David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. “Friday Night Lights:” It’s about homicide, not football
Last week, and in the promos for this week’s episode of “Friday Night Lights,” we all learned a valuable lesson: If you want to impress the girl you’re sweet on, then simply bludgeon her stalker’s skull.
Wryly slow-witted Landry (Jesse Plemons) – who heretofore served admirably as the show’s lone comic relief – killed the thug who had tried to rape (and was again trying to rape) Tyra (Adrianne Palicki), and although they had as clean-cut a case of self-defense as one’s likely to see, they decided to dispose of the body. Inconveniently, it’s revealed this week that Landry lost his watch somewhere in the course of the murder, a plot point that will no doubt crop up in future episodes.
Meanwhile, no one’s much feeling their oats on the show. Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is feeling increasingly disconnected from his family, consigned to defending spoiled superstars in the making in his job as a college assistant coach. His wife Tami (Connie Britton) is suffering from major post-partum depression as she raises their infant daughter alone. His daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) has broken up with Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) in favor of pursuing “the Suede,” who she felt betrayed her last week but, thanks to an apparent bout of amnesia, is pursuing anew this week. (There’s a whole Mobius Strip of plotting at work, as a couple of days have seemingly passed for everyone but Matt, who’s appears to be lingering at the very same party he was stood up at last week.)
Moreover, the new coach is proving to be a jerk, the team’s biggest booster is in the process of disgracing himself, Jason (Scott Porter) is distraught over the slow recovery from his paralysis, Matt’s grandmother is descending into dementia, the show’s epileptic-cam returns with a vengeance in a couple of scenes and patches of improvised dialogue lack discipline.
Given the sundry grim storylines, it remains bewildering that the producers have opted to de-emphasize the football sequences, which at least had the virtue of some moments of exhilaration. It feels like the show’s spreading itself too thin in terms of disparate plotlines, particularly if it’s trying to lure in new viewers.
Next week: Finally, some football! Though the least convincing footage of the series, as well as an overly melodramatic turn mid-game (this, for a show that specializes in melodramatic turns mid-game). Plus, even more angst! That missing watch indeed becomes a plot point! And, shameless product placement for Applebee’s awful-sounding (or, at the very least, artery-clogging) quesadilla burger!
- “Friday Night Lights:” 9 tonight; NBC Channel 4.