"The Giving Tree" was a strong episode, both because and in spite of it's reliance on a number of callbacks to classic
FNL moments from earlier this season and the first -- we're still pretending much of season two didn't happen. Thematically, we only have to go back a few episodes (
"Keeping up Appearances") where fathers and sons was the gist, and this week it's mostly daughters that get the father's attention.
First daughter up to bat is J.D. (that's right, I called him a daughter,) as the episode begins with him attending a party, no doubt his first since the infamous one a few episodes back (
"It Ain't Easy Being J.D. McCoy"). It's here our golden boy gets a glimpse of his father's worst nightmare: A cute redhead named Madison. In a bit of foreshadowing fun, the song playing is
"Dita Dimone" by Pop Levi, featuring the refrain "Daddy daddy don't be mean to me / I'm forever hearing Dita's plea." After daddy meets Madison a bit later, the lyrics make a lot more sense, and it's quickly apparent that J.D. is treated more like a daughter that needs protection. Leave it to mommy McCoy to aid and abet young J.D. in the re-securing of his balls.
Another storyline from
"It Ain't Easy Being J.D. McCoy," that gets revisited is the one of "Matt and Julie doing it." Despite the lack of visibility over the past few episodes, the lovebirds are apparently still shaking the sheets, so to speak, as we find them clothesless in bed early in the episode, while
Joseph Arthur's "Could We Survive" plays in the background. That song begins with the telling lyric: "Hallelujah stop and stare, when will Jesus find us here? Could we survive?" Coach, fresh from doing a little savior work at the jail with Buddy, is indeed going to find them there, and the way the scene was shot was quite wonderful. Shot entirely away from the action, the camera focuses instead on the exterior of Matt's house as we only hear Julie scream and see Coach come storming out, which is really all we need. In dealing with Julie, it's Tammi who naturally ends up taking the reigns, and we're treated to a wonderful sequel to the mother-daughter conversation from season one's classic episode, "I Think We Should Have Sex."
Buddy and Lyla inhabit the final father-daughter relationship explored, and after attempting to portray him in a more positive light earlier this season, he's back to being the old unlovable scamp, losing Lyla's college savings and ending up in jail after a scuffle at the Landing Strip. Exactly how does one cause $30K in damages at a dilapidated strip joint, anyway? The only hint we get that he's willing to recognize he's wrong with Lyla is through the backing music.
"Till I Get it Right" by John Doe and the Sadies plays during the first Buddy rant, and the episode ends with him leaving a message to Lyla to the tune of
Soulsaver's "Revival." "Forgive what I have done...it means my soul's survival," the song goes, and its use also underscores Tyra's recognition that Landry is more to her than someone she takes advantage of. That ties together the title's implied theme, which Landry brings up in referencing the children's book "The Giving Tree." (And how about Crucifictorious sounding like a real band now? They might be aping
old Kings of Leon, but it actually sounded pretty promising.)
I guess there was another playoff game this week as well, right? The game again took a backseat to all that was happening, but what happened on the field did two great things. First was a callback to the troubling referees from season one's "Black Eyes & Broken Hearts" episode, where Coach Taylor turned the other cheek repeatedly, late hit after late hit. Still stinging from the Matt and Julie discovery, Taylor loses his sh*t and his voice, tearing into the referees, backed by one of the most daring music choices the show has had, the joyously angry
"adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" from Future Of The Left. The Welsh band, who rose from the ashes of the great
mclusky, does angry very well, and, as
FNL has occasionally shown, sometimes a well-timed cathartic release can do a world of good.
Playlist:
Friday Night Lights - Episode 3.101.
"Dita Dimone" - Pop Levi - Madison's party.
2.
"Could We Survive" - Joseph Arthur - Matt & Julie talk in bed.
3.
"Till I Get It Right" - John Doe and The Sadies - Buddy rants to Eric about his money problems.
4.
"The Debtor" - Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Tyra tells Landry she got his band a gig; Matt arrives at the Taylors'
5.
"Remember When (B Side)" by The Black Keys - The game starts
6.
"Sound Of Madness" by Shinedown - End of the first half
7.
"adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood" by Future Of The Left - Coach Taylor leaves the game
8.
"To West Texas" - Explosions In The Sky - The game ends
9.
"Revival" - Soulsavers - Tyra watches Landry perform; Buddy leaves Lyla a message.
Previously:
Man-Hatin' Music (Episode 3.09)
If Chuck is on the edge of cancellation, it's certainly not going down without a fight (or without a few 'stunts' to get some ratings). Exhibit A: "Chuck vs The Broken Heart" features Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Burn Notice) stripping at Awesome's surprise Buy More bachelor party. It was fun seeing how Jeffster react to the proceedings, but the machines that brought us to that point were loud and clumsy (ditto goes for the Subway footlong product tie-in). 
Of course, it was inevitable that the Sarah-has-feelings-for-Chuck liability was going to have to be addressed, but the resolution with General Beckman at the end didn't seem at all earned. At least Tricia Helfer got to show off her... um... skills, and I think we'll see Agent Alex Forrest again, if there's another season, of course. Casey and Forrest make an interesting pair, with the scenes between them cleaning and loading their tranq guns being a highlight of the epiosode. There's a good story arc in there somewhere... one possibly involving some bunny boiling, if her name has any significance (Fatal Attraction). The other name fun was the target here, Rashad Ahmad, who's in the hospital with a bum ticker under the alias Harry Lime (The Third Man,) which an exhibition of the power of positive thinking (many lives).
Most the music tonight was devoted to the bachelor party, but the ending song, Bon Iver's "Blood Bank" was an inspired choice, the kind that gives goose bumps. I'm fairly certain the song's meaning has little to do with what was intended here (the ties of blood between Ellie, Chuck and their father,) but it works nonetheless. 
