The Lions went on a road trip this week on Friday Night Lights, amped on their own team spirit and the blunt advice from Coach Taylor on how to avoid trouble on the field with their away-game opponents, the racist Rangers: Stop “playing with vengeance”; stop making “mental mistakes”; and “stay away from dumb, gentlemen.” As always, Coach offers words we all might live by. That, plus some classic Kyle Chandler moments, when you think he’s going to be sincere and then, poker-faced, he lets Coach go over-the-top with the same even yet vehement tone: “My way is the right way, the good way… The way to salvation!”
Not headed for salvation? Daughter Julie and her creep-o teaching-assistant. Why is this girl involved with a guy who says of his wife, “We like each other but we don’t love each other. Or maybe it’s the other way around.” This is attractive to Julie? It’s no wonder the T.A.’s wife showed up on campus later, slapped Julie and repeatedly screamed, “Julie Taylor is a slut!” Because, well, Julie sorta is. She scampered home after that, all smiles and hugs (Tami should have been suspicious right there), needing to “do laundry.” That’s the new code for “hiding from the new life I’ve created.”
All of the hour’s on-the-road material was rich and loamy with details about the lives of these young men, their hopes, their dreams, their temptations. I like the way the producers aren’t afraid to show us a side of the Panthers that we might not like, were we staying in the same motel with them — all that yelling and horsing around, boys-will-be-boys letting off steam. Insufferable if you have a business meeting the next day, but, if you’re not booked in a room next to them, fun to watch. Even Buddy, Jr., hapless on the field, got to score a bit with the ladies and was made to feel part of his new team by getting himself branded like a husky calf.
Vince’s dad, Ornette, is going to be a problem, what with his increasing view of Vince as a meal ticket to wealth. He paid lip service to Eric’s instructions that his son not talk to recruiters, but it didn’t stop him from being tempted by the guy from TMU.
You could say that this was a stand-alone episode in which not much happened in terms of furthering key plots. But I prefer to say that this was an hour what added a lot of carefully crafted texture to Friday Night Lights, allowing the show to take a well-considered pause, to fill in some of the color and details in the portrait the final season is painting of every core character’s journey to the future. “We’re getting there,” said Coach on the bus. Indeed we are.
Twitter: @kentucker
Love this show. It breaks my heart all the time. Simply wonderful – I’m going to miss it.
i loved “we’ve been drinking” and “what are you all wearing” this show really is a gem.
A bit of a different episode, but great nonetheless. And I thought that, judging from the look on her face, Tami was a little suspicious of Julie’s reason for coming home. Julie is an absolute twit. I love the look of next week’s episode because it looks like her parents will be coming to the same conclusion.
So much to come…amazing season..
I have a lots of sisters.i help to every person.its my hobys.Thanks
Finally! A character (Buddy Jr.) who actually looks like he’s related to Buddy Sr. I love the Buddies.
That kid is a dead ringer for Buddy Garrity.
Lyla has the butt chin Like both of the Buddies.
Love the series!! it never stops to amaze me.
Ken, your “carefully crafted texture” comment is right on the money. There were so many small moments to appreciate in this episode, which I think is the best of the season so far. Watch Eric’s face as his team is forced to play dirty football – Kyle Chandler deserves an Emmy for what he doesn’t say, as much as for what he DOES say. It was lovely to see the team quietly talking on the balcony while most of the coaches were inside playing cards and drinking.
This was an episode that said so much without words. On the bus trip home, we saw Buddy Jr. look with quiet pride and satisfaction at his trophy – the lipstick case – and his “brand,” which meant that he had found a place where he fit in. And then there is Tami’s face as she realizes that Juli is home, the daughter she has missed so much. I’ve seen the rest of the season, so I will say that the wretched TA arc finds some redemption in the outstanding Coach/Juli/Tami scenes that are to come. This show is amazing. Thanks for reviewing it for us.
I loved what Vince had said about Coach forfeiting the game the year before. It showed his trust, which he’d expressed out loud, and Coach had overheard it. It was a sweet moment.
Yes! That was a very sweet moment. It shows how much Vince has matured in the past year.
