WIN OR GET OFF THE POT

I'm not sure if she is even potty trained but Gracie seemed like she was ready for the Toilet Bowl because "Gracie doesn't have any pants!" Eric plays Mr. Mom while Julie and Tammi visit Boston College. Someone else who seemingly can't dress himself is Landry. He promises to wear a "button up" shirt to his date with Jess. She agrees to go just so long as he doesn't wear the one with the Periodic Table on it. He assures her he has "other" nice shirts.

Whether it's coming from a request or an internal desire, we see a lot of the characters on FNL trying to change their stripes. Landry already mentioned, is willing to dress up for Jess, Tim dons a suit for his trip to the real estate agent and for his job interview. Billy is entering a life of crime while Vince is doing his best to put his in the past. Buddy once someone special to the Panthers wants to swap blue for red and now help the Lions. Vince's mom is battling addiction and trying to be the stable mother she thinks Vince needs.

Change is good, but not if its forced. Like Tim says, "Some guys are meant to be in a suit some guys aren't." Tim is just looking for a job and not trying to be a super hero, but Rigs you have a supernatural way with words. Chaucer a legendary wordsmith used words like "Ass and Fart," but always in the right context. Tim can be crass as well, but he is master of the English language in his own right.
It's all about context, I.E. "So just go in the bath tub."
"The clutch is you friend...I don't have air bags by the way."
"4's...mental note this, Dr. Curey will ask you four questions, you answer No, No, Yes, No."

And last but not least, "I didn't want that job anyway." (My wife and I lost it when he said this line because back in 2001 during our senior year at Dartmouth, amidst the corporate recruiting process, she and her roommates hung a banner from their house that read the exact same thing. (Picture Above)

Tim hilarity continued when he interviews Skeeter with the beer can. That's "National Beer" he is drinking ny the way. Did you happen to catch his Panthers jersey hanging above his bed? When he took Becky to see the land he wants to buy it was special to see him share his vision of what he wants to do with his life. Lyla is no longer all he wants it appears. He and Billy both are choking on reality at the moment and are facing some big boy moral conflicts as they try to justify their late night chop shop activities to themselves. That being said, I did not like how Tim missed the game Friday night, and can someone explain to me how he got a key to the gate on the property?

Becky's comments to him were heart felt and touching, and I almost want to see her and Tim end up on that wrap around porch some day throwing the ball to Skeeter, but there still is that whole I slept with your mom thing. So...
Now to the game, the infamous and much maligned, Toilet Bowl. We finally saw what all the hype about Luke has been about. The kid can flat out run! I was a little worried about his ball security on his first carry. Needs to cover the tip of the ball up with his finger, but "4's," plays through the injury and helps the Lions get a win. Eric still need to find a receiver for Vince to hook up with, but Landry seems like he will be able to get us some field goals if we can get him close. That is until Vince breaks his legs for talking to Jess.
The game was broadcasted thanks to the passionate work of Buddy. I got emotional when he talked to Eric at practice about how he used to mean something to the Panther faithful and how he wants to be that man again for the Lions. He gave the Lions faithful a much needed voice, even if it is broadcasted on 1040 AM El Fuego.

Pride is very important to the folks in Dillon. When Bill and Tim are breaking down the car in the chop shop the camera focused in on Billy's state championship ring. Very poignant shot I felt.



Julie is able to put her relationship woes with Matt aside and kills her interview at B.C. Her comments about how Dillon has shaped her were great and showed us that she clearly is a Taylor. Tami just might rock a pair of sunglasses better than her Husband. she echoed my own feelings as a parent when she tells Julie that she is her dream. with Julie, Eric and Gracie, she got what she wanted, she got it all.


Earlier in the episode Eric tells his team in a moving speech that he is proud to take the field with them. I am proud as well. Proud of how this show is continuing to impress and fill my heart with joy. I attatched the clip of the game here, courtesy of NBC, in case anyone needs some mid day inspiration.

