Friday Night Lights Review S2E5

During the offseason, we are continuing our 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 Netflix (and Peacock), and you can follow along each week (on a Friday, of course) as a different episode from season two will be discussed, from the opening episodes with a new coach at the helm to the sudden cliffhanger caused by the writer’s strike.

Random thoughts in live-tweet form.

• Lyla shows up in Mexico in an attempt to help Tim with Jason.
• Eric tells Tami about the current state of the team. His quarterback and runningback are fighting and he doesn’t even know where the fullback is.
• Eric tries to arrange some alone time with him and Tami, but Tami just wants a good night of sleep with Eric watching Gracie.
• Matt and Julie interact at school but it’s still forced and awkward. But they lean into the awkwardness and share a laugh together.
• Mac gives Eric advice on how to rekindle things with Tami. Eric tells him never to bring it up again.
• Tyra and Landry continue to worry about the police reports, but it brings them closer together.
• Meanwhile, Tyra gets flagged as a person of interest in the open murder case.
• Lyla wants to leave Mexico because she doesn’t think they are taking it seriously enough. However, Tim thinks he has a plan and says at least he’s side by side supporting Jason and calls Lyla out on it.
• Eric creates a new schedule and does his best to show his support for Tami and steps it up as a husband and father now that he is home.
• Landry’s dad asks Landry why he didn’t mention Tyra was connected to the murder. He is starting to put the pieces together.
• Matt and Smash are invited over to dinner at Coach’s house to try to work their issues out. They open up about their grievances, Matt rips into Coach Taylor as well about leaving them and using them as a stepping stone and now coming back thinking everyone will just welcome him with open arms.
• Tami gets home and had a great night out, but it doesn’t help Eric with having a quality time alone at all.
• Julie invites Matt to a concert, but makes it clear it’s not a date but she misses hanging out with him.
• Office Clarke (Landry’s dad) goes to see Tyra while on duty. He confronts her about her relationship with Tyra and his involvement in potentially covering things up and how Landry is now lying to him. He tells her to stay away from Landry from now on.
• Jason, Tim, and Lyla go on their booze cruise. As Tim planned, he and Lyla talk to Jason about why he shouldn’t do the surgery. Jason responds with anger and calls them out on their two life choices. Tim expresses how scared he is that Jason will die and tells Jason he loves him. Jason is silent and has a lot of thoughts. Then he throws himself overboard into the water. Jason starts swimming with a look of determination in his eyes and gets back to shore and appears to feel alive again. He tells Tim and Lyla he isn’t having the surgery and wants to go back to Texas.

Coach Taylor’s speeches.

• Halftime: “Out of all of you, who has something to say? One of you better have something to say.”
• *one player starts to talk, mentions Saracen and Smash
• “Sit down! Saracen and Smash don’t play defense. They don’t play special teams. And last time I checked, Saracen and Smash were supposed to be 2 members of an 11 man offense. Who’s got something to say?”
• Landry: Maybe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We are stronger together than we are ever gonna be alone. I’m not ever gonna be one of the most talented players on this team. But we can either win together or we can lose alone. And it is an honor just to stand here with you all.
• As Landry is having the night of his life as the hero of the game, Tyra calls him over and breaks up with him. She doesn’t tell him the truth about what his dad said. Instead, Tyra says the only reason they are together is because of what happened between them and she doesn’t know what she was thinking. It’s mean and it hurts both of them as she walks away crying.
• Julie is trying to make plans for the night of the concert and Matt says he can’t go with her because he’s mad at her. Mad at her for cheating and hiding things and now only coming back because things didn’t work out.
• Landry and Matt both walk back into the diner with a round of applause and they couldn’t feel more awful.
• Lyla, Tim, and Jason stop off for a drink. Lyla dances with Jason and they kiss, and then dances with Tim. They kiss too. It appears that Lyla initiates both of the kisses. Then she abruptly leaves to go pray.
• In the only relationship that is going well tonight, Tami comes to comfort Eric, who is exhausted after the game. She asks if he wants to fool around and they are both excited.

Football observations.

• At practice, Matt’s timing is off (probably because he hasn’t thrown all season) and everyone seems tense and trying too hard.
• Coach Taylor pulls a classic Coach Taylor and switches things up by having everyone change positions for the day to have fun. It works extremely well, everyone has fun doing it... except Smash.
• Matt and Smash get into another shoving match. Coach Taylor addresses it right away by pulling them aside and having them do extra conditioning.
• Coach Taylor asks Landry (“Lance”) if he will be ready if he gets put in the game this Friday night.
• It’s time for the game and Smash has plenty of confidence going in. Right as the offense takes the field, Coach Taylor tells Smash and Matt they are starting the game on the bench. He clearly wants to send a message to his two captains. They sit on opposite ends of the bench not talking.
• Predictably, the Panther offense struggles mightily without the two starters. Smash tells Matt it’s all his fault and then starts yelling at each other on the bench.
• The Panthers are fired up and united after Landry’s halftime speech and come out with the fire and energy they were known for last year.
• Coach Taylor puts Landry in for a series and Matt and Smash are both shocked. After an interception, Landry makes a huge hit to force a fumble and the Panthers end up returning it for a TD.
• It makes Matt and Smash question things and they agree to work together to do enough to get on the field so they can win the game. So they start cheering and then actually start to talk to one another. Smash admits he shouldn’t have rubbed things in his face. Matt says he’s with him and wants to work together. They talk to Coach Taylor and get in the game with time for one last play and a chance to win it after they recover an onside kick.
• Coach Taylor. Matt calls it, Smash asks if he’s sure it’s the call since it’s to Landry and not to him. Matt assures him it is and Smash abides. The pass falls incomplete. However, there is a flag and they get another chance. This time, a handoff to Smash and leap into the endzone secures the win.
• Coach Taylor is sure to tell Landry (not by name) what a great job he did and the crowd chants his name as they come off the field.

Unanswered questions.

Plot holes.

Quote of the episode.

“Maybe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We are stronger together than we are ever gonna be alone.” - Landry Clarke

Clear eyes. Full heart. Can’t Lose. official counter: 19

Texas Forever official counter: 7

Riggins quitting the team official counter: 2

Coach Taylor calling Landry ‘Lance’ official counter: 6

Jason’s job aspirations: quad-rugby player, football coach