Disappointing Divine Intervention

TV Guide is reporting that when Friday Night Lights brings back its starting season lineup before the big 2011 series finale, the Panthers will be missing one beloved player. Turns out Gaius Charles, so great as Brian "Smash" Williams, has embraced God over football and is pursuing a masters degree in divinity.

"He and I used to text, but he has fallen off the radar," reports Lone Star's Adrianne Palicki, who will bring Tyra back to town. "We were pretty close in Texas and he was debating even then if he wanted to stay in acting or become a minister. This was something he really struggled with, so I'm glad he's happy."

Well thank God for Tyra returning.

The final season is set to air on Direct TV on 10/27, but the majority of us will wait for it's prime time screening. The Lions continue to improve, but there will be no shortage of drama in Dillon as we wind down to the final episode. Vince's ex-con father shows up, while Julie enters into a relationship with a questionable character of her own while away at college. Eric and Tami will face a "life changing" decision, which may be another coaching opportunity possibly in college again or maybe the pros. Amidst all the negative, we will be treated to appearances by Landry, Street, Matt, Tyra (as previously mentioned) and Riggins. Executive Producer Jason Katims said, "we want to give a resolution to all the characters and have a real and great ending." NBC will probably air the final season some time in April like last year.

KING OF THE JUNGLE

Now let me begin by saying I hope you all actually go to iTunes and BUY the new Crucifictorious album instead of illegally downloading it. We wouldn't want to do Landry like that now would we?

Matt in the grocery store reminded me of a younger me, saying he didn't drink coffee and how he had no idea what kind of onions to buy. The wife sends me to the store for some Baby Formula and a head of lettuce and I come home with Metamucil and a head of cabbage.

Loved how Eric gives Tami a wink before she goes up to make her speech and I also loved how there were just as many people clapping at the end as those who gasped in disbelief. Later she says she just wants to crawl into a corner. Well honey, why on Earth with everything you have going on would you be hosting Thanksgiving dinner? Come on now. And then you go and make a roasted turkey and get upstaged by Buddy and his amazing deep fryer. Grandma Saracen just loves Buddy's meat as does Tyra's mom.

Eric begins to get the team ready for Friday. Eric knows there is more than one way to skin a cat. He tells the team, "I don't think, I know damn well, we can beat the Dillon panthers."
He then keeps the team late at practice but after brushing aside pleas from the coaches to let the kids go home, he begins to cut them loose a few at a time starting with Tinker. In the end it is just him and Vince on the field. Vince isn't sure he can give Eric the win he so desperately wants. Eric in turn asks if he has somewhere to go tonight. He doesn't care about the game as much as he does Vince.


The turkey is gone, the stuffing packed away. It's time for some football. The teams are ready, the stage is set and away we go.

J.D. goes up top for 6 right off the bat. Eric unfazed turns to Vince and tells him he is going to enjoy watching him beat J.D. all night long. You can see the look in Vince's eyes change to one of confidence. Vince tucks the ball away on a busted play-action pass and despite carrying the ball like a loaf of bread, hits pay dirt and answers back. Landry comes on and Ray Finkle's the extra point though. Shank You very much Landry.
The Panthers go up two scores and Eric digs into his bag of tricks going double tight, wing left, shift to gun, with a release to Tinker. Vince asks if that's even legal. Tinker hauls in a bomb from Vince, not quite sure how he got down there so fast, but no flags on the play, it's six points. Next Vince takes the speed draw in for the two point conversion and just like that the Lions claw their way back into the game before half time.

The Lions in the locker room hear the Dillon home crowd chanting "WE ARE...PANTHERS!." Vince gets the team "fired up." A great opportunity was missed here to induce some chills on the viewers. Vince and the team's chant was weak and not nearly loud enough. The little Under Armour kid gets his bus full of pop warner team mates more fired up than Vince does his squad. The defense comes to play in the second half though and J.D. gets to see how the other half lives.