Checks In The Mail

Tim has the look of a man who sees something he wants, but has no idea how to get it. This week we will continue to see a number of characters faced with money issues. There's the Cafferty family who has been the victim of cattle thievery. The subsequent work to prevent further cows from wandering off lands our star running back on the IR possibly. Eric last week was seen on the phone haggling with a vendor of some sort looking for money. Eric tried to explain that he had just recently received the invoice and therefore has not had the chance to pay it. Billy faced with a mountain of hospital bills and no insurance appears to go into "business" with Calvin "Corn Rows." Mindy thinks Billy is cheating on him which will force Tim to confront his big brother. What Billy has to say might not jive with #33 but it also might entice him, as he too is in need of some funds to possibly but that piece of land he has his eye on. Not to mention all the dog food Skeeter must be chowing down on. That stuff is not cheap. We will continue to wait by the phone with Julie to see if Matt calls. While their relationship continues to suffer, things with Jess and Vince appear to take a positive turn this week although each step forward there means two steps back for Landry. Maybe he will write a song about it. Possibly a Christian Rock mash up of Paula Abdul's hit single. We'll find out soon enough. Till then and as always Clear Eyes, Full Hearts y'all.

IT'S BEEN A STRANGE WEEK

Yes it has been Tammi. That loser Glen has been a weirdo ever since he came onto the scene last season. Eric was all over it back then, but had no chance to defend his wife's honor after the "mouth rape." I wonder if Tammi will even mention it to Eric. Coach might want to hold off on making Vince's gun disappear nah mean?

I was so pumped though to see Vince show up at the Taylor's front door with that bag. He hands it to Eric and says "there ya go." He does so as if to say I'm in. A quarterback has got to be clear about what has to be done and I think Vince gets it. He lived up to his end of the bargain and puts the ball back in Eric's court as if to say let's see what you got Coach. Vince initially questions Eric's motivations for caring about him so much. We as loyal fans know that just because you are no longer a player of his, Eric does not forget about you. (I.E. helping Jason Street fix up that house he was trying to sell) Vince still has a gun, for an arm that is, but the best weapon in his arsenal is Eric's heart which now has it's sights set on seeing Vince succeed.

While one character is making strides to avoid a life of crime, another seems to be getting sucked in by one. Billy, Tim and Mindy are at the drive through when she starts having contractions. Billy tells Tim they need to get to the hospital to which Tim protests "WE GOT FOOD HERE!" The hospital bills are piling up and with no insurance Billy is no doubt going to get involved with Corn Rows and his car thief mentor. Riggins Rigs is going to turn into a chop shop I fear.

One of my favorite catch phrases of this season has become Becky's "Hey Tim Riggins." Her dad comes back to town and tries to make up for lost time by getting her a puppy which her mother promptly returns. "Whoa whoa whoa, Miss Lippy. The part of the story I don't like," is how Becky lets her mom give the poor dog back without even putting up a fight. She didn't threaten to run away or marry Tim or anything, she just stayed on the porch like a goon and took it. That little girl's gotta think 'You got a pet. You got a responsibility.' If your mom wants to return it you don't just cry for 5 minutes then call it quits. You get your ass out there and you save that fukking dog!

Tim tells Becky's father that he had sex with his wife and then proceeds to administer his own version of an Academic Smackdown, on him in the mud. I'm glad they had Tim beat that deadbeat senseless, but I think it made Tim realize that he is not very responsible either. A light goes off in Tim's head. It was as if the lights on the Christmas wreath hanging on the trailer formed a halo above his head. He goes back to the pound and asks for the dog back. The woman there asks him if he is going to be responsible and take care of it this time around. He says yes ma'am he will. Tim is so right, Julian a dogs name it is not. Skeeter it is! Just don't forget Tim's rule #1, "don't go in my truck."

Tim pulls over so Skeeter can go to the bathroom and is awe struck by the lot of land for sale. We knew Tim's time on the show was limited, but it wasn't until now that I could see how or why he was going to take his leave. The pieces are still coming together but it's becoming apparent what's going to happen. He won't leave Billy high and dry just yet though. Not as long at Mindy has her hand on the bell. "Ugh that bell!"

We see Landry calling Tyra to tell her he has arrived at the "designated rest area," only to find that she is not there. I could not help but think of the Rest Stop Bust scene from There's Something About Mary. Rest areas are the bath houses of the 90's Landry come on. When you don't look to the left or the right you get kicked in the face and Tyra blindsides our man once again.


Matt Lone Wolfe Saracen has broken Julie's heart with his Wanderer act. I don't think she is overeacting. They have dated for three years. for him not to call ain't right y'all.

