Monday, July 12, 2010
The Televangelist / Television The Televangelist: 'Friday Night Lights' Season 4, Episode 10
Posted by Allison Keene @keeneTV on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 10:46 AM
- nbc.com
- "We are NOT Mary and Joseph!"
The theme of Friday's episode "I Can't" comes at an interesting point in the season. With three episodes left, major characters changed their trajectory with these two words - Tim tells Billy their days of stripping cars is over, Vince sends his mother to rehab after he tells her he can't go it alone, putting her into private care and joining up with a bad group to do so. This latter decision was a result of someone else saying "I can't" — Vince's new unofficial mentor Virgil, who would have liked to loan him the money but simply did not have it to give.
Virgil is an interesting character. For most of what we've seen of him, he's been gruff and cold, but you know he's a good man. Without direct explication, we have been able to pick up that his wife is probably dead (but definitely gone), and that he has strong, adverse feelings towards football. In the last few weeks we've also come to find that Virgil was himself an East Dillon Panther - so when did his feelings towards the sport turn sour? In this episode Virgil admits some frustration from his past about "having been Vince," i.e. "the most athletic person on the field, being told to follow the playbook instead of your instincts." Is that all that caused the bust-up? Was Virgil slated for fame but fell short because of a coach who boxed him in? Yet one of his sons plays in the Pop Warner league, and by the end of "I Can't," Virgil was right there on the sidelines, cheering and coaching. Virgil has quietly been one of the more interesting characters this season, and I would hate to see his transformation from gruff disciplinarian with a mysterious past to compassionate father and Village Elder be forced and arbitrary, as it felt in this episode.
The final "I can't" was uttered by Becky Sproles, who after great pain and consideration admitted to Tami (and herself) that she simply cannot raise a child. Can anyone confirm if this is the first abortion on network TV? I can't imagine it is, but it can't be more than one of a small handful. "Friday Night Lights" gave appropriate respect to the topic as I had no doubt it would - in fact, "I Can't" may be one of the best episodes this season.
One of the most favored aspects of the show "Sex and the City" was the (at least) once-per-episode roundtable of the main cast, be it in a coffee shop, bar, or picnic in the park. The girls would gather and discuss issues in their lives, and the writers often said they used these sessions as ways to include the possible opinions of the audience. In one episode with themes reminiscent to "I Can't," Miranda is accidentally pregnant, and she has not made a decision on what to do (ultimately she keeps the baby). During the coffee shop scene, Samantha says airily about abortions, "It's no big deal, I've had two. Carrie, how many have you had?" Seemingly shocked by the casual tone and assumption of multiples, Carrie replies "one," and the rest of her arc in the episode revolves around her finding the father (who doesn't even remember her) and realizing that though it was a hard decision, it had indeed been the right one for her. Charlotte, who struggled throughout most of the series to get pregnant, is completely horrified at the discussion in general, and storms off. And there you have the spectrum - the show can explore its own trajectory while still honoring the gravity of the issue in a fair way, the same way "Friday Night Lights" did this week.
I'll continue on this train of thought this next time - according to the previews, Tami is going to come under fire from Luke's parents and possibly the school board or having given Becky the very option of an abortion. I think Tami's behavior was (per usual), flawless, but we'll look more closely into the fallout as it happens ...
In Two Weeks: Luke "Dear Lord, please let me get some more drugs before Friday" Cafferty starts popping pills like a Lohan on the way to jail.
Musings and Miscellanea:
- A really, really well-written episode. Lots of fantastic moments including Eric and Virgil's night at the bar, and Eric forgetting where he parked the next morning.
- "Me and Becky are not Mary and Joseph, Mom" - Luke
- Huge congrats to Connie Britton (Tamy Taylor) and Kyle Chandler (Eric Taylor) for their way, way overdue Emmy noms. Wish Zach Gilford could have gotten in there as well for his exceptional work this year, but perhaps I'm getting greedy.
- What Would Tami Do? "I would tell my daughter to think about her life and what she wants, and tell her that she's in a tough spot. But I will support her whatever she decides."
- "Tim Riggins is gonna be a father?!" - Eric. I like the brief discussion of what Tim and Becky are ... not boyfriend and girlfriend, but maybe closer to brother and sister. Honestly, that's what Becky needs more than anything (wouldn't hurt Tim, either).
- Did anyone else laugh out loud when Eric responded to Julie's rebound boyfriend's comment about playing football in the rain by saying, after a long silence, "yeah ... it can get pretty weird ..."
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