Wade begins to lose control and Eric sees his chance. He calls Luke over and tells him they are going to run The Lion. Luke says thank you to coach before taking the field. Love that kid. Vince hooks up with #44 and then Luke pushes the pile into the end zone for another two point conversion.
Luke carries once more on the next possession but reinjures that hip after taking a big hit from the Panther safety. Despite saying he is OK, Eric goes to his kicker, Mr. Landry Clarke. Redemption Time..."LACES OUT DAN!!!"
Eric: "You're goin in."
Landry: "That would be a 45 yard field goal"
Eric: "So?"
Landry: "I can't kick a 45 yard field goal."
Eric: "What do you mean you can't? I've spent three years turning you into a god damn football player. You know what you're gonna do? You're gonna go out there and kick that damn field goal, you hear me? And you know what, it could be worse son. It could be 47 yards, so do us proud, get in there."

With six seconds left and into the wind Landry nails what was officially a 46 yarder to give the Lions the biggest win in school history.
The next day on the radio, Panther announcer Sammy Mead even takes his hat off to the Lions.

Tami comes to a solution and takes a job at East Dillon. Julie tells Matt she needs to find her own Chicago. Landry opens his door to find Matt standing there having just been dumped by Julie. Landry goes "oh whatever" and lets him in.He then asks him, "did you see my field goal? My 72 yard field goal? It was a miracle." Great stuff. Glad to see them kiss and make up after earlier in the episode when Matt after getting snubbed by his best friend mutters "he's like a girl."
A solemn Tim asks to borrow Billy for a second but Mindy whines that it's like her first break ever. Are you kidding me? This is Riggins Brothers business.
Watch the kid for a minute so Tim can go deliver a brutal speech to his big brother. "You are my brother...this is my decision...this is what I have decided...you're my brother...etc." In the history of the show I don't think there has been a more awkward or just flat out more terrible Tim Riggins scene. I was heart broken. I really hope he is taking the bullet here for his nephew's sake and not Billy's. Billy all but blames him for the whole thing earlier in the show.

One bad play does not a career make though. Tim salvages his legacy and reminds us why we love him when he pauses on his way into jail to toss Billy the #33 key chain to his truck. I can't bring myself to think this is the end of Tim Riggins. I just can't and I won't ever discuss it.


The second to last scene of the Taylor's hanging Christmas decorations made me so nostalgic and crave Fall and football season even more. We close with Matt and Landry on the plane to Chicago as we say goodbye to FNL for another season.
Next year marks the series finale and they will have a lot to explore in a limited number of episodes. How can Luke think about transferring after a win like that? Although his mother will not be happy to hear Tammi is coming to his son's school. Luke and Tinker will be integral next year I feel as their friendship continues to grow. Will the show explore Stan, Coach Best Buy's, sexuality and tackle another tough issue? Wonder what Luke's holier than thou mother will make of that. Vince and Jess will test the limits of their feelings and the limits of Big Mary's patience I'm sure. Will we see a return of Smash, Jason Street or Tyra? Will we see Lyla visit Tim in prison and be subjected to the cat calls of other inmates. Will Tim have shaved his head the next time we see him, if we see him at all?
A great deal to think about and even more time to wait and see. Till then as always...Clear eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!!

LABOR PAINS

Sorry for the delay on the recap but so much went down I didn't want to rush.

The week kicks off and the Lions are under fire for the condition of their field. Coach "Best Buy"- We’ve been playing on this field all year and not one Lion has fallen from the Pride

Buddy yells "How bout we just play in Joe's back yard!" When Wade suggests playing on a neutral field. Eric has enough of this nonsense and says they will be ready come game time, then tells the Dillon crew "Y'all know where the parking lot is." In other words, don't let the gate hit you in the ass on the way off my field fellas!














Four days from Thanksgiving five days from Armageddon, but it's already raining fire and brimstone at the Taylor house. Julie is pushing hard for Habitat for Humanity, but her timing could not be worse. Tami-"I know who Jimmy Carter is honey." There isn't enough wine or coffee in Texas to brighten the mood in the Taylor house these days. Eric finds his car has been vandalized but his first thought is of Tami. He asks Julie to take it easy on her mother this week but knows she has her heart set on Habitat. He says if she can cooperate they can talk about this house building thing later.

Eric stresses to the team that the word of the week is "FOCUS." He let's Coach Stan "Best Buy" know that it's going to be a bad week so if he has something to tell him don't leave notes on his desk, tell him face to face after he asks where Tim Riggins is.
Stan- "OK face to face..his brother is having a baby with his wife."

