Friday Night Lights

This week on FNL: Tyra has second thoughts about Cash, Riggins avoids a college recruiter, and Lorraine and Shelby have a confrontation over Matthew. You know, like every week.

Previouslys! So, Tyra ran off with Cash to the rodeo; Coach decided to let Matt, his QB2, play wide receiver; Street and Tim went on one last road trip to NYC and Street stayed in the Big Apple, shattering Tim's heart as well as yours and mine.

A red taxi drives up to the Riggins Ranch; Tim tells the driver to keep the change as he steps out into the Texas sunlight. I wonder how much of his $14,000 Timmy has left. Gypsy tickets aren't cheap! He says "thank yew" like a good Texas boy, slapping the side of the taxi, and it drives off. Tim walks up the drive, looking at everything with new eyes: this is his world without Jason. It's got to be weird. He walks up the driveway and pauses at the sight of his truck, because Black Betty is totaled. Her side rear view mirror's twisted, and the hood's completely accordioned up because she's been driven into the bushes (and no doubt small concrete wall) at the front of the house. Tim storms into the house, slamming the front door back and bellowing for Billy, who is passed out on the living room couch and surrounded by empty beer bottles, of course. Tim tells Billy that he's going to pay for all the work on his truck and then yells that he was only gone for three days. Billy's blinking and covering his eyes, and Tim starts to snark that Billy, who's lying practically naked on the couch, doesn't look so hot either when Billy interrupts: "She dumped me." All the wind goes out of Timmy's sails. Billy sits up and says the wedding's off; Tim quietly says he's sorry to hear that. He asks Billy if he wants to talk about it, which is a real step forward for both boys, but Billy can't do it: he grubs at his eyes and stands up, revealing that he's only wearing little green briefs, and I guess we should be happy for that much, ladies and gentlemen. Also, the elder Riggins may not be cut like Timmy, but he's still in fightin' shape. How do these guys not all have giant beer guts? Ah, the magic of television. Anyway. Billy ambles past Tim to his bedroom, mumbling "Sorry about your truck" as he goes; the camera zooms in on a five of hearts playing card that's stuck to his back. Heh. Tim stands in his desolation of a living room and marvels some more at how much the world can change in 72 hours.

Chez Taylor. Eric, his Panthers baseball cap turned backward, sits on the living room floor and plays with Gracie Belle; Julie has breakfast at the kitchen counter while Tami gets some milk.  "Gracie and Mister Bear inform me someone's birthday's coming up," Eric says. Awww, Mister Bear talks! I'm a total sucker for that stuff. Tami says she doesn't know who Mister Bear could be referring to, and then announces that she's not going to have her birthday this year. Eric and Mister Bear both look up, slack-jawed. Tami, not acknowledging them doesn't mean they don't still happen, but good on you for trying. "I feel old," Tami admits, noting that if she has a birthday, Gracie Belle will have a birthday, and then Julie will have a birthday and where will it all lead? "I think it's just the best present y'all can give me," she says in that too-bright, sing-song voice of hers. "Agreed?" Julie, Eric, Gracie Belle and Mister Bear all try not to stare at Tami like she's fallen off the deep end.

Panthers practice. Everyone takes a knee while Coach exposits that they're in the playoffs, and that "this is where the fun begins." He says those who have already been here know what he's talking about, and those of them that haven't - and here we get a quick shot of JD, looking up at Coach and then away - "you will." We catch a glimpse of Landry in the background, too, which is a nice touch; Landry's never been to state either. Coach recalls their Arnett Mead game, which is when Matt played his heart out but fumbled the final play. He says they were a good team then - cut to Matt, head down and staring at the turf - Coach finishes that they're a better team now. Ouch. Coach asks them to look around at each other, and to ask themselves how much they're willing to sacrifice out on the field. Behind Coach, Matt stares up at him. "I guarantee you, that question will determine the outcome of this game," Coach says quietly. Cut to Riggins looking down, thinking. Coach encourages them to have a good practice, and the dirty guitar kicks in and we cut to...

JD throwing passes. Matt runs out, playing wide receiver, and catches the ball. The tackle who's coming for him puts on the brakes and literally raises his hands instead of knocking Matt to the ground. Eric hollers, of course, and Wade explains that - in keeping with Eric's valid recent observation that if Matt gets hurt, Eric doesn't have a back-up quarterback - he told the boys not to tackle him. Eric says that if Saracen's going to play, he needs to be able to take a hit. "You want to take some hits today, Saracen, or you want to take it real easy-like?" he yells. Hee! Cut to Saracen getting pounded on the field: he drops the ball, lies on the field trying to catch his breath, he's just getting pummelled. And then Buddy Garrity and the Mayor are suddenly running on to the practice field. Coach is all wtf?, but the two bastions of Dillon interrupt the practice and ask for the team to gather round for their absolutely awesome news: the "TV people" have selected the Dillon game for the national game of the week, so the Panthers are going to be on national television. The team erupts into cheers as Buddy hollers "Are you ready for some football?" HEE. Eric stomps around, looking absolutely pissed as we go into the credits!