tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post4742904485494588784..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Friday Night Lights, "In the Bag": Don't fence me inAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34886292847117864832009-12-21T23:35:17.315-05:002009-12-21T23:35:17.315-05:00You are correct, Tazzie. Thanks.You are correct, Tazzie. Thanks.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62931986638522345152009-12-21T22:47:31.215-05:002009-12-21T22:47:31.215-05:00Sorry Alan, but isn't this season four (first ...Sorry Alan, but isn't this season four (first para after the jump)?<br /><br />CheersTazzienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-50507259922779749512009-12-21T02:38:18.806-05:002009-12-21T02:38:18.806-05:00Just looked at IMDB after your post - can't be...Just looked at IMDB after your post - can't believe Luke's Dad was Jasper in Lonesome Dove. Did not recognize him at all and I've seen the miniseries at least ten times. <br /><br />King of a strange episode - there was just one or two too many story lines that didn't overlap at all so some of the scenes seemed pretty choppy. It still had a few great moments though. Already miss Mayday Saracen.Bryan Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04453957792623988652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19205987055960010192009-12-19T10:12:50.850-05:002009-12-19T10:12:50.850-05:00I had just assumed Tyra and Landry had broken up a...I had just assumed Tyra and Landry had broken up at the beginning of the season, and so I was thrown by the cellphone scene. It seemed long and unnecessary to me. I really liked the Julie storyline. It was so true and real to what it feels like to be left behind.<br /><br />I'm not a huge fan of the Father Tim Riggins storyline. I'm not sure what bothers me about it, but it just seems a little false. Still, Taylor is knocking it out of the park. Has he been in any movies or anything? Someone has to snap that kid up, and not just for a bad action movie or romantic comedy.psnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48045429844390650482009-12-18T17:40:19.436-05:002009-12-18T17:40:19.436-05:00Couple of my favorite moments on this episode that...Couple of my favorite moments on this episode that haven't been mentioned thus far (and yes, I rank this like most as an "Okay" episode). 1) Riggins yelling to Becky's father that he slept with his wife before he started throwing punches and 2) a quick shot of Landry kicking on the sideline into the practice net showed that he could never kick a ball more than 10 yards if called upon (go ahead and look back at it again - it's pathetic).Mark Gilmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15232962548010030401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-7476221009084196442009-12-17T23:26:50.982-05:002009-12-17T23:26:50.982-05:00@Matt
I'm not Alan, but I believe he's me...@Matt<br /><br />I'm not Alan, but I believe he's mentioned in the past that there a couple reasons FNL gets passed over during award season and part of it has to do with filming in a non-industry town so the voters aren't as exposed to it/shun it.<br /><br /><br />I thought this was just a mediocre episode, but a mediocre FNL episode is still miles above anything else on TV these days.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11314441966084682369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33465985338409410352009-12-17T22:47:51.141-05:002009-12-17T22:47:51.141-05:00Bryan- thanks for the link to the Peter Berg inter...Bryan- thanks for the link to the Peter Berg interview. He seemed like a cool, down to earth guy for a big shot Hollywood producer. It was interesting to hear him talk about Matt staying in Dillon as being motivated by his love for Julie--the show got some flack for inconsistency on that point but it seems like that was the original reason Berg had in mind for keeping Matt.Christinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21528875254908410692009-12-17T22:46:33.572-05:002009-12-17T22:46:33.572-05:00No, it's "In the Bag." No idea how t...No, it's "In the Bag." No idea how that typo lasted so long without me noticing it. Thanks.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-845426083265288922009-12-17T22:29:00.046-05:002009-12-17T22:29:00.046-05:00I thought the episode was quite good considering i...I thought the episode was quite good considering it was the first one post-Matt (who I still think was the heart and soul of the show from day 1).<br /><br />I'm a bit confused about the title of this episode, though. Various sources say it's "In the Bag", yet I've learned to trust you more than the likes of imdb, Alan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19732272222266571562009-12-17T17:56:56.638-05:002009-12-17T17:56:56.638-05:00Thanks for filling in the blank on Becky's dad...Thanks for filling in the blank on Becky's dad, Alan. he looked so faintly familiar, and then yes! He's the guy who beats up Ricky Schroeder in the last installment of Lonesome Dove. <br /><br />Alan, any thoughts on Friday Night Lights' continued snubs at various award shows? Not that it's a huge deal...The 2-season renewal is a blessing in itself...Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13859096508069444349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-39179667998355349382009-12-17T16:42:43.287-05:002009-12-17T16:42:43.287-05:00Why do the producers feel it necessary to get Bill...Why do the producers feel it necessary to get Billy involved in some crime-related arc every season? Has any of them (the meth dealer, the copper wire, Tyra & Landry's deadly adventures) gone over good with the fans?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-40141264304453507762009-12-17T16:03:50.074-05:002009-12-17T16:03:50.074-05:00Mr. Sepinwall, your first bullet point was hilario...Mr. Sepinwall, your first bullet point was hilarious.Byron Hauckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12781238264572019596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55426315223252403472009-12-17T15:42:24.994-05:002009-12-17T15:42:24.994-05:00If you look in the credits, Angry Necklace Guy'...If you look in the credits, Angry Necklace Guy's name is Calvin Brown. Sorry to puncture his mystique a bit. I was hoping for a more exotic name for him.<br /><br />I thought the episode was solid, though not spectacular. But that's more than good enough for me. And I was actually struck by how Taylor Kitsch's acting skill seems to have grown since the beginning of the series, when he seemed to be a series of grunts and monotone lines. The thought hit me during the scene with the dog in the truck, which I thought he carried really well.<br /><br />Unlike other here, I didn't feel to me like Vince's story had huge gaps, as I thought the writers doled out pieces of the story and Vince did a pretty good job fleshing out his story during Coach's visit. It seemed like he carries the gun more as a defensive measure because he fears for his life. He doesn't want to be shot walking home from school, like 3 of his friends. I thought that made giving up the gun more poignant, because he's trading off what he feels is necessary for his safety for Coach's trust.<br /><br />In terms of the football, I like how Tinker established Luke as the "star" of the team, when talking to Luke's dad. Make me worry less about his college prospects (though the leg injury adds the necessary drama). And the issue with the Wildcat now is not that there is a single player taking snaps, but the lack of two strong runners (with Luke's injury). With the one-two of assuming the QB position and now carrying the team with Luke out, it looks like Vince will have to handle a lot. It will be interesting to see how he holds up under it all, particularly if he gets tied up in the chop shop scheme, as well.PYnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62761847971580618432009-12-17T14:07:19.451-05:002009-12-17T14:07:19.451-05:00My favorite scene was Tinker talking to Luke's...My favorite scene was Tinker talking to Luke's dad about why he came out to help build the fence and what a good guy his son is. Made me a little misty-eyed for some reason.<br /><br />I bet Coach Taylor could talk sh!t out of stinking.<br /><br />"Son, you don't need to lead your life like this. You wanna smell like roses? I'll help you the best I can and if we can't get there, at least we tried."Melanismhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06285055574212246740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78089296025596801462009-12-17T12:26:22.683-05:002009-12-17T12:26:22.683-05:00Thanks for the info Bryan. I knew about the Ameri...Thanks for the info Bryan. I knew about the American school calendar being built around harvest, but I wasn't aware that this would be an excused absence in more rural areas.Merrylegshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03768089761416498502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62505228699665719122009-12-17T12:05:51.830-05:002009-12-17T12:05:51.830-05:00one thing that really bothered me about this episo...<i>one thing that really bothered me about this episode was Luke's father keeping his son out of school. I don't know how it is in Texas, but in other parts of the country, parents can get fined or go to jail for that</i><br /><br />Hey Merry, though it's certainly not as common as it used to be (spring and fall breaks were instituted so the kids could plant and harvest) kids in rural, farming communities still take time off school to work. In a area like Dillon a kid would certainly be excused for doing something as important as what Luke was doing (hell, he might even get school credit if he was a member of ffa or something)<br /><br />I'm in the suburbs but I live close enough to the country to know families that let there kids off school for hunting seasons (esp deer) because that's a big part of what they live on.