clear eyes, full hearts...
I recently ended a love affair. With a television show. With actors Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, most specifically. When I embarked on watching the pilot for Friday Night Lights, I thought to myself, “wow. Why am I watching this? I don’t even like football all that much.” I never saw the movie version, and assumed when it first premiered on the air that it was probably going to be worse than a high-school drama…it was going to be a high school football drama that centered around cheerleaders, the good jocks vs. the bad boys and an improbably good-looking cast of characters. The improbably good-looking part turned out to be true, at least in part. But the rest of it, as formulaic as some of the storylines should have become, swung in an entirely different direction.
There was a ton of critical praise for this show. In my experience, that means I will generally love or hate it. But there is nothing trendy, genre-bending or freaky going on, which is usually my thing. I like to be transported when I watch a television series – if I invest my time in it, I want to be entertained. Horrified, cringe-worthy, completely unrealistic drama tempered with dark comedy is in my wheelhouse. So, a show about football players centered around family and character drama? I like to be proven wrong.
The most immediate thing that struck me about this show is the camerawork, the setups and the unique “eye” that contributes to the pace and styling of it from a completely aesthetic standpoint. This unique, at least for television, way of shooting scenes makes for more frenetic, energized action and really sets the tone of realism for the actors. Another big difference – the way the characters speak for themselves. Sure, the writing is pretty amazing. There’s a consistency through the five seasons that shows that. The conversations and the way that the characters interact is just far more believable and un”canned” than other shows out there. In watching the short documentary at the end of Season 5, the fact that the actors were given the space and freedom to go off-book and/or work with the dialogue to tailor it to their characters makes the entire ensemble’s achievement that much more impressive.
The Friday night football action scenes are actually quite something. Very in-your-face, supremely inspiring segments. This kind of show reminds you what football, and organized sports in general, really SHOULD be about. About heart. And raw talent. And striving to be better. Making mistakes and missteps both on and off the field. Forgiving yourself and others for those mistakes and missteps and moving forward. How to be competitive, fair, stepping outside your comfort zone, pushing the idea of teamwork and selflessness to achieve something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Those moments when you should do the right thing and sacrifice the “win” to deliver hard, life lessons. Believing in others and becoming a living, breathing example of practicing what you preach.
At the heart of the show, however, is the exploration of relationships – within the construct of family, friends, team, and community. There are big, dramatic proclamations and some ideas that knock you over the head with their simplicity. But those quiet moments, the unspoken looks and subtle reactions within one relationship in particular, are what really drive this show. Coach Taylor and Tami Taylor exemplify partnership in a television landscape that is rife with unrealistic and one-sided views of marriage and coupledom. I’m completely biased – Kyle Chandler’s performance in this role is mesmerizing, inspired and truthful. And Connie Britton’s contribution to this show is tantamount to its success as a whole. She is brutally honest, nuanced, lovable, driven, resilient and flawed. It’s a thing of great beauty to see such a strong female role model represented on a show based around a very male-centric world.
Am I making too much of this? After all, it’s just a television show. But having discovered it late in the game, I wanted to share it with anyone who hasn’t seen it. After one episode, I was hooked. My friends and I discuss it regularly. We annoy others with our obsessive need to dissect and praise episodes and characters. This is a completely gratuitous blog post – but it’s rare to find a tv show that can touch so wonderfully upon messages that can be applied to your life. And for some of us, make us remember when we used to like football – when it was pure, uncomplicated with contracts and prima donna players, and magic happened on a field every Friday night.
Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose!
There was a ton of critical praise for this show. In my experience, that means I will generally love or hate it. But there is nothing trendy, genre-bending or freaky going on, which is usually my thing. I like to be transported when I watch a television series – if I invest my time in it, I want to be entertained. Horrified, cringe-worthy, completely unrealistic drama tempered with dark comedy is in my wheelhouse. So, a show about football players centered around family and character drama? I like to be proven wrong.
The most immediate thing that struck me about this show is the camerawork, the setups and the unique “eye” that contributes to the pace and styling of it from a completely aesthetic standpoint. This unique, at least for television, way of shooting scenes makes for more frenetic, energized action and really sets the tone of realism for the actors. Another big difference – the way the characters speak for themselves. Sure, the writing is pretty amazing. There’s a consistency through the five seasons that shows that. The conversations and the way that the characters interact is just far more believable and un”canned” than other shows out there. In watching the short documentary at the end of Season 5, the fact that the actors were given the space and freedom to go off-book and/or work with the dialogue to tailor it to their characters makes the entire ensemble’s achievement that much more impressive.
The Friday night football action scenes are actually quite something. Very in-your-face, supremely inspiring segments. This kind of show reminds you what football, and organized sports in general, really SHOULD be about. About heart. And raw talent. And striving to be better. Making mistakes and missteps both on and off the field. Forgiving yourself and others for those mistakes and missteps and moving forward. How to be competitive, fair, stepping outside your comfort zone, pushing the idea of teamwork and selflessness to achieve something that is greater than the sum of its parts. Those moments when you should do the right thing and sacrifice the “win” to deliver hard, life lessons. Believing in others and becoming a living, breathing example of practicing what you preach.
At the heart of the show, however, is the exploration of relationships – within the construct of family, friends, team, and community. There are big, dramatic proclamations and some ideas that knock you over the head with their simplicity. But those quiet moments, the unspoken looks and subtle reactions within one relationship in particular, are what really drive this show. Coach Taylor and Tami Taylor exemplify partnership in a television landscape that is rife with unrealistic and one-sided views of marriage and coupledom. I’m completely biased – Kyle Chandler’s performance in this role is mesmerizing, inspired and truthful. And Connie Britton’s contribution to this show is tantamount to its success as a whole. She is brutally honest, nuanced, lovable, driven, resilient and flawed. It’s a thing of great beauty to see such a strong female role model represented on a show based around a very male-centric world.
Am I making too much of this? After all, it’s just a television show. But having discovered it late in the game, I wanted to share it with anyone who hasn’t seen it. After one episode, I was hooked. My friends and I discuss it regularly. We annoy others with our obsessive need to dissect and praise episodes and characters. This is a completely gratuitous blog post – but it’s rare to find a tv show that can touch so wonderfully upon messages that can be applied to your life. And for some of us, make us remember when we used to like football – when it was pure, uncomplicated with contracts and prima donna players, and magic happened on a field every Friday night.
Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose!
Comments
I have not seen the finale, but am really looking forward to it. I can tell from your post that it will deliver what we have come to expect from this show. Oh. Goosebumps.
Clear Eyes. Strong Hearts. Can't Lose. Nuff said.