Friday Night Lights Review S1E10

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.

• Lyla is late for practice due to trying to deal with the harassment she’s experiencing. Her teammates continue to mock her.
• Julie and Matt continue to be awkward, trying to communicate with one another, but their mutual attraction to one another is overcoming that for now.
• Jason returns home, and his parents have converted everything to suit his needs and his new reality. His mom hints at money problems.
• Coach Taylor blocks Julie and Matt’s date by taking Matt for the weekend to the cheerleading competition.
• Jason’s parents inform him they are filing a lawsuit to cover the cost of all of Jason’s medical expenses.
• Smash reconnects with a young woman from his past who resurfaces. He never lacks confidence.
• The boys are engaging in some “locker room talk” about girls, and Coach Taylor overhears. He is fuming.
• Lyla gets into a fight with the other cheerleaders after they drop her on a move (sorry, I don’t know the correct term). That’s really dangerous.
• Jason spends some time with the neighbors while Lyla watches him from her car. He goes over to her and tells her to stay away. The hurt is as deep for Jason as the guilt is for Lyla.
• The classroom discussion in English is relevant to the theme of the episode; sex for boys is seen as a conquest and something to be celebrated, where girls are shamed and harassed for it.
• A few boys harass Lyla to try to get her to come to their party and see if they can get any action. The appearance of Tim scares them off. Tim is the only one still talking to Lyla. She tells him he is making it worse for her when he’s just trying to do the right thing. Tyra jumps on Tim too, and then realizes Tim is in love with Lyla.
• Matt stops by the Taylor’s house at the wrong time for Eric and Tami. Coach Taylor isn’t keen to let him in, but Juli intercedes.
• The lawyer comes to interview Jason for the lawsuit. Jason slowly realizes that the lawyer is there to see if they can sue Coach Taylor after Jason’s parents told him they wouldn’t. He isn’t happy about that at all.
• Eric isn’t happy at all with Matt and Julie dating and comes to the living room to crash the date. Matt gets anxious and leaves, despite Julie’s protests. Eric is all up in arms over the two of them being under a blanket together.
• Coach Taylor praises the cheerleading team for their talent and big event coming up this weekend. He also states his support for the team, saying they will be in attendance Saturday. Then, members of the football team come out in wigs and cheerleading uniforms to show their support. It’s the kind of thing that wouldn’t fly at all today, but 15 years ago, it was seen as a positive.
• Lyla continues to be harassed by students and doesn’t attend the pep rally. Tami tries her best to help her, and Lyla breaks down in Tami’s office.
• Matt goes into Coach Taylor’s office to talk to him about Julie. He tries his best to be assertive and says he isn’t going to stop seeing Julie. Coach Taylor kicks him out of the office.
• Smash is all sorts of nervous with Waverly and her pastor dad coming over for dinner.
• Tim shows up at Jason’s house to tell her what a terrible time Lyla is having and how she is still in love with Jason. He apologizes and pleads with Jason to talk to Lyla to help her.
• Despite her parents saying otherwise, Julie continues to see Matt. Eric tries to counteract that by giving Matt lots of game film to study to keep them from seeing each other.
• Smash keeps trying to win over Waverly, and she keeps challenging him, which is precisely what Smash needs.
• Lyla keeps staking out Jason outside of his house. Waverly decides to go on a date with Smash.
• Smash’s nose starts bleeding, a symptom of his steroid use. He and Waverly both call each other out on their lies.
• Jason goes outside to talk to Lyla. He continues to yell at her when she needs support the most. Neither of them seems to be able to move past the cheating. But both of them seem to learn more about what the other is going through, which is something.
• Julie pulls another one on her parents by going over to Matt’s house to watch game tape with him. Then she plans to ride to the cheerleading competition with him so they can spend more time together.
• Tim comes to Lyla’s house to plead with her to go to the cheerleading championship because she loves it and shouldn’t deny herself something she loves.
• Smash continues to get nosebleeds, and Coach Taylor notices.
• Lyla talks right back to the guy checking cheerleaders in. Apparently, he, too, has heard the rumors about Lyla for some weird reason. But she stands up to him.
• Jason and Tim couldn’t be happier for Lyla as she dominates the competition. But Lyla only has eyes for Jason.

Coach Taylor’s speeches.

Football observations.

• Smash continues to impress in practice. Coach Taylor takes notice, which, of course, will reinforce Smash’s desire to keep taking the steroids.
• Smash dominates on the field, totaling 166 yards and scoring three touchdowns.

Unanswered questions.

• Why does Coach Taylor choose to listen to the sports talk radio so much? They rarely say anything positive about him.

Plot holes.

• How are Smash, Julie, Tim, and Waverly all in the same English class despite being different years?
• Speaking of, was today Waverly’s first day at Dillon, or has she been in the class all semester, and Smash hasn’t taken notice?

Quote of the episode.

“Because you’re an amazing cheerleader, and I think you have the same feeling that I get when I play. That nothing else matters feeling. I think you need that right now. I don’t want to see you give up.” - Tim Riggins.

Clear eyes. Full heart. Can’t Lose. official counter: 12

Texas Forever official counter: 4

Riggins quitting the team official counter: 1

Coach Taylor calling Landry ‘Lance’ official counter: 2