Here’s what happens when we rely too much on modern technology instead of old fashioned TV sets and VCR’s. When it fails, it fails. So I wasn’t able to watch last week’s episode of Friday Night Lights until late in the week. So this is a two-in-one deal, recapping the last two weeks in Dillon.
And what a couple of weeks it’s been. The way my man crush on Eric Taylor, it’s going to be hard to convince people that I’m straight, but trust me, I am. First he had to face the awful truth that his sweet little girl is not as innocent as he thought and that Tim Riggins was actually saving her from herself. And he handled it like the true man than he is. And a real man isn’t afraid to admit when he was wrong, as Eric apologized to Tim. He also managed to get Shelly out of the house, which may have been inadvertent, but was what he ultimately wanted.
But Shelly’s leaving also had some side-affects, as it meant sending Gracie to daycare, because Eric supports Tami too much to ask her to quit her job. It was heartbreaking, seeing Tami roll the baby carriage to school every day because he wasn’t able to leave her in daycare. I think what broke Eric was seeing Glen holding his baby. There’s something about Glen, even though he’s obviously a geek, which makes Eric very uncomfortable. But finally, with Eric’s support, Tami was able to do this hard task and leave Gracie for the day. Have I mentioned how heartbreaking it was?
On the other side of the tracks, so to speak, Tim Riggins can’t seem to catch a break. Yes, Eric apologized but didn’t take him back. He went back to Billy but needed rent money, so they did the most logical thing, for these two – rob the biggest drug dealer in Dillon. We still haven’t seen the consequences, but we can only guess it will bite him on the butt, big time. And if that’s not enough, he’s also getting his heart broken, again by Lyla, who falls for her Christian radio co-host. There’s nothing sexier than two people who are devoted to Jesus and are supposed to practice abstinence going at it like dogs in heat, but still, poor Tim. Can’t he catch a break?
Perhaps he could catch a break if he took a page from Santiago’s book. These two are very much the same. Both come from troubled homes, both had to provide for themselves and both face temptations and challenges every day. But while Tim seems to choose the wrong path 9 out of 10 times, Santiago showed he was different. Yes, it took him time, but when he faces a serious choice, he chose Buddy and Panthers over his “thugs”, as Buddy called them. Sure, Santiago has Buddy as a positive paternal role model while Tim only has Billy, who’s as messed up as he is, but still, it would have been easy for Santiago to choose the thug life. Now it’s left to see if his past will continue to haunt Santiago.
Smash had a rather up-and-down ride the past two weeks. With many colleges trying to recruit him, he was king of the world, until settling own with TMU, his first choice. But then race wars reared their ugly head, as Dillon may not be ready for his jungle fever, and he learned that the hard way. Smash should have learned by now that his mama knows what she’s saying.
And then there’s Matt. The word “heartbreaking” came up many times during this review, but that was the theme running through the last two episodes. And this year, Matt got his heart broken time after time. First Julie dumps him for no good reason. It took him time to open up to Carlota and when he realizes he fell in love with her, she has to leave and go back home. This may be an opening for Matt and Julie to get back together, but why does Matt have to suffer like that all the time? The guy’s QB1, show him some love.
Friday Night Lights does not shy away from tough subjects. We’ve had rape, drugs, racism and other tough subjects. But to its credit, even though the lessons are always clear, it never gives an “after school special” feeling. It’s a drama series, not educational TV. Some would say that this is something dangerous, that the show is “brainwashing” the viewers into following conservative values. I don’t see it that way. I see it as a good drama series that depicts life for what it is in a conservative, country atmosphere. It doesn’t look down on Texas and what it stands for; it looks it straight in the eyes. And for that, it should be applauded.
