Episode Report Card Drunken Bee: B+ | 2 USERS: A YOU GRADE IT Eating Crow
By Drunken Bee | Season 2 | Episode 13 | Aired on 01.24.2008
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.Jason and Herc get into a knockdown brawl in the middle of Buddy Garrity motors when Jason learns that his truck (which he bought from Herc) needs five thousand dollars worth of work. Buddy breaks it up and calms Jason down and makes a suggestion to him that will help him pay for the work on his car: get into the car sales business. Ferret Guy and a couple of cronies surround Tim Riggins in a parking lot and beat the crap out of him, breaking a bottle over his head, and then telling him he has a week to repay the stolen money. Then police show up at the Williams household and arrest Smash for assault. And that's all before the credits even roll!
So Jason is working for Buddy, selling cars; the other salespeople are not happy given his "wheelchair sympathy" advantage. One particularly Texas-haired bitch gives him a really hard time, stealing customers from him and such. But Jason shows them all when he sells a car to a notoriously indecisive customer using the "life is too short, things can change in an instant" argument.
Tim goes to Lyla for help with his rock-and-a-hard-place problem. She comes over to The Playgirl Ranch to find him lighting candles and making her chicken. She storms out when she realizes what is going on and he runs after her, telling her that he loves her. She tells him that it's never going to happen and it is ice cold. She goes on to tell Chris about her Tim Riggins issues -- actually having to admit, "I know, I know, I slept with my paralyzed boyfriend's best friend." The goddamned halo keeps shining around Chris's stupid wholesome head and he accepts Lyla's confession with grace and then goes to get ice cream with her. Later, Lyla shows up at Tim's with an envelope of money to pay Ferret Guy back, which he at first refuses. She drops it on the doorstep and leaves, telling him that she won't be coming back anymore. The Riggins boys bring the money over to Ferret Guy who almost lets him off the hook until Billy starts a fight with him over what he did to Timmy. The Riggins boys hightail it out of there, almost getting shot.
Smash is advised to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, and forced to make a televised apology to smooth things over. But even all that doesn't make the sudden and convenient racism go away, and the boys from last episode start calling and harassing Noannie and going on television accusing Smash of attacking them "just because we're white." Smash snaps and gives an incriminating interview to a reporter. The Board suspends him for three games, which happens to be the rest of the season.
And, Coach convinces Tami to sub in as coach for the suddenly coach-less girl's volleyball team, which happens to be one hot mess of a team. When Tyra is over the Taylors' house for dinner one night, Tami notices how tall the girl is and leans on her to join the team. Tyra Amazons all over the place-- her athletic prowess fueled by her long standing love/hatred of Tim Riggins and jealousy over Landry's new nerdy, dreadlocked female friend Jean-- and leads the team to a victory, the whole scene set to "The Bomb" by New Young Pony Club, which just rocks.
So to recap the recaplet: Tami and Tyra! Jason Street! Crucifictorious! An actual scene where Landry, Matt, Tim Riggins, and Smash are hanging out together! Tyra, spiking volleyballs! Oh, show, where have you been?! Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Open with a Replacements song, which is always a good sign. Herc and Jason are getting bad news from a car repairman, who says that Jason's truck is going to cost at least four thousand dollars to fix. Lots of stuff about fly wheels, but who can take a minute to recap that when that minute would be much better spent shrieking about JASON STREET! HOLY MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY IN A ROMAN COLLAR WE HAVE CONTACT! (I'm sorry, I clearly cannot resist Contact references.) Jason makes a negative remark about the truck not being worth that much, which incites Herc to defend "Ole Bessie's" honor, as apparently he was Ole Bessie's previous owner, which just opens the door for the repairman to lecture Herc that he told him for years to take better care of the truck. This sets Jason off, who just starts whaling on Herc for telling him the truck was in good shape when he sold it to him. Somehow amidst all the yelling and flailing, Herc ends up out of his chair on the floor; Buddy rushes out to break it up and we cut inside to Buddy's office, where those mounted and stuffed deer heads have taken on a remarkably friendlier aspect than they had last season. Wonder what's got them all cheery?
Buddy wants to know why Jason flew off the handle, and Jason explains that he only has eight thousand dollars to his name. Buddy tells him he'll just have to live without a car for a while; Jason tells him that he doesn't know what it's like to have to depend on other people for rides everywhere, that he doesn't even fit in most of his friends' cars. He says he's going to have to just pay to have the truck fixed, and pray he doesn't run out of money and have to move back in with his parents. I am more honestly moved by this plight than I have been about just about anything else all season -- Landry's dumb murder, or Julie's growing pains, or Smash's education in racism. Jason Street, let me stop shrieking my greetings to you and instead clasp you close to my bosom. Buddy Garrity seems like he also would like to clasp Jason's head to his bosom, but since he's a man and this is Texas, he suggests instead, "Jason, you ever think about selling cars?"
Tim comes out of the convenience store to find Ferret Guy and his posse in the parking lot. Ferret Guy creeps around, cheerily wondering where Tim's been, inviting Tim to go hunting, et cetera. When Tim tries to get in his car to leave, Ferret Guy grabs him by the neck and creepily sweet-talks him for a moment before head-butting the kid. Before Tim can shake the cartoon stars out of his eyes, Ferret Guy smashes a beer bottle over Tim's head. He tells him that he has until the end of the week to get him his money or he'll shoot Tim's knees off. He hops in his truck with his cronies and calls out to Tim, "Good luck at the game on Friday!"