Friday Night Lights: State (Season Finale)

Can it really be? I've been through twenty-two episodes of Friday Night Lights already? Maybe it's just my reluctance to have the show end, but it seems like this season went by awfully fast. Last week I guessed that the team would win the game, Eric would stay in Dillon, and that the show would get a second season. I got answers for all three. The show will be returning!

Throughout much of the season I made a point of noting that this isn't a show about football. Most of the Panther games I got to see were given very short bits of episodes, and were usually not the focus of the episode. This episode altered that balance and gave a lot more time to the game. Understandably so, this was the state championship. It's something that these characters have been working toward for the entire season, so a big payoff was fitting.

Something that struck me about the episode was how much it echoed back to that first episode I saw back in October. The more subtle thing that brought this up was the end of the episode. That scene of Eric driving to the school while listening to sports radio was very reminiscent of how I first met him. Right down to the fact that what he was hearing wasn't the most flattering of broadcasts. Along with that was the story of the game.

Like that first game when Street got hurt, you could make the complaint that they didn't need to build up the big Hollywood ending the way they did. I'd even say that this game needed it less than the first one. At this point in the series, anyone watching is probably a fan of the show. And because of that, they have invested in the characters. They don't need an improbable comeback to sell them on anything. A back and forth game where they struggle to contain Voodoo but keep themselves in the game would have been fine. It's certainly not a huge complaint, but something that stands out as being unnecessary.

That said, the game footage was again very good. As was everything leading up to the game. I liked the wonder of it all as the team got a look at their locker room and stepped onto the Texas Stadium field for the first time. I even enjoyed the return of Voodoo. He's just so menacing. That little nugget where he offered Smash a spot with the Mustangs is something that could be revisited in season two. I don't think that Smash would leave Dillon, but there is still a story to be told there.

This was quite an episode for Eric as well. I really liked the scene where the reporter asked him about the job at TMU. Ever since he took the gig I've been waiting for that bomb to drop. The fact that it came on the eve of the big game made it that much more dramatic. He handled it well, and I thought he made a good case for why he was leaving to both the gathered boosters, and personally to Saracen.

After the game, when Eric poured out all of his feelings on everything to Tami, I was completely sold. Eric will be back at Dillon next year, coaching the team, new baby bouncing around the house. I was caught off guard by Tami's answer to all of that. "No, you've got to go to Austin." Apparently I have yet to learn the same lesson that Eric is missing, Tami Taylor usually knows best. She was right all along. It will be interesting to see how they handle the Austin/Dillon separation in season two.

There were a couple other good scenes for Tami tonight as well. Her meeting with Mrs. Williams at Planned Parenthood was a nice bit of continuity. And she might have had the line of the night with her explanation for missing the booster event, saying she couldn't handle "the Buddy Garrity of it all." The scene where she told Eric about the baby was also very sweet.

Away from football, Landry's state football adventure was fun to watch. Watching his reaction to Tyra inviting him to the game was almost as much fun as watching the crazy series of events that destroyed his big plans. The soundtrack for the trip changing from some sexy Crucifictorious to Lady Marmalade captures the essence of the whole thing. In a strange and twisted way though, it was some nice progress to the Landry/Tyra story, and sets itself up for the possibility of season two.

Tyra had a nice resolution with Lyla as well. It took some good christian intervention from Landry to get the ball rolling, but it goes to show how much the two of them are changing as the story goes along. They're both at a point now where moving on and rethinking things is an option, so it was nice to see them both embrace that idea.

And finally, Jason Street. Considering that his injury is what kicked off this adventure, it was nice to see it play out the way it did. He's back in control, his confidence is back, and he has something he loves to focus on and work at. I don't know if we are supposed to take that last scene as some kind of hint that he will be the head coach next season or not. But the Panthers did just win the state title with a first year coach. And I'm guessing that the word of Eric Taylor has some sway now. I could see him endorsing Street as his replacement with Mac and the rest of the staff staying on. Of course, that could lead to some drama, hopefully a whole seasons worth.

