Friday Night Lights

Tami has decided how she's going to deal with Wade's threat, and it is genius: she interrupts as Wade is holding forth at a Boosters meeting and completely calls his bluff. While she's clear about Luke going to East Dillon High, and no one at the table likes that, I don't need to tell you how many ring-wearing Panthers are there - and they're even more upset about Wade's threat to dig in the past and recall Panthers championship rings. Well played, Tami! I expected no less.

Sherman's Artist House of Crazy. Matt cuts his hand on a piece of rusted metal, and complains that he's going to have to go get a tetanus shot. He's clearly ready to bolt, and complains that the reason why he's here is to be an artist, and Sherman didn't even look at his art. Sherman puts down his soldering iron, picks up all of Matt's charcoal drawings, and flips through them wordlessly. Matt sulks even as Sherman picks one drawing out and shreds it to pieces. The one-time art major in me shrieked in despair at this moment, I can tell you. Sherman takes the remaining piece, a small square of a model's hand, and turns to Matt: "This part doesn't make me want to puke. Try to work from this place." Matt stares up at his new mentor with complete disbelief, and a little bit of hope.

A pissed-off but level-headed Vince comes into Coach's office, and throws Coach's twenty bucks on the table. Eric stares at the money, and Vince leans down, putting his hands on Coach's desk: "You're not my father. I support my family. She had no business taking that from you; you shouldn't have given it to her." Eric has to ask the boy twice to sit down before he does; he stares at Coach, wounded and betrayed. Coach, to his credit, immediately apologizes, and begs Vince not to quit on him or on himself. Vince looks heartbroken, which I think says more about his mother than about Coach, but his eyes don't leave that twenty dollars until Coach says he needs Vince's help. Coach wants him to get the team together for the Saturday practice. He says he can get another job, but if this doesn't work out for Vince, they both know where he's going. He asks Vince repeatedly to bring the team to him, to talk to them for him, but Vince picks up his backpack and leaves without a word. Good talk!

Dillon High pep rally. It's the usual insanity with the school band, everyone in blue and gold, handmade banners, cheerleaders, all of it. The team is pumped up, clearly raring to take to the stage; the crowd keeps cheering after the music's done playing. Tami takes the stage to introduce the coach, and the cheering dies: they start to boo. Tami tries to introduce the team, but the crowd is enraged; someone holds up a "We Want Luke" sign, and the crowd takes it up as a chant. Monty smugs a satisfied smile in the crowd; Wade moves not an inch to quiet the crowd; Buddy shifts his weight uncomfortably. And what does our girl do? She steels herself at the podium and calmly informs the crowd that she will wait. Good for you, girl.

Lions field, Saturday, 10PM. Luke Cafferty jogs on to the field; he's the only one there, and he's wearing a Dillon Panthers T-shirt. That seemed incredibly insensitive, but just go with it. Who knows, maybe all the shirts he has are Panthers shirts. He shakes hands with everyone and then asks where the team is. Eric turns away, wondering if they're going to show, and then Stalker Coach points them out: Landry and Vince, leading the rest of the team onto the field. Coach tells them that last week they got their asses beat, and that there's no shame in that. "But I have shame, and I apologize to you. I apologize for not giving you a chance to finish that fight." He asks them to allow him to help them finish that fight. Ohhh... kay? He walks to a barrel in the field and lights a match; it goes up in flames. He holds up a VCR tape, which I'm guessing is the game film from last week, and tells them it's the past; he throws it into the fire. He walks to a stack of Lions uniform jerseys and asks who will finish the fight with him. Wait - we're burning their uniforms? How will they finish the next fight, Coach Taylor, WITH NO GAME UNIFORMS? Was this Tim's idea? Oh, I'm going with it. Usually FNL's schmaltzy, cheesy moments get me all weepy, but so far, nothing. Nonetheless, Vince goes first, taking the jersey from Coach and looking at him for a moment before throwing it in the fire. Landry steps forward next, then a big guy Coach calls "Tinker", which is a great name; they all throw the jerseys into the flames. And then Luke, who's been staring at the ground this whole time, breaks my stone-cold heart by suddenly taking off his Panthers shirt in one movement, and tossing it without a word into the fire. Considering how absolutely batshit he went just a day or two ago, when he realized he had to leave the team? I saw it coming, and it still got me. Well played, cheesy but effective and brilliant show. Well played. Coach repeats "Let's finish it" and the rest of the boys come forward to torch their jerseys. It would have been more effective if Vince and the others had urged the others to put the failure of last week behind them and move forward as a team, but I'll let it go. Well done, Luke.

Local bar. Barmaid asks Tim how he's doing, and he says he's looking for a place to stay. She shrugs that shouldn't be so hard; Tim counters that it is when you don't have first and last month's rent. Doesn't Tim know half the town? Don't any of them have spare bedrooms? Barmaid hesitates and then suggests that he stay in her trailer in her back yard. Tim, who has learned a little in his four seasons on this show, appreciates the gesture but begins to decline. Barmaid then does the following: tells him the other night was incredible, she's not that into him, and she needs the money. So, two lies and a truth. Well, at least she knows he's not that into her. Fair enough. The hundred bucks a month works for Tim; she gives him the key to the trailer off her key ring and tells him she'll call her daughter to let her know he's coming - "Don't want to scare her." I don't think you have to worry about that, barmaid. Can she at least cut out the singing?... apparently so, because when Tim arrives at the house an hour or so later, Singing Girl is silently taking down the day's laundry from the clothesline. She's wearing a sleeveless summer mini-dress. They call "hey" to each other carelessly and don't take their eyes off each other until she's inside the house. Tim, I have two words for you: Jail. Bait. Or, you know, HIGH SCHOOL. You're killing me here, Riggs.

Coach comes home and asks Tami how her day went. She tells them that they booed her, which was rough, but being able to "stand up to those Good Ol' Boys" was good. Plus, she has a glass of wine, so she's okay. Aw, Tami. She asks how Eric's day was, and he says the team showed up, so he's good too. "Hey. I'm sorry I lied," Eric says quietly. Aw, you two. Eric mutters that he has to find some new team uniforms. Heh. See y'all next week!