The Night The Lights Went Out In Texas

I stood in front of my TV taking it all in with a heavy heart. I put my remote down tenderly like Tim did his cleats after he played his last game. As a fan I gave this show my emotional all and it was returned to me ten fold. Eric Taylor's Lions had to fight and claw to stay in their final game just like this show's fans fought to keep it on air. A last second Hail Mary proved to be the winning play, but no matter the outcome of that play, the series finale was a win in my book.

I'm glad the team won it all and the final play appeared to go from Vince to Luke. They were the two who held the team together through all the trials and tribulations. I was sad to see Luke go off to the army, but it was a very realistic option for someone in his position and was a good fit story wise. The most widely debated part amongst those I talk about the show with has been whether Eric was coaching a high school team or a college team in the end. I am quite sure it was a high school team with little funding and talent from the looks of it. He had to take a step down career wise to emphasize the sacrifice he was making so that Tami could have her shot. Also note that Tammie's clothes changed from when she was walking around her college campus to when she showed up at Eric's field.
The final scene with Billy and Tim was special. One of the most memorable moments came in the first episode when Tim toasted to God, football and living large in Texas ten years from then.  He ended the series finale with the same words he finished his toast with in the first episode,  "Texas Forever." It was great closure. This show, like high school football for many, became a sort of religion for me. I was a devoted follower. I looked for the good in every episode, knowing how lucky we were to have the show air at all.

The amazing acting has been recognized in the form of several Emmy nominations, but if Kyle and Connie come away empty handed once again it won't mean they didn't deserve it. If there was an award for best TV couple it would be theirs hands down. Their on screen chemistry is not easily conjured and their interactions with one another were the most genuine I've ever seen on television. Their struggles and their triumphs were palpable.

From the opening kickoff to the last whistle,  the final season was a triumph.  We were treated to two great performances with the return of Tim Riggins and the emergence of his brother Billy as a leading character. Vince had a lot to live up to on and off the field following in the footsteps of Jason Street and Matt Saracen, but he was terrific. I'll never forget the scene where he sat by his mother's side as she recovered from an overdose. Grandma Saracen became everyone's grandma. She was a special character and was among the many supporting roles that made this show better than the rest.

Thank you Peter Berg for all the memories. Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.

TEXAS WHATEVER

Well the second to last episode ever of FNL did not lack intensity that was for sure. Eric and Tami were at odds unlike ever before. Interesting to note that Connie Britton didn't want to take on the role for the TV adaptation because she didn't want to just be a football wife cheering in the stands. Peter Berg promised her that would not be the case and boy did he ever live up to that promise. If the Emmy nominations aren't proof enough, this episode showed once again what an amazing dynamic she shares on screen with Kyle Chandler. The line where she said congratulations to him even though he didn't have the grace to say it to her cut deep. Then in a subtle surrender she picked up her boots and walked away as if to say you win Eric, you wear the boots/pants in this family.

Billy and Mindy shared a real moment too in the bedroom that was reminiscent of all the talks about life Eric and Tammy shared, leading me to believe it was another hint that Billy will be coaching next year at Dillon, if not the head coach, in some capacity. Eric just might take the job and bring Mac with him, or perhaps he will coach this last game like it is just that, taking a book out of Tim's book of advice he bestowed on young Luke.

My guess is Luke will shock the state in the finale and have school hounding him. I know that new Costco and movie theatre up at Warrenfield State sounded pretty awesome but I think he'll hold out for something better or just walk away.
Tyra returned and what a reunion it was. She hasn't lost a bit of that sauciness, as we saw when she told the annoying bar patron to get up out of his bar stool so she could talk to Tim. I was touched to hear that she wrote to him while in prison and even though he said it jokingly it was good to know Tim's anal virginity is still intact.
Tyra delivered some amazing lines this week. From describing Dillon as a drug, to asking "what is Tim Riggins going to do in Alaska?" Life is harder when you love someone, she hit the nail on the head and she was also spot on when she told Tim that not a lot of people ever believed in him, but his brother did.

Matt returned to find Grandma's dementia much worse, but it was heartwarming to see them together again. She was a special character and will always hold a place in my TV heart.







Vince and Jess got back together just in time for State. He has always delivered from an acting standpoint. I felt the emotion was genuine when he told her he "was born with two strikes" against him. That line could have come off terrible cheesy but he nailed it.

Buddy is one hell of a salesman and despite he recent love for the Lions, if he can help return the Panthers to glory on his terms with Eric at his side he is not going to pass on the opportunity to do so. The lure of three rings in six years would be historic, but I don't know if it will be enough to keep Eric in Texas. First and foremost we have State to worry about. Can't believe it's all coming to an end.

C.E.F.H.C.L.