While Matt needs to get home and mend some fences, Luke was plenty busy with some repair work of his own this week. I knew Tinker was going to be a great character. From the scene where he is eating Luke's fries, to where he tells Mr. Cafferty Luke's a good guy. He's part of what holds their team together, he's humble, and he never acts like a star. Luke's dad seems touched, possibly even impressed of Luke's ability. He tells Tinker he's a good man and I could not agree more. Luke gets injured the next day rounding up the cattle but how bad we do not know. I was a little disapointed though, I must say, with the lack of turn out by the Lions to help Luke out. I know the scene with his dad and Tinker would not have been as compelling if there was a big crew there, but there was a great chance for Vince to lead and rally the team to help a fellow Lion instead of skipping out and going to the "baby shower" Tim and Billy were throwing. The party of course which was the brain child of ol' #33 and in Billy's opinion possibly "the best thing" he has ever said.

The Lions have another week to prepare for their game so hoepfully it's enough time to come together some more and for Luke to heal. Until Friday Night, Clear Eyes Full Hearts!


P.S. For any fans of HBO's "True Blood" out there I recently began a blog discussing this show as well. Feel Free to check it out. http://thebloodissacred.blogspot.com/

The Complete Package?

Eric finally has his QB1. We will see if Vince does indeed have the "brains and the brawn" like he said last week, thats needed to lead the lions. Luke battles his father at home it looks like as his loyalties will be tested.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO NOW?

The allure of Dillon was too much for someone this week as we saw a familiar face return, while for another it has seemingly lost its hold.

With so much going on in the show right now I'm going to take a page out of Eric's play book and "Keep It Simple."

First off, Thank God for mid term breaks as Lyla returns to the show with some quality scenes this week. Tim reminds her in case she forgot that he is a sort of "moment to moment kind of guy." Well when he opened up the trailer door to see her face, "This Magic Moment" started playing in my head. I can't think of another time where she looked better. Lyla asks Tim after she rides the bull if he misses her and he replies "more than you know." When Becky comes knocking on the trailer door "for a ride to school," Tim tells Lyla that Becky is just the land lady's daughter. Lyla all too knowing just smiles and shakes her head. some things never change.

I felt like Tim was speaking for all of us. Lyla asks him "what do you want Tim?"

YOU

"What else do you want?"

YOU

Amen Tim, Amen. What else is there? when Tim tries to get her to stay in Dillon dangling the managerial position at Riggins Rigs before her eyes, my wife blurts out "Just say yes already Lyla...I'd say yes!" If I was ever going to lose my starting job as husband, I guess I would consider Tim Riggins a compliment.

Lyla eventually missed college or is just weirded out by Becky's awkward compliment of "you're so pretty" and heads to the bus station. Tim and her once again part ways and I once again reached for the tissues. The bus pulls away and Tim is left standing there hanging his head. Becky tries to console him but Tim just asks her to "shut up...please." And even Becky gets the gravity of Tim's mood.

While Tim has just cause to sulk, the Lions have nothing to be sad about. They gave a heck of an effort in their first televised game. Heartwarming to see Vince's mom there, ha really played great. That lone touch down where he trucks two defenders before powering into the end zone was great stuff. I guess when you spend the week practicing against two former State Champions, high school competition doesn't seem too bad. QB1 or not, he still is gonna have to get his baby back ribs from the take out counter if Mr. Meriwether has anything to say about it. That was great when he pulled out Vince's chair with Vince still in it.

In what had to be one of the best scenes ever on the show. Billy and Tim come to practice. "You boys ever play a couple of state champions?! Show 'em your ring Tim!" Tim wearing his jersey from the High School All American game was a great touch although I was surprised he hadn't cut the sleeves off of it by now. "HERE WE GO!!!" What a great scene. I'm not the only one who has dreams about going back and playing high school football at the ripe old age of 32. Billy recapping at the bar how fast he felt was just perfect.

The team looked good, Coach McNulty formerly referred to by this guy as "Coach Best Buy," actually works at Sears. Loved when he kicked J.D. and his posse to the curb when they tried to disturb Vince and Luke's "film session." I'll forgive him as a result of this scene, for his reckless Joe Namath impersonation guaranteeing a win to the reporters. Tinker on the other hand was amazing in front of the camera when he just burst out laughing. Eric just gets up and says "peace" to the ridiculous line of questioning. I loved how the announcer said "Roll Lion" during the game scenes. nice new catch phrase. Landry is still working on that throwing motion and I don't think they are showing us that casually.

