Any fans who were missing their football on Friday Night Lights got a taste of it this week, as the Panthers coped with the season-suspension of Smash. But just a taste — the team scenes were more a part of a Matt Saracin-dominating plot. Yes, our good boy has gone bad, for a week anyway. He’s depressed over the departure of his live-in love Carlotta, and has looked around and realized the rest of his life pretty much stinks, too. Thus: Drinking, calling his nice art teacher a bitch, skipping school, and (need I even write this, given all those naughty things?) hanging out with the best bad-boy on TV, Tim “I always skip Wednesdays” Riggins.
This week we learned that Tim, in addition to his many other talents, really knows his way around a strip club (or whatever you call a club where the girls don’t strip but will lap-dance and will drive you to the hospital if you’ve been drinking and your car’s no good and your grandma has been admitted for falling down and bumping her head — oh, that Matty was a terrible young role model this week!).
Meanwhile, back at the Taylor household, Julie had to feign civilized behavior so that she could get mom Tami to take her to the DMV for her driver’s license. But Tami’s found a nice surrogate daughter in Tyra, who in addition to having immediately become the star of the volleyball team now seems to be having dinner over at the Taylors’ house most nights. It took dad-Coach Taylor to point out to the usually sharp but now-distracted Tami that their daughter might be jealous of the attention being paid to Tyra, but y’know what? Julie deserves to feel a little badly for a while, given how crappily she’s treated her mother most of this season.
Speaking of jealousy, Landry the Love Machine is driving girls wild right and left. Well, two of them, anyway: That sweet-smart Jean, who knows the way into her man’s head is to find him YouTube clips of Mystery Science Theater, while Tyra knows the way to his heart is to simply say, “I like you.” I’m afraid that in the all-too-realistic world that is Friday Night Lights, when a babe like Tyra says she likes you, a boy swallows his pride and moves in for the kiss. Jean, we hardly knew ye.
I cannot believe we only have one more week before new episodes run out. I loved all the bad-boy-Matt scenes — this was a rebellion waiting to happen, and now that it has, all of his scenes captured the awkward ferocity of any essentially meek, decent person goes through when he or she goes on a tear for the first time. It’s character development like this that makes Friday Night Lights so indispensable, but I’ll save the rest of my mourning for next week’s recap. In the meantime, do you think that Texas college is going to reconsider revoking Smash’s scholarship? Is another school going to come to his rescue? What other characters need emotional rescues?
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I thought this was the episode this year. Wow..I cannot say enough about this show! FNL is wonderful television. Thank God season 2 is out on dvd in April. NBC…please..please renew FNL for another season.A show like this does not come along very often.
Definitely the best episode of the season! Finally, the show came back around again to football and “clear eyes, full hearts can’t lose” So great to hear that again. The team now has a mission. Get to the playoffs for Smash. Of course, there won’t be any playoffs this year. Only 1 episode left!
Remember that local recruiter Smash’s mom brought in before all the big guns started showing up? I think Smash will end up there, and the show will be able to keep him as a character.
Jean had gross hair.
loved this ep!!!
if FNL comes back for another season PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give it a tv watch!!!! and put riggins on the cover of the magazine! he, and the show, are so deserving of that kind of attention.
i guess i’ll have to rewatch season 1 on dvd for the 3rd time to get me thru withdrawal after next week.
as for smash, i think he will end up playing somewhere and obvi tim needs a rescue big time…
Thought: Will the phone records that show that those white kids have been calling Smash’s sister come into play? They may be proof of how much he’s been provoked and could make the board reconsider.
This was another fantastic episode! So much stands out, but I must comment on two in particular not already mentioned: the look on Kyle Chandler’s face as he processes Saracen’s “Is there something wrong with me??” and realizes how much bigger this problem is, and Gaius Charles’ acting all the way around…I absolutely LOVE the dynamic between Smash and his mom. When they were hugging each other and crying about the TMU situation, you could see them mourning the loss of each other’s dreams. AMAZING TV. And to see Matty envying Riggins “even keel” nature when it’s clear that Riggins feels deeply, but hides it through booze and repression, was great too. Oh, and Riggins’ “I always skip Wednesdays” was priceless.
That final scene in the locker room and the acting by Gaius Charles–phenomenal! What a payoff for us loyal fans! I got goosebumps and actually shouted out “Can’t Lose!” along with the team. My husband is worried about my emotional attachment to these characters–I’m really going to miss them. Stupid Writer’s Strike!
Stupid Writer’s Strike!
Stupid AMPTP for their feet-dragging.
There would be no characters to be emotionally attached to without the writers. The writers deserve to be fairly compensated for all those DVDs and internet vewings — which are exactly the tools fans should encourage NEW viewers to use to become equally hooked!
Correction . . . When I said, “Stupid Writer’s Strike”, I didn’t mean “stupid writers”, I meant “stupid situation”. I hope the writers get everything they deserve and can get back to work soon.
There is always a college that will take any kid with talent. FSU offered a scholarship to a kid who was arrested 7 times before the age of 18.
There is always a college that will take any kid with talent. FSU offered a scholarship to a kid who was arrested 7 times before the age of 18.
What a fantastic episode! There’s never been another TV show that could so consistently break my heart while making me love the characters so much. This ep was just chock full o’ perfectly pitched emotions, from Coach’s reaction to Matt’s problems, to Matt’s Grandma telling Coach that Matt needs him, to Riggins trying (in his own twisted way) to reach out to Matt, the Landry situation and, of course, the incredible Smash. All of the actors are phenoms, but this was truly Matt’s and Smash’s episode. Let’s all send up a big cheer hoping that FNL gets renewed for another season!
