Friday Night Lights - Season 2 Thread (1 Viewer)

[Marty M]

I watched the show twice and specifically remember seeing Landry pick up a piece of lead pipe that was on the ground.

 

[pitchman]

Although the above was pure speculation on my part, I went back and spoilerized it after reading the following posts...

 

[Marty M]

Here is something that I recall reading in the TV Guide website regarding Coach Taylor. I will put it in spoilers.

IIRC, TV Guide website said that the current Dillon coach will be fired and Coach Taylor returns by the 8th episode.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Thanks for the info! I was more than ready to believe I was crazy, but now I see I can hold off on the diagnosis for now. Interesting.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

About that spoiler, Marty, that's a great way to do it IMO.

 

[Craig S]

About that last spoiler...

Chris Mulkey is credited as a "Special Guest Star". That's a sure sign to me he won't last the season. I believe his methods will alienate enough of the players (and their parents) to cause him trouble, and combined with a probable poor start to Dillon's season that's all the excuse the board will need to fire him mid-season.

We've already seen the seeds planted for Taylor leaving TMU when they ordered him back before his (legally-mandated) two weeks leave. Eric loves his wife fiercely and the scene where he had to break the news to her was heartbreaking. (it was another in a series of great scenes between Chandler & Britton, who are IMO already one of the all-time great couples in TV history. How they were not both nominated for Emmys is a complete mystery). I think in a few weeks he will resign from TMU and come back to Dillon to be with his family, and when the new coach is fired, he'll be there to step in.

As for the Landry story - I think his dilemma is that it's NOT a clear case of self-defense, and he knows it. He hit the guy from behind - twice (if I remember correctly). Also, I don't believe Tyra has EVER reported this guy to the authorities. Even when she was smart enough to drive to the police station when being followed she didn't follow-through and report it. It's going to sound to many like they're making up the story.

There's no doubt that this storyline is pretty sensationalistic for this show, but I believe the writers have earned the benefit of the doubt. Let's see where they go with it before declaring the show dead after one episode.

 

[Ken Chan]

She reported being attacked originally -- Landry convinced Mrs. Coach to convince Tyra to do so. She didn't know who he was, though.

As for self-defense: he attacked Tyra the first time; she fought him off. He stalked her and attacked her again; they fought him off a second time. On the spot, he then threatens to attack her again -- and then turning his back on them instantly makes him an innocent person? I dunno if it's "clear", or what the law is in Texas, but you should be able to make a case.

 

[Rob P S]

Here's an article that includes part of an interview with the producer about this controversial storyline:
http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2007/10/fri...ery_bad_t.html

 

[ScottH]

Interesting from that article:


To the people that watched the internet feed, did Landry hit him with the beer bottle while he was still in attack mode?

 

[Greg_S_H]

I don't want to read that article yet--stopped midway through Katims' second response--but I am eager to see the next episode to see what twist they take with this.

 

[Gwon Chang]

I was also a little disappointed with the Landry/Tyra murder/self-defense story line, but after reading some comments here, I feel better about it. After all, the writers completely kicked my ass last year. I'm confident they'll figure a pleasing way out of this one.

Now, completely changing gears, but is Julie's character getting MAJORLY annoying now? I think she's going a bit too far overboard with the awkward teen phase, the "um,........ yeah........., I'll see you then" type conversations (re: her and Matt in the Quik-E-Mart).

Anyway, that aside, I'm looking forward to next week.

Coach: "C'mere. Come Here. COME HERE!"
Love it!

 

[Marty M]

The author of the article was careful not to give out any spoilers concerning anything in episodes 2 and 3. It was nice to get the producer's perspective on the controversial storyline from the first episode.

 

[Raasean Asaad]

We don't know that the guy is dead although I a still disappointed in this plot turn.

 

[Craig S]

I'm no lawyer, but I've always understood that legally, self-defense is an "in the moment" kind of thing. The guy turning his back and walking away doesn't make him "innocent", but it does remove the imminent threat to Tyra & Landry, and therefore Landry's subsequent attack was NOT self-defense. It was a pre-emptive strike based on the guy's threats. The guy's a scumbag and we certainly sympathize with Landry at that moment (and a jury likely would as well), but the law doesn't allow him to do what he did.

