I said in class that I think this is one of the best episodes that we've seen up to this point (with 5 left in the season). There's little not absolutely, uncomfortably, believable in this episode—even Tami just happening to be in the drugstore when Matt and Landry are looking at condoms. Hey, it's a small town. Matt pledging to Julie that nobody but he and the player whose cabin Matt and Julie are going to be using knows about the "plan": and his buddy is cool, he won't tell a soul. Of course in the next scene, the players are giving Matt all sorts of great advice (and we discover that Matt doesn't have a cell phone and totaled his grandmother's car the first day he got his license and has been driven by Landry ever since). Then there is Riggins dealing with his father's lie; Street's discovering how big a world there is outside of Dillon (allowed, ironically, only by his life-changing injury); Tyra's mother Angela being fired by Buddy with a several hundred dollar payoff from Buddy; Pam Garrity discovering Buddy's infidelity after church; and Tami and Eric's long night of waiting for their rapidly growing up daughter. As Sam said in class, so many of the plot strands the series has set up are now coming together; all being set up for some kind of resolution in the final episodes. Oh, and the Panthers keep winning. Perhaps this is the moment in the first season where football finally does seem less important than it has before, for both the characters and the viewer.
1. What moment, scene, stayed with you, stuck out for you, in this episode? And why?
2. One of the themes of this episode was discovery—and what do you do with that new knowledge? Think of nearly every character whom the episode focuses on (Smash and Lyla really aren't part of this episode): all have a moment of epiphany and then the decision of where to go from that realization. Talk about that moment in a character: what's the realization: what's the reaction: what does the reaction tell us about the character? Everyone cannot write about Julie and/or Matt. Five of you can; after five, choose another character. There's lots to write about here.
3. Speaking of epiphanies. In Chapter 14 of Bissinger's book, we get the real life versions of Lucas Mize in the series. What does the chapter tell us about what can happen to former Permian Panthers? And what is your reaction to what we see here? Go ahead and quote a couple times from the book here, and as much as possible, try to not repeat each other.
Five more episodes. In Permian, the Panthers are about to take on Dallas Carter. Summer vacation begins in five days. The excitement mounts. See you on Tuesday.
I think the scene that has really stayed with me is the scene when Riggins finds the camera and brings it to his father. They get anger with each other and raise their voices. Tim kicks his father out of the house, and his dad says “watch how easy this is.” I think this scene has stayed with me because it really shows the lack of parenting Tim has in life. All the kids in the show (except for Julie) have to be the adult in their family. The scene with Tim and his father exemplifies this- the son kicking the father out of the house. Then Tim has to take the shame of returning the camera when he really believed his father was innocent.
ReplyDeleteJulie’s realization is clear; she realizes she does not need to have sex with Matt. I think Julie is relieved when she realizes she doesn’t have to have sex with Matt. I believe she was afraid she’d lose him if they didn’t have sex, but she realizes that he doesn’t care whether they have or haven’t had sex. I also believe Julie thought she needed to have sex so that her relationship was “real,” but it seems she has learned that she and Matt have a good relationship no matter what. I think all the teenage characters in the series like to appear mature and that they know what is best for themselves. I think Julie’s decision not to have sex shows us how matures she truly is. She listened to her mother who knew what the right decision was. I respect her ability to listen to Tami and follow her mother’s advice.
The real Lucas Mize seems to be “Joe Bob Bizzell, the Golden Boy of golden boys, the one against whom all others were measured” (279). Bizzell had a chance to make it big, but he made a few mistakes and that was the end of college football for him. “At Permian it had been victory after victory. It was one exciting week after another, and the world seemed only to consist of cheers and praise and glory and rules that had no meaning” (282). When Bizzell went off to college, all the rules had meaning and he wasn’t allowed to slide by just because he was a great player. This is one of the things that struck me about this chapter. It seems at Permian the Panther boys don’t follow the rules or they know they will be let off easy, so when they arrive at a major university where they must abide by the rules, they don’t know how. Also outside of the tiny town of Odessa there is always somebody there to take your place. Bizzell didn’t think somebody could take his place, but “the Texas Longhorns had washed their hands of him and let him go after they found someone who played safety better than he ever could, but he still carried the legacy of the Longhorns with him” (281).
