What started out as a show about football in small town Texas has managed to now branch out—yet still remain true in spirit to its "inspiration," Bissinger's book. What happens at the end of Chapter 6 could fit right into the series: "There was a keg and a couple of cases of beer. A fight erupted for entertainment. A girl everyone agreed was about the toughest shit-kicker in Odessa knocked another girl to he ground with a few punches and then started slamming her head against a stone floor, leaving blood all over the place" (126). Okay, maybe that's a little extreme for the series. At the same time, the parties we see are pretty wild, with players puking on Julie's nice boots, and Voodoo and Smash almost coming to blows. This is not material for ninth grade Making Healthy Life Decisions class. And the players at the end of Chapter 4 mirror the Dillon Panthers in their arrogance and cockiness. Who cares if they lost—"they would still be gladiators, the ones envied by everyone else, the ones who knew the best parties and got the best girls and laughed the loudest and strutted so proudly through the halls of school as if it was their own wonderful, private kingdom" (127). This is exactly the attitude, as several of you noted in the previous blog, that makes Coach Taylor drag the team's sorry asses out in the middle of the night and makes them run wind sprints in a driving rainstorm.
This is a rich series, "Glee"-like as it might appear to be on the surface. Like the Berg film, it's not afraid to let the viewer figure things out; it trusts in the intelligence of the viewer. With that in mind...
1. Being coach at Dillon is often hellish for not just Eric but also for Tami, as she points out at the party sprung on her suddenly. For Eric, as we see at the end of "Get'Er Done," life is great when he wins; when he loses, though, he's being run out of town by fat guys at the burger joint. And the pressure of winning, as we've talked about, is terrible. So why does Eric coach at Dillon? Julie lets him know there are a lot of other places he—they—could go. But as he tells her, they aren't Texas, which is a blessing and a curse. So with all the negatives that coaching at Dillon has, why do you think Eric stays?
2. Short question: should Eric have started Voodoo or Matt? Answer in a sentence with a reason for your answer.
3. So much of the series revolves, of course, around the teenagers. And sure, some of the teens look awfully old to be playing seventeen year olds (Scott Porter who plays Jason Street was 27 at the time; Aimee Teegarden, however, who plays Julie was 17, just two years older than the sophomore she plays). That said, for you what does the show get right about the lives of these kids? Take specifics, okay—name a couple scenes that especially capture well authentic adolescent life.
4. The character we have probably the least information about and contact with, Tyra, finally gets real screen time. What was your reaction to her in this last episode?
This question is difficult to answer because I’m not even sure coach Taylor knows whey he coaches. I think Eric coaches at Dillon for the same reason Ivory plays football. He does not quite know the reason, but without football he wouldn’t be Eric Taylor. I think Taylor gets the same majestic feeling the players get when he steps out on the field every Friday for a game of football. Taylor seems to like the sense of community and the relationship he has with his boys even if it’s not always pleasant. Another reason (which could be totally off but just a thought) that Taylor coaches is because of his father. I remember some comment Taylor made to Saracen about Taylor’s father always on his ass to practice. I wonder Eric’s passion from coaching spawns from the drive his father had. Without a son Eric couldn’t have the relationship he had with his father, and he wants to have that connection with his players.
ReplyDeleteI think Eric should have started Voodoo because if he hadn’t the town would have gone off on him, and Eric seemed to know Voodoo wasn’t going to perform which allowed Matt to regain his spot as QB 1.
One scene that stands out in mind of capturing the authentic adolescent life is when Smash and Matt are outside the restaurant and Smash is trying to pick up girls for him and Saracen. It seems so typical teenage boy trying to talk the girls into hanging out with him and Saracen. On the other side of this I think the show does a good job of showing Matt’s attempt at getting Julie. He is shy and nervous and has no idea how to get a girl, but it is clear he really likes Julie. I think this happens repeatedly in teenage life. Another aspect the show gets right about teenage life is the vandalism that the teams do to one another. I think this happens a lot in competitive highschool sports.
I think Tyra is a character that has had to put up an incredibly hard exterior to survive life in Dillon, but on the inside she is really hurting. In the episode where Tyra goes to see Jason, she seems very genuine, but then she sleeps with the guy from out of town. It sends mixed signals about her character. I think Tyra is searching for a relationship with anyone that can be one based upon trust. Tyra seems like she wants a different life for her self but doesn’t know how to do it. I find myself after these episodes really liking Tyra. When you get past her hard exterior, I think she is a very sincere and perhaps misunderstood character.
Eric seems to derive a sizable amount of pleasure from high risk, high reward lifestyle of coaching football in Dillon. Due to the somewhat nomadic lifestyle led by a large proportion of competitive sports coaches, Eric may see refuge in the instantaneous immersion he experiences into Dillon’s community following a victory, an assimilation completed in a rapid nature that is an incredible rarity in the vast majority of the nation. Eric’s job is a well calculated gamble, yielding the community’s often ambivalent and whimsical perception of him and his performance, and although Dillon can be a malevolent entity at times, it serves as his best feasible chance for a life not plagued by fear of continual displacement or being prevented from leading a life apart from his job.
ReplyDeleteDue to the gradual cohesiveness Eric was able to instill between Saracen and the remaining starting lineup following the game in which Jason was injured, I believe that Matt should have started over Voodoo. Despite Voodoo’s unquestionably immense talent, his egotistical persona starkly contradicts the notion that the Dillon Panther’s work as a unit for and with each other.
The show captures the immense amount of amount of pressure and anxiety many teens face, of course to an inflated degree within the series due to the omnipresence of football in many individual’s lives. The scene in which Saracen tentatively asks Coach Eric is he will receive the starting position in the upcoming game and is met with contemptuous denial exemplifies Saracen’s sense of obligation to perform well, a sense accompanied by a great deal of anxiety, especially for his father, an individual who openly doubts Matt’s ability to play football. Matt’s equally tentative attempts to ask Julie out additionally show Matt’s dogged attempts to adhere to the team’s behaviors and practices, raising the issue of conformity among teenagers.
Tyra appeared to be acting in the same manner as Lyla in the previous episode, as she was in a somewhat similar situation with her boyfriend in addition to the capricious way both individuals conducted themselves following an argument or breakup with their respective boyfriends. Akin to Tim’s newfound perception of Dillon, it appears as if Tyra has developed opinions regarding Dillon that are incredibly differentiated from those she previously held. While she is still drawn to Dillon, it is also apparent that she is seeking escape and asylum from the place she previously wholeheartedly called home, thus possibly explaining her behavior with a seemingly well off individual from another state in the previous episode.
I think Eric stays because he’s willing to take the gamble of having all of the adulation and glorification or having the whole town vehemently hate him. He must think that the high of wining outweighs the low of losing probably because his Dillon football team wins more often than it loses. I think also because even though a small town in Texas has many negatives he also likes the lifestyle where his sport is the main focus of the town and his team is one of the best. It’s something he can take great pride in and feel good about.
ReplyDeleteI think Eric should have started Matt because Matt is someone who the team will be lead by, unlike the cocky Voodoo who doesn’t even pretend to act like he cares about the team.
I think the show gets the teenage mind and how sometimes teens act very impulse and immature. For example, the scene where after the rival team trashes their locker room, the team goes and smashes the opposing team’s coach’s car. That scene with the anger of the boys amounting to them needing to take revenge and physically let it out on the car could be something very realistic for teens in this context of small town Texas. Also the loyalty the teenagers show to each other and the unity they present themselves as is something teenagers tend to do. For example how Matt refuses to say who went to destroy the car even to coach Taylor. The show also shows the typical teenage experience well: the different groups, the parties, and teenage emotions.
I think Tyra now rejects the whole town and its culture and wants a way out. Her escape is to spend time with the out-of-towner. Yet, because she is in a place of feeling hurt, desperate, and vulnerable because of her bad break up with Riggins, she sleeps with the guy from LA. I think she’s just a confused, lonely, and hurt teenager who wants to get the hell out of town. My respect for Tyra went up a lot when she went to see Jason. I thought that was really sweet and showed that she’s more the just the tough girl she acts like. I think in this episode we got to see the vulnerable side to Tyra which was great.
I think Eric Taylor coaches the Panthers because without challenges in life, it is boring and not a lot of fun. This job is as challenging as a job can be, with constant pressure and loads of responsibilities. Some people like the challenge, and Coach Taylor is one of those people. The job has some benefits, like being the hero of the town if the team does well. There are many negative aspects of the job as well. Every decision the coach makes is under scrutiny from thousands of people, and dealing with egotistical high schoolers isn’t very easy. But for someone who loves football and dedicates his life to it, you would want to be coaching at the highest level possible.
ReplyDeleteEric should have started Voodoo, because he is the better football player. Eric’s job has to much pressure on getting just that W to make the decision he wants to make, but like her said, shouldn’t make.
The show understands the bad decision making of teenagers. A good example is when Matt goes with some of the other players to smash in the car of the opposing quarterback. He didn’t want to make that choice, but he did it because it was the “cool” thing to do. Teenagers are much more likely to make decisions they will regret when they are in groups and are affected by multiple people. Another example would be with Lyla and Tim. Lyla knows she shouldn’t be having the relationship she is having with Tim, and knows she is making a mistake. When she looks in the mirror at Tim’s house, you can tell she is thinking, “What kind of person have I become?” Her emotions get the best of her, something common among teenagers.
Tyra is sick of the town and the football. She wants to get out of it, but she knows she is stuck. Nothing new besides football happens, so her relationship with the oil man is something new and exciting. I didn’t think she was a moral girl because of her flirting around and the incident with Smash, but visiting Jason was something really kind and the moral thing to do. She seems like a tough woman, but inside she is very emotional, like when she cries when the oil man leaves and when she drives away from Tim.
1. I think that, despite all the pressure, Taylor enjoys coaching. He knows that he could coach for a team with half the talent in a town that doesn’t really care but it would not be the same. Coaching in Texas comes with incredible lows but also incredible highs. He might be threatened and ridiculed after a loss but it is the respect and honor that he receives after a win that makes him go out and risk it all every friday night.
ReplyDelete2. He should have started Matt because although Voodoo was incredible, the team didn’t trust him and football is a game that requires a really strong bond and trust between teammates.
3. I think that Matt’s awkward encounters with the coach’s daughter clearly display authentic teenage life. While all the other players have no trouble getting girls, Matt lacks the basic confident and smoothness that the others possess, something very realistic to teenage life no matter where you live. I also think that the television series captures, as others have mentioned, the impulsive and stupid decisions that teenagers sometimes make. For example, it was clear that Matt did not want to go with the rest of the football players to trash the opposite team’s QB car but he did anyway. He felt pressured by his fellow teammates and wanted to be accepted and valued on the team. Caught up in the spirit of the moment he felt like the only way to gain that acceptance was to follow along and even become the main orchestrater in the destruction of the car. I think that peer pressure is a common thing in teenage culture that leads to stupid decisions like it clearly did in the last episode.
4. I think that this episode showed Tyra in a different light. In all the other episodes she seemed strong and independent, uncaring of what others thought of her. She knew that her boyfriend cheated on her daily and she cheated on her boyfriend too, with his rival even. Tyra knew what people thought of her and she stayed true to herself anyways. In this one though, she shows a softer, more sensitive side. When the oil man from L.A. shows up she is at first reluctant but becomes enchanted by his different lifestyle. She knows that there is almost no way to escape her town and she tries to seduce the man into taking her with her. While Tyra was still using him, she seems hurt, disappointed almost, when the man leaves for his flight. Not only was he her ticket out but she began to develop feelings for him as well. Also in the other episodes it is clear that Tyra shows disdain for football and everything that comes with it but this episode is the first time that she explicitly expresses annoyance for football and the town that’s obsessed with it.
Coach Taylor is drawn to the fact that football is life or death in Texas. It is the most important thing, and as a coach he craves it. There is a risk in coaching in Texas, as it has been shown that when you lose a game all aspects of life are made very hard. But then, when you win, life is terrific, and the actual win is made to feel that much better. All of this on top of the actual feeling of winning. I think Eric craves this feeling of winning in a place where it matters more than anything. Eric is addicted to it, and he's willing to put up with the hardships he has to endure in the process. If he were to coach in another state where football was not life or death, he would not get the same feeling, the same satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteEric should have started Matt Saracen. He should have started him because a coach's job, the point in sports, is to prepare the players for the real world, to teach lessons that they will later use in life. Teaching his team morals, doing the right thing in starting the less talented quarterback who has earned it over the skilled but not deserving quarterback, would have been the right decision for Eric. It is so, so much more than just winning a football game.
While the show is extremely dramatic, and the average teenager's life is not that hard, I think the show does a good job at capturing the hardships teenagers face. Teenagers are very confused on what it is they really want, and most have no idea yet what it is they really want. Most don't get it, and it takes something big for them to understand. For example, the Dillon team finally understands once coach Taylor takes them out in the middle of the night to do wind sprints. Also, teenagers are portrayed correctly in this show through their companionship and relationships. Teenagers want and feel the need to have someone there for them, someone for them to connect with. There is the constant seeking for that other half in this show. For example, Lyla and Tim are very confused and don't know what it is they really need, just what they want. Tyra attaches quickly to this man from LA as a teenager in search of companionship.
In the last episode I actually gained more respect for Tyra than I previously had. Tyra shows a side of herself that is new. In previous episodes, Tyra only hooks up with other guys while fighting with Tim. There is no dimension to her until this episode. In this episode, she shows that she wants to get out of Texas, that she wants to find someone of value in her life, a relationship based off of true things as opposed to lust. I think the last scene is not out of lust, but a last minute attempt to hold on to what she has found. So, I can understand it more than if it was just out of lust, and I somewhat respect her just because I feel more connected.
1. I think that Eric is drawn to the excitement and dedication to Dillon football. The whole town is behind the team. I think that the pleasure of winning out ways the pain of losing. The excitement of the high risk, high reward feeling of football is addicting. The feeling of winning is so great, being on the top of the world having everything. Also since the whole town is devoted to football which means the team already has motivation to win and a high standard of play. Like how in the book one of the players went to play college football and quit, because the level of play wasn’t as high as Permian football. Anywhere else football just isn’t the same.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Eric should have started Matt, because even though Voodoo has the talent, he was being disrespectful to the coaches. Voodoo also seems to be only in it for himself. He is selfish and doesn’t have the same connection and trust with the team that Matt has.
3. I know that other people have said this already, but I think the scene were Matt is trying to talk with Julie is an authentic depiction of teenage life. He obviously doesn’t really know how to talk to girls, but he also obviously really likes her. I think that, that is a big part of teenage life. The awkward moments and how even though he doesn’t know what to do, he just goes for it. I think that there is a lot of trial and error in teenage lives. But making mistakes as an adolescent and learning from them is part of growing up.
4. I really liked her in these episodes. When she went to see Jason and apologize for Tim, I thought that that was a nice and genuine thing to do. My opinion of her changed a lot in these episodes. At first the only side of her that we had seen was her bad side, when she was flirting with Smash while dating Tim. But now we know that she isn’t as tough as she pretends to be. She puts up a façade, and really she is vulnerable and she wants to escape from Dillon. Know that I know more about her true self, I feel more emotionally attached to her as a character and makes her easier to relate to.
Eric coaches Dillon Panther football because simply he loves it. He loves competing at the highest level of highschool football he can possibly compete in because he is so competitive and is willing to do whatever it takes to win (i.e. wind sprints at 1AM). While he understands he is in a very high pressure situation, he always seems very calm and collected, even after a tough loss. Like any good coach should, he immediately begins thinking about the next week after a loss. This short-term memory of his allows him to operate effectively in the hell of highschool football in Dillon.
ReplyDeleteWhile it appears the Panthers are about to be hit by a recruiting violation over Voodoo, I believe Coach Taylor made the right call. The entire town was calling for him to start Voodoo, and if he didn't and they lost, he would have been out of Dillon by the end of the week. Because he started Voodoo, he was able to show the town how Voodoo is no god like the boosters believe he is, but someone playing with no heart and only in self-interest. He subsequently gets kicked off the team, allowing Taylor to safely play Saracen for then and the rest of the season.
The scene where Matt and his teammates destroy Arnette Meade's QB's car seemed like a very realistic retaliation to having your locker room completely trashed. Also, the scene when Lyla gives in to temptation by going into Riggin's house during her run seemed quite realistic. Because of her adolescent mind, she was not able to think clearly and calmly, and instead gave in to simple urges.
Tyra is a girl who simply wants to escape Dillon. When Connor arrives from Los Angeles, she sees him as a glimpse of what the outside world is like, and instantly latches on. While she has a tough girl persona, her softer side is highlighted when she visits Street in the hospital. Her life at home has not been shown yet, which would lead one to believe that she is not living in ideal conditions.
I think Eric stays in Texas because it has the best high school football in the nation. After coaching such a top notch team, it would be unsatisfying to coach a team from Seattle, even if there were more perks and less stress. Julie asks him if they can move there and he replies that the football is not the same. He loves football so much that he puts up with Dillon to coach a great team. He sees it as worth the pressure. At the same time, I think Eric is committed for the season to the boys on the team. He is attached to Matt and whole team and I think he feels he must endure the season with them, even if it is difficult.
ReplyDeleteAlthough in hindsight playing Matt would have been the better call, i think Eric made the right choice in playing Voodoo because the whole town would be mad at him if he didn't and he could have lost his job.
I think the shows portrays the confusion and uncertainty of adolescence well. You can tell the mixed feelings that Lyla has when she kisses Tim. She tells him it will never happen again and that it was a mistake, yet she proceeds to have sex with him multiple times. Tim also struggles with that situation. Lyla tells him frankly that he's sleeping with his best friends girl. After hearing this from her, he gets angry and pounds his fist against the bed.
It seems as though breaking up with Tim has changed Tyra. She used to be a part of the Premium system, flirting with football players and dating a starter. After the breakup, she is clearly sick of the whole town. When players ride by her restaurant cheering for the Panthers she describes them as stupid jocks unable to realize that have no future. She sees Dillon as a bad place to live with no escape. When the oil man comes to Dillon and falls for her, she sees that as a possible exit; however, her small chance is crushed when she finds out he's involved with another woman in LA and it was a one time thing. We see her sadness at the end of the episode when she sits in bed crying. Sad not because a lover is leaving, but mainly because she realizes that she'll probably be stuck in Dillon for the rest of her life.
1. Eric's reluctance to leaving the team is based solely on his ardor for his players. The commitment to his job that he has accumulated over the years is not one to simply throw away - it has been earned through both formidable and rewarding times. The concept of connection between the coach and the players has been prominent, and it has not relented in Eric's situation. He is well aware of other jobs, but those other jobs are not, and will never be, as copious, enthralling, and treacherous as his job in Dillon. There must be some kind of compromise with every career. In this case, it's the unyielding pressure and stress. But Eric's love for the game surpasses the negativity his job brings, and I don't think he would give it up for the world.
ReplyDelete2. Knowing that Voodoo's awareness of his teammates is severely lacking, and his ego has proven to be rampant in practice, Eric should have started Matt, who may not match Voodoo's skills, but recognizes both the validity of Eric's orders and the team's collective precedence over a single player.
3. Acting without thinking is often present in a teenager's life, and this is illustrated in Lyla and Tim's first kiss. It was an instinct-based action that could undoubtedly cause disastrous outcomes between the two of them and Jason. Matt's crush on Julie is, of course, adorable, as well as typical - he fumbles with words just as he fumbles with a football. It's an inevitable part of being a teenager. An annoying part, but an inevitable one nonetheless. Lyla's naivete could also be an example of adolescence. A typical teenager is sheltered from the harshness of adult life, and in Lyla's case, very sheltered. Lyla steps out of the mold that has been created for her and becomes involved with Tim, which could be seen as an act of rebellion. Branching out from the path that is provided and is expected to be followed is an action seen in almost every adolescent's life.
4. I sympathized with Tyra in this episode, simply because her relationship with Tim was so disheveled, and she finally came across someone who had a decent living. This new guy (did we ever get his name?) is Tim's polar opposite, and I'm curious to know what made Tyra so attracted to him. Towards the end of the episode, Tyra made quite a noteworthy comment by telling him that she was in a relationship. Clearly, she and Tim have separated, so that left me in a weird state, and I'm wondering why she would claim such a thing.
There is something about the community of sports, especially football in this town that is a blessing and a curse for Eric. Throughout the few episodes we have seen, it is clear that he questions his job. What is he even doing in this town anyway? I think that Eric coaches because of the irreplaceable feeling that he gets when his boys, the kids who he has trained so hard and have given their hearts to the game, play hard and bring home a win. There is no adrenaline high that is quite like winning a sports game. I think that despite his love for football and the sport, it has become part of his identity not just because of his love and passion for it, but because he feels responsible for these kids. The kids at Dillon High have no future other than their dreams of college ball, and Eric feels like through his coaching, he can better their lives in some way. His coaching is not really about football, but about teaching the guys how to be disciplined, work on a team, and grow as individuals. To Eric, football is just the way to get through to the kids, but his real reason for coaching and staying with his job even when it gets so stressful is because of his love and need to help the guys.
ReplyDeleteI would say Matt. He trained for it, he worked for it, and he got in the right mindset for it. That would have instantly made Voodoo leave the team and solve the problem without a threat of regulations and anger.
I think scenes that definitely mirror adolescent life are those with Matt Saracen and the coach’s daughter. Matt’s whole awkward and endearing persona really reflects teenage life in high school and how everyone is just trying to figure themselves out without trying to look stupid or embarrass themselves. Another teenage moment is definitely at the parties. I feel like the kids party for fun, but also to create a sort of “badass” image and experiment with rebellion, which I think is pretty characteristic of classic teenage stories. Both of these moments reflect how the kids are just trying to figure out where they belong and look “cool” while doing it, which I think is pretty prevalent in teenage life.
I definitely felt bad for Tyra because she feels totally used by Connor, not just physically but emotionally as well. I think when she met him; it was exciting because he was from somewhere far away, away from Texas and away from this town. After meeting him, she secretly got her hopes up about leaving the town, or at least the vision was seemed more possible in her life. I think she is struggling to figure out what she wants from her life and she feels completely trapped by the town. She is looking for an escape, to go and be who she wants to be without dealing with the drama. To me, Tyra is trapped and does not know where to begin to try and find a way out of the town.
Eric stays in Dillon because he is just as obsessed with the Panther football culture as anyone else. There is nothing like it, not in the pros and not in college, and Eric is definitely attracted to that just like everyone else. I also think that selective memory has much to do with his not leaving. If he walked around all the time thinking about how horrible it is for him to lose, there’s no way he would stay, but there’s nothing like a Panther win, and his selective memory allows for him to cherish this fact. The most interesting part about the head-coaching job in Dillon is that it really never ends. It’s more a lifestyle than a job position, and Eric, Tami, and Julie are learning this all too quickly.
ReplyDeleteEric was right to start Voodoo, because he would have inevitably wondered of the unknown had he started Saracen instead.
I think that both Matt Saracen and Tim Riggins portray teenage vulnerability quite well, but in starkly contrasting ways. Matt is awkward and has a bit of a stutter, and cannot hide his nervousness in any situation. Whenever he speaks to Julie, he fumbles with words and he just cannot even begin to embody the role of the confidant football stud he has been pushed into. Saracen’s awkwardness is contrasted by Tim’s hidden vulnerability. Tim shows that even those who can and do embody football macho only do so to mask their insecurity. With Riggins, it is obvious that he is emotionally fragile and unsure, and his early alcoholism and feigned machismo are purely masks that he uses to hide his true emotions. The observant can see this. While Riggins acts as though he believes he is much older than 17, his actions show the truest of teenager insecurities.
My reaction to her is that she yearns not only for attention, but also for loving. She is used to getting attention. The teenage boys in Dillon treat her as an indispensable object, but she craves more than that. She craves the true sense of being cared for that no one has yet to give her. This is why when Connor comes to town and displays genuine interest in her as a person, not just a female object, she tricks herself into thinking that this time it’s for real. That this outsider can give her what no boy from West Texas can; however, she is disappointed to discover that he is just like the rest of them, only a little better at faking it.
I believe Coach Taylor is staying in Dillon is because, if they were anywhere else, they wouldn't have the same experience. It's obvious Coach loves football, or else he wouldn't be a coach, so why do his job anywhere else than the place to be for high school football. You won't get the better atmosphere anywhere else but Dillion (or Odessa). I think he is also doing it for his players as well. He is feeling a bond between himself and his players and why leave that all behind just to move to another city.
ReplyDeleteI think he made the right decision starting Voodoo because he could make everybody happy, including himself.
The show gets the teenage romance problems right on the head. Some teens are committed to their "loved one", think they will get married together and have kids, like Lyla and Jason. Some aren't very committed, there is cheating in the relationship, like Tim and Tyra. But the one they capture the most of is Matt Saracen and Landry's love life. They're awkward around girls, but have the feelings for them. Matt Saracen always seems to say the wrong the thing when talking to Julie. I think a lot of boys are like that in high school, so the show gets every aspect of teenage love lives.
I am confused about Tyra. I really don't know what is up with her. She is much more mature than any of the other characters, almost as if she were a college student. She is the only one who wants to get out of Dillon, and move on with her life. So, I believe in the end of the episode when she is crying when her fling is leaving, I think it is more because she wants to go to Los Angeles with him, not because she likes him. She wants to get out Texas and no where near it, so this guy is her ticket out.