Eric is visibly worn down and tells Luke everyone is practicing at Carrol Park except for him. “You want to gut it out why don’t you gut it out and fill up the Gatorade jug.”

You get the feeling he is taking his frustrations about Tami's situation out on Luke, but he checks himself and shows why he is amazing when he calls Luke back over, apologizes and tells him he just wants him to focus on getting his hip better. Then in classic Eric style he yells for "Lance!" to fill up the Gatorade jug instead.

Landry had already earned coaches ire for the tooth pick stunt but I think he also earned some credibility with the Lions. Even if they had to run Jingle Jangles until he kicked a 40 yard field goal.
Vince dismisses Landry’s condolences for Calvin at first, saying he doesn’t even know his last name. Landry says it’s Calvin Brown and because you’re my team mate...that's why I care. Vince turns and yells “Hey Landry thanks!” He tells Landry he’s a good dude and he is happy he is taking care of Jess because she deserves the best.
Landry brings Jess a new bike to replace the one he wrecked with his car. He greets her standing by his care like a poor man's Jake Ryan from "Sixteen Candles." "I’ve been standing here for about 20 minutes trying to perfect this pose.” Jess in turn makes Landry a play list. “Slow Jams?” he jokes. She tells him he’s supposed to listen to it while he practices kicking, but it might as well be a break up mix from the looks of it. She just can't seem to get past her feelings for Vince.
While in the car on their way to get payback for Calvin, Kennard tells Vince that his pop always said he didn't have "no thug" in him. This from the guy who pulls up and honks outside Vince's apartment to pick him up for a drive by. I don't know where that falls in the realm of "thug life," but it didn't seem to subtle to me. Vince ends up getting out of the car like my man Tre does in "Boyz n the Hood," when Dough and the boys were going to get pay back for Ricky. Vince fairs a little worse though for making the right choice as he gets pistol whipped in the face. I thought his hysterics in the street after the car pulled away were a bit much. Vince has been a compelling character so far, but I think they stretched him a bit here.

Then he returns home to find Jess still sitting outside his apartment and there is no visible swelling or bruise on his jaw. I mean I know he's a self proclaimed "monster" and claims "I'm that guy," but that was a miss on the producers part. You're better than that Vince. DON'T BE THAT GUY.

We didn't want Tim to be THAT guy when he got involved with Billy and the late night chop shop, but he did and he got what he wanted when he was able to buy his piece of land. I was finally able to sleep better after Becky returned Skeeter and the #33 Panthers jersey to him along with some of his other stuff.
Becky says she never pictured Tim as a snow globe kind of guy. His mom gave him that one he tells her. Sort of a touching but out of place moment I felt. The fact that it was a state of Texas snow globe though was a nice touch.


Maybe the thought of his mom, or the experience of seeing Billy welcome little Stephen Hannibal Riggins into the world showed Tim what it is he really wants in life. Tim feels like he has figured out what life is all about. Tim can honestly say he’s happy. Becky tells him she loves him, but he's not THAT happy and has to shoot her down yet again. Tami's lawyer tells her earlier that "there's Law and then there's Life." Tim might have the "life" side of things figured out but the "law" is not done with him and Billy it looks like.


With the #33 jersey in the forground, we see Tim rocking out on his air guitar in the garage and sipping on a cold one as the police come in. The one cop asks him "you're Tim riggins the football star right?" "I used to be," Tim answers back knowing all too well what's about to happen.

Tim should have taken his own advice that he gave to his little nephew when he said "keep your guard up and stay angry." Not a good day for the Riggins brothers as Billy is also knocked off his cloud.
Poor Billy can't catch a break. First off I should never have been surprised to see him rocking briefs when the time came to go to the hospital. He gets thrown out of the delivery room for being too enthusiastic and Tim realizes it's probably due to the five energy drinks he has taken down. I myself got put in Time Out during the delivery of my son for being "too enthusiastic." So I felt Billy's frustration.
Tim fires Billy up to get back in there and i was in total agreement. Who is Mindy to be calling the shots? Tim has been "waiting 37 hours for this!"
Billy takes up the battle cry of "I'M THE DAD!" and goes charging in. The look on his face though when he sees just what he has walked into was amazing. Tim tells Billy he did good, but they both are in a world of trouble now.
The Panthers drive all over the Lion's field and Tami's reputation is also dragged through the mud as she is asked to make an apology for something she did not do. When the board of education official comes to deliver her the statement they want her to read he asks her to step outside her front door to receive it.