I found Jason’s reaction to Lyla’s appearance at camp to be a striking moment of realization. The realization that he didn’t really want to see her, the knowledge that he has been having a great time without her, and the admission that Herc was right are all part of Jason’s thought process when he sees Lyla (I think). I am personally at the point where I find Jason and Lula’s relationship to be dragging on. I don’t think it’s that great for either of them, and each of them have someone letting them know that fact. When Jason saw Lyla in Austin, I think the realization washed over him that he didn’t want that marriage, and he had just been using it to escape his issues and maybe even to tie Lyla down. He now knows he doesn’t need that.
ReplyDeleteI think Tim’s realization was interesting, because it was so necessary. In his heart, Tim knew that his brother despised his father, yet Tim himself had no reason to have the same attitude towards the man who had been missing for nearly Tim’s whole life. Tim definitely had to have his own negative experience with his father in order to make that decision himself, to see why his brother had removed himself from under the care of his alcoholic, compulsively lying father. The sad part of this is that we could tell that their father was really trying in his relationship with Tim. He made the effort to come to Dillon and watch the game and to maintain his connection with his son, even coming to live with him. It just wasn’t enough. The relationship was unhealthy for an already unstable Tim, and Tim recognized this and kicked his father out.
From what is spelled out in Chapter 14, Lucas Mize does not seem like the exception to those few Permian players who do make it: he seems very much like the rule. Joe Bob Bizzell made it from Permian to University of Texas; however, the fall after a trip to the Cotton Bowl, “… campus police stopped Joe Bob in his car and found a marijuana pipe. Darrell Royal responded by kicking him off the team” (280). This was a huge blow to both Bizzell’s ego and his life’s direction. As he put it, “there had been other players on the team who smoked dope and did drugs. But there were players who got away with it because of who they were, and those who did not” (282). The realization that he was no longer in Odessa, where a good football player could get away with anything, was one that did not come easily, and one that Bizzell could unfortunately only learn the hard way. It seems as though for some, getting away from the football culture is the only way for them to lead a healthy life. For Jerry Hix, his memories of football remained sweet because he never made it to college ball, so his final memory of football was the glory of the state championship, when kids were “…calling to him for his chin strap or his mouthpiece, or his arm pad or his earpiece, all these kids begging for a piece of Jerry Hix” (278). For Jerry Hix, his life has moved on, he still remembers his career and the beauty of football with nostalgia. But no matter what, this is better than the bitter what-ifs of Joe Bob Bizzell’s exit from football.
The scene that really stood out for me the most in this episode was the scene where Tami and Julie sit down and have a true mother-daughter talk about sex. For me this really stood out because this is the first time that we see Tami in a different light as a mother. Earlier in the season, she was very hard on Julie about Matt, but during this moment, she speaks from the heart and lets Julie go. I really liked this scene because it really shows the relationships with mothers and daughters very well, and it also shows why Tami was probably so protective before (it hints that she went through a similar experience as Julie). The scene was powerful and caused Julie to reevaluate her decisions as well and gain a new trust for her mother.
ReplyDeleteMatt’s realizes in this episode that Julie feels pressured to have sex just because everyone else does or because she thought he would be expecting it because he is QB 1 and the new star. I think when they are in the cabin and Julie is obviously uncomfortable, Matt realizes that Julie does not actually want to have sex but that she actually just wants to feel accepted. Matt realizes here that he loves Julie for who she is, not for who she is pretending or trying to be. I think the underlying meaning of the scene for Matt is just because he is QB 1 and a huge star on the football team; he does not have to be like all of the other players and do all of the stuff they do in order to be happy and have fun. Here, Matt discovers that he likes Julie when she’s happy, and that is good enough for him. The scene with them opened up Matt’s eyes to a world beyond popularity and pressure.
Most of the former players have done the expected: gone away for a bit and then came right back where they started. As we talked about in class before, no matter how much they failed in the real world, at Permian they would always be heroes. “Their pictures appeared on the Wall of Fame as in a shrine to eternal youth…” (275). They come back and can relive that one dream they had. But it is important to remember that the football players were not always the “golden boys” in their town, and sometimes they needed some discipline to shut down the egos. The coaches write a letter to shut down some of the attitude, “What we make reference to is the obvious lack of moral integrity and discipline among several members of this group” (268). As Rachel mentioned, Bizzell had everything going for him, but threw it all away with stupid, reckless decisions, much like those of Tim Riggins and Smash. This shows that out in the real world of football, outside of Odessa, there are smarter players who are ready to jump and replace you any second, and that nothing is permanent. There are no mistakes in football.
The scene that stuck with me from this episode was the scene when Tami brings up to Julie that she saw Matt buying condoms. I think this is a really moving scene between a daughter and her mother, and the sudden realization that Tami has. This conversation comes up with every mother and her daughter, so Tami knew it was coming at some point, she just didn't want it to. At first, Tami gets extremely upset that Julie is thinking of having sex, and she screams at her and tells her that she cannot. But then we see a change in attitude, and Tami stresses that she wants Julie to be able to talk to her. The reason for this I think is because Tami thinks back to when she was a teenager, and how her mother handled the whole situation. She realizes that as a mother, the most important thing is for her daughter to be able to talk to her, and she can trust the fact that she raised her daughter the way she wanted to and that she will make the right choices on her own. The way the two connect, how the two know each other so well, was very touching to me.
ReplyDeleteWhile it is the main realization in the episode, I find Julie's realization is important. Julie realizes that she does not need to have sex with Matt. Matt is totally okay with not having sex, and it changes her attitude completely. We can all see so clearly how the tension is lifted when she finds out she does not need to have sex, and the two really enjoy their time after that. In a way, how they decide that they do not need to have sex makes their relationship more satisfying, more real than it was before. They seem a lot more comfortable with each other now that they have comfortably come to a decision as a couple, a decision that they are both happy with. I think the realization comes from Julie's view of having sex. At first, Julie sees it as something that you do just because you are dating, or because you are older. She sees it as a right of passage almost, something that happens when you are in high school. But after talking to her mother, she starts to get the idea that sex is actually a huge deal, and it is meant for people who are in love. And then, when Matt tells her that they do not have to have sex, it hits her that you do not actually HAVE to have sex, and that it is not something that just comes with age. She realizes that it actually means something, and she makes the right decision.
This chapter tells us a lot about what can happen to Permian Panthers, but it also tells us about what is expected to happen. As it is in the series and in the book, players are praised and made famous by football their senior year. "It was one exciting week after another, and the world seemed only to consist of cheers and praise and glory and rules that had no meaning," (pg. 282). And then it is gone, and the players become nobodies who blend into the town. They are forgotten, and it draws them back to the football program to watch, so they can relive their glory days. Every once and a while a player has the opportunity to play in college, Like Bizzell. But he throws away his chances with bad decisions. A lot can happen to former Permian players, but the mentality that they are given while playing for Permian leads them to make bad decisions, and leads them to almost get nowhere in life. They are taught that they are invincible and nothing can happen to them, and that they are celebrities. Like Bizzell, this leads them to make decisions that they regret. "I wish I could have had an opportunity to play pro," (pg. 282). It also kind of keeps them from ever moving on from those glory days, and it affects the way their lives shape out for bigger and more important things. Permian football also seems to change the paths of former Permian players in what they want to do with their lives. While Ivory is not yet an alumni, it says in this chapter that he wants to be a preacher. But as they reach the playoffs and football becomes even more a part of his life, it changes his goal to playing college ball.
The scene that stayed with me from the last episode was when Tim found the camera his dad stole and kicked him out of the house. Tim, in that moment, was so wrought with disappointment in his father, particularly when he said, "I defended you, Dad." He has embedded an almost gargantuan amount of trust in his father - way too prematurely, in my opinion - and that trust has swiftly unraveled due to his father's theft and dishonesty. As Rachel pointed out, the roles of the children and the parents are frequently reversed, and the relationship between Tim and his father could be an example of this. However, my perspective of Tim in this scene was not influenced by parental qualities; instead, his behavior in kicking out his father had more of an adult nature, a nature that was all-too separate from a father-son relationship. Tim didn't reflect the actions of a son, but rather an adult with profuse power and authority over his father.
ReplyDeleteTami had a vital realization, which was that regardless of her desire to keep Julie in realm of her protection, Julie's maturation is inevitable. At the age of 15, sex and anything revolving around it can have a rather alarming entrance in a teenager's life, and Julie is undergoing that, to Tami's initial dismay. But, with Tami being arguably the most insightful of herself out of the characters, she has embraced the fact that Julie is indeed growing up, and resistance to that recognition will only prove to be problematic.