What an amazing episode…especially the last five minutes that left me smiling with tears in my eyes. The locker room scene was priceless (clear eyes, full hearts, the intensity of the boys going out of the door and the hands touching the Panther logo), but Smash’s reaction afterwards stole the show. The best show on TV right now, period.
Frankly, I can’t believe we’ve gotten this many episodes – I expected the season to run out months ago. So I’m thankful it’s gone this long. Another stellar episode last night.
Another great episode. Riggins is the best. Looks like the writers’ strike may be over soon and hopefully we won’t have to go too long before the new FNL episodes are aired. A question for you sharp viewers out there: during the heartbreaking scene where Coach throws Matt in the shower and Matt starts listing all of the people who’ve left him, did he ever mention his mom? Do we know anything about her? I don’t recall any mention of her ever.
matt does NOT mention his mom in the shower scene. he mentions coach, julie, carlotta and his dad.
i think the mom was mentioned in season one but i’m not sure if she’s dead or left them…
i also noticed for the first time that j. street is written under the panthers logo that the team touches as they walk out to the field…
another detail that is just heartbreaking.
I knew from the moment it started that this would be a stellar episode of FNL. Riggins killed me, with his I always skip Wednesdays, telling Lyla and Chris they could share the pitcher, telling Saracen that he was going hit the museum, yoga, library for a bit, or maybe just the “use.” Coach killed me too when he told Lyla that nice guys finish last. Other highlights: Saracen with the shalom comment, Landry calling Matt an at-risk youth, Matt’s oh my gosh stop talking directed to Landry, and Smash leaving the table. Funny stuff. That’s not even getting into the drama, which was amazingly acted. That Coach/Matt shower scene (heh) was really intense. Smash breaking down at the end: great acting.
Ben Silverman, if you cancel this show I am never, ever watching NBC again. Not even for the other Brian “no relation to Smash” Williams.
Sorry for that…
nice not even mentioning smash or corinna.
he is handsome. I love him very much. I heard from my friends that he joined celebrities and wealthy club “Searching Millionaire dot com”. recently. I really expected that I can meet him there.If so, I could share my ideas with him.
Aw love this show! That scene with Matt in the shower was amazing and heartbreaking and so much more! Love love love it!
KEN: why did we have to wait so long to see this recap…and only a mini-watch at that? PLEASE GIVE FNL A FULL TV WATCH!!!!!!!!!!
Can you or anyone else confirm what’s going on—if the writers’ strike ends, we get more new eps? If it doesn’t, then this is it, and we have to *hope* that FNL gets renewed for another season? Seriously, where and how do we start an email campaign to KEEP FNL ALIVE? Will EW.com help us?
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!
It broke my heart when Saracen cried saying, “You don’t care about me. You left me, your daughter left me, Carlotta left me, my dad left me.” Jesus christ. I didn’t realize how pathetic his life is. And then Smash just murdered me when he pumped up the team and then broke down when he was all alone in the huge locker room. Best. Episode. Ever.
This was FNL gold. Saracen and Coach’s shower scene (hah, I love how wrong that sounds out of context) was absolutely heartbreaking. Then the show went all inspirational and uplifting with Smash’s speech… only to crash right down again. Amazing. And gotta agree with Roman, I think Smash’s plan B will be the smaller black college that his mom was pushing him towards initially. Can’t wait to see how this plays out. And thanks for the recap, Ken!
GREAT episode. EW, can’t believe that with all the repeats during the strike, you still didn’t give FNL a full TV Watch. That kid who plays Smash deserves an Emmy.
FNL is the best show on tv! The acting is amazing. This show deserves to get more attention. It’s the only shows my boyfriend and I both LOVE! EW please help this show get the recognition it deserves..FULL TV WATCH! I just stumbled on this miniwatch for the first time today.
Great, heart-breaking, uplifting episode. After reading these posts I can’t get the thought of a Coach/Matt shower scene out of my head. And can we throw Riggins in just for fun? Smash crying at the end broke my heart. It makes me so mad that this show gets no promotion from NBC. If I see another commercial for Lipstick Jungle I’m going to scream!
Great Episode! I agree give Smash an Emmy – his scenes made me cry. I just got into this show this season and it has become one of my favorites by far – I just love it! If NBC does not bring it back that would be horrible – this is one of the best shows on TV!
Smash’ll be fine in the end. He’s got too much to offer.
But it does riddle me that aside from Matt, who’ll they be able to keep on next season? The show is ultimately about a highschool football team, and Saracen was the only Sophomore on the varsity team (much as we know). Won’t a lot of these guys have graduated next season?
Looking ahead, I wonder what new things this show will bring if it continues past Riggins and Smash Williams. Well, whatever comes next, this show’s been one of the best rides on tv for two seasons going now.
Smash’ll be fine in the end. He’s got too much to offer.
But it does riddle me that aside from Matt, who’ll they be able to keep on next season? The show is ultimately about a highschool football team, and Saracen was the only Sophomore on the varsity team (much as we know). Won’t a lot of these guys have graduated next season?
Looking ahead, I wonder what new things this show will bring if it continues past Riggins and Smash Williams. Well, whatever comes next, this show’s been one of the best rides on tv for two seasons going now.