The thing with Scott Porter is that a lot of his scenes are just so emotional. You have to see them to appreciate them. I guess the same could be said about most of the great scenes on this show. But just watching Jason, or Scott rather, transform from QB1! to a guy in a wheelchair with destroyed dreams and broken spirit... it's an awesome thing to see. This show feels like a documentary. These people feel real. And Jason Street feels the realest of them all. Down to his pasty hospital skin and desperate to be something eyes.
Pilot - Street stands in front of a chalkboard diagramming plays for little kids. One boy suggests that Street should play professional ball. Street leads them in prayer and a boy asks him if he thinks God loves football. Kid, you’re asking Jason Fucking Street. Of course his answer is, “Everybody does”.
Eyes Wide Open - Jason is trying to pick up a pencil off the table. Coach Taylor walks in. Coach asks him how he feels and he says he doesn’t feel much. (Heh. Ouch.) Coach gives him a football that the team signed for him. Jason asks when Riggins learned to sign his name. Coach says it’s really more of a scrawl. Coach tells Jason he always has a spot on the team no matter how long it takes. Jay asks about Matt. Coach says he throws like a girl but he’s fine. Jay tells him about Matt and says he likes to draw and listen to Dylan. “He’s a good kid” and that “he’ll make some things happen”. Coach looks at Jason with awe-filled love and says, “you’re a good man. You’re a good man. You’re what makes guys like me want to coach.” Jason says he’s sorry for letting him down. ((????!!!!)) Coach looks at him clearly determined to get his response through his head. “You did not let me down. You did not let me down.”
Wind Sprints – Jason Street is watching the football game with his mother beside him. When they start talking about Jason’s injury, she uncomfortably asks if he really wants to watch it. When she goes to change the channel, he barks, “Leave it”, holding a football in his gnarled fingers.
At the hospital, Lyla is putting away the Tupperware from her dinner with Jason and he asks her “just how depressing” her birthday was. She tells him it was exactly what she wanted and next year “when you’re better, we’ll go out to dinner”. Jason has reached a limit it seems. “When I’m better.” Lyla starts trying to sweet talk him saying “this is just a hiccup” and that in a year he’ll be back on track. She continues blathering until he yells “Stop!” She pouts and starts talking again. He tells her he can’t even use his hands and wants to know how she can’t see that. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He says it kills him that she comes in to see him all happy like nothing is wrong. Every night he dreams he can walk so every day he has to accept it all over again. He tells her it’s over. They’re not getting married. Then he tells her to get out. She pouts. He yells, “Get out!” She gathers her things and tells him she’ll be back tomorrow.
El Accidente - "I need you here, Tim. You are my best friend. I expect you here. I expect you here."
Coming back to the rehab facility after a trip to the lake with Lyla and Timmy, Jason wheels himself to the window to watch Lyla get into her car. The way he emotes in this scene, you get the feeling he does this every time she leaves, watches her get in her car and drive away. That this is habit. So he watches Tim and Lyla get out of Tim’s truck and start walking towards her car. Jason is smiling. He’s just had a wonderful day with his best friend and his girlfriend. He watches Lyla and Tim hug. The smile on his face fades the longer this hug goes on. He watches them touch foreheads. And the smile is gone without a trace as he spins himself around and heads away from the window.
Crossing the Line – To Phil after Phil warns him about quad rugby. “What’s the worst that can happen? Fall out of my chair? Break my neck? Oh wait. That’s already happened.”
Jason and Herc are wheelchair racing through the hallways. Jason is the first to the double doors and tells Herc not to feel bad because he was all-conference last year. Her says he’s not sure Jason should play on Thursday since so many people are against it. Him, Phil, the doctor and Jason’s “cute little cheater”. The anger is back on Jason’s face and he says she didn’t cheat. He starts to wheel away from Herc but Herc blocks him. Herc tells him he’s letting her mess with him. Jason wonders why Herc wants them to break up so badly (I believe he makes some accusation of Herc being gay). Herc tells him that as long as he holds onto the girlfriend he had when he could walk he could avoid the reality of being paralyzed. Jason tries to get past him and rams his chair into Herc’s and they both fall onto the floor. Jason tells Herc that Lyla is all he has. Herc says, “Just cause we’re crippled doesn’t mean we have to take the crumbs.”
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes – My absolute #1 favorite scene of the entire season. As a matter of fact, it's so good, it deserves its own subtitle. The Great and Noble Men of Dillon Panther Football - Football field at night. Smash pushing Jason. Matt with his hoodie. Matt asks what Smach means by "bi-polar." "It means she's crazy," Smash answers. Jason says it just means she has issues like everybody else. Smash says he’s dealing with it like a man by hiding in the bushes. Jason laughs and they (we) hear Tim's voice over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen. I present to you the great and noble men of Dillon Panther Football." Jason smiles and Tim comes back. They’re all drunk. Matt starts talking about getting caught and losing game time. Jason asks, “What would happen? Bench you? Start me?” and he’s wheeling around the field narrating a fake play. Tim wonders what Matt’s problem is. Smash wonders how anybody’s could be worse than his. Tim says, “I just tried to make out with my next door neighbor who is at least in her mid-thirties. I pretty much got put through the wall so I think I win.” Jason says, “no. Chair says I win. Every time.”
In the morning, Tim (who is still drinking) and Jason are up. Smash and Matt are still asleep and Matt has his hand on Smash’s stomach. Tim says, “This is so Brokeback, man.” They laugh and Tim asks, “Friends?” Jason answers “Yeah always. Texas forever.” Tim repeats, “Texas forever, man.”
Mud Bowl – At the settlement hearing. “We’re not here to win the lottery!”
(this would probably be more appropriately a favorite Lyla scene)
Lyla comes into Jason's house to find lying on the couch. He asks her to get him a glass of water. She does. He tells her he's been busy and she says he sure looks real busy.
Jason: "Get off my back Lyla! What do I have? I got a girlfriend who cheated on me. Parents who are breaking up because of some stupid lawsuit. Lost the coach. Lost the team. Lost my friends. Lost the quad rugby. So I got nothing. So I'm sorry if I haven't been the perfect boyfriend right now. But I've got a lot more on my mind than powderpuff and prom! And this cup is way too full, I'll spill it you know that!"
Lyla, throws cup at Jason. "No its not too full!"
Jason: "What the hell was that for?"
Lyla: "You think its been easy for me to help you in and out of that chair? Do you think that's easy?"
Jason: "No one's holding a gun to your head Lyla!"
Lyla: "I do it because I love you stupid! But now you're sitting here feeling sorry for yourself and acting like a jackass all the time. You want to play rugby? Find another team. You hate this lawsuit so much? Find a way to make it go away. And next time you want a glass of water, say 'please'!"
Best Laid Plans – OMG how I love this scene:
In Coach Taylor’s office, Jason and Eric are beating down Matt.
Jason: I think they are going to squash him.
Eric: Pretty much like a bug.
Jason: Like a flea, Saracen.
Eric: So I don't want you resting on your laurels. You understand me?
Jason: You don't have any laurels, Saracen.
Eric: Not a damn laurel.
And when Matt objects to spending his lunches with Jason because he has lunch with Julie.
Jason: I'll take care of Julie. I'll give her a call, tell her there is a new girl in town, and that girl is me.
State – Coach walks into the locker room. Jason is lecturing the team. "So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna think about the off season. Off season's about development. Development of speed, development of strength, development of character." Eric continues down the hall without saying a word as Jason continues, "tomorrow we go to work."
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