So, that does it for the first season of Friday Night Lights. I be back here in the fall to kick off a second run. I like this show even more now than I did when it started. Over the course of the season it became my favorite new show of the year, and without getting out the calculator to figure exact positioning, I'd say it's in my top 5 for all of TV right now. This was a nice way to wrap things up. I couldn't be happier about the way this season played out. With the Panthers winning, the Taylor's plans squared away, and all of our other characters ready to move on, I'll be anxious to see what the next season brings.

Soup of the Week & The Riches: The Big Floss

This soup is a snap to whip up. It tastes even better the next day.

Vegetable Cheese Soup

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 package (16 oz) frozen Californian-blend vegetables, thawed

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

3/4 cup Cheese Whiz

In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour until bended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in broth and vegetables. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in cheddar cheese and cheese sauce; cook until heated through and cheese is melted.

The Riches: The Big Floss

I mentioned in my last post about The Riches that the scene with Doug trying to handle the Homeowners against Panco didn't work for me. This week, Wayne's Doug stuff worked much better. The show needed Wayne to be put in his place. This is not an easy thing he is trying to do, and he's not going to be able to just bullshit his way out of every situation.

There was some great tension as the opposing attorneys continued to reference case after case, all of them going right over Wayne's head. I was wondering, how can they possibly get him out of this. And I was as surprised as everyone in that room when he just went to sleep. It was interesting how that move was deemed something of a cop-out by the rest of the family. What I really liked about it was that Hugh didn't buy into it for a second. His 48 hour deadline is the kind of thing I want to see. A little pressure for Wayne.

His solution this week was rather clever. You could make the argument that he sure got that guest lecture gig on awfully short notice, but I'm willing to let that one slide because I like how it all played out. Wayne got the answers that Doug needed, and did so in a way that didn't require him to know more than he should, or his foes to be idiots. It's also worth noting that Aubrey started asking about "Wayne."

I really liked the scene when Dahlia came to the office. "Wayne." "Dahlia." "Doug." "Cherien." "Aubrey."As Wayne was struggling with all of that, there was a nice parallel with Dahlia as she had her own troubles with her new job. Not only were they both having trouble adapting, they both had instances of covertly revealing their true colors to someone.

Dahlia's new job did set the stage for some good stuff. Her scenes with Isaac (Charlie Robinson, Night Court) were very good. More interesting though was how they effected Dahlia as she related Isaac's experience to what she and Wayne are going through. It's as if now that they set this ball in motion, nobody is willing to be the one that actually brings it to a stop. They all realize to some degree that it isn't going to work in the long run, but they are just too stubborn to cut and run.

Cael and DiDi picked up right where they left off with DiDi becoming more and more comfortable with the buffer life while Cael misses the old ways. It all led nicely to the payoff from last episode's cliff-hanger where we found Ginny watching the Malloys. I have to say, that one caught me off guard. I fully expected Ginny to want a cut in return for not ratting them out to Dale.

And when Wayne and Dahlia pulled Cael out of school and mentioned what it cost them, I was curious to hear the price. The price being DiDi's hand in marriage wasn't what I expected. I considered it, but given Wayne's reaction when Dale brought it up earlier in the series, I just didn't think it would happen. That was a nice bomb to drop at the end of the episode. Made all the more potent by the fact that Eric was finally over for dinner.

Of course, that wedding just can't happen. There is a line in the sand, and DiDi actually marrying Kenny is far to the 'not bloody likely' side of it. It should provide for some funny stuff over a couple episodes before the whole thing blows up and creates even more drama. Overall, I'm really happy with how the show is progressing. Considering Wayne's guest lecture gambit, a nice turn by Charlie Robinson, and the slow ratcheting of the tension with the traveler family, I'm thoroughly enjoying this show.

