Last Chance U

TheNap wrote: »

Yes watched the 1st ep last night really enjoyed it .

Its crazy how popular football is at schools/college level over there.

Always wondered is there clubs outside of the schools that play like GAA and soccer here or is it all school/college level ?

Pretty much school / college - quite expensive in terms of equipment etc, lots of flag football (like tag rugby) but not so much the real thing.

I finished it this morning, the past two episodes are the best. Great little mini series. Ollie is some guy!!

Have watched the first three episodes, it's very like Hard Knocks in some ways, but in a sense there's a lot more at stake for these guys. There's some interesting plotlines in it that the documentary doesn't really address head on, but allows to play out under the surface a little. Without giving anything away in terms of spoilers, I really like the focus on the struggle that the academic coordinator woman has just to get these lads to do the bare minimum of work they need to be doing to either stay in the CC or move up to a D1. The inability of some of the players to see beyond the football field even when they must realise that their only hope of staying on that field is by getting the right grades (that are probably not hard to get). And the dawning realisation that these are often lads who have been badly taken advantage of throughout their school years, allowed to get away with whatever they want because of their talent, with nobody really caring about their future, whether in or (more likely) out of the sport.

And it's that sense that they will likely drop out of it, with very little prospects beyond it, that hangs over the whole documentary, and makes all the winning and losing struggles of a normal sporting season seem much more poignant.

I also really like the emphasis on the setting. Apart from the fact that it's a quite modern CC that just rises out of the ground in a spot where there is almost literally nothing else around (be an intereting place to go to College), I love the shots of the town and the cotton fields etc. It gives a sense of why something as seemingly insignificant as Junior College football can take on such huge significance, and the contrast between the town and the hyper modern facilities of the football team (a Junior College remember!) kind of implies how problematic that relationship between place and team actually is.

But still the Hard Knocks style drama about who will be starting QB etc keeps it chugging along nicely. They also have a lot more access than Hard Knocks get.

Tl;dr: It's good.

Im not even an American Football fan but really enjoyed this. That homecoming queen bit shows how strange the whole culture is. That one going around "vote for me....I love your dress....vote for me....you have pretty eyes". :rolleyes:

Felt bad for

Charizard wrote: »

Dont understand how the guy who was first choice qb all season doesnt get a offer from a top school, where the guy who was back up and pretty much ****ed up every opp besides one game against the team considered the worst in there division gets to Auburn

Spoilers, thanks a million.

Charizard wrote: »

Sorry I dont know how to spoiler presumed everyone had finished it

No worries. For future reference, the "spoiler" icon is right above the text box when you're writing a post (although I dunno if that's true on a phone)

Yeah, the head coach came off looking like an overgrown child from the whole thing.
He's just a terrible human being.

I'll be keeping an eye out for the kids from it though.
I see Ollie has switched to OL now...

jack presley wrote: »

Season 2 going to be made

http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/757719-last-chance-u-season-2-gets-greenlight-from-netflix

Whoever designed the mobile site for that website needs to be shot. I'm not reading it. Will the second season be set in the same university?

I wonder if they'll do another season.
EMCC has been done, Indy is not worth any more coverage....
The other teams of note, Garden state etc dont seem like they'd have enough controversy around them to warrant a season.

I've only watched the two Indy seasons so far but found them very entertaining. The Indy v Garden City games both years were great stuff.

I agree, I thought this past season was the strongest one in some ways. The drama of it was palpable, it was beautifully shot, and I especially liked how it draws the focus increasingly beyond the football field, and even the football players, focusing on local opposition to the team as a resource sponge, and the really vexed questions of the morality of junior college football. And while that stuff has always been a feature of the show I think given the circumstances of the season it takes on a much greater sense of urgency.

Brown is a dick of course, but while his total hypocrisy and self-serving approach is there for all to see, the show does a great job also of revealing what a sad existence his is, the lies he needs to tell himself to keep himself going in the face of relentless criticism and loneliness. I think that's what I like about it best as a show, that it does such a stellar job of exploring the human frailty of all these people, without ever making us feel less invested in what happens on the field either.

If you haven't seen it yet, the bonus episode where they follow up on various people from across the seasons to see where they are now is really great. And more thoroughly condemns the college football system than any of the seasons themselves (even though one player is now with the Rams, which I didn't know).

Initially I thought "booooo" to basketball, but after The Last Dance I'll give it a go. Still a pity it's the last football season