Supernatural and Friday Night Lights

The Black Oil

Supernatural, series 1

I'm having a wee bit of trouble getting into this. 8 episodes down. Hmmm. It's got good production values (well, mostly), it's well shot, I like the humour and the male leads, but...so far the stories are a little straight forward. Weird stuff happens, Dean and Sam go to the town, pretend to journalists, FBI agents, park rangers, they investigate, meet townsfolk, confront the monster/demon, etc and then the guys are back on the road. It's fairly entertaining, still waiting to be a little freaked out by the stories, though. I believe there's a mytharc so I'll see what the rest of s1 brings. I hope their dad makes an appearance, also. It's been suggested that I skip ahead, but I don't think I want to do that. I've heard the end of s5 is supposed to be excellent, but I'm staying away from spoilers.

Tell me it gets better?

Friday Night Lights - series 1

I've watched 12 episodes of this. It took me a while to get into it...probably because of all the impossibly good looking people and so forth, but it seems pretty solid and very much character driven. Although, coach Taylor's wife seems to breach confidentiality or blab about her students/clients at every opportunity?! I'm enjoying it. I've heard suggestions that the show got a few 'network notes' in s2 and they do something that's well dealt with, but kinda robs the show of its innocence? Apparently someone once said said something like: The Wire's about the death of an American city, Friday Night Lights the death of an American small town. I can see why.

Anyway, just some thoughts on both shows.

Basq

The Black Oil wrote: »

Supernatural, series 1

I'm having a wee bit of trouble getting into this. 8 episodes down. Hmmm. It's got good production values (well, mostly), it's well shot, I like the humour and the male leads, but...so far the stories are a little straight forward. Weird stuff happens, Dean and Sam go to the town, pretend to journalists, FBI agents, park rangers, they investigate, meet townsfolk, confront the monster/demon, etc and then the guys are back on the road. It's fairly entertaining, still waiting to be a little freaked out by the stories, though. I believe there's a mytharc so I'll see what the rest of s1 brings. I hope their dad makes an appearance, also. It's been suggested that I skip ahead, but I don't think I want to do that. I've heard the end of s5 is supposed to be excellent, but I'm staying away from spoilers.

Tell me it gets better?

The first season of 'Supernatural' is BY FAR the weakest.. each episode is pretty much by the numbers. Great music, good performances from the two leads but it's not until season 2 that the show really kicks it up a notch when the multi-season arc starts.

I gave up after season 1 a few years ago and only caught up last year and I'm glad I did. It turned into a remarkable show.. incredibly consistent, funny and probably one of the best shows on TV.

Stick with it.. you'll be glad you did as it progresses. The first season is the toughest to get through, but it is important!

nix

Yeah i look at the first season as an introduction to the two charcters and the world its set in, each week they take on a new monster/demon. The only real consistent story is the search for their father.

So stick with it like basquille said and you will not regret it, as it just goes from strength to strength from season 2 on, im even contemplating watching them all over again

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Stick with Supernatural - I started watching last year because I heard it was fantastic (same as yourself, I was disappointed with season 1), but then really got sucked in and loved it...

J-blk

Basquille's post is spot on - the first season of Supernatural is pretty formulaic, monster-of-the-week stuff but from season two on, it becomes stronger and stronger. By season three the myth-arc is in full force and after that it simply goes epic . Definitely stick with it.

No opinion on Friday Night Lights I'm afraid, never bothered watching it...

Blazer

I envy you ...I'd love to be able to sit down to Supernatural again and start it all over without having ever seen it
For me Lost/BSG/Supernatural/Dexter have been the best tv shows shown in the last 6 years. And I'll miss them
At least Dexter's not finished yet.