CSI: Big Shots

That was a pretty enjoyable episode. Pulling a move that CSI hasn't used in some time, the episode began with what seemed like two completely unrelated cases, but by the end of the episode, they were completely intertwined.

Adding to the episode was the return of Method Man, reprising his guest starring role as club and rap mogul Drops. The guy is a good actor. I don't care what anyone says. He brings this likability to any character he plays and Drops is no exception. He's a thug, but the whole time I still found myself rooting for him to find a way out.

However, the best part of the episode was definitely the closure Greg got from the Demetrius James case. Greg finally stood up for himself. It's about time.

That scene where he finally passed all his guilt off to Mrs. James and essentially told her that it wasn't his fault that her two sons chose the paths they took was great. It was a pretty powerful scene and it's the first time throughout this whole ordeal that we really saw Greg put himself first. Although he did tell the DA to go easy on the brother at the end. Not too sure how I felt about that. He was an accessory to a murder, even if he didn't realize it.

Elsewhere, Hodges has continued to develop as the most prominent minor character on the show. He's hilarious and I don't think I ever realized it. He was out in the field for a while (per Under Sheriff McKeen's orders) and once he got back in the lab and Catherine asked "if he was going to pull a Sanders" (i.e. move from the lab to the field), he said something about staying away from streets covered in bullets and urine. Priceless.

Other random stuff:

Was McKeen flirting with Sophia? He was awfully friendly and seemed set on feeding her as many compliments as he could spit out. I hope that doesn't go anywhere.

I loved it when Drops simply called Nick, "Crime Lab."

Speaking of Drops, it was equally funny when he gave his lawyer the fist pound after getting him off.

Book Review: "Snobs" by Julian Fellowes

"Snobs" is promoted on its back cover by many blurbs from critics who claim it is a humorous novel. It has humorous moments, but I cannot consider it a comedy. The publisher apparently thought that promoting it as a comedy would make it sell. I expected comedy, but the characters have too much depth to accomplish such humor in their depictions.

The novel misses the mark. It also fails to be convincing in its point of view since the first person narrator is absent from many of the scenes he describes, so one wonders how he knows everything he tells the reader.

What the novel does achieve is a heavy and saddening tone. The novel is very detailed in its depiction of the titled classes dullness and lack of intellectualism in 1990s England. It is a world unfamiliar to American readers - we know of the royals, but all the lords and ladies are alien to us. It is almost shocking to find this snobbish Jane Austen type world still exists two hundred years later, and without any Elizabeth Bennetts to redeem it. The title is not very descriptive for the book. Social Climbing or Upper Class Adultery would be more fitting, if less catchy.

Without revealing the plot, the story is of Edith, a middle class woman who manages to marry an Earl, then begins an affair with an actor for reasons she herself does not understand--is it boredom, sexual attraction to the actor, the realization that the false world she imagined does not exist? Once she commits adultery, her titled husband's class cuts her, not because she is an adulterer but because "to them, her folly was in abandoning the false values she had endorsed with her marriage."

The question is whether Edith will stay with her husband and even if she chooses her husband, if his class will allow her to return to him. Reference is not made directly to the Prince and Princess of Wales's romance and divorce, but it looms in the back of the reader's mind--the husband is named Charles.

Unfortunately, while the tale is interesting and attempts to be insightful, it fails to be intriguing. I never really cared whether Edith and Charles patched things up or not. These people appear to be completely insulated from the modern day and age, and while I suppose that is precisely Fellowes' point, I guess it just isn't MY cup of tea.

Lost: Left Behind

This episode of "Lost" was a bit of a snooze fest, if you ask me. I tried to be patient, assuming there would be some answers — to anything — by the end of it, but no cigar. Plus, the flashbacks were of Kate, and she is so not my favorite character. Still, there was a nice little sentimental theme of betraying the people you love (Kate's mother betrayed her, Sawyer betrayed Cassidy, Kate betrayed Jack), and the great con man Sawyer got a taste of his own medicine — by Hurley, no less!

