Friday Night Lights

The Panthers go to State, and they will never be the same.

Previously on FNL: Lyla got into Vanderbilt, which she's been dreaming about forever, but snarks that she won't be able to go since Buddy lost her college fund in a bad investment. Buddy told Tim that he wants his daughter back, and Tim said he thinks Lyla needs more time. Riggins then caught a touchdown in the final moments of the semi-finals, so the Panthers are going to state, as if there was ever any doubt. Tami and half of Dillon saw Monty smacking the hell out of his child, the Panthers QB1, who managed to score a huge win despite following Coach's play instructions and not Monty's; Katie sobbed to Tami about watching Monty beat up their child.

Panthers pep rally! Someone's gone all out for this event - there's streamers and spotlights and strobe lights and everyone is just going bonkers. Tyra, who you'll recall is class president, introduces "the next state champions," and the Panthers walk out with Riggins and Saracen in the lead; JD and Landry are right behind them. The whole town's come out to support them, of course, and we get quick shots of our favorites in the crowd - Julie, Lyla and Billy, Shelby and Lorraine - not to mention Katie and Monty, who are clapping blissfully like nothing ever happened. Child abuse is so last week! Oh, Katie. Everyone's chanting "STATE" over and over, except for Riggins and Saracen, who just watch the crowd like the pros that they are: they've been here before. Once they came home with a W, and once they didn't. Inside the auditorium, Coach glances at the doors leading hallway, and through the window panes we see Tami talking animatedly with the Vice-Principal, Clint.

In the hallway, Tami tells him that she's just spent the whole weekend "giving support to JD and to Katie - now I'm supposed to just turn around and call Child Protection Services?..." Clint reminds her that as principal she has a mandate, and Eric does too, by the way. She tells Clint she doesn't know if she can do it, and Clint says that's the point - she doesn't know anything. Maybe it's the first time Monty's smacked JD around, but maybe not. "All you know is that you and a lot of other people witnessed this guy beating up his kid. That's child abuse!" Tami runs her hands over her face and says she knows; she looks through the window at JD. She opens the door and walks into the pep rally, and Eric immediately turns around to look at his wife. She gestures to him and he walks away from the crowd; they meet in the shadows. Cut to Tami's office. She sits at her desk, worrying her hands; he stands with his back to the window, his arms folded over his chest. He tells her that they don't have a choice, and Tami says she knows - that doesn't make it easier. In three seasons dealing with parental neglect and abandonment, they've never had to deal with this. The camera zooms in on Coach, keeping Tami in the foreground, but the angle's just slightly off-kilter, giving the shot a vertigo effect. He quietly asks if she wants him to do it; she says yes and then immediately amends it to no, saying that she should be the one. "I'll do it," she says, reaching for the phone, her voice breaking a little, and we go right into the credits.

Slammin' Sammy Mead does his VO magic as we get establishing shots from Dillon businesses supporting the Panthers. They're playing the south Texas Titans, and Sammy opines that they're the best football team he's EVER seen. Ever ever ever? A caller asks if he thinks the '81 Panthers couldn't take the current Titans, which makes my head hurt a little bit - it's like Dungeons and Dragons, but in Texas. Cut to Tim and Lyla, snuggling in bed. Tim blinks awake while Lyla is out cold, and I just don't understand this girl's priorities. Tim glares at the clock radio, which has a copy of the latest X-Men comic propped up next to it, and all the fangirls are all "SQUEE TAYLOR KITSCH IS GAMBIT IN WOLVERINE: ORIGINS IT'S SO META SQUEE!!!eleventy!!", and I'm shrieking it along with all y'all, too. He finally swats the clock over and Sammy's VO is no more. Cut to Lyla, wearing a plaid shirt, doing the universally recognized OoooooIgottapee side-step across the ranch's living room. She tiptoes into the bathroom - not to be quiet, but to avoid the inevitable hepatitis, I'm guessing - and blanches at its disgusting state. First of all, there's no way that seat would be down, Lyla, so count your blessings. She puts, and I love this, COFFEE FILTERS down on the toilet seat, closes the door and sits down; as she does, some small plastic shelving nearly falls on her. Hee! Cut to Billy, once again modeling nothing but his colored briefs, who emerges from the bedroom and runs to the bathroom, opening the door on Lyla Garrity. HA! She shrieks, and he twists away but keeps the door open, demanding when she's going to be done. She finally half-screams for him to SHUT THE DAMN DOOR, and he does, but only because he's going to go take a leak in the sink. I just threw up in my mouth a little and I adore Billy anyway (well played, Derek Phillips!) - what does that say about me? As he takes dishes out of the one of the sinks and just moves them to another sink (HEE), he bellows for Tim to get up, because he's got to show him something. From the bathroom, Lyla yells that they have to go to school. "Well you're gonna have to MISS SCHOOL, Lyla. TIM! GET UP! This is your future," he bellows, whipping it out and, yes, peeing into the sink. Billy Riggins, ladies and gentlemen. Remember to bring paper plates for all Riggins Ranch events.