The sheer aptitude that Joe Bob Bizzell possessed was adored by many, and perhaps coveted by some - it was "something that rose beyond a rare gift, a natural talent, and had become a very part of him." (279) Yet, beyond the glorified lifestyle he led in high school, he carelessly eradicated his potential by not acting wisely and taking his opportunity at University of Texas for granted. Bizzell experienced the lone attitude of idolization at Permian, and nothing less. As Trapper said, "These kids think they're invincible. They put that P on their helmet and that black and white, they think nobody can kick their ass." (284) At Permian, Bizzell's actions most likely would have been pardoned, but outside that firmament, where "the world seemed only to consist of cheers and praise and glory and rules that had no meaning," (282) he is staggeringly ordinary, which is a mentality that is forced upon every player who leaves Permian, and must be accepted at an uncomfortably fast pace.
The scene that stuck out for me the most was when Tim went to Taylor’s door to return the camera. I thought it was a really raw moment because of the vulnerability Tim showed. The last time he saw Taylor he had enthusiastically defended his father and even verbally attacked him after the coach’s explanation. I think that while this event was very, very hard on Tim, it helped him grow as a person. If Tim hadn’t experienced his father first-hand and only knew of his irresponsibility and bad parenting through warnings from his brother, he would have never let the idea of his father go. Tim wanted to believe that the others were wrong and that his father was just misunderstood. However, this situation helped Tim finally realize that his brother was right and his father was not to be trusted.
ReplyDeleteJulie used to be the perfect little girl. She was an intellectual, loved her parents, hated football, and stuck to the rules. Then she began to grow up. She fought against her parents and rebelled with the help of Tyra. She tried to give off a strong persona when she was really just struggling with the idea that Matt wasn’t into her anymore, that he had become the “football player” that she had always prided in him not being. Julie did stupid things in the last couple of episodes but there is no doubt that she is still a smart girl. Like Tim, she needed to make some mistakes to be able to grow. I think that it was good that Tami, after talking to Julie, stepped back and started to trust her again. Tami trusted Julie to make the right decision and she did. Julie realized that she wasn’t ready and that Matt’s QB status didn’t automatically mean that he was ready as well. Julie was into the concept of being a “bad girl” like Tyra but, in her heart, knew she wasn’t that person.
The bottom line from Chapter 14 is that football is not forever. The job of being a football player is temporary. More often then not, the dream ends after high school. It doesn’t matter if you won state or if you were treated like a god after every game, it never lasts. Sure, you are remembered fondly when you return, worshipped as one of the many ‘greats’ of the past, but for most reminiscing is the only football-related thing they would do after high school. Jerry Hix lives an ordinary life. He loves his kids and wife and can’t complain. He has his own business and life but can’t forget the thrill of Permian football. He admits that he’d “‘give anything to go back there.’” (277): “‘I miss it. Like I say, if I could, I’d go back and relive that moment. Nothing can compare. I miss it...I don’t want to be apart from it.’” (278). Hix did not succeed as a football player outside of Permian and, because of this, still can not let go of his teenage life. He returns to watch “because they would be thankful to him forever.” (278). Another important point in this book was the fact that football not only affected a player emotionally but also physically. In class we are always in awe at the fact that the players never give up. We ooh and ah over the players with broken fingers and dislocated shoulders who hop right off the bench and into the game. We forget that there are consequences, that these are people, these are kids that are not invincible. Daniel Justis is the aftermath of relentless playing, an example of one of these invincible Permian players all grown up: “It may have been because of the arthritis in both hips or the one arm that was shorter than the other or the constant pain in his legs, It may have been because of the two separated shoulders...It may have been because of the coach in ninth grade who thought he was faking a broken arm and wouldn’t let him leave the practice field until the fluid built up.” (284). Point is, Permian football never goes away, no matter how old you get. It’s always with you whether you like it or not.
