FNL Break Down

As it was promised, so shall it be delivered...

Episode 10 - "It's Different For Girls"

Official Synopsis: The cheer team definitely has something to yell about when Lyla is the victim of brutal high school harassment, and Coach Taylor tries to keep his daughter, Julie, away from Matt.

Teaser

Recap - 00:45 (00:00 - 00:45)
• Matt & Julie relationship
• Smash steroid arc
• Riggins / Lyla fallout

Scene 1 - 00:26 (0:46 - 1:12) - A Story
Lyla cleaning graffiti (Slut, Whore, etc.) off of her locker.

Scene 2 - 01:43 (1:13 - 1:56) - A Story
Cheerleader practice. Catty comments from the other cheerleaders, Lyla struggles with her focus.

Scene 3 - 00:45 (1:58 - 2:43) - B Story
Julie tells Matt that for their budding relationship to work he's going to have to learn to stand up to her Dad. She invites him over to her house to watch TV the following night.

Scene 4 - 01:26 (2:44 - 4:10) - A / D Story
Jason's homecoming. We get to see how his parents have renovated the house (ramps, widened doors). His father's moved his office upstairs. Hint of money trouble ("we'll renovate the utility closet as soon as we can afford it"). Jason gets rid of a picture of him and Lyla.

TRT Teaser (not including recap) - 4:20

Act One

Scene 1 - 01:19 (4:54 - 6:13) - B Story
The Taylor's are driving to school. Julie tells her parents that she's going to be going out with Matt on Saturday. Coach Taylor says that's not going to happen because Matt and the rest of the team have to go to the cheerleading championships.

Scene 2 - 00:56 (6:14 - 7:10) - D Story
Jason's parents tell him that he's going to have to meet with a lawyer about suing the school / Coach Taylor.

Scene 3 - 00:57 (7:11 - 8:08) - C Story
Smash tries to pick up the "New Girl" who just happens to be Waverly, a childhood friend he hasn't seen for a long time, and daughter of the local pastor.

Scene 4 - 00:57 (8:09 - 9:06) - B / C Story
Some friendly locker room ribbing. Riggins says Smash hasn't got a chance in hell of hooking up with Waverly. Someone suggests a bet that Saracen will be able to sleep with Julie before Smash can sleep with Waverly. Unfortunately Coach Taylor overhears all of it and isn't happy.

Scene 5 - 01:00 (9:07 - 10:07) - A Story
Cheer practice again. Her fellow cheerleaders deliberately drop Lyla. Shoving ensues, the Cheer coach demands to know what's going on. They all say nothing's going on. Lyla commits to being with the team.

Scene 6 - 01:49 (10:08 - 11:57) - A Story
Jason sees his neighbors for the first time since he's been home. Challenges the little boy to a race (boy on his bike, Jason in his chair) down the street. At the end he notices Lyla's come to visit. She leaves after Jason says "I have nothing to say to you, don't come back here."

TRT Act One - 6:01

Act Two

Scene 1 - 01:00 (11:59 - 12:59) - C / A Story
Classroom scene. Smash and Waverly discuss the Odyssey, specifically the double standard that exists between men and women. How it's alright if men cheat, but not alright for women. Monogamy is unnatural according to Smash. According to Waverly it's a higher state of evolution.

Scene 2 - 01:26 (13:00 - 14:26) - A Story
Lyla eating in the cafeteria. She's harassed by a couple of other students until Riggins shows up and sits with her. She asks him to leave, that he's making it worse, reiterates the double standard mentioned in the previous scene, until Riggins finally leaves.

Scene 3 - 00:36 (14:27 - 15:03) - A Story
Tyra and Riggins talk in the hallway outside of the cafeteria. Tyra tells him that he's just making things worse for Lyla by sitting with her. He asks her to stay out of it. She realizes that he's in love with Lyla.

Scene 4 - 01:01 (15:04 - 16:05) - A Story
Buddy Garrity's approached in his car dealership by one of the cheerleaders' fathers, who apologizes for his daughter putting some nasty rumors about Lyla on the internet. Scene's intercut with Buddy searching the net for the website.

Scene 5 - 00:42 (16:06 - 16:48) - A / B Story
Coach and Mrs. Coach are playing cards discussing Lyla's situation. "It was like the Scarlet Letter." Saracen shows up for his TV date with Julie, much to her parents dismay.

Scene 6 - 00:34 (16:49 - 18:23) - D Story
The Street family meets with their lawyer. He asks whether or not Jason ever did any tackling drills. Jason realizes that that means they're going to be suing Coach Taylor as well as the school, contrary to what he thought the plan was.

Scene 7 - 00:21 (18:24 - 18:45) - B Story
Coach Taylor pacing in the bedroom while his wife tries to keep playing cards. Wondering what Matt and Julie are doing in the living room. Finally, despite his wife's objections, he decides to go and check up on his daughter.

Scene 8 - 01:07 (18:46 - 19:53) - B Story
Coach scares Saracen away, pisses Julie off in the process. His justification; "They had a blanket." His wife's reaction; "You're an idiot."

Scene 9 - 00:53 (19:54 - 20:47) - A Story
Lyla's looking at the burn website the other cheerleaders have set up in her honor. Buddy checks in on her, she pretends that everything's okay, he pretends the same.

TRT Act Two - 7:40

Act Three

Scene 1 - 02:27 (20:49 - 23:16) - A Story
Pep rally for the cheerleaders. Smash, Saracen, Riggins (and a few other players) dress up in drag and put on a little routine. Lyla's no where to be found.

Scene 2 - 00:27 (23:17 - 23:44) - A Story
Lyla's at her locker. Someone's slipped her a note "For a good time call..." Mrs. Coach finds her and brings Lyla to her office for a talk.

Scene 3 - 00:55 (23:45 - 24:40) - A Story
Lyla tells Mrs. Coach that she's going to quit Cheerleading. Says it used to be the most important thing to her, and ever since Jason's accident she's been pretending that it still is, but now she's done pretending.

Scene 4 - 00:29 (24:41 - 25:10) - C Story
Football practice. Before hitting the field Smash takes some of his steroids, proceeds to dominate practice. Coaching staff comments that he must be eating his wheaties, Coach Taylor "well whatever it is let's make sure he keeps eating them."

Scene 5 - 00:55 (25:11 - 26:06) - B Story
Saracen tries to stand up to Coach after practice. Says that he can't stop him from seeing Julie. Coach Taylor "If I don't want you seeing my daughter, you're not going to be seeing my daughter."

Scene 6 - 00:42 (26:07 - 26:49) - A Story
Lyla crying on her couch. Her Mom tries to comfort her, saying the most important thing is that you learn something from the mistakes you make.

Scene 7 - 01:39 (26:50 - 28:29) - C Story
Smash has Waverly and her Pastor father over for dinner. Wants her to tell them about her time in Africa as a missionary, Waverly's father asks Smash about how his SAT prep course is coming. It's awkward, obvious that something hinky's going on with both things.

Scene 8 - 01:26 (28:30 - 29:56) - A Story
Riggins comes to tell Jason about Lyla's situation. He says that Lyla's always been in love with Jason, that it was a mistake and that he's sorry. Jason's not having any of it.

TRT Act Three - 9:00

Act Four

Scene 1 - 00:55 (29:58 - 30:53) - B Story
Taylor's as they get ready to go to school. Julie says that she's going to get a ride from Matt and Landry, and that she's going to be going with him to the movies on Saturday before the cheerleading thing. Coach Taylor says he's going to have to sit Saracen down for a little "Matt chat."

Scene 2 - 00:35 (30:54 - 31:29) - B Story
Coach Taylor gives Saracen a bunch of game film to review on Saturday in preparation for the next game, and in conflict with Matt's plans to see Julie.

Scene 3 - 00:48 (31:30 - 32:18) - C Story
Smash asks Waverly to go out with him after the game. She ribs him, finally forcing him to drop his Smash persona and be genuine before she agrees to go play miniature gold with him.

Scene 4 - 00:55 (32:19 - 33:13) - A / B Story
Montage of several people watching highlights of the game on television. Jason watching, and then noticing Lyla outside his house. The Riggins brothers hanging out. Saracen and his Grandma, Saracen trying get the TV so he can watch the game tapes. Other families picking up their young kids from the church (which has babysitting for every away game).

Scene 5 - 01:59 (33:14 - 35:13) - C Story
Smash and Waverly on their date, talking about future plans. Smash wants to go to U of T, Waverly's concerned over his academics. Waverly also says that she's going to give up on her dreams of med school "It's probably not the best thing for me right now." Eventually they both call each other's bluff, Waverly doesn't think that Smash used that money for a SAT prep class. Smash doesn't think that Waverly went to Africa.

Scene 6 - 00:56 (35:14 - 37:10) - A Story
Jason and Lyla have it out. Jason says he's unable to forgive her, both cry, Lyla walks away leaving Jason in his chair in the street.

TRT Act Four - 6:08

Act Five

Scene 1 - 00:22 (37:12 - 37:34) - A Story
Panther cheerleaders arrive at the State cheerleading championship.

Scene 2 - 00:58 (37:35 - 38:33) - B Story
Coach and Mrs. Coach get ready to go to the cheerleading championships. They're running late because Coach was playing golf. He's surprised to find out that Julie's going to meet them at the championship because she's getting a ride with Saracen. She decided to help him go over the game tapes. At least now she's interested in football.

Scene 3 - 01:04 (38:34 - 39:38) - A Story
Riggins shows up at Lyla's house, does his best to convince her to go to the championship. She needs that "nothing else matters feeling" that they both get when they're competing.

Scene 4 - 00:33 (39:39 - 40:12) - A / B Story
Coach and Mrs. Coach arrive at the competition, sit with Julie and Saracen, just as one of the referees explains the rules to the cheerleaders in another area of the gym.

Scene 5 - 00:22 (40:13 - 40:35) - C Story
Coach Taylor runs into Smash in the washroom. Smash is cleaning himself up after a monster nose bleed, Coach starts to get a little suspicious that something might be going on.

Scene 6 - 01:48 (40:36 - 42:24) - A Story
Everyone settles into the stands in anticipation of the competition. Lyla shows up at the last minute, checks herself in with the ref (he recognizes her, her response "yup, the whore with the website"). Cheerleaders compete. Jason's there to watch as well. We end with Lyla actually looking happy.

TRT Act Five - 5:07

TRT Show - 39:45



DVD player was glitching a fair bit, so the times are a best guess I'm afraid (things are running short otherwise).


This is one of the heavier episodes of FNL in the early season (at least in my humble opinion). It's also one of the first (only?) episodes that's really all about Lyla. Now I'm not the biggest Minka Kelly fan, but I wanted to break this episode down because it's one of the first times that we're really taken out of the football world and into the realm of the personal.

Now, because of this, it shouldn't come as any surprise that this is a "relationship" episode. All of our main plotlines are about various couples.

Our A story is all about Lyla, and specifically the fallout of her relationship with Riggins and Street. It also has some of the best moments for Riggins and Lyla in the entire show (at least the first half of the season). Scene 3 of Act 5 in particular is solid gold.

Matt and Julie's B story provides most the comic relief, as well as a nice counterpoint to their more dysfunctional counterparts.

The Smash C story is more about his ongoing steroid arc (Waverly acts as a source of continuing, nagging doubt), and Street's D story (so small it'd be a runner if it was comedic) is more about setting up the future lawsuit arc.

The plot lines tend to run in clumps, which works really well actually. The A story gets some momentum and then, just as it's getting a little too dramatic, we're hit with a refreshing burst of B or C.



Anyways, I'll probably follow up with a couple more episodes of FNL (if there's an interest), and then move on to some Dexter.

Oh, and if anyone has any suggestions as to what would improve my breakdowns, please don't hesitate to let me know!