RolandIRL

only ever watched supernatural when it was on ITV2. pretty good 4th season though i was a bit lost! must really start watching it from the beginning.
first season's tend to be a bit "monster of the week" and then cram a load of the story into 2/3 episodes like smallville or fringe (though it's episodic in its 2nd season still) but they tend to pick up in 2nd seasons.

never watched Friday night lights, so no opinion

herobear

To jump in on this thread somewhat, I watched the pilot of FNL when it first aired and thought it was just a poor retelling of the movie with worse actors and boring music(the music is probably my favourite thing about the movie)....is it worth getting back into it ?

JP Liz V1

Supernatural gets better season by season

FNL gets worse season by season could be because of cast exits thats imo anyways

The Black Oil

Thanks for your posts.

I'll push on with Supernatural, watched episodes 9-11 and I think it's improved a bit. Great to see William B. Davis, but all the

townsfolk being in on it/evil

has been done many, many times.

A shame if FNL declines, I only have s1 on DVD so I may leave it there.

QikBax

There's definitely a dip in season 2 of FNL but season 3 is outstanding and season 4 is pretty great as well. You'll be hooked after a few eps of season 1

corblimey

jamc wrote: »

There's definitely a dip in season 2 of FNL but season 3 is outstanding and season 4 is pretty great as well. You'll be hooked after a few eps of season 1

+1

s2 is a bit all over the place, but the shortened runs in s3 and s4 really seem to suit the show and they've been very good.

The Black Oil

I've finished s1 of Supernatural, pretty good... I think things picked when the lads a more direct or immediate involvement in the cases. Still a little repetitive, mind, but entertaining. Not sure when I'll start s2, have to get the DVDs first.

I've 3 episodes of FNL s1 left. Buddy and Lyla Garrity have to be two of the most irritating characters ever to grace our screens.

The Black Oil

I'm up to date with Supernatural, good show.

Friday Night Lights series 3. One of this show's greatest strengths is that it doesn't bull**** its audience. It's refreshing in that respect and there's a real connection between the characters. Coach Taylor's diagnosis of newbie J D McCoy's father was spot on, a freak show, seriously. I think Landry is one of my favourite characters, some of his self-dialogue is rather amusing and how he views the world. I have more time for Lyla now, she's not as irritating at this stage. I've warmed to Buddy, too. If I've anything negative to say it's that it tends to turn certain negatives into positives rather quickly, often within the same episode. I can't remember if it did this in series 1 and 2 and ordinarily I don't mind some things being self-contained, but sometimes the resolutions are a little fast and too clean.

SSK

The Black Oil wrote: »

I'm up to date with Supernatural, good show.

Friday Night Lights series 3. One of this show's greatest strengths is that it doesn't bull**** its audience. It's refreshing in that respect and there's a real connection between the characters. Coach Taylor's diagnosis of newbie J D McCoy's father was spot on, a freak show, seriously. I think Landry is one of my favourite characters, some of his self-dialogue is rather amusing and how he views the world. I have more time for Lyla now, she's not as irritating at this stage. I've warmed to Buddy, too. If I've anything negative to say it's that it tends to turn certain negatives into positives rather quickly, often within the same episode. I can't remember if it did this in series 1 and 2 and ordinarily I don't mind some things being self-contained, but sometimes the resolutions are a little fast and too clean.

Yeah that's something I've noticed about FNL as well, generally to do with new characters who don't really develop, possibly because of the shorter run of episodes from s3 onwards.

Seasons 1 and 4 are my personal favourites, followed closely by 3 and the current season which are both excellent.

The less said about the 2nd season the better, it's woeful

Richard Dower

SSK wrote: »

Yeah that's something I've noticed about FNL as well, generally to do with new characters who don't really develop, possibly because of the shorter run of episodes from s3 onwards.

Seasons 1 and 4 are my personal favourites, followed closely by 3 and the current season which are both excellent.

The less said about the 2nd season the better, it's woeful

Lyla becomes a jesus freak..... :rolleyes:

The Black Oil

Finished s4 of FNL. I really liked how Tami

didn't apologise for her actions re the girl who was in crisis. Poor Tim, invariably most people see his worst side, but he very rarely loses the head.