I think the scene that really stuck with me the most for some reason is when Tim Riggins feels so awful about himself and his life that he asks for a guy at a bar to fight him. And I’m pretty sure Riggins went into the fight knowing that he will lose against the big bar guys. When his brother and Tyra rescue him from the big guys who kept beating him up, his brother said something that I found really interesting. I think he said sometimes along the lines of “he’s just a kid,” referring to his little brother, Tim Riggins. And that scene made me think about how Tim Riggins really is the complete opposite of a kid. He is the one who for most of the season so far doesn’t live with either of his parents. They’re not even remotely in the picture until Tim needs a signature from his dad to not have his license taken away. Tim basically has raised himself and has to act like an adult because of the lack of parenting. For example, when Tim realizes his father stole, Tim acts very in charge and in control (like an adult would) by kicking his father out of the house. Also, on the football field, the coaches treat Tim like an adult and act like his profession is football. Tim has been forced to be an adult. So for his older brother to say “he’s just a kid” really reminded me that Tim Riggins is just a lost 18-year-old who acts recklessly when he doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions and hurt he feels towards his father. Yes, his situation and his town maybe force him to have to act like an adult, but really Tim is just an 18-year-old boy.
ReplyDeleteI think Tyra comes to the realization that she doesn’t need Riggins anymore. She’s grown past needing to be his girlfriend and sees that Riggins is returning to his drunk and reckless self. She even tells Riggins’ older brother that Tim has started drinking again and that he should help him. She doesn’t need to be with Tim Riggins anymore to make her feel like she’s someone. She’s already told him that she’d be hypocritical to take Riggins back like her mom won’t take her abusive ex back and she stands firm even with Riggins trying to win her back with his charm. And in this episode, when Riggins comes to Tyra’s job and asks her to take a break from her job to go talk to him, Tyra simply says she can’t, she’s too busy working. Tyra has become this confident, independent woman who’s trying (and I feel, succeeding) in not becoming her mother and older sister who both have to rely on men to make money and to make them feel happy and secure. I think the reaction to this realization that she doesn’t need Tim is that she still cares about him. For example, when Tim gets into the bar fight, Tyra ditches her mom to go and save Tim. I think them two will get back together but this time it’ll be a healthier relationship where Tyra doesn’t need to rely on Tim to make her happy but instead they can have a good mutual relationship and Tyra can still be the independent woman she has become.
The chapter about the fallen stars of the Permian Panther football showed us how the boys who were idolized during their football season ended up as men who’s best part of their lives was their football careers. I think one Permian coach truly summed up the experience of a Permian player life with this quote: “There’s no other feeling like it that you can feel from being on a championship team and playin’ with a group of guys like you’ve played with. It’s somethin’ you always have. Later on in life they can take your money away from you, they can take your house, they can take your car, they can’t take this kind of stuff away from you, somethin’ that you’ll always have and you’ll always be proud of.” Most of the ex players ended up with a wife and kids, a low paying job, and many aches and pains from their previous football career. It’s ironic because most of them say they would relive their high school football season if they could, even though they ended up with pretty miserable lives. One said he’d “give anything to go back out there” and another said: “I miss it. Like I say, if I could, I’d go back and relive that moment. Nothing can compare. I miss it.” It’s such an awful thing when grown men want to relive their glory days of high school football because they’ve been taught by their small town’s culture and society to think that high school football will be the best time of their lives. It’s so depressing. All the players don’t know how to adjust after their short-lived football careers to not being idolized stars, as one wife noted: “We all feel that our husband have been unhappier with everything after they got out of it. You see your name up in lights and people follow you and they put your name in the newspaper and then all of a sudden the season is over….” It seems like they almost go through an identity crisis after football: “Football was his identity, his life, the one and only thing people knew him for.” They don’t know how to get on with their lives because they’re trapped in their football identity. And not only are most emotionally scarred from the Permian football cycle they once went through, but also they are psychically scarred. They all have aches and pains and arthritis: “He felt it during the mornings when he couldn’t bend over to tie his shoes. He felt it when it became painfully difficult to throw a ball.” Their lives, for the most part, all turned out sad and pathetic.
ReplyDeleteThe scene that stuck with me the most is when Julie comes home late at night from hanging out with Matt. Her parents were mad, but they were more worried about what she had been up to. Tami’s facial expressions went from pissed to worried to relieved to looking like she was about to cry. She was relieved that Julie hadn’t had sex, but the fact that she’s all grown up struck her. It also seemed to strike Eric, as he almost looked like he was about to cry also, something that we haven’t seen in Eric. This scene stuck with me because Tami and Eric’s reactions showed how much they love Julie and care for her.
ReplyDeleteTim’s realization after he found out his father stole the camera was very important. When his father reappeared in his life, he thought it was awesome and he liked having a dad that came to his games and supported him. But when he found the camera, he realized that his father, time and time again, let him down and didn’t belong in his life. He realized his father brought more bad than good into his life. His reaction was kicking his father out of the house, and the reaction tells us that Tim finally understands that his father is a bad human being. Ignoring Tim and his brother for so long is bad enough, and now trying to hurt the football team, one of the only things Tim cares about, is going too far.
This chapter explains how high school football is really the peak in the lives of the players. Daniel Justis hated the game of football, but his wife thinks that is because he misses it. “Despite how much he hated it, or tried to hate it, he couldn’t get it out of his blood, and he missed the adulation and attention, missed the woman in Dallas who had commissioned a black panther statue for him, missed the Pearl Harbor – black headlines, missed the church sign slogans.” (pg 284) After their high school footballs careers, most players go from being superstars to being nobodies. “You live in a fairy tale for that one year of your life…You’re worshiped, and that year is over and you’re like anyone else” (pg 284) I think it is sad how these players feel invincible in high school and then they enter the real world and realize nothing will be as good as in once was.
The moment in which Tim returned the team’s newly acquired camera that his father had stolen to coach Taylor not only served to exemplify the mutual understanding and respect shared between Tim and his Coach, but additionally as an embodiment of the disconnect and superficiality of Tim’s recently rekindled relationship with his father. Tim’s refusal to heed Billy’s warnings regarding their father displays the overt dysfunctional nature of their family, and indirectly allows for an insightful view inside the inner workings of the Riggins family, rendering the scene, in my opinion, one of the most significant in the episodes we watched.
ReplyDeleteJulie’s realization regarding the fact that she does not have to have sex with Matt in order to attain any form of recognition or notability, or to garner the respect of Tyra. Julie, in similar fashion to numerous characters throughout the series, vies to amount to an individual of greater repute and eminence than of one of the homogenous entities Dillon is wholly comprised of. However, Tyra’s conscious psychological withdrawal from the moral principles, ideologies and practices of Dillon allow her to restore Julie’s altered moral compass, and thus allows Julie to reach a personally monumental epiphany.
The book confirms the notion that a sizable portion of Permian football players are an expendable, dehumanized asset of the Permian team whose sole purpose is to accumulate the largest amount of state championships that are attainable. While veneered to the extent that a former player stated, “You live in a fairy tale for that one year of your life […]” (284), the startling dissipation of the exuberant veneration displayed by the Permian fans during the football season with the often debilitating perception of being forsaken. Regarding the swift and seemingly malevolent abandonment of the players, the wife of former Permian standout Daniel Justis stated, “We all feel that our husbands have been unhappier with everything after they got out of it. You see your name up in lights and people follow you and they put your name in the newspaper and then all of a sudden the season is over. . . .” (284). The chapter further displayed Odessa’s lack of feasibly obtainable methods one can use to further themselves in life due to the town’s homogeneous nature in which attempts to distinguish oneself from Odessa, a town whose composition is egregiously lacking of any differentiation, is either temporarily and superficially lauded or viciously condemned. “He knew these kids had no soft cushion” (285), Bissinger said of Trapper, “The second the season was over they became vague, fuzzy shapes, as indistinguishable as the thick clouds that skimmed across the sky in the horizon” (285). While it has been apparent from the initial chapters of the book that Odessa is a town plagued by numerous woes, this particular chapter serves to display and elaborate upon an irreparably broken system in which the expendable nature of Permian football players yields lives mired with confusion and stinging reminiscence, as well as an unquestioned tolerance for a perpetual cycle in which the debilitating effects of the Permian football culture are granted continuation.
The moment that stayed with me was when Jason was hanging out with the tattoo artist at the camp. I think that this scene shows Jason branching out and accepting his injury and his new life. The tattoo design she shows him really fits with this idea. The design is peace written in Sanskrit writing. I think that it is nice that he can move on. I’m glad that he has found something that he enjoys. I think that this episode shows him being the happiest we’ve seen him after his injury.
