Friday Night Lights Review S3E11

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 Netflix (and Peacock), and you can follow along each week (on a Friday, of course) as a different episode from season three will be discussed, from the opening episodes with an up and coming freshman QB all the way to the big game in the season finale.

Random thoughts in live-tweet form.

• Lyla is adapting to life at the Riggin’s house, playing video games and drinking. She even stays up later than Tim.
• Tami and Eric discuss a meeting Tami has about redistricting and Eric says every year they try to open up (?) East Dillon High. Tami realizes no more funding will come unless it’s through redistricting.
• Tim wakes up a hungover Lyla for school and all of a sudden he is the responsible one.
• Landry and Tyra run into each other in the grocery store and he offers to help her with wedding prep.
• Wade Aikmen calls Joe to tell him that JD is distracted by Madison in practice. Joe isn’t happy at all.
• Shelby is driving his grandma but she forgot her purse and got out of the moving car and fell. Matt consoles her as Shelby calls the ambulance.
• At the hospital, the doctor says Lorraine is alright physically, but her mental health continues to decline and he recommends that she should be getting professional help.
• Shelby tries to convince Matt to think about it, but he lashes out on his mom that it was her fault for not being more careful.
• Buddy talks to Tim after practice to discuss Lyla. He drives them to an empty parking lot and says he needs to get Lyla back but doesn’t know what to do. Tim says she misses him too but needs time.
• At the meeting, they lay out the benefits of the redistricting. People are not happy, saying East Dillon was closed for a reason. Tami is asked to speak and she explains that the school is in a financial crisis and the best way to help that is to redistrict.
• Eris isn’t happy because half of his team lives in what will be East Dillon.
• Lyla stops by the apartment but Buddy isn’t there. As she is looking at college letters, he comes home. She tells him that she got into Vanderbilt but won’t be able to go and then storms out.
• At school, Madison tells JD that his dad called her parents saying she is a bad influence. Their dads were yelling at each other. JD is worried she’s mad but Madison is all over him.
• At the booster meeting, all of the boosters discuss how they can redraw the district lines to get all the players they want on the “right” side of the line to remain Dillon Panthers. Gerrymandering at it’s finest.
• Joe takes a shot at Buddy and Buddy is good-natured about it but then gives a look that it’s bothering him.
• Matt tries to help his grandma, but she is really struggling, and he starts to realize maybe she does need more help.
• Landry helps Tyra and gives her tips on how to prepare food. She shows him her SAT scores and they improved but it’s still short of where she wants/needs to be.
• Eric tells Buddy he doesn’t like what the boosters are doing with the district line. Buddy says it’s not about him or Eric or Joe McCoy, but it’s about the Dillon Panthers not being broken up and if he doesn’t want to know, then don’t ask.
• Tim takes Lyla to a church she used to go to with her family for an evening service. He is trying to cheer her up but she said she doesn’t want to be and leaves. She questions why she stayed instead of going with the rest of her family and now she has no one.
• As Landry and Tyra set up the tables on their deck for the bachelorette party, it begins to downpour so they have to move everything inside.
• After the game, Matt apologizes to his mom and tells her she was right. Shelby says they will figure it out. Matt says he doesn’t want her to leave.
• JD is on the phone with Madison talking about the game and Joe yells at him to hang up the phone. Katie tells him to relax and there is silence by all three.
• At the victory party, Tami grabs Eric and tells him she found out the boosters are messing with the district line, catering things to benefit the football team. Eric is very silent on teh matter.
• Before they go in, Joe says he wants to talk to JD and that Katie should go inside. Joe tells him JD played a pathetic game. JD talks back saying he led them to state, and Joe says he didn’t stick to the game plan.
• JD talks back and brings up him calling Madison’s parents. Joe calls Madison a tramp and says he will do whatever he wants. They start pushing each other. The Taylors’s see this from the window and go outside.
• Joe pushes JD against the car and starts hitting him repeatedly. Eric pulls Joe off JD, who is in tears. Joe walks off without saying anything and Tami takes Katie and JD into the restaurant.
• Tim and Lyla get home and Tim says it was a game for the ages. Lyla asks why he isn’t partying and Tim says parties are for winning state and he wants to stay with home. He tells Lyla he knows she isn’t having fun here and it’s not home for her. Tim tells her he loves her and will be there for her for whatever she needs.
• At the Taylor’s house, Katie is crying too, telling the Taylor’s she should have stopped it. Tami tells her not to blame herself. Tami tells her to not worry about what will happen tonight.
• Outside, JD tells Coach Taylor that nothing he does is good enough for his dad and he hates being treated like a dumb kid and doesn’t want to go home. Coach Taylor says they can stay with them tonight and then figure out what the next step is, but he is not alone. JD also blames himself and Coach Taylor tells him what happened was wrong and not his fault and that it will work out in the long run.
• Tyra cries to her mom saying she is worried she isn’t gonna go to college and doesn’t know what will happen to her. Her mom says she loves both of her kids but Mindy has never surprised her, but Tyra surprises her every day and is a wonder because her future is wide open and she will have everything she dreams of.

Coach Taylor’s speeches.

Football observations.

• Madison is watching JD at practice and he is locked in during run-throughs. During a break, he goes to talk to her and Coach Taylor notices he’s feeling himself a bit too much.
• Joe tries to prep JD for playing in the rain, telling him to hit short options quickly and making running the priority. He tells JD to lose the attitude even though JD didn’t say anything. Joe belittles Katie when she chimes in.
• The game is sloppy (but not quite the Mud Bowl), but the Panthers are playing with energy. JD completes a long pass to Saracen, and Joe says he got lucky. Riggins scores on the next play off a handoff to tie the game.
• JD throws another pass and it’s picked off and returned for a touchdown. Joe yells down at JD and Coach Taylor tells him to stick to the gameplan and that everything is okay. JD keeps looking at his dad in the stands. On the next series, he fumbles the ball and other fans are joining in on the criticism.
• Riggins makes a huge play to recover a muffed punt. They go for two and the play is botched. JD avoids getting sacked and scrambles long enough to find Riggins for the conversion, sealing the game and their ticket back in the state championship. Everyone is happy except Joe.

Unanswered questions.

Plot holes.

• Is East Dillon currently open or not open?
• The fumble the Panthers recovered looked like it came out after the running back was down.

Quote of the episode.

“You are gonna have everything that you are dreaming of. You’re gonna get everything you’re reaching for. I want you to keep reaching, keep going. One of these days, you’re gonna surprise yourself. I won’t be surprised, but you will be. I know it.“ - Angela Collette

Clear eyes. Full heart. Can’t Lose. official counter: 21

Texas Forever official counter: 9

Riggins quitting the team official counter: 4? (didn’t quit but is ditching practice for a bit)

Coach Taylor calling Landry ‘Lance’ official counter: 7

Jason’s job aspirations: quad-rugby player, football coach, car salesman, flipping houses, sports agent