Grid Effect

Wow, that was a lot of confrontation compiled into one episode. I don’t think a network drama has ever portrayed racial tension so aptly before. With the exception of Mac, there were no real villains, no right answers and a litany of regret and misunderstanding, but managed to couple the intense drama with the humorous annual powderpuff game.

The episode opens with Dillon routing their opponent in their first playoff game. Afterwards, Assistant coach Mac is drilled by a couple reporters about the quarterback issue on the team after Smash threw a TD completion to Saceran on an option play, the reporternoted that Smash played quarterback in JV (What?). Instead of giving the simple answer, that they were maximizing the teams talent. When they were forming this team, the coaching staff didn’t feel like they were losing much at quarterback from Smash to Street, when Street was tragically injured, Smash was already comfortable and productive at running back, so they decided to begin grooming Saceran. He goes into some stammering explanation about Smash being a natural athlete, then after further extremely presumptuous and suggestive questioning, in an attempt to explain Smash’s physical tenacity relates him to a “junkyard dog”, and that’s why he isn’t at quarterback.

It is proven later in the episode that Mac is something of a racist, but in this situation he was caught completely off guard (randomly questioned about race within his team) in a moment of jubilation (fresh off a convincing playoff win) and verbalized some (at the very least) sub-conscious beliefs. Ultimately, what he was trying to say is that Smash excels in the trenches, he moves the ball exceptionally on the ground and while he would be a decent quarterback, he is an even better running back. One could say the same thing about Riggins. So given the inarticulate presentation of Mac, while I do not condone the comparison, and resent everything that Mac stands for in terms of social politics, I do not think he was trying to be divisive or disparaging in this regard.

After a series of perceived injustices and condescension, Smash, at the behest of Waverly, goes from trying to ignore the entire situation and for the sake of the team to forming a walkout with all of the other black players on the team. There was one poignant moment in a bank with his mother in which they are turned down for a loan. Smash begins to lose his temper, and his mom grabs him by the arm and quells the situation by explaining, “Look around you, look at all these eyes on you, waiting, expecting you to do something violent, to become that junkyard dog of Matt McGill’s”, and the camera pans around the bank, all white spectators, most of which leering because there was a slight eruption, but can be interpreted one of a million ways, especially from Smash and his mothers perspective.

On a much, much, lighter note, the writers for FNL have decided to incorporate an annual powderpuff football game into this script, and as a result of skipping PE classes, Tami forces Julie and Tyra to participate in it. Riggins ends up coaching one team and Saceran the other. Lyla, as one would expect, is participating as well. The two coaches pick teams which we are privy to the first few. Saceran picks first, he turns around to pick Julie, who is seated with Tyra behind him on the bleachers (all the other girls are standing at center court), but he gets a little flustered and murmurs, “uh, I’ll pick, uh, Tyra, please”. Riggins turn, he asks the group, “does anyone know how to chop block?” Some girl timidly replies that she does, and that is Tim’s first pick. Matt sheepishly makes his second pick. Then Riggins, just to piss of Tyra even further, says, “Lyla, get over here.”, which draws a unison “oooohhhh” from the crowd. Saceran finally makes Julie his third pick.

The distinguishing personalities are really highlighted in the practice and game scenes. Riggins has an authoritative presence, while Saceran has a passive one. Lyla does exactly what she is told, while Tyra rebels and Julie is dismissive. Despite their faltering relationship, Saceran manages to talk Julie into playing quarterback, to which she hesitantly agrees, but is sure to get in a “You’re pathetic” as she does. Her and her father almost immediately recover from an argument about her skipping classes after he discovers she is playing QB in the powderpuff game. He teaches her some tricks of the trade, and Julie ends up bonding with both men in her life after this supposed “punishment”.

A few other points too mention:

-Street was invited to a tryout in Austin for the national quad rugby team after returning to school, his inability to perform an incision in biology class coupled with this invite motivates him to re-dropout and simply get his GED, much to the chagrin of Lyla.

- Tyra’s mom, if she isn’t already, will be sleeping with Buddy Garrity before the season is over. This development just increases Tyra’s seething hatred for Lyla. As of now, Lyla has slept with her estranged boyfriend, her dad gets routine lap dances from her older sister and her dad is about to start laying the wood to her mom. Might explain her seemingly unjustified disdain for Lyla and that hit she laid on her in the powderpuff flag football game.

-Landry returned in rare form as the referee for the powderpuff game. Not only giving coach Taylor a penalty for stepping across some line, but signaling the winning TD right in Riggins’ face. Good to have him back, that Landry.

Thoughts on The Office and Survivor tomorrow.