(no subject)
Damn it. I did do a little work but then onelittlesleep went and posted a Friday Night Lights fic (pre-series, Coach/Tami, PG) and I find that I need to express a few thoughts about FNL because I really do think it is one of the best and most unique things on television right now.
Like many other people, I have to say that I don't care about football, don't even know the rules of football, and yet I love this show.
It's very *real*, whatever the hell that means. That's what everyone says. I think what they mean is that it has an aesthetic that is striking in its disimilarity from a lot of other TV shows--mostly in the way that it works to catch atmospheric moments and lived space, stuff that filters through the cracks in more plotty or broad-comedy driven narratives. It's also very brave, I think. Especially recently in the way that it has finally been directly addressing the race issues that were central to both the original book and the "true story" upon which it was based. What is especially admirable about the way that it does this is that it seems to express the ambivalence and shades of grey while also making the characters very relatable/charismatic, warts and all. Which is the thing about racism--it's pervasive in our culture, like pollution in the air that we breathe, so we are all unfortunately implicated.
I feel like the characters on this show are all constantly *learning* yet the tone of the show isn't pedantic or soap boxy. It's about...life.
And I LOVE the Coach/Tami marriage dynamic, what with how they clearly love each other very much yet argue, and it's not just all cutesy. But I pretty much care about every character on the show.
And Smash referenced Angela Davis this week!
But I have one dorky 'shippy thing to add: Matt/Julie next week's preview omg! Hormonal, adolescent confusion and naivety ftw! However, I'm also interested in the family dynamics there, which speaks well to the show in general--because every character is depicted as part of a community.
Oh! And it's got this incredibly cinematic visual style, with lots of mobile framing that compliments the *intimacy* of the scripts. And the colors!
HOWEVER, I still don't understand where all the Latino/as are. They're in Texas, wtf?
In conclusion, watch FNL. I doubt you'll be sorry.
Like many other people, I have to say that I don't care about football, don't even know the rules of football, and yet I love this show.
It's very *real*, whatever the hell that means. That's what everyone says. I think what they mean is that it has an aesthetic that is striking in its disimilarity from a lot of other TV shows--mostly in the way that it works to catch atmospheric moments and lived space, stuff that filters through the cracks in more plotty or broad-comedy driven narratives. It's also very brave, I think. Especially recently in the way that it has finally been directly addressing the race issues that were central to both the original book and the "true story" upon which it was based. What is especially admirable about the way that it does this is that it seems to express the ambivalence and shades of grey while also making the characters very relatable/charismatic, warts and all. Which is the thing about racism--it's pervasive in our culture, like pollution in the air that we breathe, so we are all unfortunately implicated.
I feel like the characters on this show are all constantly *learning* yet the tone of the show isn't pedantic or soap boxy. It's about...life.
And I LOVE the Coach/Tami marriage dynamic, what with how they clearly love each other very much yet argue, and it's not just all cutesy. But I pretty much care about every character on the show.
And Smash referenced Angela Davis this week!
But I have one dorky 'shippy thing to add: Matt/Julie next week's preview omg! Hormonal, adolescent confusion and naivety ftw! However, I'm also interested in the family dynamics there, which speaks well to the show in general--because every character is depicted as part of a community.
Oh! And it's got this incredibly cinematic visual style, with lots of mobile framing that compliments the *intimacy* of the scripts. And the colors!
HOWEVER, I still don't understand where all the Latino/as are. They're in Texas, wtf?
In conclusion, watch FNL. I doubt you'll be sorry.