Inside Television with Alan Sepinwall

'Friday Night Lights' - 'The Son': Here lies a funny, funny man

Zach Gilford shines as Saracen copes with more tragedy.

By Alan Sepinwall Friday, Jun 4, 2010 9:00 PM

'Friday Night Lights' - 'The Son': Here lies a funny, funny man

Credit: NBC

Once, again, I reviewed all the episodes for this season of "Friday Night Lights" on my old blog as they aired on DirecTV. Because I can't bring content from the old blog over here, each week I'm going to link to those reviews so you can see what I and the DirecTV audience thought of them back in the fall, then discuss them here.

This week: "The Son," a tour de force for Zach Gilford as Saracen copes with the latest dramatic upheaval in his life. Go read the review and - keeping in mind that we will not be discussing, or even hinting at, anything that happens in episodes that have yet to air on NBC - tell me what you thought of the episode.

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching

Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com

Related Searches: Friday Night Lights, Alan Sepinwall

eriklk

If this episode doesn't win Zach Gilford an Emmy, I don't know what anybody's supposed to do to get one. Watched this episode on download a couple of weeks ago and I can still feel the utter despair of this performance in my body. Haunting stuff. And as much as I love Coach and Mrs. Coach and Julie and Street, Matt Saracen for me is the real heart of this series. One of my all-time favorite characters. Haven't watched beyond this point yet, so I'm still hoping his send-off will be worthy of his greatness as a character and give Gilford a few more chances to really shine.
June 4, 2010 at 9:11PM EST Reply to Comment
- Chaddogg Agreed....although this episode EASILY could be the Emmy submission episode for Coach, Mrs. Coach, Julie....hell, even Riggins, Landry, Billy, Vince, and Luke knocked it out of the park this episode. (And I do not mean to belittle future amazing episodes which might be even better Emmy submissions for characters, as I have only seen the episodes aired on NBC so far).
  
  This show just sucker punches viewers with anguish, with tears, with real emotion, and does so almost cruelly by continually hurling tragedy upon the world's nicest kid, Matt Saracen. I mean, the list of soul-crushing events that have happened in his life is almost other-worldly. Never on any show have I worried so much about the emotional well-being of a character -- as a friend said, "Matt Saracen NEEDS a hug." But more than that, he needs to realize how much the people around him love him -- his grandmother and mother obviously, the Taylors most completely (I just loved that ALL of the Taylors except Gracie had their moments of standing by Matt or helping him), Landry and the Riggins boys as friends...hell even Buddy Garrity as a patriot/former Panthers booster flew his daughter home from college and attended the wake/funeral.
  
  This show, and this episode specifically, just hits every note perfectly. Bravo to everyone on the show, making the show, writing the show, filming the show, and selecting music for the show for doing such incredible work.
  
  And if the Emmys do not recognize Friday Night Lights, there is no justice in the world.
  June 5, 2010 at 9:35AM EST
- eriklk "I just loved that ALL of the Taylors except Gracie had their moments of standing by Matt or helping him"
  
  Actually, I thought it was a little bit strange that Mrs. Coach would go with him to the undertaker. Wouldn't his own mother be capable of that? It felt a little bit as if she was there more for dramatic reasons (letting all of the Taylors have their moment to shine) than because it made sense in terms of story and character. No doubt Tammi would have filled that role if this had happened during the first two season, but I think it would have been more effective (and more redemptive), if his own mother had had that scene, and had shown that she could take care of him and fully assume the parental role. Not least because the role as Matt's mother is probably my favorite Kim Dickens performance so far - I think she owns that role completely. And really, Tammi has never been as close with Matt as Eric (or Julie, obviously). Remember when he tried to talk to her about his relationship with Julie in the Alamo Freeze in the beginning of season 2, and she pretty much shot him down. He's never really been as much of a project for her as Tyra or Lyla or Landry, if I remember correctly. So that scene would probably have meant more for me if his mother had been there with him instead. (And it wouldn't have made me think any less of Mrs. Coach, whom I absolutely love.)
  June 5, 2010 at 7:32PM EST
Flashman

I'll just throw my vote in for a Gilford Emmy nomination as well. Basically if they ignore performances as strong as that simply because it's not a popular show, then we can all safely dismiss them as a worthless advertising gimmick.
June 4, 2010 at 9:25PM EST Reply to Comment
Mandy

I agree with everything eriklk said. Give Gilford the Emmy now. He was outstanding in this episode. I haven't seen a dramatic performance that great in a long time.
June 4, 2010 at 10:27PM EST Reply to Comment
M.A.Peel

I wondered if I would tire of the elegiac, salt of the earth tone of the stories of Coach Taylor and his team and family. But the it is all so excellent that my cynical side does not get the upper hand, and I enjoy and appreciate what they are bringing to the classic tv drama.
June 4, 2010 at 11:12PM EST Reply to Comment
ToK

Lovely, lovely, and heartbreaking.

Emmys, in a better world. And yes, this episode is the one that NBC included in its big Emmy mailer packet. DirecTV, god love 'em, sent Emmy voters the entire season.
June 4, 2010 at 11:17PM EST Reply to Comment
ZacharyTF

If the Emmy voters have half a brain, they'll give one of the 5 Best Actor in a Drama spots to Zach Gilford. He wouldn't win since he would be up against Jon Hamm and Bryan Cranston, but at the least, he deserves to be there.

Watching Vince pick up his mom and carry her back into the apartment was sad to watch. I hope his crime career is short-lived and Eric straightens him out.

I'll hold off on the Becca-Tim happenings until at least after the next episode. I'm glad he didn't do anything to her, but since it is Tim Riggins, who knows what is going to happen.
June 4, 2010 at 11:40PM EST Reply to Comment
- I think Gilford is much more likely to get nominated in the guest actor category.
  June 5, 2010 at 3:05AM EST
- dsm9412 Yeah, guest actor or supporting actor seems more likely.
  June 5, 2010 at 5:56PM EST
That was by FAR the best acting performance I have ever seen on a TV show. Zach G deserves some BIG Kudos... His future looks bright. This show is just awesome...
June 5, 2010 at 12:21AM EST Reply to Comment
adam

You're right about Lyla and Matt (I think Zach has mentioned before that Minka Kelly is the one actor on the show that he never had a scene with).

I thought it seemed odd when Matt says in the eulogy that his father gave 20 years to the Army, but earlier said that his father joined the Army to run away from his family committments. Did anyone else pick up on that? Was it established that the dad was in the Army then started a family and went back?

But Zach Gilford was amazing. I still don't know how he could do that funeral parlor scene. I'm just left wondering how they're going to send him off the show with a happy ending.
June 5, 2010 at 12:56AM EST Reply to Comment
- Alf He could have just rounded up. Or, if Matt's 19, 20 years could be accurate if he left while Matt was in utero.
  June 5, 2010 at 2:19AM EST
- Adam I always thought that Matt's dad left when he was a little kid (like 5 or 6), though. Which would mean Matt would be in his mid-20s. But maybe I just connected those dots myself.
  June 5, 2010 at 3:21PM EST
- Jim I figure Henry and Matt's mom married while he was in the army, he got shipped out to Gulf War I, and would've been moblized for Afghansitan when Matt was 9 or 10, re-enlisting along the way.
  June 5, 2010 at 4:00PM EST
Alf

I'm going to say Lyla didn't know she would be going to a funeral when she packed for her little trip home. That explains the boots.

Tami Taylor was fab with the funeral director.
June 5, 2010 at 2:23AM EST Reply to Comment
This is simply the best episode this great series has yet produced. Simply fantastic stuff from top to bottom.
June 5, 2010 at 3:03AM EST Reply to Comment
Alf

I liked Eric asking Matt if he had driven to the Taylors' and that, fortunately, Matt hadn't, since he'd been drinking and all.
June 5, 2010 at 6:44AM EST Reply to Comment
Bobman

Someone said it on the other blog, but I'd just like to reiterate that I was really impressed by Aimee Teegarden this episode as well. She really sold a lot of her scenes.

And as mentioned in the review, I loved that coach knew exactly what she was feeling with his "I'm not going anywhere" line. Perfect.

God what a good episode.
June 5, 2010 at 9:06AM EST Reply to Comment
BK

Alan, someone asked you on your pod cast last week if there were any actors you liked so much, you followed them to other shows. Well, you can add Zach Gilford to that category for me. Saracen has always been my favorite character, and like someone else commented, the heart of the show. But, his performance in this episode goes in the pantheon of great acting performances. His breakdown at the dinner table...amazing.

Also, I'd just like to second Alan's comment about Coach just walking Matt home and not giving some long speech about what a great kid he is. That is definitely what other dramas would have done. I'm so programmed to see that kind of scene, that even though I watched this episode during the Directv run (figured it was the least I could do to dvr the NBC run too just in case Directv is monitoring this stuff), I was still expecting the long pep talk scene when Coach ran out of the house. Loved that he just walked him home. Definitely a Coach thing to do. Brilliant.
June 5, 2010 at 9:50AM EST Reply to Comment
My father passed away when I was about Matt's age and this episode could not have hit home more. I've seen plenty of movies and tv episodes about funerals, and even about characters' fathers dying, but nothing has ever come close to getting to me the way this episode has. Zach Gilford was of course amazing but the producers were able to do a fantastic job of accurately portraying life for a boy of that age for the days during a wake and funeral: all the confusion, social awkwardness, people telling you to be the man of the house, anger, and finally grief. Well done people.
June 5, 2010 at 12:27PM EST Reply to Comment
Todd

Just watched this episode and the first thing I had to go was get on line to see if people were as impressed with Zach Gilford as I was. The whole cast is great, but Zach in this episode was simply brilliant! I sincerely hope Zach and the show get they credit they deserve.

Zach should be extremely proud of this episode. Thank you Zach.
June 5, 2010 at 12:50PM EST Reply to Comment
Dave

I echo Marcus's sentiments that Gilford's performance might be the most moving, well-acted one I've ever seen on television. Ever. I also really appreciated the mischievious look in Tim's eye right before they stormed into the funeral parlor...totally consistent with the Tim who "kidnapped" Jason Street all those seasons ago. The writing for Tim Riggins, as well as the work by Taylor Kitsch over the years, has always impressed me as nuanced in the face of how cliched his character 'could' have played out.

I was just explaining how much I love this show to a friend before coming home to see this episode for the first time. I told him "you will love the fringe characters. you will love every other character incrementally more, as you move towards the nucleus of this show." After the performances by Zach Gilford, Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, and Aimee Teegarden last night, my point was proven out even more.
Best episode yet. And yet it took this long for the characters to develop in such a way that we could appreciate what was happening in "The Son." I mean, there was no REAL reason to kill off Matt's dad. Kind of a new plot thread out of nowhere, and STILL tied in with the real, human emotions that we've logged with all of these people for four seasons. It was literally worth watching each preceding episode just so that I could enjoy The Son as much as I did. Wow.
June 5, 2010 at 12:58PM EST Reply to Comment
- mjc Way late to the party here, but in support of what Dave said about FNL's characters, the "fringe" as well as the central, just see the pic at the top of Alan's review of this episode. Look at the focus and concern and total presence on the faces of the 3 guys going to the mortuary with Matt. Where else on TV do you see real friends like that? Even Billy, who is once-removed from Matt. We should all be so lucky to have friends like that in real life. So glad I finally found this show!
  July 28, 2011 at 4:02PM EST
Jim

An amazing episode. We have room for The Biggest Loser and Happy Town, but this show can't get ratings? One nit to pick: I think Tyra would have come to this funeral. Not just because one of my favorite scenes ever on SNL was Tyra and Lorraine splitting a bottle of chardonnay (and Lorraine was later so happy when Landry stopped to pick up her pal), but because, as a poster on the previous thread said, the whole town would've turned out for a funeral like this, and Tyra always had a fundamental decency that would've brought her back from Austin. They could have nicely underplayed it, as they did, to their credit, with Lila.
June 5, 2010 at 1:13PM EST Reply to Comment
Maureen

I feel like I really don't have the words to describe how wonderful this episode was. I can't do it justice, so I am glad Alan is here to review it like it deserves. As so many have mentioned, Zach Gilford was beyond amazing in this episode, and it all just felt so real. I was sobbing, and actually had to remind myself that these are not actual friends of mine.

June 5, 2010 at 4:41PM EST Reply to Comment
dsm9412

The use of music was particularly good. Loved "Driveway" by Great Northern at the end.
June 5, 2010 at 6:41PM EST Reply to Comment
Lyla Garrity

All I could think was that JD and Joe McCoy had big brass ones to even show up at the Saracen residence after the way JD has been treating Matt. Couldn't they find someone else to deliver the gift from the boosters? Or are they so narcissistic that they figured he'd be grateful for whatever they offered, no matter how badly they'd treated him in the past?

As the parent of a toddler, I found it distracting to watch Gracie eating that popcorn. Popcorn is a choking hazard and a BIG no-no for kids under 3. /PSA
June 5, 2010 at 10:46PM EST Reply to Comment
Sue

Saracen, long ago earned the nickname of Saint Matt, at my house. The poor kid has just had so much dumped on him, and some how managed to stay a decent person. The episode had me teary, and yet Taylor Kitsch's delivery of the line "Why'd you kill Cibra's beer?" cracked me up.
June 5, 2010 at 11:20PM EST Reply to Comment
Chazz_Goodtimes

I don't think there is much else to say about Zach Gilford's performance- it was tremendous work and sadly hit too close to home for many people.

JD was another highlight for me in this episode. He really captured the pampered wunderkind athlete attitude. His transition from the scared quiet kid to who is now is much more believable than in the first few episodes.

The one low point for me was Becky's call to Riggins at the funeral. Awful. I can't put into words how much that made me dislike the character, and even if she did have the gall to phone Riggins at the Saracen's during the wake the fact that she would refer to Matt's dad as "the dead guy" was horrendous. I really don't know why the writers would have her be son cavalier about someone's loss.

June 6, 2010 at 12:04PM EST Reply to Comment
Col Bat Guano

Compare this episode (and this show in general) to the hilariously OTT season finale of Grey's Anatomy to the two ends of TV drama. Here a main characters parent dies and the ripples from that event spread out amongst the small town community that he lives in. Meantime, Grey's allows a crazed gunman to wander the halls of the hospital for hours, gunning down extras and unloved minor characters which allows the leads to demonstrate their courage and dignity in the face of adversity. Of course none of them are really threatened by the violence and they will return to their soap opera lives at the start of next season.
June 6, 2010 at 2:26PM EST Reply to Comment
Angela

This episode was a huge reminder of why I love this show! I've never seen such genuine emotion presented in a TV show before. And I really appreciate how the writers avoid tying thing up into a neat little bow at the end (one of my biggest pet peeves about Parenthood).

Glad to know I wasn't the only one who cried buckets. I thought maybe there was something bothering me that I wasn't yet conscience of because I don't normally use up an entire box of kleenex during an hour of TV.

I want to add my vote for Zach's Emmy! What a gift he has! I wish he would read all these comments. :)

And yes, his part seems so real, I forget there isn't a Matt in real life.

Ditto about Amiee doing a great job also, as did everyone else. I too have not always been a big fan of her acting.

Agreed that Lyla showing up was a bit weird (even though I missed the boots!) and also noticed that it would have felt more right if a larger group of people had been at the funeral. Isn't money always at the root if it? :: Sigh::

I didn't catch the Tim being in 2 places at once, problem. But I am very good at suspending disbelief and with an episode like this, I could have missed a *lot* of inconsistencies. Though the quick jump to Wallace being with the angry gold chain guy is one time I felt a small pause while my mind played catch up to what was going on.
I wish i had something more to add. But you guys and Alan hit all the points that I can think of.

Oh! Odd how I'm pretty sure I remember a couple comments a week or 2 ago about Matt not really fitting into the story-line anymore? What a difference an episode makes. He belongs and I hate to see him go. But it will be fun to watch where and what he goes on to.

And thanks to whoever found this speech again. I remember hearing it and wanting to remember it because it resonates.
"Give all of us gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable. And we will all, at some point in our lives, fall. We will all fall".

When exactly did Coach say this? Was it in the locker-room after Jason Street was injured and in the hospital?

To the person who set his DVR in case it helped ratings, I found this on Wikipedia; "On December 29, 2006 Nielsen Media Research reported the results of having, for the first time, monitored viewers who use a Digital Video Recorder to record shows for later viewing. These ratings, called "live plus seven", include all viewers who use a DVR to record the show and then watch it within a week of its initial airing."
More about ratings, and who watches FNL at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_Lights_(TV_series)#U.S._ratings

(Interesting about the study on who watches this show and how much they earn!?!)

Wikipedia also says NBC airs some deleted scenes before the DVDs come out, not the normal way of doing things. They could explain how the writers choose to deal with inconsistencies.

Cute article, link posted by a commenter at Alan's old site about Dillon.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/091201&sportCat=nfl
Thanks for that.
June 6, 2010 at 7:40PM EST Reply to Comment
West Texas

I thought Gilford's acting, especially the scene where he views his father's body, was Emmy worthy. This scene also explained how Matt could pull himself together to deliver a believable, and respectful, eulogy. "He did a job most people don't want to do." This show does a wonderful job of writing soliloquies that we can actually believe teenagers would give, but are eloquent pieces of writing. Remember Tyra's college essay?

My one nit to pick being from a small, football crazy West Texas town - the boosters would never send condolence emmisaries to a wake. This is reserved for the Masons and Shreiners. This scene was just an excuse to have JD and Joe McCoy have a door shut in their face.
June 9, 2010 at 6:50PM EST Reply to Comment

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Option 1

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Option 3

Flashman I'll just throw my vote in for a Gilford Emmy nomination as well. Basically if they ignore performances as strong as that simply because it's not a popular show, then we can all safely dismiss them as a worthless advertising gimmick.

Mandy I agree with everything eriklk said. Give Gilford the Emmy now. He was outstanding in this episode. I haven't seen a dramatic performance that great in a long time.

M.A.Peel I wondered if I would tire of the elegiac, salt of the earth tone of the stories of Coach Taylor and his team and family. But the it is all so excellent that my cynical side does not get the upper hand, and I enjoy and appreciate what they are bringing to the classic tv drama.

ToK Lovely, lovely, and heartbreaking. Emmys, in a better world. And yes, this episode is the one that NBC included in its big Emmy mailer packet. DirecTV, god love 'em, sent Emmy voters the entire season.

I think Gilford is much more likely to get nominated in the guest actor category.

dsm9412 Yeah, guest actor or supporting actor seems more likely.

That was by FAR the best acting performance I have ever seen on a TV show. Zach G deserves some BIG Kudos... His future looks bright. This show is just awesome...

Alf He could have just rounded up. Or, if Matt's 19, 20 years could be accurate if he left while Matt was in utero.

Adam I always thought that Matt's dad left when he was a little kid (like 5 or 6), though. Which would mean Matt would be in his mid-20s. But maybe I just connected those dots myself.

Jim I figure Henry and Matt's mom married while he was in the army, he got shipped out to Gulf War I, and would've been moblized for Afghansitan when Matt was 9 or 10, re-enlisting along the way.

Alf I'm going to say Lyla didn't know she would be going to a funeral when she packed for her little trip home. That explains the boots.Tami Taylor was fab with the funeral director.

This is simply the best episode this great series has yet produced. Simply fantastic stuff from top to bottom.

Alf I liked Eric asking Matt if he had driven to the Taylors' and that, fortunately, Matt hadn't, since he'd been drinking and all.

dsm9412 The use of music was particularly good. Loved "Driveway" by Great Northern at the end.

Sue Saracen, long ago earned the nickname of Saint Matt, at my house. The poor kid has just had so much dumped on him, and some how managed to stay a decent person. The episode had me teary, and yet Taylor Kitsch's delivery of the line "Why'd you kill Cibra's beer?" cracked me up.

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Flashman

I'll just throw my vote in for a Gilford Emmy nomination as well. Basically if they ignore performances as strong as that simply because it's not a popular show, then we can all safely dismiss them as a worthless advertising gimmick.

Mandy

I agree with everything eriklk said. Give Gilford the Emmy now. He was outstanding in this episode. I haven't seen a dramatic performance that great in a long time.

M.A.Peel

I wondered if I would tire of the elegiac, salt of the earth tone of the stories of Coach Taylor and his team and family. But the it is all so excellent that my cynical side does not get the upper hand, and I enjoy and appreciate what they are bringing to the classic tv drama.

ToK

Lovely, lovely, and heartbreaking.

Emmys, in a better world. And yes, this episode is the one that NBC included in its big Emmy mailer packet. DirecTV, god love 'em, sent Emmy voters the entire season.

Alf

I'm going to say Lyla didn't know she would be going to a funeral when she packed for her little trip home. That explains the boots.

Tami Taylor was fab with the funeral director.

Alf

I liked Eric asking Matt if he had driven to the Taylors' and that, fortunately, Matt hadn't, since he'd been drinking and all.

dsm9412

The use of music was particularly good. Loved "Driveway" by Great Northern at the end.

Sue

Saracen, long ago earned the nickname of Saint Matt, at my house. The poor kid has just had so much dumped on him, and some how managed to stay a decent person. The episode had me teary, and yet Taylor Kitsch's delivery of the line "Why'd you kill Cibra's beer?" cracked me up.

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