7.7/10. The main story carries this one. The conflict of having to pick between the more talented player who doesn't buy into your system and the less-gifted player who's humbler and works harder is a bit trite, but the episode makes it work. I can't say I love Voodoo or his textbook disregard for Coach, but I respect that he's upfront about what their situation is, that he knows what his value is, and he acts accordingly. And I like that Matt works well as a mirror image, the guy who's doing his best out there and keeping his head down and trying to show his value. While I normally prefer such things as subtext, the conversation between Coach and Tami about who to start with and the reasons that Coach is conflcited works because it seems like a real conversation a husband and wife would have, trying to resolve their daily struggles together. (The "I'd love to start you" was a delightful little moment of realness there.)
And the finale gets a little too "sports movie" at times. Voodoo calling his own plays and refusing to listen and so forth gets a little overdone, and Matt coming in and managing to save the day is a bit Disney, but the episode does a good job at selling Coach trying to make it work, and Matt's success not coming magically, but through doing what's asked of him and also doing the dirty work like throwing a block on the option play. That win feels "earned" both in-universe and out, and it's nice to see Coach Taylor get some credit and a hint of stability after what's gone on in the first few episodes. That said, the issues with recruiting violations threatening to scuttle the whole deal is a nice note of storm clouds on the horizon to keep things from getting too saccharine.
Tyra's story is not as successful, but I do appreciate the show giving her shades beyond just "opportunistic bad girl." You do still get the sense that she's ready to jump onto the first train out of this dead end town she can, but you also see that she is, as Conner notes "opinionated," and you also get the sense that she has a better idea of what drives this town and its citizens better than most, and she's simply playing the game. The whole "used up love connection" angle is fairly weak and stereotypical, but the story does give us a bit more in terms of getting to know who Tyra is, where she came from, and what motivates her, making her a more three-dimensional character.
Lastly, there's more Riggins-Lyla stuff that's a snooze of tortured, forbidden romance crud, and more of the Jason Street-roommate storyline that continues the cliche festival. The latter is especially frustrating because there's a really interesting story to be told about a promising young athlete who has his dreams shattered by an injury like this and has to find a way to go on, but this is just trope after trope and nothing in the writing or acting manages to liven it all up. The only juice these two stories have is when they briefly intersect, as Tim's reaction to seeing Street is a worthwhile little moment, but otherwise these were the lowlights of the episode.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2016-06-17T18:25:36Z
7.7/10. The main story carries this one. The conflict of having to pick between the more talented player who doesn't buy into your system and the less-gifted player who's humbler and works harder is a bit trite, but the episode makes it work. I can't say I love Voodoo or his textbook disregard for Coach, but I respect that he's upfront about what their situation is, that he knows what his value is, and he acts accordingly. And I like that Matt works well as a mirror image, the guy who's doing his best out there and keeping his head down and trying to show his value. While I normally prefer such things as subtext, the conversation between Coach and Tami about who to start with and the reasons that Coach is conflcited works because it seems like a real conversation a husband and wife would have, trying to resolve their daily struggles together. (The "I'd love to start you" was a delightful little moment of realness there.)
And the finale gets a little too "sports movie" at times. Voodoo calling his own plays and refusing to listen and so forth gets a little overdone, and Matt coming in and managing to save the day is a bit Disney, but the episode does a good job at selling Coach trying to make it work, and Matt's success not coming magically, but through doing what's asked of him and also doing the dirty work like throwing a block on the option play. That win feels "earned" both in-universe and out, and it's nice to see Coach Taylor get some credit and a hint of stability after what's gone on in the first few episodes. That said, the issues with recruiting violations threatening to scuttle the whole deal is a nice note of storm clouds on the horizon to keep things from getting too saccharine.
Tyra's story is not as successful, but I do appreciate the show giving her shades beyond just "opportunistic bad girl." You do still get the sense that she's ready to jump onto the first train out of this dead end town she can, but you also see that she is, as Conner notes "opinionated," and you also get the sense that she has a better idea of what drives this town and its citizens better than most, and she's simply playing the game. The whole "used up love connection" angle is fairly weak and stereotypical, but the story does give us a bit more in terms of getting to know who Tyra is, where she came from, and what motivates her, making her a more three-dimensional character.
Lastly, there's more Riggins-Lyla stuff that's a snooze of tortured, forbidden romance crud, and more of the Jason Street-roommate storyline that continues the cliche festival. The latter is especially frustrating because there's a really interesting story to be told about a promising young athlete who has his dreams shattered by an injury like this and has to find a way to go on, but this is just trope after trope and nothing in the writing or acting manages to liven it all up. The only juice these two stories have is when they briefly intersect, as Tim's reaction to seeing Street is a worthwhile little moment, but otherwise these were the lowlights of the episode.