Okay, seriously, the girl-on-girl wet t-shirt smackdown was a bit much, especially Kate's WWF-style "Are you done yet?!" Later, the two ladies fall in a giant mud puddle! So. Very. Gratuitous. Then again, last week's episode featured a nice shirtless Sawyer scene, so at least they're making these extraneous scenes a little more equal opportunity. And I have to say that that first flip that Juliet pulled on Kate was pretty cool.

There was a lot more of the good person vs. bad person stuff, which this season has been focusing on a lot:

—Locke says he told the Others that Kate was a "good person."

—Kate says she killed her stepfather because he was "a bad guy."

—Cassidy says that her man (Sawyer) was "a bad guy," and then says to Kate "One of us deserves something good."

In the tongue-in-cheek moment of the night, Kate says to Juliet, "Welcome to the wonderful world of not knowing what the hell is going on." Ha ha... exactly, Kate. Exactly.

Hurley tricks Sawyer into thinking that he's going to be banished by the Losties, a move that seems to be a reference to being "voted off" the island, a la "Survivor." When he learns the truth, Sawyer gives my favorite line of the night: "You tricked me into being decent?! That's gotta be the lamest con in the history of cons!"

Of course now that Sawyer is apparently their leader, it sets up all sorts of alpha male conflicts for when Jack returns.

The scene when the monster is apparently approaching Kate and Juliet was, I think, supposed to be suspenseful but was instead really boring. I just want to know why Smokey flashes light at the them.

It says "Cowboy Up" on Kate's hat, which made me laugh thinking of when Sawyer punched a crying Carl on the arm in and told him to "cowboy up!" I mean, who says "cowboy up"?

A few thoughts:

Where are the Others going? Back to the Hydra station? Another secret location?

Sawyer was reading Watership Down again. Has he run out of books, or is he reading several books at once?

"You sir, Hugo, are rotund." Priceless.

Kate has a system for her aliases: saints' names. She's used Anne, Monica, Margaret, Joan, and Lucy.

Stick a fork in Nikki and Paulo. They didn't dig their way out of their graves, and Vincent didn't save them.

Friday Night Lights: Best Laid Plans

One of the things I praise this show for is how well acted it is. Yet I think this episode might have set a new high mark.

I'm talking specifically about the argument Eric and Tami had over her proposal that she and Julie stay in Dillon while Eric goes to Austin. It's great writing to start with, and performed amazingly by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton.

Over the course of this TV season I have learned a lot about their relationship. They are one of the great television couples, but part of what makes them so great is their imperfections. I get the chance to see the happy, madly in love Taylors, but I also get to see the struggling, fighting Taylors. My favorite part was Eric's admission, "I'm not mature, I can't handle that." They are endlessly fascinating to me.

As long as I'm throwing around accolades for great acting, I should toss some at the fellow who plays Landry. This is not the Landry that I first met early in the season. His line to Saracen, "I'm just here for the comic relief for the star quarterback?" was interesting. That could have very easily been the arc of the Landry character, and it probably would have been just fine. Every now and again he'd pop up and say something witty, then step aside. This was so much better. Confiding in Saracen, his talk with Tami, being crushed by Tyra's misplaced anger, right on through their final conversation at the roast. It was all very good.

I liked how they left it too. Landry was a little harsh, but it was a big step for him. The easy thing would have been to fall right back into that puppy dog role and be glad for the attention from Tyra. Instead, he laid out all of his feelings and gave her something to think about. I thought that based on her look as he left, he got the message across.

Speaking of the roast, I liked the tension underneath what was outwardly a very happy-go-lucky time. With all of the disapproving looks from Saracen, and the fight that resumed between Eric and Tami, it seemed like there was a chance that the whole thing would just go off the rails and turn into a skewering of Eric as everyone asked, "Why are you leaving us?"

