Mud Bowl (Friday Night Lights)

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"Mud Bowl"
Friday Night Lights episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 20
Directed by David Boyd
Written by
Produced by
Featured music"Read My Mind" by The Killers
Cinematography byTodd McMullen
Editing byJoshua Butler
Original release dateMarch 28, 2007 (2007-03-28)
Running time43 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Best Laid Plans"
Friday Night Lights (season 1)
List of episodes

"Mud Bowl" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights , inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. The episode was written by co-executive producer Elizabeth Heldens and supervising producer David Hudgins, and directed by David Boyd. It originally aired on NBC on March 28, 2007.

Contents

The series is set in the fictional town of Dillon, a small, close-knit community in rural West Texas. It follows a high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. It features a set of characters, primarily connected to Coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami, and their daughter Julie. In the episode, the Panthers are forced to relocate to a new stadium after a train derailment, while Landry decides to tutor Tyra in order to get close to her.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 5.68 million household viewers and gained a 2.0 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received universal acclaim from critics, who praised the writing, directing, performances, and tone, with many considering it one of the best episodes of the series.

Plot

The Panthers prepare to face the Brant Vikings at the state semi-finals. However, a train derailment near the school forces a school evacuation due to a possible toxic waste hazard. This worries Eric (Kyle Chandler), as the semi-finals game was supposed to be in the Panthers' field. Eric is forced to relocate the team to a park in order to train, but is dismayed when he is informed that the school will be closed for one week, preventing Dillon from hosting the game.

Eric tries to look for a replacement, but refuses a larger stadium as it is closer to their competitors. While arguing with Buddy (Brad Leland) on the car, Eric becomes fascinated by an open field with cows. Tami (Connie Britton) has her reservations over his plan in turning the field into their new "stadium", but eventually recognizes that her husband really wants to make it. Eric has the team and other community members in helping build the new field, which is officially recognized as fitting to play. During this, in an attempt to get closer to her, Landry (Jesse Plemons) convinces Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) in becoming her algebra tutor.

Lyla (Minka Kelly) starts spending time with Waverly (Aasha Davis), who decides to take her to a shooting range. When Lyla tells Smash (Gaius Charles) about their visit, Smash reveals Waverly's bipolar diagnosis. Quickly deducing that Smash told her, Waverly confronts Smash. Smash explains that he supports her, but could not endanger people when she is refusing to take her medication, causing her to break down. Lyla also has a heated argument with Jason (Scott Porter) when the latter does not open up about his problems. During the lawsuit settlement meeting, Jason confronts his parents for trying to ruin people's lives for their debts. He decides to just get a settlement that covers the house payment, which is approved by the lawyers and supported by Eric.

The game is affected by a heavy rain, causing the players to slip through mud in the field. As they go tied by halftime, the referee considers suspending the game, but the teams express their interest in continuing playing. With a few seconds left, Matt (Zach Gilford) runs all the way to the end zone, scoring a touchdown and taking the Panthers to the finals. Noting Matt's improved tactic, Eric thanks Jason for guiding him and asks if he is interested in coaching. Landry schedules to meet with Tyra at the Alamo Freeze, but his car breaks down and is unable to arrive in time. When Tyra starts leaving, a man she met suddenly attacks her and tries to rape her in her car. She fights back and escapes, while the attacker flees. Landry finally arrives, and she embraces him.

Production

Development

In March 2007, NBC announced that the twentieth episode of the season would be titled "Mud Bowl". [1] The episode was written by co-executive producer Elizabeth Heldens and supervising producer David Hudgins, and directed by David Boyd. This was Heldens' fourth writing credit, Hudgins' third writing credit, and Boyd's second directing credit. [2]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Mud Bowl" was seen by an estimated 5.68 million household viewers with a 2.0 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 2.0 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. It finished 65th out of 101 programs airing from March 26-April 1, 2007. [3] This was a 5% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 5.39 million household viewers with a 1.9 in the 18–49 demographics. [4]

Critical reviews

"Mud Bowl" received universal acclaim from critics. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a perfect "masterpiece" 10 out of 10 and wrote, "One of the most cinematic and intense episodes yet, 'Mud Bowl' once more showed the power of this show to take the potentially cheesy and make it shine." [5]

Sonia Saraiya of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "'Mud Bowl' is probably the most perfect episode that Friday Night Lights ever attempted. Not the best, necessarily, though it is pretty damn amazing. But 'Mud Bowl' is sort of the whole vision of Friday Night Lights, crystallized into one 42-minute ride." [6]

Alan Sepinwall wrote, "I don't know that I'd go so far as is as Dan Fienberg in calling it the best episode since the pilot, if only because of a little thing I like to call The Talk from 'I Think We Should Have Sex,' but on the sports side of the ledger, this was as good as this show gets." [7] Leah Friedman of TV Guide wrote, "It seems that we so rarely get to see the Panthers actually compete, but those games really serve to anchor their respective episodes. In the past they've embodied our characters' feelings of suspense and disappointment, but this week it was all about control." [8]

Brett Love of TV Squad wrote, "I'd still call this a very good episode. Another win for the Panthers and all the dominoes lined up for the big push to the end of the season." [9] Television Without Pity gave the episode an "A" grade. [10]

Adrianne Palicki submitted this episode for consideration for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Friday Night Lights</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights commenced airing in the United States and Canada on October 3, 2006, and concluded its 22-episode season on April 11, 2007, on NBC. The series revolves around the Dillon Panthers and their new head coach Eric Taylor as they deal with the pressure of high school football in Texas and everything that comes with it, on and off the field.

<i>Friday Night Lights</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights commenced airing in the United States and Canada on October 5, 2007, and concluded its 15-episode season on February 8, 2008, on NBC. While initially renewed for a 22-episode full season, the show ended production for the season after filming the 15th episode, due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. The series' future was once again placed in doubt as it did not return to production once the strike ended, and it continued to suffer from low ratings in its new Friday at 9:00 pm time slot. However, NBC announced in April 2008 that the show would return for a third season, with first-run broadcasts airing on DirecTV's The 101 Network. The second season was released on DVD in region 1 on April 22, 2008.

<i>Friday Night Lights</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights began airing in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2008. It was the first season to be aired on DirecTV's The 101 Network. The 13-episode season concluded on The 101 Network on January 14, 2009, and then began its run on NBC two nights later, on January 16, 2009, and concluded its NBC run on April 10, 2009. The show was renewed for two more seasons in March 2009, with both seasons airing in the same format as season 3, containing 13 episodes each. The third season was released on DVD in region 1 on May 19, 2009.

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References

  1. ↑ "(#120) "Mud Bowl"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Friday Night Lights – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 26-Apr. 1)". ABC Medianet . April 3, 2007. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 19-25)". ABC Medianet . March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  5. ↑ Goldman, Eric (March 29, 2007). "Friday Night Lights: "Mud Bowl" Review". IGN . Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ Saraiya, Sonia (June 26, 2014). "Friday Night Lights: "Mud Bowl" / "Best Laid Plans"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (March 28, 2007). "Friday Night Lights: We must protect this cow pasture!". What's Alan Watching?. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ Friedman, Leah (March 28, 2007). "Friday Night Lights: This is Ours, Baby". TV Guide . Archived from the original on April 1, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Love, Brett (March 29, 2007). "Friday Night Lights: Mud Bowl". TV Squad . Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Friday Night Lights: "Mud Bowl" – He Builds It, And They Come". Television Without Pity . March 29, 2007. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ "2007 Emmys CONFIRMED Episode Submissions". The Envelope Forum, Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
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