Grid Effect

With two weeks in between episodes of a new series, remembering character names can be a real pain in the ass. Anyhow, I only caught the tail end of the pre-credits scene of Friday Night Lights yesterday. In that fragment of a clip, staying in the vein of film/television formalities: the girlfriend (Lyla) was physically consoling (reassuring) her mentally tormented boyfriend (Street) that she never cheated on him (she did). So I think I got the gist.

This week, Smash is still on the steroid/performance enhancing hunt, only to come across this amazonian woman straight out of the “if I had testicles, no one would be surprised” variety. She wants something to the tune of $1,200 for the pills, syringes, injections and whatever else. When he asks him mom for the money (for SAT courses), obviously clueless that $1,200 for his family would be a heavy financial burden, she tells him to “study the old fashioned way”. Obviously Smash is being unrealistic, if he was that good university boosters would be throwing steroid money at him.

He decides to take up working at Matt Saceran’s fast food joint. When Matt catches him stealing money out of the register one morning, Smash either pretends like he is putting back money he stole to mask that he is in the process of actually stealing it, or is genuinely returning money. After Smash goes into a tangent about not being able to afford another bad game, Saceran, more cerebral than he lets on, asks: “What do you need the money for?”. Smash stutters and stammers through a convoluted explanation.

When they attend church on Sunday, Smash’s mom, still under the impression he needs $1,200 for SAT courses, asked the preacher/minister to take up a donation in the middle of Sunday mass. Smash, who looks noticeably guilty, still gives the money to Xena regardless of any culpability. Obviously, things are not going to end well for him.

Speaking of our budding superstar quarterback, his courting attempts with Julie have worked… or at least mildly. When Matt follows up to his question last week, she says she is “considering” the prospect, which is really degrading, but he is in high school and this makes him optimistic. I guess she might be feeling a little trepidation, given that she is the coaches daughter and Matt is quarterbacking his team.
Tami is understandably worried after a sophomore girl came into her office and claimed a football player was pressuring her into a three-way and she doesn’t want her daughter involved in the same depraved culture. Coach Taylor is less concerned however, probably because he knows his quarterback will be much more effective if he gets a little, or maybe because he knows Matt is decent and doesn’t fit the jock stereotype. Though you couldn’t tell from the speech he gives Julie while playing ping-pong Ultimately, despite her parents best protests, she reluctantly agrees to a date… probably despite her parents protest.

Out of nowhere Billy Riggins shows up at practice, worried about handling Tim’s potential scholarship prospects. Whats even more surprising is he gives a shit. Taylor invites them over for dinner, where Billy reveals how financially neglectful his parents have been, who no longer live in Dillon. Tim is somewhat embarrassed by this detail and tries to cover for them, Billy’s not having any of it though, since he has had to shoulder the burden of not only supporting himself (on limited means, I imagine) but also Tim, and like any high schooler, Tim has no idea what that includes.

Back at the house they have a petty, typical brother argument that results in both of the rolling around on the floor trying to tear each others head off, with Tim proclaiming, “I would be better off by myself”. I am not sure if that is true or not. My guess is the latter.

In the climactic story of the week, as alluded to in the pre-credits scene, Street is certain that Riggins-Lyla have been getting on “intimate”. He is understandably paranoid, considering its true, but he doesn’t have any real evidence other than a gut feeling and a prolonged hug in a parking lot. At any rate, between a heated discussion about it with Herc, followed by a dismissive one with Taylor when he tries to discuss Riggins football prospects with Street, and Jason’s only reply is: everyone’s got a sad story”, when Taylor brings up Riggins’ lack of parental guidance; Street has made his decision about how to handle this situation. And thats to unexpectedly slug Tim in the face, as Herc said in their argument about it, “Just because were crippled doesn’t mean we have to take the crumbs.”

Lyla at least feels guilty over it, so she isn’t soulless. She confides the situation to Tami, and, are girls really this open with guidance counselors about their sexual indiscretions? First a rally girl wanting to engage in a threesome for a boyfriend and now this? Guess I wouldn’t really know as I have never been a guidance counselor nor a teenage girl. Anyway, she is contemplating coming clean with Street. And surprisingly enough, Tami advises otherwise under the bylines of “You would be apologizing for yourself, not for him… let him heal”. Which is actually sage advice as Lyla cries in her arms. I still have no sympathy for her or Riggins, I know I am supposed to, but I don’t.

Immediately after the punch Jason continues to roll into Tim and verbally berate him, “You are man enough to screw a cripple’s girlfriend but you’re not man enough to fight one?!… You’re a coward Tim! Always have been!” When Tim arrives home, Billy jumps up in shock when he sees the bruise on Tim’s face, and it looks like he is going to take up arms until he learns it was Jason, and realizes the mark is not undeserved. Instead, Billy hands him the frozen peas from earlier in the episode he was screaming about and a beer, which we last see Tim drinking.

Other notes:

-Apparently Tim and Tyra are dating again, or at least sleeping together. Because Tyra answered the door when she showed up at Tim’s house and he was wearing a shirt that was half-clinging to his body, it looks like he was pulled right out of Billy Walsh’s party at the Chateau Marmont from the first season of Entourage.

-As mentioned before, Street is now involved in the Murderball scene. He started off poorly and was even sent flying out of his chair, but used that and his seething hatred for Tim and Lyla as motivation and owned the remainder of the game.

-Dinner between the Riggins’ and the Taylor’s was awkward at best, and for whatever reason Julie kept eyeballing Tim. Many people have formed their own conclusions about this (She felt bad for him because of his parental situation, she found him attractive, etc), I am going to withhold judgment and see if they touch on it again.

Best exchange of the episode:

(Billy found out he lost his sales job)
Tim: You could sell weed again.
Billy: That was only temporary.
Tim: You’re a great role model.

All in all, very nice return after the two week hiatus. Looks like next week the team takes up Street’s cause and acts out his revenge.