Uh I guess I have to talk about the other story lines that are going on as well. Matt and Julie was actually pretty good. Someone needed to wipe the glitter off of his lips though after their kissy face in the car. The lovebirds are off to Austin. Austin, Massachusetts? Matt asks Julie to dance when the "pretty music" comes on the radio. Somewhere in between the peanut butter sammy's and the Heartless Bastards at EMO's though, Matt has a change of heart. Julie comes home and slumps to the ground crying that she thinks Matt is leaving.

Tammi showed why she is a great mother. After Eric talks her out of going to Austin, she was all set to "beat her ass" when Julie got home. Gracie knew what was coming when she went "uh oh" after Tami left one of her numerous voice mails on Julie's cell. "You're my favorite daughter" she tells Gracie who cracks an adorable smile. It thought it was great also how Landry is terrified of Tami Taylor and defenseless against her "interrogations." great overall episode form Landry. I liked how he tells Matt even if he doesn't know what it is Matt wants from him, he is still going to be his best friend.

While one relationship is seemingly ending another is struggling to get off the ground as Becks stiff arms Luke and his Gummi Bears. More to come from those two I'm sure.

We end the week watching Matt driving away to some scene appropriate music. We're not sure what it is he is looking for but just perhaps it's not in Dillon anymore. A great episode I thought, second best of the season so far. Some people out there have been sipping the Haterade on the sidelines saying the show has lost its touch and is not as strong as past seasons. To those haters I ask you like Eric asked the Lions early on, "to go home tonight and think about why it is that you're out here." You wanna hate, you go ahead and hate somewhere else, but not on my blog, not in my colors! you go ahead and get your things and get out of my house!

Those of you still with clear eyes and full hearts, until this Friday, remember to keep it simple. Like Tim said "It's a simple life, but it's a great life."

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Don't look so mad Julie. I will have this week's recap for you tomorrow.

It's FOOTBALL not FUTBOL

While the rest of the world gears up for the World Cup we need not forget about Friday Night! Lyla is BACK! Thanks to Derek Jeter for allowing her to sneak away for a couple episodes. Becky apparently doesn't read the sign that says "If this trailer's a rockin, Don't come a knockin," and walks in on our reunited lovers. This shock will no doubt either send her running into Luke's arms or off looking for a pet rabbit to boil in a pot. Matt and Julie fight for their right to party bringing Tami to tears, while Eric is left once again wishing he had sons instead of daughters. We had a game last week so most likely some practice scenes this week. The offense will continue to mature, but the defense needs to be addressed. We see the Lions scoring late in games, but they need to find a way to keep the game closer until they can hit their stride on offense. Lyla might not be the only Garrity to return to Dillon I have a feeling. The "nobody hit harder than Buddy Garrity" line from the alumni dinner at the Taylor house may have been a hint at things to come. If it's true that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Buddy Jr. might return ready to blow some people up between the hash marks. Would love to see a culminating scene where Buddy Jr. crushes JD McCoy on a blitz up the middle. We will have to see. So enjoy the World Cup and route on our boys against England tomorrow but don't forget to take care of business tonight beforehand.

Clear Eyes Full Hearts

#33 in your program #1 in your hearts...

But #100 according to Entertainment Weekly. Tim "Me Time" Riggins was selected to Entertainment Magazines 100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years. Although they have him listed at #100 it's a pretty big honor considering the company he is mentioned along with. Most notably Napoleon Dynamite, Tony Stark, House, Tyler Durden, John Locke, Dexter, Stewie Griffin, Tony Soprano, Omar Little, Sue Sylvester and Homer Simpson. There are some questionable selections such as Hancock, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, Wilhelmina from Ugly Betty and Juno. I'm surprised Charlie Harper from Two and a Half Men got snubbed. People love that show, not me, but "people." The only time I will watch that show is when they show it on plane and my iPhone battery is dead. Love that a real life womanizer like Charlie Sheen who basically plays himself is left off but How I Met Your Mother's resident ladies man, Barney Stinson, played by an openly gay Neil Patrick Harris does. NPH is a genius and Barney is...wait for it...AWESOME! Whaddup?!?! Buddy Garrity could have made this list too in my opinion along with Eric Taylor.

Death, Dying & Deviled Eggs

Eric: Who called that play?! Vince:I don't know coach I blacked out.

Vince evokes Will Farrel from the Debate scene in "Old School" after running the Wildcat spread with Luke for a touch down. Eric knows a good thing when he sees it so after big Tink falls on a fumble caused by Vince's sack, Coach lets the Wildcat run. And wouldn't you know it, he even puts in a halfback pass, a.k.a. a flea flicker. The announcer throws out one of my favorite words ever, Trickeration, as Luke hits pay dirt. I'm not one to gloat but I did make a pretty nice call in the preview leading up to this episode, I must say. Enough about me though, let's get back to the episode at hand.

Post game locker room scene shows the team paying a moment of respect to Matt Saracen's fallen father. A member of the football fraternity lost a loved one, so the team pays its respects. I really liked this scene. Whether you are religious or not, seeing Landry a.k.a. "Twinkle Toes" lead the team in prayer was a nice moment.

Julie and Landry show up to Matt's for "Bad Movie Night" and he is watching a video of his dad. He tells Matt they are doing a good job in Iraq and that they will be out of there soon. Matt remarks that the video is from Christmas a couple years ago. Peter Berg subtly makes a sneaky political comment I feel here. He lets the real world creep into the Dillon bubble in this tiny moment.

Parental woes seem to be a major theme of this years story lines as I guess they have throughout the show's history. Vince is woken up by Coach who is calling him to let Jim know he was co-player of the week and is invited to speak at the Pancake Breakfast. Vince says he likes pancakes, but I have a feeling he likes running water better. When he gets off the phone with Eric, his chest is puffed out with pride. AS he picks his mother up off the bench shortly after he looks off to his right with embarrassment and anger in his eyes. I really hope Vince can stay out of trouble. His speech to the little kids was great even if it came from a bad place. Listen to your own words Vince. Don't panic and trust in Coach Taylor.

Then there's Becky, who's father never shows up apparently to see her sing. When she looks over to the empty seat, which I guess they were saving for him, it made me think of Joe Cain in The Program who's father never saw him play a game either. He looks to an empty seat left for his dad in the last game only to see it still empty. He and Becky both put it behind them and went on to perform at the top of their game. Becky finishes 2nd Runner up though which Tim realizes is like third place and agrees that yes "Third Sucks." What really sucked though was that scene of Becky's mom yelling at her ex-husband on the phone backstage at the pageant. Seriously? We sat through 15 seconds of that nonsense. Fifteen seconds that could have been used for another football play in the opening. Waste of space. Tim barely salvages the scene when he earlier comments on the girl who is playing the xylophone or the "exodaphone," as he calls it. I also liked how Becky corrects the Pageant host when he introduces her song. She remarks, "Oh it's just Wicked." Loved that. I did not love how she calls Tim at the Saracen's house 5though. A little ridiculous if you ask me but I did enjoy it when Tim asked her "whats wrong is the trailer on fire or something?"

The air is toxic around Matt's house so Landry and the "Riggins Clan" decide to get Matt out of his house away from all the "Death, Dying and Deviled Eggs." Away from all the "phonies" like the McCoy's. Matt took the words right out of my mouth when he opened the door to find JD and his dad holding a gift basket. "Are you serious?" The McCoys are no help, but Tammi certainly was. She is great in a crisis like Julie notes. She slapped that funeral home director upside the head and set him straight. Great scene for Tammi who finally got to dish out some justice after being the victim for the last couple weeks. I told you our girl could take care of herself and everyone else around her. Tammi was out there like a lioness on the hunt while Eric was at home watching Gracie Belle. It was a brief moment but one of brilliance when we got to see Smash running on TV in a college game. Six carries for 38 yards is nothing to scoff at.

