I could not resist. The guys at
Ape Donkey (you should follow them on Twitter: @fidoz and @bcstagg) asked me to assist in the review and analysis of my, theirs, and possibly many of you all's favorite television production of all time: Friday Night Lights. I have never been so captivated by a show with the possible exception of Season One of 24. But, series to series, FNL gets my vote over 24. Let's face it, when they killed off President Palmer in the beginning of Season Four, you knew they were grasping for story-lines at the 24 writer's table. I mean, how many would be drug smuggling, bomb toting terrorists can one guy continually piss off and get over on most every time? Fun side note: I wish I was in college when 24 came out so I could have participated in the Jack Bauer drinking game. One would drink every time Jack said "dammit." Ahhh, college memories. Instead, we got Brandon and Brenda from 90210 and their Melrose Place counterparts. <---Not fair. I'm sorry, I digress. Without further ado, here is my season by season recap and review of Friday Night Lights. If you have not watched the series and plan on doing so, or if you have seen them all but Season Five which airs on NBC in April, feel free to stop at Season Four below. This is your official spoiler alert. Continue reading at your own peril...
Season 1: Simply the best. As soon as Street got hurt, you knew...and I mean, KNEW that Riggs and Lyla were going to hook up. The entire rehab of Street was so spot on. He had to give hope to countless paraplegics who saw the show. Similar to "Remember the Titans (will watch it anytime, anywhere), his re-channeled energy to excel at wheelchair rugby is infectious. His departure requires Matt Saracen to take on the role of QB1. Saracen's awkwardness is so realistic it is compelling. Zach Gilford offers up some of the very best and appropriate acting of the entire cast. This season is just chock full of real life incidents (Buddy Garrity's infidelity, Rigg's alcoholism, Tyra's broken home, Lyla's forced independence) which captivate the viewer and pull you in. You want to be a part of Dillon, TX. They make you long for their simple lives, which offer all of the complexities of the lives of our own.
Season 2: My least favorite simply due to the writers going down a very worn path from previous shows. The stalker/rapist of Tyra and subsequent manslaughter "heroism" of Landry Clark seemed quite Melrose Place-ish, as did many of the other elements this season. One of my biggest complaints from this season is the writers and how they make fun of Christianity. As if Lyla going through all of the pitfalls in Season 1 would not provide a platform and possible catapult from some personal soul searching, it is compounded by the typical negative Hollywood slant on the situation. She is deemed weird for doing so and I find that offensive. We are talking about a small Texas town, the epitome of a Christian stronghold. This is typical Hollywood and it is getting old. Christians are not the problem, writer dolts. Your intolerance, however, is. And if one is offended by my politics in this review, take it up with the writers as they opened the door. Moreover, Lyla would not be ostracized over this, but more than likely heralded in some fashion. Ever notice in these shows that no other religion is ridiculed? All of this being said, man can she sport a pair of William Rast jeans. Thank you and you're welcome J. Timberlake.
Season 3: This season could be known at the power struggle season. There is a QB power struggle between Saracen and JD McCoy, the young 5 star prospect. There is a coaching power struggle between Coach Taylor and Coach Aikman, fostered and fueled by Joe McCoy, the typical wealthy "I get what I want" overbearing father. These issues are presented in real life format, as all of us have to deal with political pressures. The controversy and power struggle takes center stage between Coach Taylor and Tami as the boosters, led by Buddy Garrity, are looking to install a "Jumbo-tron" at the school's football stadium. Tami, who is now principal of the school, wants to allocate the funds for what she deems as more appropriate academic issues. This causes strife between their professional and personal lives. What I love about this season is how the writers planted the seeds for the show to turn in its direction. Because the Panthers did not win the state title the year prior, there are seeds of doubt surrounding the formidability of Coach Taylor, and his replacement with Coach Aikman is all but a foregone conclusion. You can see Tami's unhappiness with losing in her bid to utilize the funds in a more appropriate manner. Changes are on the horizon and all but a guarantee.
Season 4: The new characters introduced this season bring a very real persona to the screen. Vince Howard and Luke Cafferty energize a team which starts the season quite slow and seemingly crappy at football. Coach Taylor is facing a polar opposite in East Dillon. No budget, no facilities, no fan-base, and a no-talent football team aside from Howard. In a typical storyline, the writers use football to turn Howard's life around and Coach Taylor is a paramount influence in this capacity. Let's jump back to Cafferty for a moment. The brilliance here of Cafferty being exposed as the player who is using a fake address (perpetrated by the Dillon Panthers, not Cafferty) to attend Dillon is used not to undermine Dillon or the Cafferty family. No, it is used to show the true allegiance of Buddy Garrity. It is Garrity who, in the end, realized his true colors were aligned with Coach Taylor, not the Dillon Panthers, as they appeared to be all along. I cannot stress enough how impacting this element was to this season. With Cafferty officially zoned to go to East Dillon, the Lions now have their one-two punch to thwart the Dillon Panthers playoff hopes, and that is exactly what they do. The one aspect of this season I wish would not have occurred is the prison sentence of Tim Riggins. You knew all along it was going to happen. He and his brother, Billy, running a chop shop out of their auto repair shop, was destined for a messy ending. The season ending with Riggs being led away to jail left a sour taste in my mouth. I suppose it was bound to happen, but it was very cliche to say the least.
Season 5: The season where everyone gets what they want. Don't get me wrong, I loved this season. It could have easily been my second favorite to Season one. But, let's get real for one second: Tami wins out over Coach Taylor and his five year contract to coach the "Super Team," which will be the one created from the merging of the best players from the now defunct East Dillon Lions with those already in place at Dillon. But, put this aside for now and the subsequent college offers which would be waiting for Coach Taylor as this contract played out. Just how did she get selected to go to Pennsylvania in the first place? Let me get this straight: A counselor to principal back to counselor lands a gig as a Dean at a university in the northeast? Come on. No really. Come on. That just would not happen. Sorry, I digress. So, Tami gets her way for the first time in a long time when it comes to the professional careers of the Taylor family. Julie ends up with Matt in Chicago but we cannot tell if they are married. Quick sidenote: Coach Taylor's stares are legendary. One Matt Saracen asking Coach Taylor for his daughter's hand in marriage (after he proposed no less) produces one of the greatest GTFO stare moments in the history of this show. You would think Saracen told Coach that he and Jules were expecting based on his stoic reaction. Continuing on: Riggs gets his plot of land and is building his dream home in Texas (forever). The Lions won the state championship based on the ring on the finger of Vince Howard. I have to ask here, what happened to JD McCoy? Wouldn't he be challenging Howard for QB1 at this juncture? Anyhow, that is a minor complaint. I would have appreciated an update from Smash Williams, Jason Street, and Lyla Garrity to close out the series. These characters participating once again at this juncture would have made this finale that much better. I am sure Hollywood politics prevented this from happening to a certain extent. Whatever. In the world of @tony_five_o, I would have appreciated closure here. That being said, I would be thrilled at a movie picking up with Coach Taylor yelling at his latest gaggle of misfits on that Pennsylvania field. Ahhh, who am I kidding. Pennsylvania forever? Nope, just doesn't sound right.
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