ReplyDeleteTim has an epiphany about his father. He realizes that his father isn’t very reliable or trustworthy. When Tim finds the camera, he realizes that his father was lying to him. It is a sharp wake up call. At the end of the episode we see Tim getting beat up by the man from the pool game, and his brother and Tyra help him out. I think that Tim realizes that he doesn’t need his father and that he already has a family.
From this chapter, we see that nobody escapes from Permian football. Whether they like it or not, all of the players miss it. Jerry Hix says, “I miss it. Like I say, if I could, I’d go back and relive that moment. Nothing can compare. I miss it. I guess that’s why I have season tickets and go to the games. I don’t want to be apart from it.” (278) His experience is similar to a lot of other players. After being up so high in the social hierarchy, it is hard to go back to being a normal person. It would be hard to accept not being the center of attention after playing for the Panthers. Therefore almost all of the players live in the past, being constantly reminded of how good their lives used to be. Trapper realizes the problem with the program. There is no future for most of the players after football. “Trapper didn’t see the game as being a savior for these kids. He saw it as ‘the kiss of death.’” (284) Most of the players don’t get scholarships for football. Most of them end up leaving high school without having a good education, because they focused their lives on football and not academics. I think that Trapper really gets it right when he says, “’ How much better would it be if they concentrated that into school?’ he asked. ‘How much better would it be if they concentrated it into a job?’” (285)
The scene that really stuck with me was when Tim kicked his dad out of the house. He had started to build a relationship with his dad and had defended him against coach, but when he finds he camera he feels like his dad has betrayed him. He and his dad yell at each other and Tim kicks him out of the house. I think this scene really stuck with me because it shows that Tim has never had someone who has looked after him and now doesn’t need nor really want his dad.
ReplyDeleteI think that Tim really made a discovery about his dad. He realized that even though he has always wanted a father figure in his life, his dad is just a sleazy old man who steals and drinks. He finds out that he doesn’t need his dad and he doesn’t want anything to do with him. The moment when he finds the camera really shows who his dad really is and that Tim is almost better off without him.
I think this chapter shows us that the Mojo tradition of making their football players superstars has a long lasting effect on the players later in life. “I miss. Like I say, if I could, I’d go back and relive that moment. Nothing can compare.” (278) The players are so caught up in the past of being held as super stars, being able to break all the rules and get whatever you want or do whatever you want. The players don’t just suddenly start feeling or acting like normal people, they still want all the attention, they want people loving their every move. “You’re worshiped, and that year is over and you’re like anyone else.” (284)
The moment that stayed with me the most was when Tyra's mom slapped buddy Garrity in front of the church right next to Buddy's wife and Lyla. The scene was a shocking, watershed moment in the series and will no doubt cause a huge amount of fallout that will change Buddy and Lyla's lives forever.
ReplyDeleteTim Riggins has an epiphany when he discovers his father's stolen camera. Tim suddenly understands that his father has not changed one bit, and is still the shady character that his earlier life is described as.
The book shows that after football, Permian football players are cast aside as nobody's in the town, and the ex-players have a constant longing to go back and play football for Permian. “You live in a fairy tale for that one year of your life…You’re worshiped, and that year is over and you’re like anyone else” (pg 284). The way these players are thrusted into the spotlight, and then are pampered until they are slammed into harsh reality of the real world is quite disturbing. "It was one exciting week after another, and the world seemed only to consist of cheers and praise and glory and rules that had no meaning," (pg. 282). I find this very interesting because I can draw many parallels between the Permian Panthers football program and certain powerhouse college football teams. In both instances, the players are hailed as demi-gods, but right after their career ends, they suddenly disappear into thin air.
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ReplyDeleteThe scene that stuck out to me the most in this episode was the one in which Matt and Julie go to the weird cabin to have sex. It stuck out to me so much for two reasons. First, the whole scene was extremely awkward. There's a bunch of taxidermal animals on the walls; Julie asks Matt to cover up the Moose. The awkwardness made the scene very comedic. Second, the scene was also very sweet. Matt sees that Julie is uncomfortable, and tells her that they don't have to have sex if she doesn't want to. They then proceed to play childish games after Matt takes a quick hiatus.