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06336003200003462670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-16754914638741316542009-12-17T11:54:50.390-05:002009-12-17T11:54:50.390-05:00That has got to be the first time the word "s...That has got to be the first time the word "scrub" has appeared in an article along with "The Brooklyn Brawler" without the two being directly linked. Could a Koko B. Ware reference be far behind?Gishnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78997050990304134452009-12-17T11:52:51.840-05:002009-12-17T11:52:51.840-05:00I forgot to add, the one thing that really bothere...I forgot to add, the one thing that really bothered me about this episode was Luke's father keeping his son out of school. I don't know how it is in Texas, but in other parts of the country, parents can get fined or go to jail for that. I'm just going to let it go though, because this is a town where a mailbox in an empty field can be a valid address!Merrylegshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03768089761416498502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86140466492971522962009-12-17T11:33:12.285-05:002009-12-17T11:33:12.285-05:00As I said in the review, it definitely felt like t...As I said in the review, it definitely felt like there were missing scenes in the Vince story. But I took Eric's trip to the projects as his reaction to the visit from Vince's sobered-up mom, which made him feel ashamed about how he acted with Vince when the cops searched for the gun and then when he asked him about the gun. In both cases, these things had to be done, but he realized in talking to Vince's mom that he hadn't treated Vince the way he would his Dillon players - he's a little afraid of the unknown element with this kid - and so was holding him at a distance. The trip was his attempt to close that distance, to acknowledge that they're in this boat together and move forward accordingly.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-68724078308477976992009-12-17T11:19:06.057-05:002009-12-17T11:19:06.057-05:00Even though I never really liked Julie all that mu...Even though I never really liked Julie all that much as a character, I always liked her and Matt as a couple. So to watch her go through his leaving with no goodbye was pretty heart-wrenching. But, it also reminded me of how much I liked the Sarecen character. The whole time, even as I felt awful for Julie, I still wanted to know what was going on with Matt. Where is he? He got an apartment? What's he going to do now? I guess I just want to know that he's alright. Hopefully they bring him back at some point so we can get a little closure there. But, even so, with Matt gone, I think the show loses a lot of its heart. I like the new characters (so far), but I'm not sure they'll ever be able to replace that.Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-20558296022158516422009-12-17T11:17:38.319-05:002009-12-17T11:17:38.319-05:00Overall, I liked the episode although it certainly...Overall, I liked the episode although it certainly wasn't the season's strongest. I was a little confused by Coach showing up at Vince's house, but I guess I interpret it as something he read from Vince when he asked him about the gun. Vince definitely would not look Eric directly in the eye during that conversation, so that may have led to some doubt (although if that conversation had been the last of it, I would have interpreted Vince's eye movement as distrust in not being trusted). As has been said before, Tami was great; not just with how she handled Glen, but also how she handled Julie and Eric's situations. I really liked the look between Eric and Tami at dinner when she asked him whether or not he could trust Vince. As always, Kyle Chandler can convey so much without saying a word.<br /><br />I also found the Tim storyline very touching. Tim has had the benefit of two father figures, Billy and Coach, to help him overcome the baggage from his own father. Billy, despite all his flaws and his willingness to go criminal to support his new family, made a lot of sacrifices for his little brother when he could have walked away like his own father. Obviously, Coach Taylor has been an even better influence on Tim and it was echoes of Eric that I felt in Tim when he went to get that dog back out of the shelter and told the woman working there that he was "ready to accept the responsibility." It was established in the pilot that Tim desired a ranch (albeit at Jason's expense), but now he is going to have to figure out a way to make that dream happen on his own. This storyline is starting to parallel that of Vince and Billy; the question is, will Tim make the right choice. Anyway, I found it kind of touching that Tim wanted to do right by that dog and not leave him abandoned. His character has made a lot of progress from early season 1.