Was I the only one who thought she was going to get attacked or at the least egged? My heart was pounding.
Then Coach Wade has the gall to tell Tami, HE is not playing on a fair field here. Eric calls in and tells Wade to call him back so he can talk to his wife alone. At the sit down between the two coahing staffs Eric tells the league director his family's been receiving threatening phone calls, his house has been vandalized, and his field's been destroyed, "so don't patronize us and tell us it's just a damn football game!"

Has there ever been such a thing as JUST A FOOTBALL GAME in Texas High School Football? I wanted to take that bottle of hot sauce someone was using as a gavel and smash it into Joe McCoy's face. Buddy and Co are in an uproiar but Eric just sits there and we see the emotional toll this is taking on him. Too bad Tim is so busy otherwise I'd have him take a run at Mrs. McCoy and post the pictures on the web the day before the game.

We finish this week learning that the game is going to be held at the Panthers field and that Tami is going to make a statement. Eric picks up what is surely another threat against Tami or a prank caller and smashes the receiver to the ground. He asks Tami just what stement she is going to give, but we will have to find out this week.


My heart strings have snapped. We are mere days away now from the big game but I am having trouble pulling myself off the ground and getting to a knee after that episode. Every one of our beloved characters got beat up in some way shape or form. Joe even goes as far as to call Buddy the "Dead Panther." Anything less than a victory this week won't cut it.

Till then I am trying hard to maintain my FOCUS, with the iron clad belief that we WILL NOT LOSE come Friday. I'll tell you all the same thing Tim told little Stephen Hannibal...KEEP YOUR GUARD UP AND STAY ANGRY!

Until Friday Night...

CEFHCL

EVERYONE LOVES FOOTBALL

Great Under Armour Ad I came across that features some very familiar music.

Two weeks for THAT?...NO COMMENT!

Maybe it was the network cutting away multiple times to issue a Thunder Storm Warning for the North Jersey area during FNL. Maybe it was the extreme close ups they used this week showing off the skin flaws on multiple characters. Maybe it was how Jess went to see Vince's mom but he hasn't. Not sure what it was but this was in my opinion the weakest link of the season so far.

We had very few things to cheer about, including a football game where we didn't even get to see the finish. We had to wait two weeks to see Tammi's character and career threatened by Luke's crazy mom. Landry after taking Jess to dinner where she fielded Obama questions from his mom tells her he "didn't see her coming." Landry also doesn't see Vince coming. Look, Vince deserves to land someone good in his life, but do we have to offer up Landry again as a sacrificial lamb in the process? He already got crushed by Tyra, now it looks like Jess is destined to break his heart too. Vince is certainly going to be looking for a shoulder to cry on after seeing Calvin get got.


Landry did deliver a good line when he tells Jess she can expect some "hit or miss cooking...my mom said something about beef stroganoff."

Matt calls Julie finally. Only thing saving this scene was Gracie Belle saying "NO" when Julie asks if she wants to go to bed. No nominations are in Julie's future I'm confident after that whole "you are my other half," speech.

Tinker sees Luke at Carrol Park trying to score some pain killers. I give the kid credit for trying to gut it out but has he ever heard of hip pads? "A bruise on the leg is a hell of a long way from the heart, candy ass." Herb Brooks would have been proud of Luke's gutting it out but there are things he could have been doing to get himself better. Stim, ice, treatments etc. Maybe wrap that state of Texas pillow around his waist. That thing was a gem. Take the Plaxico Burress approach and be a game day player only. It's not like anyone else is going to take his starting spot.

And how about Coach Best Buy diagnosing Luke's bruise as a hip flexor on the spot and saying he's out for the season. Whoah there Dr. House! They selling MRI's now next to the flat screens?