While Smash is still making memories in college, the Riggins brothers, Landry and Matt take to the field to relive some glory days and crush some beers for tears. Billy recalls a play made by Matt"Mayday" Saracen. Tim shakes his head and says we never called Matt "Mayday" a day in his life. But "cobra" might stick. "Why would you kill Cobra's beer Billy?" Why? Matt begins to vent about having to give the eulogy. He feels like his father joined the military to skirt his parental obligations. The boys decide to go let Matt have a look at his father to make sure he is in fact in that casket. In one of the more moving moments in the shows history, Matt wears the anguish of a nation at war on his face as he looks at his father's remains. Never at a loss for manners he still manages to say Thank You to the mortician as his world is caving in around him. He continues to be the upstanding young man that he is when he apologizes to Tammi for being rude at the dinner table. We all watched along with the Taylor's as Matt broke down at the table. "I'm sorry I'm just having a moment here, I don't think I'm OK...I put all my hate on him so I could be a better person to my grandma, my friends, to your daughter." Eric who can't deny his fatherly instincts asked Matt if he had driven over to the house when he first walked in, no doubt aware that he had been drinking. Eric also though runs out and walks Matt home in the following scene. God bless that man.

Matt's eulogy was amazing. He accepted the fact that maybe he saw a different side of his father that most did. Maybe he didn't really know his dad for who he really was and like it or not he did do some good in this world. the scene really speaks for itself so I uploaded it here for everyone to take another look.


Every dark cloud has a silver lining though and ours came in the form of Lyla Garrity. Gosh, I missed her so.

While Tim has the love of his life back in town and my fears of her stealing him away from us begin to grow, we are seeing the emergence of Tim's heir apparent Luke Cafferty. We see Luke running outside of practice just like Tim did when he wanted to turn his game around. He drives a beat up pick up truck, and is not afraid to take his shirt off for the ladies as well. Becky was jockin ol #44 up and down after he paid for her candy and beer. When he asks her is she wants to go to a car wash I couldn't hold back my smile. What a line! "I mean look at that thing," he says referring to his truck. The line of the episode also was provided by our man Luke when he called Dillon's shining star "J.D. McDick!" I rewound that clip about five times.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?

If the theory that we get a football game every other week holds true, we are in for some grid iron tonight FNL Fans. Death checks into the lineup though as well, as Matt and his family say goodbye to his father. His dad wasn't portrayed in the best light, but he was a soldier and a hero for his exploits though, so i hope his death is dealt with accordingly. Something is going to click for the Lions tonight I can feel it. Perhaps a well executed punt by Landry coffin corners the opposition and Luke gets a pick six to win the game. Either a defensive TD or a trick play will take place tonight. So dust off your flea flickers and get ready for some football. "Let's finish it!" Pride on three, Pride on three. 1,2,3- PRIDE!!!

Deers and Beers

We open up the week with Tammi listening to here critics in another round of "Slammin Tammi" on the Slammin' Sammy radio show. She continues to come under fire for her decision to enforce the transfer of Luke to East, but through all the fire she has looked great. Maybe it's Maybelline, I don't know, but her hair looked amazing this week.

Eric walks into work and has to deal with some heat of his own. Principal Eli remarks sarcastically, "I see you finished a game Friday night, ra ra ra sick boom ba." Eric is unflappable though and ignores the dig and instead inquires about pep rallies. The pep rally was great and the speech the Deacon delivers was moving. I don't know about you, but I was yelling "Pride" at the TV.

The Billy and Tim scene was one of the best ever. "Yeah! Deers and Beers two days away let's get after it!" Mindy yells at Tim for having guns in the house and he comes back like only Tim can with "Mins I don't think they're loaded, we're fine." Billy the dutiful husband asks Tim to put the guns away in the corner or something because Mindy isn't supposed to have any stress around her. Tim shows his empathy by asking "Where's the gun cleaner?" Billy assures Mindy that it's OK and he can go hunting anytime to which Tim protests "No we can't, that's why it's called Hunting Season!" Billy mind you is wearing a faded tee shirt from The Landing Strip through out the whole scene.

When Tim walks into Panther Pizza, Saracen can't help but smile. Tim doesn't skip a beat calling him "7," as he points out that Matt is now slingin dough instead of 60 yard bombs. Pretty sure he didn't pay for that pizza he picked up either, but he did say Thank You.

Tim keeps the free pizza karma in balance as he is the good samaritan once again as he helps Becky find a pageant dress. "What's that saying, doesn't the dress find you?" Tim tells her how his mother never took him shopping to buy a pageant dress, so he never placed at Ms. Texas and that's why he got into football. So mothers the moral of the story here is, if you don't want to let your sons grow up to be cowboys, take them shopping.


