Friday Night Lights, 2x07, "Pantherama!"

The quality of Friday Night Lights continues to run all over the place. Some moments are genuinely poignant and effective, but there are also plenty of giant WTF moments.

When Tim Riggins had a brief affair with an older woman last season, it worked. For one thing, we got to see Tim with his shirt off, and that's definitely better than a poke in the eye, right? But the storyline also showed us a surprisingly kind, nurturing side of Tim and even avoided villainizing Jackie. And the situation seemed plausible. It happens. We hear about it on the news, and it may be more common than we like to think.

Now, not only is Matt Saracen apparently embarking on an affair with his grandmother’s adult live-in nurse, but Julie’s new Journalism teacher is being presented as a sexually predatory adult, as well—in the same episode! I’m assuming they’re trying to work with a theme about trustworthy adults versus predatory adults, and maybe it will actually play out beautifully if the show is able to run a full season (barring cancellation or a never-ending writer’s strike), but right now, it feels like a re-hash of something we’ve already seen, for the purpose of titillation as opposed to character study. I’m going to guess, or at least hope, that Julie’s teacher isn’t as predatory as he seems, though. He may be completely clueless, or he may be using her crush on him to soften her up to his educational journalism influence. Or something. That’s still kind of fucked up, but not as fucked up as trying to get into a 16-year-old girl’s pants.

Hightlights:

When Santiago was first introduced, I had him pegged as a sort of “Tim Riggins substitute” for Lyla. He’s troubled, he’s cute in the same sullen, full-lipped, big-eyed way that Tim is, and Lyla even offered him a ride, which is exactly how her fling with Tim began. I still wasn’t expecting to actually see the kid get shoved into the Dillon Panthers right after Tim was kicked off the team, though. But Santiago is surprisingly likable. We already know that he can become violent, and yet he seems sincere, quiet, and gentle. Also, Benny Ciaramello is really working that sweet, sad face.

Santiago may also be a way of exploring Buddy Garrity’s character in a way that they couldn’t do with any of the other already-established kids. When he told Tami that he honestly wanted to help the kid out, I was surprised to find that I actually believed him. He seemed as surprised as I was, like he was figuring out his own emotions as he spoke, rather than just feeding Tami his usual BS. Maybe Santiago will help to transition Buddy from a predatory, manipulative adult into a trustworthy adult?

Tim going to see the creepy ferret guy was also awesomely, absurdly random. I felt like I'd fallen into a David Lynch movie or something. Definitely a WTF moment, but a fun one this time.

Best quote of the episode:

Coach Taylor: ‘Athletic director and football coach Eric Taylor had no comment.’ She asked me through the bathroom door—what am I supposed to do? I was busy!