Friday Night Lights Watch: Back So Soon?

Remember that Season 1 would have ended in December (in tv time) with the State Championship game. So in tv time, Coach would have been gone 8 or 9 months.

I agree with your review, James, but I gotta admit - it's nice to have Coach back in Dillon.

But his return wasn't seamless (the scene with the fired coach was intense, and you know that we'll be seeing him again on the opposing sideline), and to a large degree, the fired coach's regime did a bunch of damage. This isn't the united Dillon Panthers we saw at the end of last season - it has guys with big egos (Smash), guys with little confidence (Saracen, for now), guys who have lost their direction (Riggins), and players without talent (sorry Landry). I'm looking forward to the inevitably awesome scenes where Coach Taylor has to pull these guys back together as a unified team.

Add in the damage his departure did to his family, which he still needs to put in some work rebuilding, and we're set up to have our favorite storylines (the Taylor household, and the team) firing on all cylinders soon enough.

As for Tyra-Landry, I'm liking what this storyline is doing in giving Tyra something to do (too often last year she was just the "loose" girl without focus - now she seems to be getting her life in order, ironically, by being pulled so much closer to Landry due to this horrible accident), as well as making Landry more than comedic fodder (although we could use some good old Saracen-Landry scenes, or another Crucifictorious set). And let's not forget Agent Aaron Pierce as Landry's dad....arguably the best casting decision on television this season, non-Kristen Bell on Heroes division.

It's inevitable in a high school show, but what drives me nuts is suspension of reality on the grade that these kids are in. I thought Street was the prep stud going to Notre Dame and Riggins was his best friend since they were kids. All of a sudden Riggens is back for another year.

A high school team that wins the Texas state championship and returns all of its key players would be tops in the nation not losing games.

Sarasen punching Smash was a joke also. The entire year he dealt with his dad leaving, his grandma, becoming QB1 and did not break. Smash getting attention sends him over the top? Nah.

Agent Aaron Pierce! Fabulous, Chaddogg. I knew he looked familiar. What are there, about 25 working actors in Hollywood? I watch more TV shows where I'm suddenly distracted by seeing someone from another show and trying to figure out who they are. Wait, freeze frame! Roll back! That neighbor on The Riches! That's Kaitlin Olson from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia! And yo, there she is again on Curb Your Enthusiasm from a week ago! There's a game in there that could be every bit as good as Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. But, to get back on the subject--one of the things I actually like best about FNL is that, besides Coach and his wife, pretty much everybody is completely new to me. And perfectly cast, too.

I don't think there is anyway we could have gone longer without Coach Taylor. He is the heart and soul of the show. The Office had Michael and Dwight to carry the action in Scranton while Jim dealt with his new office. FNL only has Riggins to carry the show while Taylor is absentee. The only problem with that is that it doesn't allow us to get into the adult issues that made the first season deep and not just another high school drama. Taylor interacting with the community as a surrogate father (since he's the coach) provides some of the best FNL moments. The old coach still being out there and Landry's watch still floating around give us some nice loose ends. Plus, now Julie will have to fight to get Matt back...could be interesting.