Landry falls back into the role of chauffeur, but hopefully this time it's different than it was with Tyra from the start. Loved how he tries to get the girls into Crucifictorious, but is snubbed. Now I know I'm old, but when did high school kids start throwing parties on weeknights during a school week? In the Fall no less. Loved the over sized snifter of beer and I loved the "Warriors" tee shirt Corn Rows was wearing. Great reference. The Warriors was a film made in 1979 about a gang called The Warriors, who are framed for killing a gang leader trying to unite all the gangs in the area. I wonder if the shirt was just a random piece of wardrobe or if it's a reference to Eric trying to unite the Lions under one banner.
Buddy and Eric have a heart to heart at the bar. Buddy tells Eric he is sorry "about all of it." We see in Buddy a man without a home. Boosterism comes from the heart and Buddy right now feels empty without a team to rally behind. Man does he come to the rescue though when he shows up at Eric's house for the dinner. The initial look on Eric's face is one of dread, but none of us had any idea just how far the legacy of Buddy Garrity reached. "Honey Buddy's here!" No one hit harder than Buddy Garrity apparently and no one is a more loyal friend. For all the headaches, Buddy has proven to always be there for Eric.

First and foremost though, Eric and Tammi are there for each other. Following the dinner Eric gets "stuck to the couch," like we all do after a big meal. No matter what's going on in their individual careers they are always there for each other. Tammi's car got vandalized but the Taylor family has seen the ugly side of football fans before. Like back in season one when an angry Panther fan approached Julie at the Alamo Freeze and insults her father before Eric comes up and gets in his face. There were also the white flags on the lawn this year. I read some criticisms of Eric for not coming to Tammi's defense. Eric is there for his family, and Tammi is a strong independent woman capable of taking care of herself. End of the day she and Eric are always there to comfort and support one another. Don't get it twisted.

Eric is there for his kids too. What a great move he pulled to get Luke and Vince out of jail. Going back to the fight, what a wuss J.D. was. QB1's don't run from the cops. Just further indication of how brutal that kid is. Moving on, Eric delivers a great speech to his two players while driving them home, "You get one chance in life fellas....get out...get out of the car." Then let's his actions do the talking. Man Eric just loves leaving players on the side of the road doesn't he. The proof is in the pudding I guess.


Speaking of Tim, he and Matt go hunting. "Eyes peeled, light feet." Sort of the hunting version of clear eyes, full hearts I guess. The #33 on Tim's hunting hat was amazing. Drinking beers by the fire, toasting to Texas Forever, reminds me of the very first episode where Tim and Jason Street are sitting by the fire with Lyla.


Julie and Devin check out Steers the local gay bar. Julie is an amazing friend y'all if you haven't figured it out. She was pretty naive when we first met her in season one but she has really come into her own. She sees the assistant coach there playing pool and just waves. No look of shock, no judging. I wondered aloud if the bar name "Steers" is a tongue in cheek reference to a line from "Full Metal Jacket." The drill sergeant famously played by R. Lee Ermey upon hearing one of his marines is from Texas goes "Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down." I thought the bar looked pretty cool. Britney blaring, pool tables, energy drinks...I'm in.

Matt and Julie's relationship is under fire yet again as she is beginning to look at colleges and Matt feels like he is stuck in Dillon. The death of his father is going to weigh heavy on our man's shoulders. Everyone leaves him. His mother although back in his life left him. His father left him for the war and is now gone. Grandma Saracen is slipping more and more each day and now Julie will be leaving soon enough. He wants to be an artist though and from these harsh realities I think he will pull something amazing out. We may see a somewhat downward spiral from him in the upcoming weeks but don't worry, he isn't going over to the "Dark Side" just yet.

The closing scenes are some of the most powerful we've ever seen on the show. From the music playing and the shots of Matt in Tim's truck, to Grandma and Julie's reactions to the news of Matt's father's death, Peter Berg puts together a heart felt finale to a great episode. I received emails over the weekend that there wasn't enough football this week. Going back and watching the episode a second time I realized that there were actually a number of scenes shot on the practice field. I think the gravity of the closing scene just left us wanting an escape. Like the people of Dillon, we needed a football game to brighten our day. Funny how that worked out.

Hope this tides you over until Friday. Till then, Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose!