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| Picture credit: IMDB |
Currently I am near the beginning of season 4. I’m making fast progress, mostly because the seasons (except the first) are really only half the size of normal seasons - 13 episodes. I think season 2 was actually 15 episodes, but even so that seemed cut short, especially when season 3 started. I’m a little late to the game on this show. It’s over…canceled this last year. I believe it ran its last season earlier this year (or well last year 2011). There will not be any new episodes. I know this of course, and I get a bit sad when I think that I’ll be finished with it soon.
Friday Night Lights is a series that centers around high school football, in the small town of Dillon, TX, and the Taylor family, portrayed by Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor), Connie Britton (Tami Taylor), and Aimee Teegarden (teenage daughter Julie Taylor) Let me speak just a bit about football. I know very little about it. I never really attended football games when I was in high school. The only ones I ever attended were probably Homecoming games, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t stay for the whole game. I probably do not fully possess understanding of the game itself. And just when I thought I did kind of get it, something would happen on this show that would make me question myself. Like “Wait what just happened? Why is he doing that?” All that said, I have enjoyed some football movies – Remember the Titans, The Blind Side, Radio, and even Waterboy. I have not watched the movie Friday Night Lights, nor do I think I ever will since I’m pretty sure the show is much, much better!
Again I know I’m kind of late to the Friday Night Lights love party, but even so I felt compelled to ramble about this show. So if you can to keep reading, here are my thoughts thus far:
o Season 1 – probably my favorite season.
o Great introduction to series
o Relatable characters, and setting
o Favorite couple – Matt Saracen, and Julie Taylor
o “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!” – Coach Taylor.
o It wasn’t cut off short, it had a proper season ending, a happy ending too
o The Taylor family is expecting a baby!
o Season 2 – eh. Immediately started out on the wrong foot for me
o Mostly because Julie was dumb and broke up with Matt.
o Other actors that I’ve seen on other shows (primarily One Tree Hill) showed up
o Very interesting story arc about Tyra and Landry, great performances by both actors that portray them.
o Ended prematurely, there was more story (apparently this was because of the writer’s strike)
o Jason Street learns he’s going to be a father.
o Season 3 – In some ways better than season 2…but not as good as season 1, in my opinion.
o Ties up some loose ends of the previous season, but not all of them.
o Suddenly Tami Taylor has gone from guidance counselor to the new High School Principal.
o Julie and Matt find their way back to each other! (Personally this is what made the season for me!)
o Some important characters leave
o Smash Williams
o Jason Streets
o New and annoying characters introduced – The McCoy Family
o Ends somewhat early, but it did feel like a season ending.
o Five months pass between episode 12 and 13 (last of the season)
o There’s a wedding & the couple getting married (Billy Riggins and Mindy Collette – siblings of ‘main’ characters) are expecting a baby.
o Season 4 – Can’t say too much yet because I’m only a few episodes in but so far – my opinion is undecided about this season so far
o Even more characters are gone:
o Lyla Garrity
o Tyra Collette
o Dillon is split by redistricting and East Dillon High is reopened
o Coach Taylor was offered the job to coach football for the East Dillon Lions at the end of Season 3 when his job was basically stolen from him by some new coach and friend of Dad McCoy.
o Very little funding – it’s going to be a real uphill battle
o “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!” returns!
o Panther football is a mess ran by the rich McCoy’s and their friends
o Tami is still principal at the now West Dillon High
o Being harassed by boosters and McCoy’s
o Matt’s Dad was killed in action, serving in the military.
o Matt & Julie’s relationship seems like it’s a bit shaky even though they both love each other.
o Many new characters mostly East Dillon students
o Luke Cafferty – football player & friends with Young McCoy (quarterback for Panthers and a jerk!)
o Vince Howard – football player, on the brink of being sent to Juvi
o Becky – a young lady into pageants & Tim Riggins (former Panther, high school grad, college drop-out – into hunting and drinking)
o The Merriweather’s (Jess and her dad and younger brothers) – Dad runs a BBQ place & and used to play football when he was in HS, Jess is into football & possibly Landry
o Sears employee/Assistant Coach for East Dillon Lions guy – big fan of Coach Taylor & talking
So I said more about Season 4 than I originally intended…ah well. Still have most of the season to go. I do wonder if someone else will learn they are expecting a bundle of joy in the 4th season finale, like they have in the previous finales. I don’t really want to be “spoiled” about it though so please refrain from giving anything away too much. I know if I really wanted to I could find out how things go. I could find out if Julie and Matt actually make it as a couple…I really hope they do. As you may be able to tell, I don’t watch the show for the football. I watch it and like it so much because of the relationships among the characters.
The executive producer and writer for Friday Night Lights, Jason Katims is the same man who is the executive producer of Parenthood, a show I absolutely love. (I also just discovered he also produced Roswell, which I also loved!) A few of the actors that were on Friday Night Lights have been on Parenthood: Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity), Michael B. Jordan (Vince Howard), and Sam Jaeger (Doug – only 1 episode). It’s neat to see familiar faces. Another familiar face was Zack Gilford, who I instantly recognized from the short lived ABC series Off the Map.
So I suppose we’ll see how I like the rest of this little show. I already know this though; the show deserved a longer TV life than it was given.
One more thing! Here are some other people who I should acknowledge for their performances in this wonderful show.
o Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins)
o Jesse Plemons (Landry Clarke)
o Brad Leland (Buddy Garrity)
o Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette)
o Louanne Stephens (Mrs. Saracen – Matt’s grandma)
o Scott Porter (Jason Street)
o Gaius Charles (Brian “Smash” Williams)
