So much is happening already in the new fourth season of Friday Night Lights, I’m going to organize this recap by bullet points. The usual SPOILER ALERT pertains.
• Coach Eric may be struggling to tame his East Dillon Lions, but through some dubiously ethic’d redistricting loophole, he secured the services of a primo West Dillon Panther player Luke Cafferty. I thought it was terrific to have Luke be a humble kid who cried when Tami told him about his unavoidable move, and then a polite go-getter once he arrived at East Dillon: A lesser TV series would have made that character a sullen, bitter, angry lunkhead.
• How much pressure can Tami bear in this school redistricting mess? It was great the way she pulled the rug out from under Joe McCoy (I swear, D.W. Moffett is becoming one of my favorite TV actors) in front of the West Dillon football poobahs. But how can Tami possibly win over the rest of the angry, booing school? For once, it seemed as though Eric was so busy worrying about himself that he wasn’t gasping the enormity of Tami’s troubles when they cuddled on the home sofa. A glass of white wine and a hug from Eric is not gonna comfort her for much longer.
• I like the way Coach went to Vince’s literal home court — his neighborhood basketball court — to cajole him back to football. But how did Vince round up so many guys (including Landry), after all that first-game-forfeit bitterness? Kids today, with their texting and their Twittering!
• Was Landry accidentally hitting that girl’s bike a shameless meet-cute on the part of the writers, or what? No matter: She’s cute, seems interesting, and Landry needs a girlfriend.
• Matt’s new art mentor: Okay, it was brilliant that the guy should prove to be not an airy aesthete daubing at a canvas, but instead a John Chamberlain-type sculptor wrenching art from rusting car fenders. But how much guff is Matt going to put up with (he’s such a sensitive lad), and how is he going to respond to this anti-tutelage? I don’t see Matt picking up a welder’s arc and leaving his art charcoals, do you?
• “Hey, Tim-Riggins-Who-Used-To-Be-A-Panther”: That Becky, she’s a keeper, Tim. Keep a light on in your new (old) trailer!
In general, I’m really happy with the way the series is starting to juggle the two schools’ subplots: Nothing seemed rushed or choppy this week. Well, one thing. Explain the chronology to me: Tami was booed during a pep rally, which would be held before a game, right? But it was Saturday, not Friday (game night), which turned into the same evening Eric had scheduled his 10 p.m. And wouldn’t Tim, who’d agreed to help Coach with his team, have showed up for that crucial practice? Didn’t this seem edited out of sequence?
Beyond this small cavil, I thought this was a highly satisfying entry. Give me a little more Joe McCoy and a dollop more Buddy Garrity, and we’ll have ourselves a helluva season.
Did you watch FNL? It’s airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on DIRECTV’s The 101 Network. What did you think?
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Another great episode. I agree about D.W. Moffett–Joe McCoy is a great character I love to hate. It was nice that Tammy finally wiped that smirk off his face, at least for a minute. And you’re right about the chronology. And why does East Dillon already have a week off after playing just one game? Other than that, it was another solid episode in what promised to be an exceptional season.
I wondered why Riggins wasn’t there either…but we’re talking Riggins here, I figured he’d probably just prioritized finding a place to live. I love how he’s living in what seemed to be a primo Airstream trailer!
Trouble with Tami and Eric seems to be on the horizon, and since they are my favorite TV couple I’d love to see how they work out all this conflict.
SO happy to see Jurnee Smollett and Steve Harris love that they have a BBQ place! I hope they write some good stuff for Jurnee, I think she’s an amazing actress. Looks like my boy from lipstick jungle is pretty versatile guy since he played a gay dude there and is a high school athlete here. I would love to see michael b. jordan get more of a full character arc. I hope he won’t stay sullen all year….
i love the risks peter berg is taking including adding more diversity to the cast. that was always one knock on FNL to me, given where they are and the fact that hey, this is football….
Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who wondered where Riggins went to – I was thinking he was gonna to show up with the team when they arrived but hence no Tim. I am glad to see them giving him something more to do then be drunk and work on cars – He is by far one of the hottest men on TV – now give him so personality! I also have to say that Coach’s storyline is the most compelling to me – it’s nice to see him face this adversity – rather than just dealing with the juggernaut of the Panthers – this will really stretch his character and the impacts of that will be the drama to really watch.
