I feel so behind from having missed posting on last week’s Friday Night Lights. If I said I was deathly ill, it would sound like I was overstating it and you wouldn’t believe me. Regardless, a lot happened in the ante penultimate episode (I’m trying to figure out if anyone other than people writing about television shows ever gets to use that word). Between the continued devolution of Tim Riggins as a functioning member of society, to Tami’s incredible job offer, things are not so copacetic in Dillon. And hanging over everything, including the Lion’s upcoming State Championship game, are the budget problems that are destined to shut down one of the town’s two football programs.
After watching Tami and Eric fight about whose career should take precedence, I’m not sure who is right. When you really look at it, Tami is being just as unreasonable about expecting Eric to throw away his career as he is about expecting hers to continue to take a backseat to football. Her continued reminding him of the eighteen years of being a football wife came across as a weak argument, though. You would think that a mature couple would have had this conversation a long time ago, maybe sometime after Eric quit his job at TMU to come back to his family.
In the end, I expect Eric to support Tami, and move to Pennsylvania. Mainly, because it is the right thing to do, and the Taylor family, when the chips are down, generally end up doing the right thing. Also, because Eric Taylor returning to the sideline of the (West) Dillon Panthers is about as wrong as anything can be. It was hard not to sympathize with the school administrator, who was in an impossible position. It is hard to believe that this is the same town that started a second school (and thus football program) just two short years ago. It is even harder to believe that the one parent who spoke out at the town meeting wasn’t right. Dillon doesn’t need to financially support two football teams, when the Boosters have done a fine job supporting both over the last two years.
Poor little Timmy Riggins, eh? Yes, he went to jail, for all of the wonderful, altruistic reasons that he told Tyra. But, in doing that for Billy and his family, did he somehow build unrealistic expectations as to what the Riggins household would look like when he got back? Billy and Mindy are exactly who they are always going to be … Struggling to get by, but will always find a way to make things work. What did Tim expect?
It was nice to see all some of my favorite characters back in Dillon, and spending time together. I’ve been less than excited with anything involving Julie Taylor this season, a that trend continued tonight. Her drive by the Sarcen household was there but for the sake of seeing Julie be angsty about her future. Which, I think they’ve pretty much established at this point. That being said, it was nice to see her and Tyra reconnect.
Luke needs to pull whatever it is he has shoved up wherever it is shoved up, stat. He has been the best part of the new cast, but this self-pity act is not fun to watch. Hopefully Riggins set him straight, but just because High School was the paramount of Tim’s football life, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the same for Luke.
Next week, Friday Night Lights comes to an end. Will the Taylors and the rest of Dillon live happily ever after?
Notes & Quotes
Clacked by Ivey West 
on Feb 03, 2011 @ 10:30 EST5EDT
