Friday Night Lights – Season 1
By Mal Simons, Blockbuster.co.uk
“You don’t have to worry, when there’s a fight I usually just stand in the back and yell stuff” – Matt Saracen
The second ‘Friday Night Lights’ to be based on the book by Henry Bissinger; Friday Night Lights tells the story of the Dillon Panthers, a college football team in rural Texas and the town of Dillon whose hopes and prayers are fixed on their success on the football field. Although based around this football team Friday Night Lights offers something for even those who know nothing about football with its multi faceted drama about middle class small town USA. Friday Night Lights comes highly recommended to rent with some terrific acting from all involved.
Back in 1990 Henry Bissinger wrote
Friday Night Lights: A town, a team and a dream. This book was the inspiration for a movie version of the book –
Friday Night Lights, directed by
Peter Berg (
The Kingdom) and starring
Billy Bob Thornton. After completing the film, Berg decided that the book would make the premise for a good TV series and that is where Friday Night Lights comes in – acting as a producer, Berg has brought together a brand new, talented cast headed up by
Kyle Chandler (
King Kong) along with a series of storylines that are less about football and more about the aspirations of the inhabitants of the town and its obsession with its players.
The first thing to say is that before watching FNL, American football was a bit of an oddity to me. I don’t particularly like British football – I more tolerate the sport. I watch the national games when it looks like we might win (which isn’t that often) and I’m a glory supporter who goes about his business without giving football a second thought for most of the year. I don’t understand the obsession with the game myself…
With American football though, I used to find this even stranger – to many Americans, football is the all encompassing force that binds the world together (under God no doubt). American teenagers are dressed up in their protective getup and then sent onto the field to do battle on a weekly basis for the honour and respect of their town. If they win, they are declared heroes while if they lose, they are blamed for their defeat. It’s a lot of pressure to place on people of such a young age but it sure makes for a good drama series.
FNL begins with a very football centric episode that fills in the background and really sets the scene for the future. If you don’t like American football do stick with it – the series gets much better. The first episode introduces Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler); he has just taken charge of the Panthers, the beloved team of the people of Dillon, Texas. With his star quarterback Jason Street (Eric Porter), the team went to the playoffs last year and are tipped to win the State championship this year.
In his first game as coach however, disaster strikes the team – Jason Street is paralysed from the waist down while tackling another player and Taylor has to call his backup quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) from the bench mid game and thrust him into the limelight to lead the team in this winning season. At the same time as being the centre of the town’s attention, timid Matt has to look after his sick grandmother while his father is serving in Iraq. Causing a headache for Coach Taylor, Matt also falls in love with Taylor’s daughter Julie (Aimee Teegarden) who her parents would prefer she didn’t date a footballer.
“I think I told that kid to get our daughter in the backseat of a car.”
- Coach Taylor
Throughout season 1 of Saturday Night Lights, we follow the football stars both on and off the field and the townspeople who are effected by the game (which is almost everyone in small town USA). We see Jason Street as he accepts being confined to a wheelchair; girlfriend, head Cheerleader Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) who goes from being a bubbly, upbeat girl to being increasingly withdrawn after making a mistake that devastates their relationship.
Other exceptional characters and storylines include that of Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) Jason’s best friend and the town bad boy who is either on the field or drunk on the couch; forced to live with his brother as their parents abandoned them. He undergoes something of a transformation over the course of the season, as does his on/ off girlfriend Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) who tries to put her reputation behind her and get her act together; while Riggins’ teammate Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) goes from being the God-preaching centre of the team to doing anything he can to shine on the field – even if those things are illegal.
Feeling authentic and with some absolutely cracking acting and camerawork, Friday Night Lights is more than another Football show – Footballers Wives this is not, this is a gritty, raw drama that offers something for everyone. Add to your list now.
Episodes featured on this DVD:
Pilot
A new football season kicks off, and the pressures are already mounting as a coach and his team face off on the muddy field of dreams.
Eyes Wide Open
When the mighty fall, the town is forced to pull together
as a second-string quarterback is unexpectedly thrust into
the spotlight.
Wind Sprints
Drastic measures are needed when a loss to an underdog
team has school officials pointing fingers and morale at a
risky low.
Who's Your Daddy?
Panther pride goes before personal crises as the team
prepares for a match against their biggest rival, the Tigers,
and Coach Taylor struggles to save his job.