“I’m offering you everything I’ve got… this is not just about football.” – Coach Taylor to Vince
After a pair of moving and emotional episodes of Friday Night Lights, “In the Bag” was more of a mixed bag, if you’ll pardon the pun, with lots of small movement over multiple storylines (Julie dealing with Matt’s departure from town, Luke’s further integration with the team, Tim Riggins’ further integration into Becky’s family, Vince Howards choice between good and bad life paths) and a few threads that seemed a bit meandering (Tami’s co-worker Glenn hitting on her after a karaoke party, for example).
I have to admit that watching the now single Julie (Aimee Teegarden) and Landry (Jesse Plemons) join the Academic Smack Down team was not nearly as interesting as a lot of the stories we’ve seen them engage in the past. Julie’s breakdown when answering a question on stage about Thomas Wolfe felt a little too on the nose and over the top for this typically nuanced and beautifully toned show (Matt Saracen “can’t go home again,” get it? Yeah, we get it). That said, I continue to enjoy Landry’s laid back Southern mumble/charm, with lines like, “This is exciting… learning.” Though just me or is his chemistry with romantic interest Jess, played by Jurnee Smollett, a snoozer?
Luke Cafferty (Matt Lauria) dealing with his responsibilities at home (helping pops with the ranch and fixing a ranch, lessin’ the rustlers come in to steal the cattle… anyone tell that I’ve been playing a good piece of Red Dead Redemption lately?) and earning the respect of the East Dillon Lions was more engaging, partly because this is one of the few storylines (along with Vince’s, which felt borderline cliché this week) that actually has to do with high school football.
That latter bit about Vince’s “choice” on guns aside (and who called in the “gun threat,” I wonder?), the two most emotionally resonant moments this week came from Luke’s teammate Tinker (played by Lamarcus Tinker) coming solo to help him with the fence, and from Coach Taylor’s (Kyle Chandler) “I’m offering you everything I’ve got… this is not just about football” moment with Vince.
Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) continues to explore his softer side, meanwhile, in an episode that he spends telling Becky (Madison Burge) about his father’s secret girlfriend and child in Seattle and rescuing the dog that her father had attempted to give her as a gift (in effect becoming the fatherly figure in her life himself?). I had a hard time getting past Becky’s father talking on his cell phone about this pretty darned big secret right in front of Tim’s trailer, but otherwise was pretty entertained. Tim naming the dog while on the road in the pickup truck (“Skeeter it is…”) was particularly fun.
More thoughts on “In the Bag”:
- When “liberal” teacher Glenn (Steven Walters) tells Tami (Connie Britton), “It’s like I mouth raped you,” I said to myself, “Wow.” And not in a great way, but a “they went there” way. I kind of felt like this story thread was filler, a way for Tami to play a role this week.
- Landry also finally gives up on Tyra (Adrianne Palicki), but that’s felt like old news for a while now.
From Around the Web: Friday Night Lights, “In the Bag”
- A.V. Club: “If I break my ankle and can’t play no more, you still going to come around here?” With that last line, Coach visibly reacts. Is he thinking about Jason Street? Coach was there for Street, but he was also busy with the team. He cared, he followed up, but his focus was necessarily elsewhere. And he doesn’t answer the question.
- Small Screen Scoop: The moment that gave us tears last Friday? During the Friday Night Lights episode “In The Bag” it was a double punch to the gut to see Jess encouraging Julie to go answer a question about the first and last Thomas Wolfe novels (“Look Homeward, Angel” and “You Can’t Go Home Again”) and then to see Julie push herself to give a voice to the answer as she was crying on the stage.
- Cinema Bland: Friday Night Lights doesn’t take the easy way out. And pain is a part of life. But when every character gets thrown in the dump at the same time, and all struggle to get out, easy fixes are equal parts necessary and weak.
Some stats and info about Friday Night Lights, “In the Bag”
TV SHOW – Friday Night Lights
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 4, Episode 7
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – NBC/The 101 Network
GENRE – Drama, Sports Shows
CREATED BY – Michael Waxman
STARRING – Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Taylor Kitsch, Jesse Plemons, Aimee Teegarden, Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett, Matt Lauria, Alicia Witt, Brad Leland
This review was originally published on TV Geek Army.