Julie’s slapping was long overdue.
i WISH i had a good reason to scream that line in a public setting. “Julie Taylor is a SLUT!” But even then, no one would get it. loved it.
HAHA! Ditto! I wish I could as well!
amen. this show has so many great, interesting, characters … and Julie.
Although I loved this episode, it was hard to see Eric tell Vince to play “their way”. It got the job done, but you can see that it wasn’t how Coach wanted to play it. I loved the scene where he called his wife, and as they said good-night to each other, he squinted his eyes tight, like to hold back tears. You can tell he and Tami really, really love each other. And the “morning after” scene, as hungover players AND coaches got on the, was pretty funny! LOVED the message Buddy, Jr. put on the hotel marquee!!! Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!
You might want to change the word “Panthers” to “Lions”.
Not “Loins”?
I really loved this episode. The kids were acting actually like kids. I love when they were all on the balcony talking and coach heard. He had a little smile on his face at some of the comments they made. I like how Luke mentioned that Vince and he hated each other at first. Love the way they have gotten so close. I love how the one coach had ear plugs when the kids started rapping and being kids. I love how Vince went on the field for Buddy and how the pretty boy stood up for him on the field. I smiled during this whole episode. I fast forwarded the Julie parts except for when his wife came in there and slapped her. I really love how Vince looked when he introduced his father to his other fathers. He was so awkward. All the faith Vince has in Coach is so heartwarming. When Coach said he wanted all recruiting to come to through, Vince didn’t hesitate to agree. Love the talk Vince and Coach had and Vince saying he didn’t want to ruin Luke’s moment.
It seems as if Ken and Ellen liked many of the same aspects of last night’s show, which I thought was outstanding, that I did. And I, too, thought Ken’s “richly textured” observation was perfect. I was quite impressed by the early scene in which Coach Taylor talked with Vince about Vince’s “spontaneous” meeting with the coaches at TMU the week before. Kyle Chandler conveyed in his demeanor, the tone of his voice, and with his eyes the genuine care and concern he has for Vince and Luke as young men. I thought the extended scene with Luke, Vince, Tinker, and Hastings on the hotel balcony shooting the breeze and trying to calm each other’s nerves the night before the game, while Coach, out of sight on his own balcony, took it all in powerful, realistic and unexpectedly moving. The episode was so good that I even found myself enjoying the Julie-TA scenes, and it takes a lot for me to be interested in any of Julie’s story lines. Speaking of Julie, has anyone seen this year on network or cable TV better acting than Connie Britton’s reaction to Julie’s unexpected return home for a visit? If the scene with the TA’s wife was a tad melodramatic and a little unrealistic, it was more than made up for with Coach’s decision to adapt to the game situation and allow the team to play mean, hard-hitting football since the officials were blatantly favoring East Dillon’s opponents. I give credit to the writers for allowing Eric to react realistically rather than have him take the “we won’t descend to their level” approach. And the closing line by Coach Taylor -“we are getting there”- well, it doesn’t get any better than that. I can’t wait for next week’s episode.
I cant wait for the next episode either. I want to see how Vince’s dad is gonna deal with those guys after Vince. I am so excited for that.
“Speaking of Julie, has anyone seen this year on network or cable TV better acting than Connie Britton’s reaction to Julie’s unexpected return home for a visit?” To answer your question, Steve, no I haven’t seen better acting than that on TV. According to imdb, Connie Britton doesn’t have any children, yet she captured the exact happy sappy expression that I wear when my daughter comes home from college. She is amazing. I forgot to mention in my earlier comments how funny her dirty little laugh was when she and Eric were talking on the phone. It reminded me a little of Pepe LePeu. (spelling?)
My fave episode of the season so far. Loved the players talking on the balcony while Coach was listening.
Have the final season on dvd…cannot bring myself to watch the finale yet. Breaks my heart to think this show is over
Me too. This is such an outstanding drama – in every way. The writers, actors, etc. should all have gotten Emmys. I love the comparison between the lifestyles of the Panthers vs. the Lions. So much wonderful content.