4×11 – Injury List + Zach Gilford Interview

Zach Gilford is amazing. I am really gonna miss him but I hope they find a way to for Julie and Matt to find their way back to each other. After all there are a few happy endings in this world

Thank you, thank you for the interview. It was so nice to hear Zach's perspective of the show and his character. He is such a fine, fine actor … I think we'll see much more of him in the future.

You're episode review was spot on. I'm with you … as Coach said to Smash while playing racket ball … "I just need something good to happen." After this rash of such heavy duty, weighted episodes, we all need something good to happen.

I have a different takes on THE game. What if by some freak occurrence, such as a Vince/Landry combo, the Lions actually won … knocking West Dillon (Dillon's only hope for State) out of the playoffs. Wouldn't at least half the town and the Panther Boosters want to lynch Coach Taylor?

Or, here's another one … what if the Lions knocked the Panthers out of the playoffs, causing Joe McCoy and Wade Aikmen to fall out of favor … and Coach was offered his old job back at West Dillon? What would he do??? Which school would he choose? (Conflict … Season finale) 🙂

Then again, the Lions could lose again; Coach hits the bar … again … and they send him to rehab over the haitus.

Sorry, but I thought of another (that is probably more plausible).

What if, because the Panthers are the town of Dillon's only hope for State, Coach clearly "let" the Panthers win … and his team was super angry with him.

Coach is really in a tight spot again. He's going to have half the town of Dillon mad at him if the Lions win (and maybe the town would take it out on him and Tami, again). Or what if he is fired if the Lions lose another game?

In other words, I don't see it as a feel good moment, at least not for long. Using the analogy one of you recently used, it will be Lucy stealing the football from Charley Brown all over again. 🙂

Probably not. I was just thinking of all possible scenarios. I'm sure there are others, too.

And I have not doubt that the writers will surprise us and put their own spin on the season finale.

After watching Laboring … as far a as a plot device goes … I wasn't too far off about letting someone win to keep the job, I just had the wrong character. It is Tami who is being asked to lie and admit she did something she didn't do to save her job.

I hope she doesn't read that statement as written.

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Great interview with Zach!

I'm most incensed right now with the Becky/Luke's mom/Tammy storyline right now. The fact that Tammy had to be dragged into it even further by the woman at the school board not taking in that "Becky's mom drove her to the abortion," or the fact that they didn't have Tammy repeat that over and over or something. Why can't they follow up with Becky's mom? I'm very frustrated.

Also, why is it that we have these scenes with Becky and Luke or Becky and a member of Luke's family that aren't seen, and then we don't know what happened, or have to try to guess what happened? Does this stuff end up on the editing floor, and then it leaves significant holes in the show plotline?

I really, really love the show but get frustrated when they're still trying to cram storylines for a 22-show season into 13 episodes. It's why I think Season 1 is still the best and most perfect season of this show ever; I'm left with characters and scenes strengthening the other 3 seasons without being able to complement those seasons as a whole. We as viewers get frustrated when we don't get enough of this character or that character and storylines go quicker than we think they should, because of this.

I definitely agree that the show needs to have some lighter moments, one thing I love about FNL is that the show can have me teary eyed one moment and then laughing another, but these past couple episodes it's mostly just been teary eyed, the end were Vince was crying with Jess was heartbreaking, hopefully like you said we can end Season 4 on a lighter note. I think with Season 5 where presumably Julie, Laundry and Tim just becoming recurring there will be more time to focus on the new characters and really to expand on them, they'll have more space. But no matter what FNL is still my favourite show on telly!

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Here, here! Mine, too. 🙂

I might have to disagree about the length of seasons. I like the mystery of the show. For me it all adds to the realism. In real life we aren't privy to actual one on one conversations, and that's why people choose sides. And for most dramas, 13 episodes keeps us guessing, but 22 I think would be too much fluff.

I loved season 1. But I don't think that's a fair comparison because most first seasons are the ones that make you like or dislike the show. Now we're used to the "realism", the different camera work, and the characters. For every show I love, the first season always seems to be one of the best. You're still getting to know it so nothing feels played out.

But compare the fifteen episodes of season two(originally scheduled for 22 but shortened because of the writers strike) with the 13 episodes in season three. Three is vastly superior because they knew they had a much shorter story arc to construct. So there are things we don't see, but the finished product I think is much better.

Although obviously I would love to see more episodes, at times I think the story lines are tighter, dialogue is wittier, and pace is quicker because of the limited timeframe they have. The power from "The Son" is that they had to cram all the emotion from one actor into one episode. The entire story line might not be as powerful if it lasted over three weeks.

But most of all, I do agree that I am frustrated with the Becky/Luke's Mom/Tammy Taylor ordeal.

my point about season two is that even though it got cut short, it was slated for 22 episodes. we might have never had the mexico trip if they only had 13 episodes to tell that story. the murder story that we hate so much would've been cut even shorter if they only had 13 episodes, and while i think they had some good stories too, and those stories got cut short, it's just easier to put creative energy into smaller, more intense chunks.

that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

Wanted to say that I'm loving the podcast–thanks guys! Also, the suspension of disbelief required over East Dillon's total crimeriddeness is pretty ridiculous. I just rewatched the 9th episode of the 1st season where the team goes to Gatling, which is basically what they decided East Dillon to be in this season–a dangerous, mostly minority ghetto. And Smash even calls his mom on moving them to a whiter town (Dillon). But whatever, the writers can basically pull anything on me at this point–I'm way too hooked.

gotta be honest – i hated the grandma and i'm glad she left. i can't see how everyone else liked her. the way she treated people, especially matt who busted his ass for her day in/day out and, i don't know, i just didn't like her attitude or whatever. pissed me off.