A Big Naked Hero cheer for the winner of HIS BORDER BRIDE, by Blythe Gifford:
Janette Harjo!!
Email us at goddesses@thenakedhero.com with your contact info, Janette!
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Friday Night Lights is back! For whatever really ridiculous reason, it was moved to some Direct TV only station and I’ve gone through Coach Taylor and Dillon, Texas withdrawal.
But now, by some stroke of great fortune, it’s back on NBC!!! And I’m sitting here on my couch at this very moment watching the first episode of the season, the same episode that Satellite viewers watched back in September, thinking about what to write.
It’s good to be back thrilling with Friday Night Lights. Landry, Serenson, Tami, the coach, Riggins, Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose. And in my jubilation, my blog topic came to me…
See, I’ve always thought about Coach Taylor and his archetype. What is it? It’s hard to pin down, actually.
Coach Taylor is layered, but at The Naked Hero, we believe there’s a core archetype within everyone, and that archetype informs other characteristics and “sub” archetypes to shine through.
Think of Sawyer on the TV show Lost. He’s a Lost Soul at his core, but at times he’s a Charmer (and often a Bad Boy). How do you know which archetype is truly at his core? Well, when you realize that Sawyer can choose to be a Charmer…or not…you realize he’s not a Charmer through and through. He can turn it on and off. But the Lost Soul hides beneath the layers all the time. That part of him never goes away. He can hide it, mask it, cover it up, but not for long because it’ll surface again eventually. He can’t help it.
OR
Then there’s Indiana Jones. At first glance he’s a Professor. Literally. But the thing he can’t deny about himself is the Swashbuckler that he’s hidden for so long. That part of him is always knocking at the door, yearning to be freed. When he goes off to search for the Holy Grail, the Swashbuckler is finally released and Indiana no longer denies who he is.
OR
So what is Coach Taylor’s core archetype? I’ve thought and thought and thought about this, and there’s not an easy answer. Which means Coach Taylor is a well-written, multi-layered character.
He’s a Chief, but really that’s only on the football field.
He’s a a Professor, but that, also, is only on the football field.
What I’ve finally decided is that at his core, Coach Taylor is a Best Friend. He’s that dependable person for Tami, for his players, for his daughter, and for anyone who needs him. He’s the one you turn to, who’s always honorable, who will do anything (even give up a romantic evening with his wife in a hotel to go with his wife to rescue a student from a bad situation) to help another.
He can summon up his inner Chief or his inner Professor when it’s necessary, but when push comes to shove, he’s still and always a Best Friend.
So, the topic today is the core archetype. Take these heroes and let’s figure out what their core archetype is, and what other archetypes are make up their characters:
- Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars
- Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis) in The Last of the Mohicans
- Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson) in Schinlder’s List
- Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- Sherlock Holmes (as played by Robert Downey Jr.)
- Guido (Daniel Day Lewis) in Nine
- Fill in the Blank…..
About Misa
I’ve never watched Friday Night Lights. Why did they move it to a cable channel? But I like the fact it’s hard to nail the coach down to just one archetype. What would be his core????
It wouldn’t be fair for me to play the game, but I’ll chime in tonight when most everyone has posted their opinion.
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1. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars: The perpetual screw up that got lucky. Had a change of heart and a reason to fight changed him. Slightly wimpy by depending on others for support.
2. Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis) in The Last of the Mohicans: The true Hero. Bold, Brave, Smart, Tough. A Natural Hero
3.Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson) in Schinlder’s List: He is a lot like Han Solo. More of a tortured soul.
4.Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: Greedy, crazy, selfish.
5.Sherlock Holmes (as played by Robert Downey Jr.) A learned Hero. He was OCD to the point of becoming a hero. He is the forced Hero. He is so disturbed, he had no choice.
6.Guido (Daniel Day Lewis) in Nine: I have not seen this.
7.Fill in the Blank…..Conan the Barbarian. He comes from a long line of Warriors. Bred to fight. Orphaned and made to kill. Focused on the injustice done to his people. His heart and soul full of revenge. Became a Hero to all because he killed a Man that everyone was afraid of. He was never looking for fame, but earned the right to it and to be called a Hero and King.
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Oh Julia, you don’t like Hans Solo?! You’re making me think too hard about him and I don’t wanna! I like him just the way he is.
I have my thoughts on his archetype, but my lips are zipped till the end of the day. Come on y’all, let the games begin–er–continue…
Oh, re: Nine… Daniel Day Lewis was awesome as always, but I was disappointed in the movie. Chicago it was not. And I had such high hopes.
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I have a sinus headache. I think everything that would come out of my brain today about any of them would be dark! I do like Hans Solo. But I’m a Chewy fan all the way!!!
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Sorry about your headache, Julia. Hope you feel better soon!
Yeah, Chewy rocks!
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Thanks Misa! it will feel better soon.
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Han Solo – a charmer to the end…literally, in carbonite.
Schindler – lost soul
Butch Cassidy – either best friend or professor
The dad in 2012 – he started as a lost soul, but really became a true hero by the end of the movie.
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1. Han Solo is the bad boy, and charmer..Mostly the bad boy, or that’s what he wants us to think, in the end he was the mentor and best friend.
2. Hawkeye is one of my favorite characters. He is the chief. Without a doubt it is his core archetype. He is a take charge guy, who is endlessly fearless, ready to put the welfare of others a head of himself.
3. Shindler is another leader, and chief, who against the odds does what is right, even if it brought danger to his front door.
4. Butch Cassidy, another charmer and bad boy. The two seem to go hand and hand. He was something of a chief, but the core was the charmer. That’s how he got away with so much.
5. Sherlock Holmes. I haven’t seen this movie yet, but the character in the books and old films was mix of lost soul and best friend. Mostly the lost soul at the core of his story, since he was a drug addict.
6.Guido, was really complex. He was the bad boy, the charmer and a mama’s boy. At his core, I’d say bad boy, simply because he was so self centered. This movie was panned, but I liked the characters.
This was fun, Misa, sorry I got into it so late.
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