A Competitive Edge

Mark here...this episode is called "A Competitive Edge" and it's another zinger...and by zinger I mean another issues-based bore.  Basically, Brandon quits the Beverly Blaze for a hot minute to join the track team, only to find out the track team is using steroids. So of course, Brandon must rejoin the Blaze to get the story, but now he can be "undercover" since he's left the paper.  Yes, no one would suspect a thing.  It's all very "All the President's Men" with clandestine meetings in parking lots at night to discuss steroid use.  Oh, and Kelly's gay friend Kyle is back.  He's on the track team and becomes Brandons source.  Also, Steve is on the team.  We never see him using, but it's implied.

There's a subplot with Brenda in a car accident getting scammed by a woman who wants money.  It's pretty boring.

Laurel here...I can't believe Kelly's gay friend Kyle came back!  The special friends never come back, I'm glad they decided to make an exception.  Except this time he's the special friend because he's doing steroids.   The Brenda side note to this episode is she gets into a fender bender with a lady who pretends to be injured, but then Brenda catches her doing aerobics in her living room so all's well that ends well.

There's no specific style award this episode, except for that Mark and I have noticed over the past few episodes that "athletes" always wear their sweatpants hitched up and rolled over at the waist so everyone has camel toe, even the dudes.

The cocktail moment is when Brandon gets a wedgie in the locker room at the beginning of the episode.  Because he's just a dumb reporter and not a jock.

Mud Bowl

Mark here... Laurel and I just watched the next episode of Friday Night Lights, called "Mud Bowl".  Laurel made us a delicious Lasagna with a side of garlic bread and I made us a caesar salad to accompany it.

This episode was a bit slow to start with, picking up some of what's been going on.  To start with, there's an accident or fuel explosion near the field so the coach is forced to find a different location for the team to play the next game.  They chose a nearby cow field to play on and it ends up raining the night of the game, which is where the title of the episode, Mud Bowl, comes from.  Smash is still dealing with his bipolar girlfriend, who has struck up a friendship with Lyla Garrity.  So far not a lot comes from this except his girlfriend is upset when Smash discloses her condition to Lyla.

Landry convinces Tyra to let him tutor her and promptly misreads their relationship.  Then unexpectedly at the end of the episode, he is late in meeting her and she is assaulted by a guy in the diner parking lot.  She manages to fight him off just before Landry shows up and turns to him for support.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out and if Landry further misinterprets things.  Clearly Tyra is shocked and in need of a friend.

Tim Riggins has also continued his relationship with his older neighbor and it still feels like this won't end well...

Laurel here...I just wanted to elaborate on Tyra a little...she fights off her attacker in the most bad ass way!  He pushes her into HER truck to try and rape her, she pushes in the cigarette lighter and he doesn't notice during the struggle.  then she BURNS HIM IN THE FACE!!!  so awesome.  It gives her enough time to get out of the cab, when he tries to follow her out she slams his wrist in the door repeatedly.  such a bad ass.  Hopefully she will see it that way and not see herself as a victim.

Also Lyla is so awesome this episode.  Jason is feeling sorry for himself about not making the rugby team, and bummed about the lawsuit with the Taylors.  He ends up kind of taking it out on her, not returning her phonecalls and being super mean to her when she comes over to check in.  She throws a glass of water in his face and basically tells him to quit being a fucking baby and do something about it.  At the next law suit meeting he steps up and puts an end to it by making a compromise deal that both sides can live with.  Which seems to resolve things in a way where the Taylor's are off the hook financially.

Also Jason works a lot with Matt Seracen on his QB skills to help him get ready for the big game, and Matt kills it.  Panthers are going to state!  At the very end of the episode Coach Taylor asks Jason if he has ever thought about coaching...is there a job in Jason's near future?  I hope so, I know I am sick of seeing him mope around.

Spring Dance

Mark here... we've reached the penultimate episode of season one and Laurel has made a caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, roasted chick peas and a spinach, egg and parmesan soup. Very tasty!

On to the episode...we're at least not dealing with another "Very Special Episode" here, although the writing is a little melodramatic. This episode is called, "Spring Dance" and the gang is preparing for the spring dance. Andrea of course wants Brandon to ask her, but Brandon doesn't want to go...until Kelly asks him. Steve is jealous and there's an annoying plot line of Steve being a jerk and wanting to reunite with Kelly. This whole storyline is just boring and we just don't care enough about Steve and he behaves like too much of a jerk to care. Steve ends up going to the dance with Donna, who's plot line basically involves wearing an impractical dress and trying to sit down.

The better part of the episode involves Brenda losing her V-card to Dylan. Dylan has reserved a room in the hotel and they disappear during the dance to do the deed. It's at least a bit of realism, as we saw Brandon do it back in episode 2. Also, Kelly's reaction and congratulating Brenda is nice. The plus of this episode is that the focus is back on teen drama. Of course, then we have ugly duckling Andrea. First, she sits home in sweats watching some budget version of "Carrie" eating ice cream...but just in time she makes it to the dance in what looks like her mom's pillow case. And of course Beverly Hills is just a hop, skip and a jump from her home in Van Nuys...

Laurel here...I agree with Mark that it's really nice to get back to an episode that focuses on high school stuff and the relationships between the characters instead of yet another episode about racism, tumors, underprivileged kids, stray dogs, etc.

The funniest part of this episode for me is Andrea being indignant about going to the dance, to the point where she stays home and watches a prom horror movie in her sweats while everyone else is having fun when we all know what she really wants is to be part of the gang and hang out with the cool kids. What prompts her to go to the dance in the long run is that she has a daydream after she watches the movie that she is the Carrie character, disgruntled to the point that she tries to kill Kelly with a chainsaw (amazing image by the way, see style award). I think that we are supposed to identify with her and root for her as the underdog but she is just so annoying and unlikeable that it doesn't work. She's the worst.

Style award this episode goes to...Andrea! For her daydream horror chainsaw getup.

Cocktail moments: Brenda and Kelly wearing the same dress to the dance...so embarrassing!

David Silver winning the dance contest with his crazy wanna be hip hop moves. Or move, rather. just one.

and of course, any moment with Donna and her dress!