If Luke's mom is so crazy about having more kids around why did they only have Luke. Being sympathetic to how hard it is to conceive I'm just saying I thought it was common for farming families to have multiple kids so they can grow up to help out on the farm. I mean the only other farmers I know who had just one kid were Jonathan and Martha Kent. And after they found Clark they really didn't need any more help I would gather.

Becky's mom loses a close race to Luke's for craziest of the week. When she is running Tim off her property was I the only one who was worried about the #33 Jersey being left behind?

Becky shows up at Riggin's Rigs to tell him her mom was wrong and that he is kind, he's strong and he's good. He drove three hours after all to that pageant she points out and was there for her when no one else was. When she said, "Goodbye Tim Riggins," i felt a little pain in my heart because I know it won't be long before we also will be saying goodbye to our dear friend.

If there was a bright spot to this week it had to be Buddy who had endured 48 hours without wearing his Panther's State Champion ring. He is just such a treat. Silly me, when he first said ring though, I thought he was talking about his wedding ring.
Buddy was wrong though, in saying the season is over. The post season is out of the picture, but if they can beat the Panthers they can salvage the season most definitely their pride.
Eric though needs to not have "one more drink" and needs to get home to Tami who is waiting on the door step for HER "other half."

I think in nearly every scene with Tammi at home this week, there was wine in the foreground. This woman just can't catch a break in this town and the pressure is starting to be more than a few glasses of the white grape can fix.

Well you can't win em all and I feel a little sense of disbelief just like Buddy did after this week, but there's always the Panther's and J.D. McCoy to look forward to and what will hopefully be a shining moment. Although without Luke I don't know how they think they can hang with their cross town rivals. Can Landry run QB and pitch the ball to Vince? Who does Jess run and kiss if they end up beating the Panthers? Guess we will have to wait and see.

Till then as always...Clear Eyes Full Hearts.

FINALLY FRIDAY

This is one of my favorite clips that I searched endlessly for and finally had to upload myself.

So pumped for a new episode tonight. Tami T the FNL faithful have your back. Luke, praying to God for pain killers never works trust me. I'm dying for some vintage Grandma Saracen so hopefully Matt pops by to give me my fix.

Till next week and the recap Clear Eyes, Full Hearts y'all.

Never Thought I'd See The Day...

Where I was sad to see a Friday. But a Friday with no Friday Night Lights is a sad day no matter how you spin it. There is reason to celebrate though. Kudos to FNL die hards Kristen and Pat who named their new labradoodle puppy "Coach" after our beloved Eric Taylor. I wondered who would look better in sunglasses so I did a little editing. It's close.
I will be on the road tomorrow most of the day scouting so I wanted to put something up despite not having a new episode this week. Take this time to get back in the film room and revisit some of your favorite episodes and FNL moments.
Few better than ones like this where you get to see both sides of Tim Riggins, a couple choice shots of Lyla and a gem from the always amazing Grandma Saracen.

They Tried to make Me Go To Rehab

I said No No No. But I say YES YES YES to this week's episode. Amidst the Emmy nominations for Eric and Tami I have to say this week's episode is just as deserving of an award. Not a stretch to say i am dependent on this show, but with a new episode now two weeks away my nerves will surely be tested. Thankfully this week offered up enough amazing to keep me off the ledge for awhile. Vince stole the show and is emerging as an amazing character. Despite coach trying to stack the D against him he still finds a way to make plays. Unfortunately his resourcefulness landed him back in the car with Calvin but he does what it takes to take care of his mother. The scene with his mother in the hospital had me looking for tissues.

Vince tells his mom she OD'd and we get the feeling this isn't the fisrt time. He pulls his chair up close and delivers one of the most emotional scenes ever on the show. "why do you keep doin this to yourself, why do you keep doing this to me, I mean was I bad, why don't you want to be with me, why you wanna leave me by myself because I don't know if I can do it by myself. I can't do it by myself mamma."


