The gripping Netflix docu-series is back for another season, and for the EMCC Lions, not much has changed. They have JUCO national championship aspirations, they have controversial players, and they have controversial coaches. So, how does this new season stack up against the old one, and in general? Let’s talk about some of the pros and the cons.
CONS
Forced Frisson
One of the most powerful parts of the first season, and one of the best things about the shows is the use of music, from Pop Staples coming in with “Somebody Was Watchin'” to Webbie’s “Whats Happenin” cutting in after a big win. (All lyrics NSFW)
One of the most well-captured moments of the first season was the hype leading up to a big game against Northwest. The Lions needed a win, so they’re dressed in all black, their entire season has come down to this, and Future comes blaring in over the speakers, “F*** Up Some Commas” in particular. It’s a combination of how just insanely recognizable the song is, the almost menacing piano coming in to kick the beat off, and the pressure of facing a great team in one of the last games of the season.
The second season has this exact scene in it, but the difference is that it comes before the second game of the season. It doesn’t hit as hard, even though the song used is “Knuck If You Buck”, which is a top 5 hype song of all time. It was the timing of the focus and the fact that it was used twice in two seasons, which is my biggest knock on it – that there were parts that seem interchangeable outside of a few characters. It’s mostly an issue during the first half, towards the end it begins being very different than the last season.
A Victim Of Its Own Fame
Players know that they’re on camera. Coaches know they’re on camera. I don’t think they fully understood the reach the first series would have, especially with the release date coinciding with everyone gearing up for football.
It’s a bummer, but it’s not an outright mistake, and it doesn’t break immersion or anything. It’s just easy to see.
PROS
It Doesn’t Hang Anyone, But It Gives Them The Rope
The best thing that crossed over from the last season was the holistic view of people. It goes to great lengths to show every side of people who are viewed as outright monsters, and shows who they really are. From the outside looking in, you never know who has really changed and who just wants to appear like they changed. This gives you the chance to make that call yourself. It shows the warts and all. In the face of some truly monstrous and borderline sociopathic things that happen in this series, it remains unbiased, which is a testament to great filmmaking.
There’s Some Actual Tension With The Concept Of Redemption For The Players
Last season, the main characters were Wyatt Roberts, John Franklin III, Ronald Ollie, and DJ Law. Most of the issues with the players were from grades, or that they just wanted to transfer and needed a place to keep their game sharp while they looked for another school.
That’s not the case this season. The rehabilitation of De’Andre Johnson, the Florida State exile who struck a woman, has more moral tension than just grades. In season 1, the only character like that was Buddy Stephens, the head coach, and his rehabilitation is a huge part of the new addition to the saga. However, there’s a bigger focus on the tough issues and morality with this season. What Johnson did was repulsive. He also seems to have paid for it in some fashion, is working to make sure it doesn’t happen again, and is a legitimate leader on the team. Outside of that incident, he’s easy to root for. In a way, it goes back to the first point: the show doesn’t tell you who to root for. It gives you the backstory and lets you decide from there.
The Verdict
Documentaries and movies about football have become dull, and I think it’s because of a few reasons. 30 for 30, for a while, used “The Bad Boys Of *Insert Sport*” as a template to simply allow former players to give their side of the story. Few people give their own story with all of the bad stuff in it, or they just wash over it. This series is different. You see things as they unfold in real-time for the players, and you see their unfiltered reactions to things. You hear exactly what they say and how they say it, not what they say they said after the fact.
It’s real, and it’s more akin to the actual experience of playing football than anything that’s been depicted. Yes, it does get repetitive, but it’s still better than anything else out there. I give it 4.75 out of 5.
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