an intermission - my thoughts on 'friday night lights'

before I write my part 2 on "selling jesus" - what I intend to do is shed some light on what I think are movies that make us reflect on the cross/our lives as Christians, but may never be "categorized" as such - anyways...that's still coming along. I'm also wanting to share at some point some thoughts on what I've learned in my documentary media class, but since I only just finished writing the exam...I'm a bit exhausted from talking about it.

meanwhile, I'd like to talk a bit about 'friday night lights', a new NBC show this season starring Kyle Chandler (he used to have this show where he would get the next day's paper? and he would try to prevent the "bad things" from happening? anybody remember?) and Connie Britton (Jack's girlfriend while he was in hiding - mother of season 5's "ridiculously stupid teen"), set in small-town Dillon, Texas. And as you might realize from the title, it's about football. High-school football to be exact.

Now ya'll know I'm quite the TV junkie - I had to cut down this year just cuz...I didn't have the time! Currently I still watch Heroes (on hiatus though), Lost, Veronica Mars (also on hiatus...damn you Pussycat Dolls!), and House. And The Office. Although sitcoms shouldn't really count! *Sigh*...I feel like a loser admitting to all this...but, TOO BAD. SO I LIKE TV...KILL ME.=)

the last thing I needed was another show. SERIOUSLY. no no, SERIOUSLY. I've already rejected the many times friends have offered to lend me DVDs of Battlestar Galactica on the basis of: "no way I'm getting hooked!". but I've been reading and hearing so much about FNL that I just had to see for myself...

and boy did I love it. I even cried. and the damn show is about FOOTBALL.

you have to understand that my knowledge of football is extremely limited - definitely not a sport I feel I could watch and converse in adequately. but that didn't matter because FNL is all about the heart and soul of this town - its people, who love football, who live on football - and how they grow, how they struggle...and it all just hits home in the right amount. there's the underdog who gets the opportunity of a lifetime, the new coach who has the pressure of the whole town to bring this team to the state championships, the star player who has to begin life all over again - and I know at this point you're thinking: "Gosh darn, that sounds awful cheesy". But the thing is...the show is so exceptionally written that these characters, who could easy be two-dimensional, come to life without it seeming like they're trying too hard. I also deeply love the fact that the canvas of Texas that the writers/producers paint is one that isn't unlike any other community - watching the show almost ridicules me and my stereotypes of "small-town Texas".

Ultimately, I think the show is about the universality of human struggle...it's about vulnerability...and it's about waking up to life when you least expect to. it's also about community, about brotherly/sisterly love, and strangely, about God...and football.

I hope I've sparked your interest! To add to how beautiful this show is...it's filmed on location and Peter Berg has a way with the camera that's so natural that the realism speaks for itself. it's frakkin' brilliant, to say the least.