Coach tries to get Vince to play ball his way but Big Mary thinks he's got Vince scouted all wrong. BM notices coach trying to get Vince to run timing patterns. Put's in his two cents with a "mm hmm looking forward to the game." Eric baffled goes "what the hells that supposed to mean." Later Coach is all over Vince when as one of the onlookers says, "he can't hit water from a boat" at practice. Virgil "Big Mary" finally has had enough it appears. Virgil tells Eric he doesn't know how to coach Vince. Eric can't get past the black and white thing. We see where Virgil's bitterness comes from when he says "you don't know what it's like to be the most athletic kid on the field and be told don't follow your instincts, follow the play book!" Eric knows Virgil is right but no one likes to be told how to do their job. "Can we get two more Robin please?" We realize the next morning when Tami is driving Coach to get his car that two more may have turned into ten. He can't go drinking like that on a school night. "You don't even remember what bar you were at do you?" There it is you gonns drive me to my car? "I think you can walk, a walk will do you some good, fresh air in your hair, love you."


Becky wakes up and is still pregnant. Man I know the feeling when life is going so bad you just are waiting to wake up and realize it was all a bad dream. Does put that B minus she got in geography in perspective. Loved when she asks the girl at school if she can copy her homework. Tami offers up the right advice giving her all her options and telling her to talk to her parents. Going to drive me crazy in two weeks when these Bible Beaters come after her. She did everything right as usual and again is going to get raked over the coals.
Eric gets Gracie to go to bed after four books three stories and crawling out of the room again. As a new dad I loved this line. So accurate. Eric says with the dread we all would "Tim Riggins is gonna be a father?" No but he is going to be a partner in Riggin's Rigs. Good scene where he and Billy have it out while burying the cars.

Virgil can't help Vince out with the money, but he makes sure he knows "I'm saying no to the money but I'm not saying no to you." Great stuff.
Jess in turn calls him out though for not saying yes to his own family. Virgil is in the midst of an awakening thanks to Vince and Jess. Proud of you Jess for telling your dad how it is. Pop Warner game with the little Panthers takin on Jess's brother and the East Dillon Wranglers was great. Virgil coaches up Caleb but the last thing he tells him is to have fun out there. Caleb said OK the growls as he runs back to the huddle. Loved it.

Luke has a tough talk with his own Dad and tells him he got a girl pregnant. His dad tells his wife though which I'm torn on. The Cafferty's are church going god fearin folks we see in the opening scene when the minister is praising Luke. Luke has to bring him Mom back down to Earth though later on and tells her "Becky and I are not Mary and Joseph mom." Luke calls Becky and mans up but it's too late as she tells him she already took care of it. Beck's mom on the other hand is a little more realistic and explodes when she hears the initital news. She gets upset with the doctor because he might convince Becky not to get the abortion. Probably like a doctor did to her back in the day.

Dinner with Habitat for Humanity was comical. I was cringing thinking of that day when it comes for me. "I heard the other day it's going to rain on Friday, must be weird everyone out there...in the rain...playing football."
Vince takes the gun from the guy in the car
Yeah it can get pretty weird can't it Eric.

Amazing episode, almost too much to talk about. Luke is going to be close to addiction it looks like as this injury is still plaguing him. Those pills make the hurt go away in his hip but maybe in his soul as well. Vince is back in harm's way, but the law might be too busy with the Riggins brothers I fear in coming weeks. Till then enjoy the bye week anyway you can. I'll try to put some stuff up before then to keep our DT's in check.

FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BUDDY

HARDWARE

Congrats to Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton for their Emmy nominations.
After being overlooked for years our favorite on screen couple got the love they greatly deserved. This marks Britton's first Emmy nomination, despite a lengthy resume that includes four seasons on "Spin City," but it's Chandler's second. He was nominated for his guest role as an ill-fated bomb squad leader on "Grey's Anatomy" in 2006. The show scored a total of four nominations, with another nod for casting for a drama (it's been nominated three times in that category and won once) and a first-time acknowledgment for writing (for Robin Jones' script for "The Son").

Back in the pads tonight for another game. Is Luke's injury healed? Does he apply for a job at Billy's chop shop to help Becky? What happens to Vince's mom? Does Matt come back if for nothing else but to say good bye? Will Tyra ever show up at the rest stop? Does Landry even care?

So many questions and as many hours till we find out. Can't wait for Friday night!

P.S. Re. Lebron joining D Wade......I havent seen a combination of talent like this since Bart Taylor joined Cru Jones and the RAD Racing team back in '86. hope Vince and Luke can get that magic going this week as well.