Wednesday, October 09, 2013

Friday Night Lights

Checking out the 2006-2011 Texas-based TV series Friday Night Lights. It seems warm and familiar like The Last Picture Show (1971) or Dazed and Confused (1993) but also fresh and new, luxuriating in longer term character development, extensive moral dilemmas and the annual cycle of American football seasons. Very good stuff.

You can look at this from multiple angles. For instance: change versus tradition, sort of like Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" (1948).  The cool thing is that Friday Night Lights lets you see change as both a good thing and a sad thing; same for tradition. What is football, anyway? What does football -- or any popular social ritual -- mean to people, and why? Is it important, or whimsical, or both? Is it healthy, or damaging, or both? Is it life-affirming, or life-denying, or both? 

One can empathize with all the main characters, no matter where they're coming from or going. I like that. It's a fun, thoughtful and engaging series.  Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.  

Today's Rune: Partnership.    

3 comments:

jodi said...

Erik-What! You're not watching Dallas?

Adorably Dead said...

Interesting questions you come up with.

I don't know, I guess it could be based upon how you yourself interprets, acts upon, and let yourself be influenced by said social ritual.

Charles Gramlich said...

I really kind of wanted to watch this but Lana had a show she was watching at the same time originally and I never got caught up. I may have to rent it season by seasons sometime.