Friday Night Lights Review S1E4

Due to the MWC postponing their season, we’ve been forced to think outside the box a bit in terms of our content. One of those things we will be bringing out is a weekly series discussing thoughts on arguably the best football TV show ever in Friday Night Lights. If you haven’t seen it, there is no better time to start. If you have seen it, there’s no better time to rewatch it. And if you’re like me, and watch an episode or season every year in preparation for college football, you’re right on track. Regardless of which category you fit into, it’s on Hulu, and you can follow along each week (on a Friday, of course) as a different episode from season one will be discussed, from the heartbreaking cliffhanger of the pilot to the final nail-biting game.

Random thoughts in live-tweet form.

• Everyone goes to a party to blow off steam; Matt strikes out with Julie again, Lyla and Tim avoid each other, Voodoo shows up, and he and Smash have words.
• The town starts to turn attention to their attention to the Arnett Meade game despite a bye week. Arnett Meade is being billed as their major rival.
• Matt has a video call with his dad in Iraq. He wants his dad to be proud of him for starting, but his dad doesn’t give him the support he’s looking for.
• Arnett Meade somehow got into the Dillon locker room and vandalized it. Coach Taylor says the only retaliation will occur on the football field.
• Buddy parades Voodoo into the media, creating hype from the town and pressure on Coach Taylor to start him.
• Lyla and Tim finally talk. Lyla reaffirms her feelings for Jason, while Tim alludes to feelings for Lyla. She lets him know that their kiss can never happen again.
• Coach Taylor is pulling for Matt to emerge as QB1. He also encourages Matt to ask a girl out on a date to clear his mind, without having any idea that he is interested in Julie.
• Life off the field gets stressful for a few people. Matt’s grandma wanders into a neighbor’s house and is brought home by the police. Tami is stressing out about the annual team dinner at their house and then finds out parents will be coming too, with even more food now needed.
• Matt reaches out to his dad about his grandmother’s worsening dementia symptoms, and his dad again isn’t very supportive.
• Tyra stops by to see Jason, mainly to explain why Tim hasn’t been around, but she ends up being one of the more genuine people to talk to him.
• The party at the Taylor’s starts and gets out of hand in a hurry due to the number of people who show up. Julie makes multiple runs to the store, Tami doesn’t have a spare second to relax, and she’s yelling at Eric under the table in a humorous scene.
• Everyone is stressing out about who is starting the next game.
• Someone, probably from Arnett Meade, throws a brick through Coach Taylor’s window during the party. Later that night, Smash Riggins and others convince Matt to come with them to get revenge by destroying one of their cars. Matt goes way overboard, taking out all of his frustrations and is seen by the opposing player.
• Eric goes to see Tami at work in a half-hearted attempt to apologize, and Tami ends up putting Eric in his place. In one of the funnier parts of the episode, Eric leaves the office and tells the incoming student “you better watch out, she’s a little pissed off this afternoon.”
• Herc starts giving tough love to Jason, and he reaches his breaking point with him. It seems like Herc has been where Jason is and knows that the only way Jason will start to move forward is to stop feeling sorry for himself.
• The Arnett Meade players corner Matt in the parking lot at work. It’s like 5 on 1, but Matt throws the first punch in an attempt to get out of trouble. It doesn’t work, and he gets tackled the ground and subsequently beat up, which puts him in the hospital.
• Out of desperation, Matt calls Coach Taylor to pick him up and admits he was there but won’t name anyone else. They end up having a heart-to-heart in the car. Coach Taylor tells him, “Your dad can’t see what I see. You’re a different kid then you were two weeks ago, and I believe you can do anything you put your mind to.” It’s clearly evident through four episodes that Matt needs someone to believe in him, and Coach Taylor is becoming that person.
• While Eric is apologizing to Tami, Matt finally gets a chance to talk to Julie. Eric realizes he accidentally told Matt to ask Julie out and instantly regrets it.
• The next scene also involved teen romance, as Tim sneaks into Lyla’s bedroom. He tells her he can’t stop thinking about her and they kiss again.
• The last scene of the episode shows Matt practicing in his yard late at night. Coach Taylor’s talk meant a lot to him, and he wants to prove he can be the starting quarterback.

Coach Taylor’s speeches.

Football observations.

• Voodoo is late for his first practice and blows off Coach Taylor’s feedback about it. Then he becomes a one-person highlight reel for the rest of the day, much to Buddy’s delight.
• Matt gets frazzled in practice at the site of Julie stopping by.
• Coach Taylor has the whole team run bleachers due to their retaliation and vandalism the night before.

Unanswered questions.

Plot holes.

• Julie has a dance recital. Is this ever mentioned again?
• Julie keeps going to the store during the party, but she’s only a freshman? Does she have her license? Her and Landry both must’ve been held back and are 16-year-old freshman.

Quote of the episode.

• “Tell you what we are gonna do. We’re going to take this energy that we have, and we’re gonna take this anger that we have, and we’re gonna use it to kick their ass where it counts, on the field.” - Coach Taylor

Clear eyes. Full heart. Can’t Lose. official counter: 8

Texas Forever official counter: 2

Riggins quitting the team official counter: 1