<br /><br />One correction, Alan. We did see Tim and Luke working together a few episodes back; so that is at least one other new character he has interacted with. There can be some assumption that he has also had interaction with the rest of the Lions.Merrylegshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03768089761416498502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69870722900381714262009-12-17T11:13:42.282-05:002009-12-17T11:13:42.282-05:00Speaking of Luke's parents - I don't think...Speaking of Luke's parents - I don't think Alan brought this up before- Peter Berg did an interview with Bill Simmons about his 30 for 30 doc on Wayne Gretsky and they talked a little about FNL. This was taped early in the season and it's interesting to see how some of the characters and plotlines have changed from the original plan.<br /><br /> One of those changes is that Luke was originally supposed to be a farm boy that wasn't allowed to play football for religious reasons - no mention of him coming from Dillon High. Berg talks quite a bit about FNL and it's very interesting but WARNING there is a couple spoilers (unless they've changed their minds)<br /><br />Here's a link. (just click on podcast with Bill Simmons) It's fairly long and sorry I don't remember when he discusses it exactly.<br /><br />http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/post/_/id/4535483/wayne-gretzky-los-angeles-legacyUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06336003200003462670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87069635496829919112009-12-17T10:53:17.020-05:002009-12-17T10:53:17.020-05:00I think FNL does a great job of balancing several ...I think FNL does a great job of balancing several plot lines, but agree that this episode might have been spread a little thin. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but there was a fair amount left to be assumed about certain story arcs (Vince's, why Luke's folks seemed deadset against his involvement with something away from the ranch -- besides their need of help on the farm, they were against football before this episode). I appreciate that the writers don't assume that the viewers need everything spelled out for them, but there are certain characters that need some lovin.<br /><br />(Aside: I might be thinking this in part because we saw the potential of having one larger, more important story in "The Son," but that's certainly an unfair standard to set for every episode and eventually, it would end up taking away from the ensemble nature that, IMO, makes the show what it is.)<br /><br />(Second aside: Part of the issue with Vince's plot line, for me, is that we don't have a lot to go on to believe that he's the delinquent we're told he is. Yes, he got into a fight with Luke and we're told he's been in and out of trouble, but he has also presented himself as someone ready and willing to help the team out, and has seemed friendly with the rest of the non-authority characters on the show. It's believable that he's been in trouble, but that he carried a piece was a larger step than I was willing to take. Maybe I just can't separate Vince from Wallace.)<br /><br />I had something else to mention, but it's gone now. Good stuff Alan!samhttp://www.citiesoftheplain.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61486654183850624542009-12-17T10:28:09.266-05:002009-12-17T10:28:09.266-05:00Alan - A small quibble: If you're going to pl...Alan - A small quibble: If you're going to plug the timeslot for the show, why not do it before the jump, not after and certainly not at the end of the piece. Anyone seeing the time in your posts must already know when it airs, since they've just read your insights on the program, suggesting to me that they know enough about the show that they would know when it airs. I assume the good people at DirecTV ask you to mention it in hopes of reminding folks not watching to do so. By doing it at the end of your pieces, it seems like there is little chance it has that effect.Maxwellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74423532625823979032009-12-17T09:57:57.860-05:002009-12-17T09:57:57.860-05:00Decent show with some nice touches but my biggest ...Decent show with some nice touches but my biggest problem with it was editing - when coach showed up at Vince's place I felt like we'd missed something.<br /><br />My thought on the real estate at the end is that for the first time in his life Tim actually wants something (besides Lyla). This could be a good thing for him but it could also be dangerous with the chop-shop temptation coming upUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06336003200003462670noreply@blogger.com