Was really concerned when I read over the summer that the landscape of my precious Dillon would be changing with new characters coming in and old characters leaving (which I understand they must) But last night when Matt Lauria broke down and cried on the field after Tami gave him the news he’d be moving, then subsequently apologized for lying, I was sold.
GREAT EPISODE!! Loved the Tami politics, though I knew that creepy McCoy was gonna have payback. And I loved, loved, LOVED the Mike Leach cameo–”inner pirate”, indeed! BTW…in Texas, lots of games are now played on Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday nights, due to the number of high schools and districts. And Taylor probably wanted to really get the team’s attention, hence no Riggins appearance…yet.
Loving this season so far. Love that Tami isn’t taking any **it from Joe. I felt so bad for Luke when Tami told him he had to go to East Dillon. He was trying to be strong, but then just started crying. Then went back to practice. Too good this season.
Luke was the star of the show last night. He was heartbreaking.
Glad to see Jurnee Smollett(The Great Debaters)along with Steve Harris(The Practice) added to the show. Jurnee is one of the most talented young black actresses coming up through the ranks.
I haven’t decided on this. Admittedly, I am not familiar with Jurnee, but the second I recognized Steve Harris’ lips (which are mezmoring, no?) it was like a jolt to my system. My first thought was it’s Eugene, running a BBQ in Dillon…and then I started thinking…FNL is typically made up of unknowns (exceptions: Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, etc..)so, did Harris have a soft spot for the show and want a role, or did he need a job…? And that is why I can’t decide if I love this casting choice.
I see a great oppotunity for Coach Taylor to being in Smash Williams for some couseling or talking with the guys. I could see Smash helping Vince get straight and it would be great to see Smash back for a cameo or two.
Smash is a little busy on Trauma these days…
That’s Herc on Trauma. Gaius Charles, who played Smash, just finished up Othello in New York.
You’re right about Herc. But Gaius Charles was Boobie Williams in Friday Night Lights (the movie). I confused the show and the movie for a second. My bad.
I am waiting for this program to get on a network that we all have. I have plenty but don’t know where this channel is.
I don’t have Direct TV can the series be put on NBC or CBS
it will be on nbc in the spring
The only thing I didn’t like was the lack of a reaction from Coach Taylor when Riggins basically announced that he’d dropped out of college. Look at how he acted last season w/ the Smash Williams character. There’s no way this character would just accept one of his top talents dropping a full football scholarship just so Riggins can help him rebuild a crappy high school team. And how old is Alicia Witt’s bartender character supposed to be? Especially when she’s messing around and serving liquor to a 19-year-old boy basically.
Riggins was never gonna be successful at college and the coach knew it. Smash has the drive an ambition to do it. Riggins always coasted on his natural talent. So I though the coach’s reaction was fine.
This episode was wonderful. LOVE FNL!!
The scene with Luke and Tami on the football field…what struck me most about that was that Luke came back to apologize and then thanked Tami. Anyone who played high school football knows that the sport is more about teaching character than anything else, and this young man showed plenty of character. My girlfriend is not a football fan, but I convinced her to watch the show for the first time last night. Toward the end of the episode she said something like “this show is so predictable; you know everything will work out and East Dillon will have a great team.” But what I love about this show is that you don’t know that everything will work out in the typical television format. I think there is a better-than-not chance East Dillon will never be a football powerhouse.
This is BY FAR the best show on TV. What do we have to do to get it the recognization it deserves…I can’t believe it only got one nomination for the Emmys and that wasn’t even for an episode or character!
I think Coach Taylor’s reaction to Riggins dropping out of college was realistic based on who Riggins is. Smash was a different character that required different advice and coaching. This show just has moments of greatness. First, Tammy being offered a brib in the high school parking lot and turning that right away at the all boys meeting. The introduction of Jurnee and Steve Harris’ characters. Vincent’s mother and his subsequent talk with Coach Taylor and Luke throwing his panthers t-shirt into the fire and that is just a few. I love it.