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“Mud Bowl”: A Formal Critique of Friday Night Lights
By Rebecca Rothkopf
The NBC drama Friday Night Lights often strives for a more realistic overtone. On a
completely different note, however, the episode “Mud Bowl” takes the show in a surprisingly
different direction. In “Mud Bowl,” the Dillon Panthers abandon the football stadium to play
their semifinal game in a cow pasture, Waverly Grady struggles to come to terms with her
bipolar disorder, Jason Street tries to regain his confidence after the loss of his legs, and the
portrayals of characters Lyla Garrity and Tyra Collette are reversed. Coach Taylor comes off as a
hero at the end of the episode, while Tyra's attacker makes for an obvious and shocking villain.
“Mud Bowl” wraps up a few of its many storylines by the end of the episode, but most stay
fairly open for future episodes. Even though the Friday Night Lights episode “Mud Bowl” tackles
a number of far-fetched and challenging events, the show manages to keep its realistic feel by
accurately representing different groups and maintaining a documentary-type style of filming.
Friday Night Lights has a unique filming style that makes the show stand out from other
dramas on television. The picture is often shaky, giving the viewer the impression that they are
watching a documentary being filmed on a hand-held camera. This different approach on
filming makes the viewer feel as though they are actually in the room with the characters. In
“Mud Bowl,” the shaky camera is especially important considering the episode's plot could be
seen as unbelievable by some viewers. By making the show look like a documentary, off-base
plot lines automatically seem to be more realistic.
“Mud Bowl” relies almost entirely on close-up shots in order to give the audience a
glimpse of the character's emotions. The very first shot of the episode, which shows high school
football player Tim Riggins sleeping, is a close-up. The camera then goes to another close-up of
Tim's neighbor, Jackie Miller, standing in the door to the room where Tim is sleeping. The
audience can see that Jackie is looking at Tim with longing eyes. Those who have watched
previous episodes of Friday Night Lights already know that Tim Riggins is having an affair with
Jackie, an older single mother. This close-up on Jackie's face lets the audience know that while
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Jackie may be strongly attracted to Tim, she feels guilt about their relationship because it goes
against her responsibilities as a mother.
Close-up shots in this episode also effectively show Matt Saracen's reaction when he
finds $200 in his locker, Tyra's amusement when Landry offers to help with her algebra
homework, Lyla's shock when Smash Williams reveals that Waverly is bipolar, Waverly's
extreme emotions when she and Smash talk about her getting help, and Tyra's crying after she
gets attacked. All of these close-ups pull the audience in and make what the characters are
feeling seem even more real.
Friday Night Lights uses natural lighting in a number of scenes in order to maintain the
documentary-like feel of the show. For the first several scenes of “Mud Bowl,” the lighting is
warm, sunny, and natural. When Matt approaches Coach Taylor about the money found in his
locker, rays of sunlight are shining through the partially closed blinds of Taylor's office. Minutes
later, when the school is evacuated because a nearby train has derailed and there is a chemical
spill, the sky is bright blue and cloudless. During the evacuation, Waverly approaches Lyla and
strikes up a friendly conversation about how hard it is to date a Dillon Panther. The two decide
to pass time by shooting cans since school has been canceled. When Lyla and Waverly are
shown shooting, however, the sky is completely overcast. In the following scene, when Landry
is chatting with Tyra in the library, the bright sun can be seen through the blinds and reflecting
off books. Either the weather has changed very rapidly, or this is a discontinuity that went
unnoticed by the editors of Friday Night Lights. In either case, it is not a big enough error to
detract from the episode's storyline.
Fluorescent lighting is also used in order to convey feelings of discomfort in a few
scenes. One example is when Tim Riggins drops Bo Miller off at Jackie's work after school is
canceled. Even though Tim does this as a favor for Jackie, it also means that the people Jackie
works with now know that the two associate with one another. Because Dillon is such a small
town, Jackie worries that people might get suspicious and spread the word around. While
Jackie's tone and facial expressions give off the impression that she is uncomfortable, the
somewhat harsh and artificial lighting makes her feelings even more apparent. The colors in
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Jackie's office are also much more dull than previous scenes, making the viewer feel as though
the environment they are peering into is not a positive or friendly one.
Arguably, the most heart-wrenching scene in “Mud Bowl” relies on lighting (or lack
thereof) and color in order to give off feelings of intensity and panic. When Tyra is attacked
inside of a man's truck at the end of the episode, only two colors are visible- black and red. The
darkness can easily be explained because the attack takes place at nighttime. However, the red,
which appears to be coming from an illuminated sign close by, makes the audience feel Tyra's
panic and anger towards the attacker for taking advantage of a high school student.
At the end of “Mud Bowl,” it is easy for the audience to see Tyra's unnamed attacker as
a villain. He acts friendly towards Tyra as she waits for Landry to come tutor her inside the
restaurant. When Landry does not come, the attacker knows Tyra has to walk back alone and
chooses to take advantage of her. Obviously, these actions are not admirable in any way. On
the other hand, Coach Taylor makes for an obvious hero in “Mud Bowl.” Instead of canceling
practice when there is a chemical spill near the school, Taylor keeps in touch with the team and
finds a different spot to practice for the game. Coach Taylor's strong fight to play the semifinals
at home is another reason why he comes off as a small-town hero. Instead of splitting the rent
for an out-of-town stadium with the opposing team, Coach Taylor literally builds his own
football field in a cow pasture. When Coach Gainey objects to playing the semifinal in an
unofficial field, Coach Taylor says, “It's a football game. What you need for a football game is a
football field, 22 kids, and a pigskin.” By saying this, Coach Taylor proves that the actual game
of football is all that matters to him. Fancy stadiums and money are not important. In “Mud
Bowl,” Coach Taylor proves himself to be a true football fan. His ability to lead the team to
victory despite a massive rainstorm and muddy field also indicates his strong skills as a football
coach.
In my opinion, the relationship between Tim Riggins and Jackie Miller is the least
compelling storyline in “Mud Bowl.” On the other hand, Tyra's developing friendship with
Landry is interesting because the audience probably did not anticipate that the two would ever
associate with each other in earlier episodes. The storyline relating to the semifinal game is
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important because Coach Taylor's job is in jeopardy if the Panthers lose. Waverly's struggle with
bipolar disorder is engaging because she is the kind of character that the audience feels
sympathy for. Smash Williams' concern for Waverly is another key part of “Mud Bowl.” Smash
shows that he is a compassionate and caring person when he is around Waverly, as opposed to
his usual appearance of being self-absorbed. Viewers who have watched previous episodes of
Friday Night Lights already know that Tim Riggins makes poor decisions when it comes to
relationships. At the beginning of season one, Tim chooses to sleep with Lyla Garrity shortly
after her boyfriend is paralyzed in a football game. What makes this decision even worse is the
fact that Jason Street, Lyla's injured boyfriend, is also Tim's best friend. Perhaps this is why
Tim's relationship with Jackie comes off as repetitive and over-the-top. The audience has
already seen Tim harm others through his poor choices. Adding a storyline with Tim, a single
mother, and her small child is simply too much. Nothing crucial seems to be added to the show
because of Tim's involvement with Jackie.
At the end of “Mud Bowl,” most of the storylines stay open. The tension behind the
semifinals ends because the Panthers win the game; however, the audience will still want to
watch the show so they can see whether or not the Panthers win the state championship. The
storyline regarding Smash's concern for Waverly also seems to come to an end at the episode's
conclusion. After the football game, Waverly approaches Smash's mother, who happens to be a
nurse. Even though the audience now knows that Waverly is no longer going to struggle with
her bipolar disorder on her own, her relationship with Smash stays up in the air. Jason Street
also makes his parents agree to settle their case against Coach Taylor, putting a lawsuit
regarding the loss of his legs to an end and closing that storyline completely. In the final scenes
of “Mud Bowl,” Landry's friendship with Tyra changes from casual flirting and math tutoring to
playing the role of a comforting friend after her attack. The viewer is left wondering whether or
not Tyra will file a report and if her relationship with Landry will change or even continue. The
writers probably chose to leave most of the storylines open so viewers will keep watching the
show.
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One of the reasons why Friday Night Lights is so compelling is because of the depth its
characters have. It is easy to assign the characters typical high school labels such as
cheerleader, geek, jock, and slut. Fortunately, the show allows the viewer to peer into the
students backgrounds and see that there is more to them than an assigned label. Early in
season one, Lyla is portrayed as a popular cheerleader from one of Dillon's wealthiest families.
Even though the school sympathizes with Lyla after her boyfriend is paralyzed, she is harassed
after it's discovered that she cheated on Jason with Tim Riggins. For the most part, Lyla is
portrayed as a lost and vulnerable victim after Jason's injury. Lyla's family may be stable
financially, but she still has several issues on her plate. Tyra Collette, on the other hand, comes
from a struggling single-parent household. Tyra and her sister Mindy have jobs to help their
mother pay rent. Generally, Tyra has a reputation for being promiscuous, feisty, and
independent. “Mud Bowl” is a groundbreaking episode of Friday Night Lights because it takes
Lyla and Tyra out of their typical roles. At the end of “Mud Bowl,” Tyra is seen as the victim and
Lyla is the tough girl who stands up for herself.
During one scene in “Mud Bowl,” Lyla stops by Jason's house because he hasn't been
returning her calls. Before telling Jason how she feels, Lyla fetches him a glass of water. When
Lyla says why she is feeling frustrated, Jason explodes at her. He says that getting turned down
by a quad rugby team and having a lawsuit filed against Coach Taylor is too much for him to
handle. Instead of letting Jason raise his voice with her, Lyla says, “You want to play rugby? Find
another team. You hate this lawsuit so much? Find a way to make it go away. And the next time
you want a glass of water, say please.” After Lyla storms out of Jason's house, the viewer wants
to applaud Lyla for finally taking a solid stance on something. While it's easy to sympathize with
Jason's character, Lyla does make some great points.
On a different note, Tyra is attacked by an unknown man after Landry fails to show up
for her algebra tutoring. The audience has to admire Tyra's character for fighting back after the
man pulls her into his truck. The terrified teenager manages to burn her attacker with the car's
cigarette lighter before slamming the passenger door on the man and fleeing. Even though Tyra
prevented anything worse from happening, she is still hurt and goes to Landry for a shoulder to
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cry on when he finally arrives. This scene gives Tyra depth and makes her come off as more
human. In other words, she is capable of getting upset and asking others for comfort.
One of the things Friday Night Lights is best at is representing individuals from a number
of different groups. For example, one of the central characters in the show is physically
handicapped, and Smash Williams' main love interest is battling with bipolar disorder. Instead
of showing these characters as pitiful or fallen heroes, the writers allow the audience to see
their personal struggles and fights to fit in with society. Based on personal experiences, I know
how surprising it is to learn that a close friend is bipolar. That being said, I felt as though Friday
Night Lights did a very accurate job portraying Waverly Grady. Lyla Garrity is completely
shocked when Smash Williams tells her about Waverly's problems. This is because it is not easy
to tell when someone is battling with a bipolar disorder. I was both impressed and happy to see
that the writers made Waverly come off as an ordinary teenager who is just as competent as
anyone else. It is also very difficult for a number of people to ask for help when they are
bipolar, which is shown through Waverly's character.
In “Mud Bowl,” Jason Street goes against the pitiful stereotypes people often
unintentionally assign to those who are handicapped. It could be argued that Lyla's blunt words
to Jason earlier in the episode are what motivate him to stand up for himself later. When his
parents are meeting with their attorney, Jason is infuriated when the people present talk about
him as though his life is over because of his injury. In a rather touching outburst, Jason asks, “Is
that all I am here? Just some crippled boy that you can wheel out in front of a bunch of people
to make some money off me? You talk about lost earning capacity like I'm some brain-dead
idiot that's never going to get a job again.” This outburst prompts Jason to take action and
literally end his lawsuit with Coach Taylor in minutes. Jason's words prove that he knows he
isn't any less of a person because he cannot use his legs.
As mentioned earlier, the plot of “Mud Bowl” is a bit less realistic than other episodes of
Friday Night Lights. Even though Coach Taylor's intention of having the semifinal football game
in a cow pasture is a bit of a stretch, the disbelief expressed by other characters balances out
the absurdity of Taylor's idea and helps make the episode seem more realistic. Adding some
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more extreme elements to the episode's script probably fascinates viewers and encourages
them to keep watching so they can see what kind of kooky scheme Coach Taylor will think of
next. The more realistic parts of “Mud Bowl,” including Smash trying to help Waverly get over
her bipolar disorder and Tyra's emotions after she is attacked, help make the show seem more
natural as well.
Friday Night Lights may not have the largest fan base, but the strong writing and artistic
filming in the episode “Mud Bowl” prove why more people ought to watch the show. By
portraying individuals with a variety of different backgrounds and struggles, Friday Night Lights
allows its audience to peek into the challenges many families and students are forced to face.
The shaky and raw quality applied to the filming gives off feelings of honesty and realism. Closeups provide the audience with a glimpse of the characters' emotions, while lighting is used to
help depict a certain mood. Most importantly, Coach Eric Taylor proves himself to be one of the
few die-hard football fans left on this earth. To his character, football is not just a game played
for entertainment or fame. Football is a way to keep the teens of Dillon motivated, and a way
to keep the town of Dillon, Texas alive.