Statuses

The series and it’s topics seem to have become a modern-day morality play now. Connie Britton has become the moral compass of the series which is one of the few things keeping it interesting. She sure has come a long way since The Brothers McMullen in 1995.

Episode 16 is a great standout episode for it’s coverage of race, but still feels a bit on-the-nose to me.
Episode 17 covers the obligatory virginity question, but managed to stay away from the Afterschool Special coverage of the topic. It was almost relatively sophisticated for network television without being too preachy. I wonder how this would have played in the 80’s?
Episode 18 is the beginning of the Buddy trainwreck we saw coming. I’m not sure I buy Buddy moving into the Coach’s house here. I’m a Dana Nicholson-Wheeler fan, but she just isn’t given much to work with here and her character is so one dimensional from a writing perspective.

We’ve now tipped fully away from the football toward a teenage-ish soap opera punctuated with some occasional adult plotlines to keep the big audience. The football, when it exists, is pretty weak and technically loose.

Episode 15 is one of the highlights of the show so far. Some interesting and timely drama that melds the football with the drama of race in America.

We’ve now switched over on the football/drama scales, and football is just a passing interest to the show now. There is a reasonable balance between the plotlines of the teenagers and the adults though.