and finally a Deadwood movie, still wishing for some continuation of The Riches !

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Bacchante
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Re: Friday Night Lights

Post by Bacchante » May 5th 2014, 8:36 pm

Thanks so much, I'll check these out! :)
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