In addition, remember that the only reported incident was the initial attack months ago. All of the recent stalking incidents are unreported. It drove me crazy that Tyra was smart enough to drive to the police station when she was being followed, but then didn't get the guy's license tag and immediately report it. Hell, there were even 2 cops right there. Not having any recent reports of the stalking is bad for Landry. For all the cops know, he had been waiting for this guy to come back to town so he could get revenge.

Landry's in deep shit, and as a cop's son, he knows it.

 

[Ken Chan]

Sure, but who said the law and common sense were always in sync?

The fact that the stalking was unreported shouldn't matter. Suppose he didn't stalk her first, but simply came back to attack her. What difference does that make at the time of the attack? If Landry had killed him with a pipe while he was in the middle of attacking Tyra, the police would still have to believe their story that he was attacking her. If there were no cameras or witnesses, they can't prove the attack; how do the police know they didn't attack him to steal his money, or as you suggest, simply for revenge?

If the law is the threat has to imminent, so we can decide who to put in prison, that's pretty lame.

 

[Chris]

That's not necessarily true. If Landry was present for the initial attack and the guy started to walk away after being hit, it doesn't remove the mental threat that Landry felt. He could say that because the guy was bigger, etc. that while he turned away Landry thought that he might be going for a weapon in a car or another way to continue the fight. Self Defense just has to be in continuance of the event. If Landry waited till the next day, found the guy at work and killed him.. yeah, that's a thought out killing. But if they were in a fight, the guy takes a few steps away, that doesn't necessarily stop the mental thought of a threat the guy posed. And if he was at all worried about that, Tyra and him could have both said "the guy was still cursing and screaming about us and we were scared brainless!"

I watched the Yahoo! version early and it was clearly a beer bottle (because it broke when he hit him) but the aired version is clearly a lead pipe. And that is a lot creepier.. and hard to understand.. you could get where Landry could find a beer bottle in front of a store, but who keeps lead pipes loose laying around (?)

Because season 1 was so good, I'm in it. But I hope this is not an attempt to "soap" it up in order to woo a different audience. Because this show had something really solid going on last year. A long soap opera over a murder coverup would hurt (IMHO) and be a real distraction to the day-to-day drama that made the show come across so well last year.

 

[Craig S]

I see your point... except we know that's not what happened. The guy didn't need another weapon; he handled Landry's first charge without any problem (let's face it - Landry's not a fighter) and could have kept wailing on him if he wanted to, and then gone back after Tyra. Instead he made some threat about another day and started to walk away. It seems you're arguing Tyra & Landry can concoct their own version of the story, and they can - but somehow I don't think Landry will be too good at lying - especially to his cop dad.

 

[Ken Chan]

Even -- or especially -- with the stalkings, they'd have to consider that they laid a trap for him on purpose. So what it boils down to is: is their story believable (if they tell the truth) and what is the mindset of the local DA.

 

[Patrick Sun]

This is the kind of stuff you missed out on when you just wolf down a season set over a few days. It takes a show like FNL to engage the viewers in the "what's going to happen next" guessing game.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I LOL at Saracen's new live-in nurse finding his pr0n stash.

Landry and Tyra take their relationship to another level. Landry had a good moment with the "man up" dissertation.

It's painful to see Buddy lost, his identity was so tied up into being part of the high school football program.

Seems like Julie didn't really take her dad's word to heart, she's bound and determine to feed her Swede need.

Wonder if Matt's QB play will suffer as he is basically heart-broken by Julie breaking up with him.

Tami had some trying moments (Connie Britton's work is really good).

Coach Taylor is seeing the unglamourous side of star college football players with huge egos. Couldn't tell if the TMU head coach was pleased or annoyed with what Eric did at the hearing, and the chewing out of the star player.

Riggins taunted the newly chaste Lila with flagrant PDA, but they had a nice moment after lugging drunk Buddy back to his apartment.