ReplyDeleteI think Tami has a moment of realization when her daughter is missing and presumably having sex with Matt. She realizes that the most important thing for He relationship with her daughter is for Julie to be able to talk to her, daughter and mother. She's realizes that it is more important then preserving her daughter's innocence and protecting her from everything in the world. She decides that she shouldn't tell Julie that she cannot have sex if it puts that relationship at risk. She's got to let go of her overprotective instincts as a parent. I think this shows how good a parent Tami is. To desire a close relationship with her daughter instead of a stricter more regulated one seems to be the right call.
The book shows that Permian football players' lives peak their senior year: "At Permian it hat been victory after victory. It was one exciting week after another, and the world seemed only to consist of cheers and praise and glory and rules that had no meaning" (282). The football players live their senior years in high school as celebrities, getting cheers from the entire town. After that year most of them go back to normal people, but the few exceptional players go on to college ball. There they are not prepared to be treated less adoringly than in Odessa. He gets kicked off the team for the finding of a marijuana pipe in his car: "Darren Royal had shrewdly gauged the expendability of Joe Bob Bizzell" (280). This is something that would never have happened in Odessa because he was too valuable to the Odessa team and he was not prepared to be an expendable player in college.
My favorite scene from this episode is when Julie and Matt have decided that they don't need to have sex, so they resort to playing some sort of game with their legs. To me, this really emphasizes the fact that they are 15 and 16 year-olds. I keep bringing this up because the show focuses so much on the more "adult" side of the kids lives, which is football. The commitment the sport receives from the town and the players makes it seem as though football could make the town prosper as much as it did when the oil fields were being worked on. Football is a job. It's a way of life. This scene is among the few in the series that is trying to remind the audience that these are sophomores in high school, not adults.
ReplyDeleteCoach Taylor has two fairly straightforward, but important realizations in this episode. The first of which is that he cannot control Matt off the field the same way that he can on it. Coach Taylor and Matt have a conversation in a previous episode where Matt tells Eric that he will not stop seeing Julie just because Eric doesn't approve. From Taylor's reaction it seems that he's not really convinced of what Matt says. When Coach Taylor realizes that Matt meant what he said, he is forced to view his relationship with Matt in a new light. They are no longer just coach and player; they are father and boyfriend or, if you will, potential threat. The second realization is that Julie is not the same girl she was. It's difficult for any father to come to terms with the fact their daughter--in this case it seems to be a bit more extreme because Julie is an only child--does get older, and she does have different, more mature experiences with boys. Both of these realizations touch on Eric's control issues.
It’s no surprise that Permian football players return to Odessa. How could they not? In the real world, these boys were not seen to be heroic or above average in the same way that they were when they wore the Panther uniform. Permian was the one place for these boys where they could dream something, and then make it happen. The boys think “they're invincible. They put that P on their helmet and that black and white, they think nobody can kick their ass." (284) Bizzell had the right dreams when he was at Permian, but he didn’t execute them. I think Bissinger puts such a large emphasis on this because it ties back to one of the biggest themes of the book, which is that nothing lasts.
The scene that stayed with me was the scene when Julie was hesitating to have sex with Matt. In the past few episodes, Julie has been growing up rapidly. She has started hanging out with Tyra who maybe be putting bad thoughts in to Julie's young mind, but in the end, Julie does what she wants to do. In high school, it seems there is a ton of pressure to do that kind of thing, but we get a refreshment of the young Julie again when she decides to not do it with Matt. And being the innocent, understanding Matt, he agrees with Julie.
ReplyDeleteTim Riggins makes the discovery that his dad isn't really what he thought would be. He knew, before he went to see him, that he was selfish and self-centered, but when he comes back to Dillon, Tim's mind-set changes. So after a few days of his dad staying with Tim, Tim realizes something he doesn't enjoy. He still is the self-centered, selfish alcoholic he knew before. It all started (and ended) when Tim found the camera that was stolen from the AV room at school. Tim defended his father when Coach Taylor came to question his dad, so now Tim felt he betrayed his coach, and needed to kick his dad out.
This chapter shows that Permian football players always have the glory while they are there, but it never lasts. Like in the series, the players are in the present, they don't think about the future, maybe because they have too much stuff going on to think about it or because they don't want to. "I miss. Like I say, if I could, I'd go back and relive that moment. Nothing can compare." (278) All the ex-football players want to go back and be a Permian football player again, because nothing equals up to being on that field, and have all the shine.