Tami's too good for that though, and I thought her speech was great. Sure, she was funny and charming, and Eric certainly does have, as Buddy put it, "a good one." The great part of the scene for me though, was that she was standing there in front of all those people, but really just making her case to Eric.

Eric's decision and how the Taylor family is going to deal with it did dominate the episode, but there were some smaller bits of the story worth noting. Buddy and Pam getting a divorce wasn't much of a surprise. I did like the way she corrected him though. "You're gonna see them every other weekend."

There wasn't a lot of screen time given to what is going on between Smash and Waverly, but I do really like that part of the story. They really have done a nice job of growing Smash's character. Much like Landry, he could have easily been relegated to the background, but the show is better for the time they have spent developing him.

I'm not sure if that was the end of Street and Lyla or not. It could be, but it just seems like that one still has some legs. It's not going to be pretty, and I've long since given up on any kind of hearts and flowers reconciliation. Not done yet though.

Either way, I have really enjoyed all of the scenes with Street and Susie, so I'm ok with Lyla moving on. Coach Street was fun to see too. I liked how he fell right into step with Eric when they started talking to Saracen. And hey, if Eric is getting a job in Austin, doesn't Susie live in Austin? Things are lining up for Street.

It's probably time to drop the Tim and just go back to talking about Riggins. It seems that Jackie finally wised up and realized that getting involved with a high school kid that has his own truckload of baggage isn't the best thing for her or her little boy. I'm not surprised, but I thought that would come some time after the mysterious husband/father showed up to flesh out Jackie's backstory.

So here I sit. One episode to go in what has been a great first season. I've got some big questions looming with that last episode. Will the Panthers win it all? Will Eric stay in Dillon after Tami told him she's not going to Austin? And most importantly, will I get a second season? My guesses, yes to all.

Dinner and a DVD: Ghost World

Cheese ravioli comes alive in this tangy, slightly sweet tomato sauce. With its tasty mix of seasoning, spinach and beans, you won't need a side dish.

Mexican-Style Ravioli

1 package (20 oz) refrigerated cheese ravioli

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 cup beef broth

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Dried oregano

Salt & Pepper

4 cups fresh baby spinach

Cook ravioli according to package directions. meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, beans, brown sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Drain ravioli; add to tomato mixture. Stir in spinach; cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until wilted.

Featured Attraction: Ghost World

Ghost World doesn't actually start with the phrase 'our lives would never be the same after that summer' but it might as well. The film follows Enid & Rebecca in the summer after graduation in a small American town. As you might expect they get dull jobs and have troubles with relationships & parents. Enid is artistic & slightly nerdy, Rebecca more ready to embrace a 'mainstream' existence and surprise surprise this puts strains on their relationship.

Like an overlong episode of Seinfeld, but with less plot and zero punchlines, I kept waiting anxiously for the movie to begin. Maybe there's some particular tone to the "Ghost World" comic that I completely missed out on, but this is the most rambling and incoherent script that I have seen in a while. (Snippets of plot, like the Batman hat or the controversial chicken-art, simply disappear rather than being wrapped together.)

Steve Buscemi, as well as most of the supporting characters, are quite entertaining. But it felt like watching the setting for a really good movie...and the good movie never showed up.

Thora Birch's (Enid) acting? It seemed like she mastered the don't-make-a-facial-expression schtick in "American Beauty" and pushed it into overdrive here - I was unconvinced by her.

And finally, the reason why my love for this movie was limited from the beginning is that I DIDN'T LIKE the main characters. Was I supposed to be charmed by Enid's consistent, unwavering self-centeredness? Don't get me wrong, I think it can be funny to show a couple of high-school grads driving around and being bitchy to everyone. With "Ghost World," however, I just wanted them to shut up. Maybe if, at some point during the movie, they had actually DONE something I would have felt differently.

Unless you want to be really depressed or enjoy watching people screw up their, and others', lives - don't even bother to see this movie.