The simple beauty of Friday Night Lights

(Note there are mild spoilers if you haven't ever seen Friday Night Lights. I have tried to not spoil the last season though, in case UK viewers want to try and track it down.)

A few weeks ago, NBC aired the last episode of Friday Night Lights. That this happened in 2011 and not 2007, should pretty much be considered a TV miracle. After criminally low ratings for two seasons and the Writers Strike of late 2007/early 2008, typical (revenue-driven) wisdom would say it should have been cancelled. But, on the back of critical praise, a small but dedicated fan base, and the fact that in 2008 NBC was suffering from a true lack of quality TV, an innovative deal was struck to keep Friday Night Lights (or FNL to those in the know) on the air. Three 13 episode seasons would be shown first on Direct TV (a satellite provider) and then re-aired on NBC. Nothing like this had really been tried before, and the deal saved what has certainly been one of the best shows in recent memory, and one of the best family dramas ever.

FNL has a lot of strengths, including strong writing, staying away from melodrama (usually), and strong acting anchored by its leads Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler. These two play Tami and (Coach) Eric Taylor and their marriage has been the heart of the show. One of FNL's biggest assets is its ability to bring the drama of everyday life to the viewers in respectful way. Simply put: it does "simple" well.

The Taylor's marriage is one of the most realistic portrayals of marriage that has been seen, and shows how much storytelling you can get out of a happily married couple. When watching, you never feel that the show was making fun of small-town Texas life; those of us from fly-over country (of which I include the South) are used to being portrayed as simple-minded, blindly religious, and naive. In FNL, it was easy to see ourselves and our lives reflected back to us and for those not from small towns to understand why they aren't so bad. Okay, except that everyone was really pretty, but it is TV after all. Football* was important for the show, as a backdrop and as a vehicle for storytelling, but I hesitate to call it a 'football show.' I will always maintain that you don't have to enjoy football to enjoy this show; not all agree with me on this, but I will hold the line on this one.

Of course the show wasn't perfect. Shows never really are, and it is easy to get bogged down in that second season that most want to forget-though I am not actually one of them. Whilst I believe the Tyra/Landry storyline (where they murder someone who was attacking Tyra) was ill-conceived the actors themselves did brilliant work to try and pull it off. And they almost did, but we were all glad when it was resolved. East Dillon, the rough side of town that became the focus for seasons four and five, came out of nowhere. ( We did grow to love it though, I think.) Julie seemed to get a lot of her worth and storylines from boys and I wasn't crazy about her arc in the last season, although it did get her to where she needed to be by the end. The show also still had a mostly white cast, but at least its minority characters were not just someone's best friend, which in the land of Hollywood is pretty big.

The second season also suffered from the aforementioned writers' strike and they dropped at least one character completely and without explanation. The shorter seasons (which is still not the norm in the US) also meant there were times when a plot point wasn't really explored after being introduced, such as the one about a gay assistant coach, which would have been really interesting. Characters were underused and we sometimes got from A to B a little to quickly and easily. The writers had some problems writing for its female characters if they weren't attached to a male in some way. See Lyla's born-again storyline. Although, I would prefer they try and create well-rounded characters even if they fail at it.

So, two (small) paragraphs of missteps and lost opportunities. I could fill two pages of what they got right, starting with the awesome Tami and Eric. Of the generally respectful handling of Jason Street's injury (in my non-disabled opinion, backed up by reading up on it to be sure). He was depressed deeply, tried out denial and almost had life threatening surgery, then moved on to acceptance. He came to understand that he still had a full happy life to live. One that was different than planned, one without walking, but still good. (He even gets to have sex!) Or I could mention the Tim Riggins character growth of selfish screw-up to a man willing to make sacrifices for those he loves. How Lyla played a role in the process, even if they weren't destined to be together forever. Tyra going from a bit of a stock popular girl to a college student. Matt Saracen's puppy dog eyes, his grandmother's dementia, his and Julie's 'one true pairing.' Of Smash making it when he thought he lost it, and his relationship with his mother. The promise of a college education for Vince and the understandable draw of big time football. Of Landry's dry humour, that was always welcome, or Jess' unflappable drive to become a female football coach. The role race and class play in friendships and in Dillon Football, how it shows who the have's and have nots are (clue, it's not always connected to winning) and how a white middle class coach fits in East Dillon. Of a real abortion storyline, where the girl doesn't miscarry as a convenient way around it.

FNL did a good job with phasing out old characters as they graduated and moved on, and introduced new characters. As in real life, each year a class graduates, and even if they stay in town, they aren't really part of high school any more. And you miss them, but you find some Freshmen (or first years) that you like too. And when they brought them back, well, it made sense too, and it happened like it might in real life. The show incorporated a lot of local actors, made Buddy Garrity loveable, and well, made me cry on a regular basis.

And when the end came, the writers and creators, did one heckuva job. Those responsible for this finale knew this time it was the end for sure, and frankly they knocked it out of the park. Or scored a touchdown if we don't want to mix up our sporting metaphors. The finale ensured closure and surely gave us long-time viewers satisfaction. The last 20 minutes were pure TV joy, that provided a brilliant scene between Eric and Tami that encapsulates everything great about the show (here, 1:24 in if you don't mind spoilers), and which I watched through tears. Of course.

I will certainly miss this show. But unlike others that I miss it is the rare one that I feel almost fully satisfied with. It's not Arrested Development only getting a 13 episode order, or Veronica Mars not knowing for sure where it stood as it ended. And it's not Lost where the viewers feel a bit like suckers for buying into the mythology only to find out it really wasn't that complicated. It was in fact, practically perfect in every way, and why we can say good-bye knowing that clear eyes and full hearts really can't lose.


*Football, in the American sense for this posting

In the end...

Well tonight (or tomorrow morning for those of us across the pond) is it: the end of Lost. The end of polar bears and time travel (on the same island), and an end to a particular-type of WTF moments. For me personally, so much has changed in the 5.5 years since lost debuted in 2004, it is amazing to think that I went from De Soto, MO to Leavenworth, KS, to Kingston, Jamaica, and London, England. From Cingular, to Saint Mary, to Big Brothers Big Sisters, to UTech & Roehampton, Starbucks, and the National Union of Students. Wow. Lost has truly been my 'constant' for a whole lot of change and jumping around the world (and even and island or two). It's the one show that I never miss, that I have to see as soon as I can. I'm probably more than just a little unreasonably sad about it ending, but when a show has been with you for all that change, when it's helped me make new friends, and when I've spent some great evenings watching it with old ones, it's sad to see it go.

I have high hopes for the finale, that in the end it will be fantastic and fun and yes, I really hope we'll get some answers (they really need to mention Walt). I know they can't possibly answer everything I want, but if it's done well, that's okay. So, instead of focussing on what they better show me, I just want to briefly reflect on what they already have, in my favorite epsiodes.

1) Walkabout--I've mentioned in on the blog before, but the episode where we learn that John Locke was a wheelchair user before they crashed on the island, was the first big moment of Lost for me. It also showed us a powerful and confident Locke on the island, my first favorite character. It was this episode that the flashback device was really used well, and brought suspense.

2) Flashes Before Your Eyes--My current favourite character is Desmond, something that started in this episode. He gets drunk with Charlie and Hurley and tells them what happened when he turned the key and the hatch imploded. It was our first taste of time travel, we met Eloise Hawking for the first time, and we get a hint of the growing importance of Desmond.

3) Greatest Hits--I loved the Desmond and Charlie interactions, and how hard Desmond fought to save Charlie's life. When Charlie finally comes to the realisation that his time is over, he is given once last episode. This one uses the flashback device to show what Charlie considers his 'Greatest Hits.' They are: learning to swim, saving a woman's life (who happened to be Sayid's Nadia), hearing "She's all everybody' for the first time on the radio, getting, his brother giving him a family ring, and meeting Claire. It was a sweet and poignant good-bye, and although Charlie didn't die until the season finale a few episodes later (remember, Not Penny's Boat), it was the perfect ending to a loved character.

4) The Constant--This is my all time favourite episode, and if you have noticed a theme, you will now: this is the one where Desmond keeps switching consciousnesses between the present and the past. If he doesn't find someone to be his 'constant,' someone to anchor him to a reality, he will die. Well, he realises that Penny must be his constant, and the ending where he calls her (like he told her he would) is one of the sweetest endings endings to an episode ever.

So that's it. All that's left is to watch and enjoy and say good bye!

40 Years of Sunny Days

I grew up in a small town in the middle part of America, the kind of town where the same families have lived generations, and everyone mostly looked like each other, which is to say, in my case, this was white. I point this out because for the most part my exposure until 18 or so to people who didn't look like me came from television, and as a small child, specifically from Sesame Street. In May, Sesame Street turned 40 years old, which makes it older than me, and also certainly make me part of the first generation that grew up with Sesame Street.

As someone who loves TV (obviously) it can certainly be easy for me to overstate the importance of a particular show in political or generational terms. And whilst I certainly do not want to say that, for example, Sesame Street is the only reason that Barack Obama was elected president, I think it is fair to say that Sesame Street played a part. So many of the people who elected him were 35 and under, or the Sesame Street generations.

I was an ideal canvas for Sesame Street I suppose. I grew up in a home not hearing racially motivated slurs of any kind, from a class position that would (especially as a kid) have been no higher than middle-middle class, and was generally taught, both in places like school and church, and by example from my parents, that all people were equal. What I lacked was many if any real life examples of People of Color, or even people with a disability. Sesame Street worked fit what I was being taught, and visually showed to me from a young age that Americans are all sorts of people. I think there were many children like me who were just as influence by this message.

Sesame Street was designed to give pre-K children a television learning experience, teaching us basic numbers and our Alphabet while also showing us life on the "Sesame Street." I somehow always knew that Sesame Street was in New York, and that New York was very different than my small town. But it was okay to be from a small town or a big city or somewhere in between! I can, to this day, count to 10 in Spanish, and know that "Hola means Hello." More importantly, because of Sesame Street, I knew that Gordon was Black, Linda was Deaf, Luis was Hispanic, Bob was White, Kermit was Green, and they all were friends with Big Bird, who is six. (I remember when I was six thinking how we were the same age!) Sesame Street has the most integrated cast in television, one that matches its message of acceptance.

Sesame Street has always gotten the biggest stars from film and politics and music, from Tina Fey to Jesse Jackson to Stevie Wonder. Sesame Street isn't "color blind"; it doesn't try and say there are no differences between us, but rather it says, we are all different in some way, and that's okay. I think the brilliance of Sesame Street is that is shows little kids what America should be like, before they realise that America is not like actually like that yet, and as they grow older these kids question why it is not like that. Sesame Street, and its progressive ideas on what America could be, have become part of our collective memories, and in turn, these attitudes have started to seep into our collective generational consciousness. We begin to believe that we can help make our country a bit more like Sesame Street. We are not where we need to be, but at least, we know we should be somewhere else.

Of course, the other great part about Sesame Street is that it is just so darn good! I could post about 20 clips that I love and remember from Sesame Street. Instead, I will stick to five.

1) This video, Me and My Chair, is one of those that has stuck with me after all these years. I certainly don't know why, but I never knew anyone who used a wheelchair when I was young so maybe that's why. Please excuse the bad video, and the bad voice, as I sing along.



2) I had to include this clip, sung by the Pointer Sisters. It routinely shows up in Best of Sesame Street lists. I can't argue because well, it is great. I warn you, it will get stuck in your head.



3) This is perhaps one of the saddest scenes ever in television. Big Bird can't understand that Mr Hooper (or Looper as Big Bird calls him) has died, and that this means he isn't coming back. I am old enough to remember when Mr Hooper was part of the cast and when he died. For some reason I have a memory of watching this at my Grandparents' house. It is a very pragmatic and real way of teaching children about death, and I sob every time I watch it.



4) The music is one of the best parts of Sesame Street, and there are so many I could include. There are the Bee-tles, Tammy Swine-ette, various musical guests, and a great version of Sing (sing a song). But for me, this one, sung by Ernie (and in this version) Aaron Neville, is one of the sweetest expressions of friendship in the form a very melodic, if slightly melancholic tune.



5) One of my absolute favorites, that I remember watching and singing to. It has the line, "my name is you" that I admit that as a kid, I didn't quite get what they meant but man, I totally wanted to play in that park with those kids. Who are all, like, 40 now. This is the perfect expression of "Sesame Street Values" and I for one think the choppy editing and crazy lip syncing add to its charm.



I really could go on and on, but once again, this post is so very long, and I didn't even talk about the Sesame Street records I used to listen to (like the one where Big Bird has to find the Orchestra). A great website to reminisce about Sesame Street is on Babble, where the author has posted 50 top Sesame Street moments, including the time when the adults finally see Snuffy. As one can see, when I love a television show, it is very easy for me to be idealistic and long winded!

So, I'll wind it up, with just one exaltation left to say: Happy Birthday Sesame Street, thanks for the memories, and keep up the good work.

Saying Au Revior to ER

I wrote my first television related article about E.R.; long before blogs, websites, or my family owning a VCR, I compared and reviewed E.R. and Chicago Hope for my high school newspaper, the "Eye of the Dragon." (For those of you not inclined to remember Chicago Hope, it too was a show about doctors in a Chicago hospital, although that is where the similarities ended).

Somewhere between there and here, I blinked, and 15 years went by. I am sure in some ways my 15 year-old self would not believe who she has become, or where she has gone--Jamaica, London, Leavenworth! But, some things have remained steadfast these many years, including, and amongst other things, my wicked laugh, worrying too much what people think of me, and of course my love of watching and writing about television. So, as E.R. officially ends tonight, I thought I should pay tribute to the show that gave me my start.

When E.R. first aired, I hadn't seen anything like it--fast-paced, quick dialogue, and so many cute men in one show (hey, I was 15!). I remember instantly liking the show, and also, instantly liking Dr. Carter. I had a total crush on him, and wanted to, like, marry him. The funny thing about E.R., is that, unlike Arrested Development or Sports Night, I can't really quote it, and I don't remember whole plots. But, I remember moments and, most of all, characters.

Par example:
I remember that Mark had a thing for Susan, but at the time was married to Jennifer, who had an affair with a guy in Milwaukee. Then Jennifer left Mark (taking Rachel, their daughter), but at this point, Susan was leaving, because her sister Chloe had a baby and was a junkie. This led to a great scene on a train but Susan still left (because for some reason Sherry Stringfield thought she'd get a better show?), and I always thought Susan and Mark would someday get together, in a very special episode. But, when she came back, it was too late (because, really, they never thought Sherry Stringfield would be back) Mark had ended up with Elisabeth, who dated Benton for awhile, but not before Peter and Carla had Reece (who was deaf) and Carla died. Not to mention Doug and Carole, who were never together, but always meant to be, but first he left, she had twins (Doug was the baby daddy), she flirted with Luka, but then moved to be with Doug. That is the same Luka, who ended up with Abby, but first Abby dated Carter.All of this from memory, btw, there was no episode guide cheating.

Also, these (in no particular order):

1) Love's Labor's Lost--a frequently cited episode from the first season, where a pregnant lady dies in childbirth because of a Mark Greene error. It truly did make me cry my eyes out, and it also starred Bradely Whitford who would later become a regular on the West Wing.
2) Lucy and Carter get stabbed, and Lucy dies--Long before killing off regular characters became 'trendy' it was a shock when Lucy (Kelly Martin) died from stab wounds inflicted in the E.R. by a patient suffering from a mental illness. It was sad and great and we still miss her. Also, it sort of killed Kelly Martin's career.
3) The evolution of Doug and Carole--Carole, who was supposed to die in the pilot episode, was always more mature than Doug. She knew she loved him, and she knew she couldn't change him. Doug always loved Carole, but he needed to change on his own. And it took five years, his departure, and twins, to get them together. But, boy, when they got together, in Carole's last episode and with a surprise George Clooney at the end, it was great. It probably also marked the end of the best E.R. had to offer.
4) Ewan McGregor on E.R.--He showed up in a 'very special episode' in 1997 as a convenience store robber and Carole totally dug him. He totally had a sexy accent and was conflicted in a sexy way and he died. Of course. It was all very sexy.
5) Dr. Ramano loses him arm. I have to say, this was prob. the beginning of the end for me. When he lost his arm from a helicopter wing, E.R. crossed the line into just too much drama to be in good taste. I had stopped watching by the time he died from being crushed by a helicopter and yet somehow I know he did. So, I guess this moment wasn't good, but it was memorable.

There are many more than these, but if I wrote all my E.R. memories, this already way too long post would stretch the limits of blogspot's bandwith. I watched E.R. for many years, because first it was great and then it was good, and then because it was habit. I really only quit when I moved to a place where I couldn't watch as much television as I used too, and some things had to go. But I still checked in occasionally, like when the girl from Bend it Like Beckham was added to the cast, or the cute kid from Once and Again. Now that there is only one more episode, I have to check out the return of George Clooney and Julianna Margulies and Eriq La Salle and Noah Wyle. It will be 1994 all over again.

E.R. always was able to make me laugh, but more often, it sure could make me cry. All of my favorite episodes/moments made me cry. (Okay, except for that Ramono one.) E.R. brings the emotions like no other show ever has, and for that it will always have a place in my heart. It still does, evidenced by the fact that within 10 minutes of the most recent episode I watched, I was bawling.

All of this is then, a really long, convoluted, way of saying good-bye to E.R. Good-bye to a show that saw me through high school and my 10 year high school reunion. Good-bye to a show that started when wearing flannel was cool. It is part of my television history, and part of the history of television. And also, just in case you think I am waxing just a wee bit too much poetic for a television show, let's not forget-- it also made George Clooney famous--and for that we must truly be grateful.

So, good-bye E.R. and your crazy, very special, extra dramatic story lines. We'll miss you!

(No Longer) Weekly Video Clip: The West Wing

I've been spending a lot of time doing research, looking for jobs, etc. on the Internet; in my flat I can only get the Internet downstairs, which is bad news when I need to be in a quiet space to get stuff done. But, it's good news when I want to watch some TV while I sit on the computer. I've been itching for something familiar and good and lately, I've been watching old episodes of the West Wing.

A long time ago, when the West Wing was still on the air and TV on DVD was in its infancy, I decided that I really really wanted the West Wing on DVD. Except that there was no option for it in the United States. The U.S. was in fact, a little bit behind on this phenomenon in regards to other countries, especially the United Kingdom. So I did some checking and found that the U.K. had the first two seasons on DVD. I think we were probably in the midst of the third season, so this is how long ago it was. Of course the problem was the DVDs were encoded for Region 2, and I was living in a Region 1 world. But, after even more checking and research (thank goodness for slow days and Internet at Cingular Wireless in the early 2000s), I purchased a region free DVD player. Which then allowed me to spend a God-knows-what-and-I-don't-want-to-even-try-to-remember amount of money on said first two seasons of the West Wing from Amazon UK. Of course eventually, about a year or two later, they did finally release the West Wing on DVD in the U.S. I never bought the other seasons, and then my DVD player stopped working, and thus the DVDs started gathering dust.

So flash forward about eight years and I find myself living in a Region 2 world, with a bunch of Region 1 DVDs. Except, and I am sure you have guessed it by now, my lovely lovely West Wing DVDs. So, I brought them back to the U.K. after Christmas and to bring it back to the first paragraph, started watching them.

The West Wing in its heyday makes for some of the best television ever. It is dramatic and funny and well-acted. It is of course, well-written, and I am sure it comes as no surprise that I love it. It was after all, created by Aaron Sorkin, one of my favorites, who will always have a special place in my television heart because of Sports Night. The first two seasons were its heyday, before season three which began its slow drop off. It regained some of its grandeur in the last season, but nothing can match the first two.

I love the show for its fast talking and walking, its look at politics, and for its late '90s, early '00s fashion. I also love it for its ability to make me cry. The clip below is from the second season, "The Stackhouse Filibuster." It is one of my favorite episodes of TV ever. It brings politics, dorky rules and procedures like the filibuster rules, and heart-string pulling all together. The short synopsis is that the White House is about to pass a health care bill, but Senator Stackhouse, a 78- year-old Democrat whom the White House doesn't take seriously, is holding up the vote. The story is told with voice overs of various staffers (CJ, Josh, and Sam) writing their parents. It is finally figured out that he simply wants autism research added to the bill, because he has an autistic grandson. When the White House finally comes to this conclusiont, they decide to help him, which leads to the resulting scene: