Friday Night Lights "The Right Hand of the Father" Review

The fractured relationships between fathers and sons has been a theme throughout the series. Besides Coach Taylor and Buddy Garrity, the fathers of the various children in Dillon are absent. Every season of the series had one episode devoted to the return of someone's father. The hour was an angst-ridden ride as the son (and sometimes daughter) tried to reconcile the father's presence with the years he spent away from Dillon. Tim Riggins clashed with his father when he returned to Dillon. Saracen clashed with his father. He even struggled with his dad's place in his life after an IUD killed him in Iraq. Becky longed for her father during season four. When he came home, he disappointed her. Now, because of her father and his lover, Becky's without a true home. Smash's father never appeared in the series. Jason Street's relationship with both parents fizzled after his paralysis, yet another example of the thin ice children and their parents walk on in Dillon, Texas. Buddy Garrity isn't an innocent either. His extra-marital affair destroyed his marriage, nearly destroyed his relationship with his daughter Lyla and the rest of his family moved 1500 miles away from him.

Vince Howard's been a kid who had to become a man at a very early age in life because of the way his father behaved and treated his mother. Vince experienced legal problems as a result of his dabblings in criminal life--something that may've been avoided with a stable father figure in his life. He watched his mother struggle with alcohol addiction for years. We learn that Vince blames his father for making his mother that way. His father's silence only confirms his son's accusations. When Vince's father gets paroled and released from prison, Vince feels conflicted, angry and frustrated--even moreso when he learns his mother granted his dad permission to stay in their house.

Like several characters before him in the series, Vince is confronted by his father's presence and what it means to him. He's a teenager, prone to heightened emotions and fits of rage so he doesn't handle the situation in a healthy way. He acts out at a team event for the community. He lashes out at his friends and girlfriend. Throughout this, Vince is simply trying to process the many emotions he's feelings. He reaches a breaking point in coach's office after Eric asks his QB to strive to be better. Vince tearfully states that he doesn't know how to be better for his coach or for his mother. Eric simply tells him that he's not asking Vince to be better, just to try because that builds character.

After the meeting, at Vince's home, his dad finishes packing things. He explains to his son that he'll follow his wishes because Vince is the man in the family. Before he departs, he tells his son how proud he is of him, about his experience watching his son play football. Vince chokes up. His dad walks out the door but not before Vince wonders where he'll be. "I'll be around," his father tells him. It was a natural end point for the episode. Currently, HIMYM's telling a similar father-son story except the execution of the story is terrible. Conflict disappears quickly because of sitcom magic. If Vince had asked his father to stay, it would've been false and manipulative. Now, father and son have a chance to develop their relationship in a natural, realistic way. Hopefully, he doesn't become the fictional equivalent to Cam Newton's father though (that's from the grapevine though).

Meanwhile, the seemingly harmless high school party that happened in "On The Outside Looking In" turned out to be harmful. Video of the rally girl-as-a-puppet popped up on the internet, with several key Dillon Lions featured in the video. Levi told Eric that parents want the students expelled. Eric negotiates with Levi and saves his team's season by convincing the principal to let their coach handle it. It becomes a joint operation by husband and wife. Eric threatens his players with expulsion from the team should they behave that way again. Tami tries to communicate a very important message about respect and reputation to the girls, especially Mara--the rally girl who threatened to steal Vince in episode two. Tami reaches through to the girl too. I wonder if Mara will be a recurring character or if her arc has ended. I liked the B story because the high school party had consequences. I always forget how good the FNL writers are with the "actions have consequences" idea. I appreciate it as a fan of great storytelling.

There are still elements of FNL storytelling that frustrates me though. For example, Julie and Derek. The student and the TA had sex. What's the point? Every show with a college setting inevitably chooses to tell a story like Julie and Derek, even Joss Whedon couldn't resist the student with the TA relationship. It's pointless. It's filler. I know how annoying this plotline will be. Derek's married to a prestigious professor. There will be drama. It'll end with Julie's expulsion from school, just in time for the final episodes of the series so she can be in Dillon where the quality storytelling's taking place. I have no patience for student/professor affair storylines in television because they end the same way.

Furthermore, I dreaded the A story heading into the episode. I knew that his father would be back because of the spoilerific preview at the end of "Expectations" last Friday night. I tired of parental issues in FNL. The acting saved the story and gave it life. Could Aimee Teegarden and Gil McKinney do the same for their story? Maybe. Michael B. Jordan's performance made me care about the A story. Aimee Teegarden's lovely but her storyline's as useless as Saracen interning with the free-spirited sculptor last season.

Overall, I dug the A story, appreciated the storytelling in the B story, hated the C story and I don't particularly care for Buddy's upcoming arc with his troubled son. I'd be remiss if I ignored Jess' new job as equipment manager for the Lions. Jurnee Smollett's a delight in every episode and I loved the one scene we got with her as equipment manager. The comedic possibilities between she and Billy Riggins are endless. Also, the Lions are 3-0 after another miraculous victory. "The Right Hand of the Father" wasn't mind-blowing. It was an average episode of FNL. The C story hurt the episode though. Blah.

Patrick Massett & John Zinman wrote the episode. John Boyd directed it.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK