Cassidy 1 Meghan Cassidy WR 13300 Angel Matos Rhetorical Analysis Essay October 21, 2012 Respect for Riggins

Tim Riggins to an inquisitive 6 year old boy: Stop please, Im gonna need you to shut up. Cause Im incredibly hung over right now (Season 1, Episode 18). The boozing, brawling, promiscuous personality of Tim Riggins in the television drama Friday Night Lights makes him the quintessential bad boy of the show, eliciting feelings of condemnation and disgust from the viewing audience who may see him as a person devoid of all moral principles. Tim, however, is a complex character whose actions are a product of his forsaken past. His internal struggle with this past, though it brings out some of the worst in him, also motivates him to be a morally strong person and allows for the audience to connect with him on a deeper level to see this. Beneath his unkempt appearance, Tim is honest, fiercely loyal and devoted to his brother, teammates and friends. Friday Night Lights is a television drama that aired on the NBC network for five seasons from 2006-2011. Based on a book and movie of the same name, the show chronicles life in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas, where high school football dominates day-to-day living. The series carefully deals with the important issues often faced by American society including teen pregnancy, gang violence, racism, economic problems, sexual promiscuity, drug abuse and education problems. Tim Riggins, also known as Rigs or #33, is a member of the Dillon Panthers football team who at a young age was abandoned by both his mother and father only to be cared for by his older brother named Billy who was only a few years his senior. In the

Cassidy 2 show, the role of Tim Riggins is portrayed by actor Taylor Kitsch, whose emotional facial expressions and haunting eyes make Tim an enigmatic character to the viewer; with one simple look, Kitsch has the ability to move an audience and make them feel something for him. Kitsch is perfectly cast as the fullback on the Dillon Panthers football team. His athletic frame and handsome face make him believable as the high school hunk that sleeps around. His hair, which often covers part of his face, is shoulder length, messy and at times is almost greasy looking. Yet this dirty appearance is more indicative of his lack of adult guidance as to good grooming habits than it is to making a personal statement. When not in his football uniform, Tim is always seen in a pair of well-worn blue jeans and broken-in cowboy boots. His casual, easy dress is reflective of Tims love of all things Texas; Texas forever is his life motto. Tims appearance alone is designed to make a statement, to convince viewers that he is a little rough around the edges and someone not to be messed with. In the first few seasons of the show, Tim is often found sleeping off a night of excessive drinking on some beat up couch in his brothers dilapidated flophouse. He is a womanizer; his relationships with women are superficial and often result in frequent onenight stands with many girls whose names he cannot recall. Tims desperate attempt to numb the pain of his abandonment through alcohol and casual sex usually leaves him feeling empty, angry and alone. Throughout the series, Tim moves from one place to another. Often wearing out his welcome by his unseemly behavior, he really has no place to call his own, but dreams of one day owning a piece of land where he can build his dream house. Observing Tims outrageous behavior, it is understandable that viewers may dismiss him as a rude and lazy adolescent whose only glory days will come from the

Cassidy 3 high school football field: he cannot bring himself to visit his best friend at the hospital after he paralyzes himself in a game and thus ruins his career, and he gets himself involved in illegal activity when Billy opens a chop shop to make quick money. Yet even his seemingly apathetic attitude is not really apathetic. If anything can be said about Tim Riggins, it is that he is anything but apathetic. Friends become an important substitute for family for Tim and he is an extremely devoted and loyal friend, although sometimes flawed. His best friend, Jason Street, is the quarterback of the Dillon football team. He is the stereotypical popular, clean-cut football star, which is a stark contrast to the long-haired, disheveled and isolated Riggins. Jason has a loving mother and father who open their hearts and home to Tim. Caring for Tim the way they do, the Streets obviously see some redemptive qualities in him and so too should the viewers. Although unspoken, their love for Tim is evident and Tim reciprocates the feeling. People like the Streets remind the viewer of the importance of acceptance and fair judgment. In the first episode of the series, star quarterback Jason takes a hit so hard that he ends up paralyzed for the rest of his life. For Tim, this couldnt have hurt more than if it had happened to himself. He spends hours watching game film, wondering if there was something he could have done to protect his quarterback and friend. In the depths of his despair he sits alone in the dark crying as he views the brutal play over and over. It is obvious Tim is tormented by Jasons condition. He stays away from the hospital unable to see his friend and it becomes clear to the viewer that Tim feels guilt over Jasons injury although he has no reason to feel this way. When Tim sits and views the game tape over and over, he is looking for some tangible reason to blame himself for Jasons

Cassidy 4 injury. When there is none, he emotionally beats himself up wondering why such a bad thing could happen to such a good person rather than to someone like himself. It is rather shocking to see a manly man such as Tim show a sensitive side and break down into tears. Viewers sympathize with Tim particularly because he finds himself in such a hopeless situation, suffering the guilt of something that was entirely out of his control. From this instance, the audience can gather that Tim is not in fact disloyal or indifferent, but rather cares so much about his friend that he could not bear to see him in pain. It becomes evident throughout the show that Tim is actually by nature a very pensive person. He tends to be a spectator, taking in his surroundings and opening his mouth only when he has something very witty or thoughtful to say. As a captain on his football team senior year, Tim puts everything on the line when his team makes it to the state championship game held at the University of Texas football stadium. After a heartbreaking 28-30 loss, Tim remains in the empty stadium after the game has ended to take in his last remaining moments as a football player. With nothing else in sight except a view of the scoreboard, Tim places his worn cleats on the field, scans the stadium one last time and walks out. Football is such an important part of Tims life; it seems a shame that his career ended on such a low notealone and dejected. Leaving his cleats behind signifies parting with something one loves and moving on. It is difficult not to feel for Tim in the midst of such a somber scene; his whole life has led up to this day and it, like many things in his life, ends in disappointment. Tim is a very emotional character whose inner struggles torture him daily. Viewers would be insensitive not to root for him.

Cassidy 5 Perhaps the most pivotal situation and telling of Tims character takes place in the fourth season of the show. By this time Tim has graduated from Dillon High School and has dropped out of San Antonio State. He returns home to Dillon where he and his brother Billy open up an auto body shop called Riggins Rigs. Billy, who is now married with a baby on the way, struggles to make ends meet. Tim, on the other hand, is happy as long as he has a roof over his head and beer in the fridge. Billy is approached by a shady guy who offers him a lot of money to break down stolen cars into their individual parts. Greed gets the best of Billy and he agrees to open a chop shop at his garage after hours. One day at the shop, Tim confronts Billy about his mysterious presence in the shop late at night. When Billy tells him what he is doing, Tim is incredulous. He asks his brother What about Riggins Rigs? (Season 4, Episode 8). Tim, raising his voice and clearly frustrated, implores Billy to think of his family and the risk he is taking but Billy tries to convince Tim that he is doing it to help his family, who is on the verge of bankruptcy. Tim leaves the shop disgusted. The next day Tim dresses in a suit and goes for a job interview which, of course, he doesnt get. He stops by the shop one evening to find Billy chopping the stolen cars. Why are you doing this? Tim asks, and Billy explains that he can make as much money in 2 months as he would in two years. The camera quickly flashes back and forth between Tim and his brother, and the worry and confusion in Tims eyes is extremely apparent. Tim has had his eye on 25 acres of land and therefore decides to help his brother. One day the police come by and arrest Tim, who is alone in the shop at the time. Later that day Tim and Billy sit in a holding cell where Billy tries to concoct excuses and Tim sobs at the decisions he has made. While out on bail, Tim goes back to live with Billy, his wife Mindy and their

Cassidy 6 newborn son Stevie. They seem to be doing well as new parents; they are laughing and smiling togetherall seems right. As Tim admires the small family from across the room, a look of sad satisfaction comes over him. Tim knows what he must do. He pays a visit to his friend Becky and asks her to hold his most prized possession, a snow globe given to him by his mother. It is clear from this that Tim, although estranged from his parents, is nonetheless sentimental and yearns for a relationship with his mother. Tim goes home and, in an extremely emotional scene, tells Billy, I did itI did it all. Billy, who is weak, crying and unable to look at his younger brother, is a stark contrast from Tim, who appears assured and in control. Tim takes the blame for the chop shop, ignoring the fact that he had nothing to do with it. Tim may be portrayed as a convict, but he exhibits more selflessness than any other character in Friday Night Lights. Later, when asked by his friend Tyra why he took the fall for his brother Tim replies, he had a wife, a son, a family. I had an opportunity to give something to Stevie that we never hadI gave him his father (Season 4, Episode 13). It is at this moment that viewers can see just how misunderstood Tim Riggins is. Although it is undoubtedly so that his unfortunate past made him the controversial person he is in the show, it is also this past that motivates him to act with complete compassion for fear that the same destiny may be bestowed upon his nephew. Tim faces up to five years in prison but is released early for good behavior. They say there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your brother. While Tim Riggins certainly did not die, going to a Texas prison for several years comes fairly close. These are not the actions of a selfish, ruthless man, but are rather those of a man who put love above all else. Tim Riggins proves on several occasions that he has

Cassidy 7 the fortitude to rise above the adversity he was dealt growing up. He is by no means perfect, but he is nonetheless a thoughtful, caring and strong man who, through his effective conveyance of emotion, has the ability to capture the hearts of his audience everywhere.