Grid Effect

Holy hell am I putting this out late. It just dawned on me that it’s going to be a real bitch posting for the only two drama series we still watch on the same day. Never the less, we soldier on. With that said this is going to be incredibly brief, and since I’m not Snoop, I won’t call all of you motherfuckers. And since its been about a month since the last episode, here’s a recap.

It’s a shame time is of such the essence (we started writing this around 7:10 est.), because this episode had a lot of substance to it. A lot of contrived, inevitable substance, but substance all the same. It also gave us essentially what we were hoping to see. I am speaking, of course, of Tim Riggins: A modern day, white, Texan Shaft. He probably ate up a solid thirty minutes of the episode between Julie and the rest of the Taylors, and the team camaraderie. His character is so understated and almost tragic (note: I watched this directly after the second Wire, so nothing on this show could actually be tragic by comparison) that you almost wish this series was viewed from the 1st person instead of the third. Honestly, for all the mistakes the character has made, he’s paid for them ten-fold. I couldn’t have been the only one hoping he would knock that palest urinator in all of Texas on his ass.

Still, the final scene with Julie was going to illicit a confrontational reaction from Taylor, and even had he gotten a chance to explain himself and Taylor believed him, he was still going to blame Riggins for Julie coming home drunk. The backlash on this tonight could be brutal, here’s hoping they turn it into a comedy arc. They could even play circus music in the background as Riggins looks for a place to sleep while his older brother and his pedophile whore of a neighbor nest in what used to be his house.

On to other matters, were somewhat tired of the sisterly rivalry between Tami and her little sibling. We get it, they get along but occasionally clash and it seems to show Tami as actually flawed and capable of errors in judgment (something this series had yet to do, and I have no idea why they waited until now). It just seems redundant with more personal insults exchanged with each argument. And really, what is Shelly doing there if Tami always uses her as a verbal punching bag any time she’s stressed out. The stage set just seems cluttered with her in the picture and we never see Shelly outside the house (though once at a football game, where she showed immense range clapping and gossiping). Anyhow, she’s not going anywhere anytime soon as she seems like a nanny living rent free as her paycheck, so we’ll just move on.

The highlight of the episode, as absurd as it was, were Dillon sharing their school/locker room/field with the despised Laribee, who just in case you were a first time viewer and unsure of who to root for, couldn’t be any more comically villainous. From urinating in lockers to more sanitary vandalizing to snide passive-aggressive comments, when Landry sucker punched “Chip” and Taylor threw Dickie up against the wall, it was entirely rewarding to watch.

Hey, you take your time, Tyra. Landry is totally accustom to having women like you interested in him.

The Landry-Tyra plot almost needs to be thrown out, if for no other reason than its a lingering reminder of the dreaded murder cover up. But Jesse Plemons plays the part with such authenticity that it makes the encounters tolerable. Still, I think everyone preferred him as the lovable nerd best friend of the self-conscious high school quarterback. It was better off with Landry chasing Tyra and her not reciprocating, but several of the writers can probably relate to the character so they figured why not throw him a bone.

Still not too much Smash or Saracen. And the latter’s ridiculous “diddling the adult” storyline is so common on this series that we suppose it’s for the better. Oh, and Lyla should drop off this show just like her ex-fiance apparently has. Or at least for this one episode, because we don’t need any more montages like the one with Buddy Garrity, whose admission to his unforgiving ex-wife was squirm inducing.

Great return to form for the series, we’re hoping for more of the same and an avoidance of melodrama, but judging by the previews (of which you may have not seen, so we won’t spill anything) we’re at least hoping the buildup to the climax is immense.

Have a good weekend, we’re remarkably tired so we’ll be comatose for the majority of it and hope to come back with more vigor than we’ve had the past three days.