THE MARCH

This is where the real work begins fellas. The Lions are on the right path, but the same can't be said for Tim and Billy I'm afraid.

As the two brothers try to mend their relationship, Vince and Ornette's was further stressed by O's reluctance to take his beer outside.

Seeing Tim working at Buddy's was tough. He should be sitting at Smitty's getting free shot after shot. Then he looked up to see Smash the Aggie doing what he should be doing with himself. Tim could still play college ball though. there are those guys like Chris Weinke who came in as 25 year old freshman after trying other pro careers. Tim just decided to spend some time exploring the Correctional Arts and pursuing his degree in license plate making.

Jess wanting to "shadow" Eric is admirable but isn't it a little late in the season. I know theoretically their lives don't end with the conclusion of the season, but it just seems odd the writers keep introducing new angles like this with such little time left.

Tim criticized Billy for not taking advantage of the freedom he bestowed on him by taking the fall for the stolen cars, but he couldn't help but smile when the team showed up on the front lawn and showed the love and respect they have for their assistant coach.
Tim is just in a dark place. Even hearing the Lions win on the radio can't rouse him from his funk.

If Vince was feeling down at all about his mom missing his biggest win to date, it didn't last long as he saw she had stayed behind to organize the celebration for the returning victors.


ON TO...

"PLEASE" DON'T GO!

I could just picture Buddy playing Double You's classic tune "Please Don't Go" over and over this week after the oranges showed up in Levi's office. What was Buddy doing there in the first place? Poor Buddy Jr. High School is tough enough without having your pops stalking the halls day in and day out.

Not since the Jumbo Tron has Buddy had a more outlandish idea, erect a statue of Coach. A man can't leave if you erect a statue in his honor, everyone knows that. the man is a special friend. He believes in loyalty and sticking with his people. Eric was always there for him as was the entire Taylor family.


Tinker's "Handsome Is A Huge Understatement" tee shirt was special.







As for Billy's "Ladies Man" tee I found it to be a tad inappropriate. I fully back him rocking Landing Strip gear, because that is like free advertising for Mindy, but at some point he needs to play tee shirt survivor and purge some of those older items from his bachelor days.

Vince got his reality check from Eric who made it clear that the team does not play to get him scholarship offers. In the next scene Eric at home with Tami asks how many books Gracie had her read before going to bed. He has always been able to transition from the locker room to the family room with such grace and consistent strength in both arenas. Move over Jerry Maguire there's a new Master of the Living Room.
We saw once again the respect Eric commands when the leader of Tim's parole hearing acknowledged his status and addressed him accordingly.

Eric delivered in full with his "I'm a high school football coach. I don't think there's a better position to be able to judge the content of a young man's character than that. I didn't ask him to be an assistant coach because of his skills on the field which we all know were prodigious. I asked him because of his character off the field."
Buddy stole the show though. "It's time you let Tim Riggins come home!"

Tim not wanting Billy to talk on his behalf was a shot in the gut, but I couldn't really blame him. Just as hurtful was hearing Tim say he felt like he let Coach down.

Tim did what he had to do to help his family. His father wasn't around and his big brother was more of a younger sibling than someone to look up to. Vince has his father back, but his mom was correct to tell "O" that their son needs a father not and agent."

Gut Check

"O" channeled Allen Iverson as he tried to pump up Vince and told him not to worry about having the red jersey taken away at practice. I mean, come on Vince, what are we talkin about man? Practice? Not a game! We talkin about practice.

And Vince, you can't help out Luke, the guy who has had your back all this way? The guy who saved continually got the ball back on defense so you could get another chance at glory? The kid who played through a debilitating injury last season? Listen to your mom Vince, she speaks the truth like Billy Zane.

Luke did need to step up to his mom right off the bat though. Becks had every right to be mad. The woman is a moron, sorry Luke. She was shocked when she saw her son kiss Becky. How do you think she got preggers church lady?

Only in the state of Texas would there be a mandatory class called "Texas History." not European, not American, Texas! Poor Epyck, she probably thought there was a basement in the Alamo.

Becky was adorable as she lamented about potentially seeing Luke in his "cute Lions uniform" for the last time.

Man Julie loves dropping the "I have to tell you something but you have to promise not to get mad" line doesn't she? First on her parents then on Matt. He did well to play it off, but it cut him deep.



Billy- "We've got Riglet #2 coming to a theatre near you! My boys can swim!" (placing the pregnancy test in his mouth triumphantly)
Mindy- "I Peed on that."

Way to bounce back Lions. Not sure why it took Eric so long to let Luke to run out of the shotgun but better late than never.

FRACTURE

All of a sudden Vince is like Leon from the Budweiser ads.
Luke continued to show his comedic side with his stellar impression of his over confident QB. "I threw the ball to myself, I caught it in the end zone and then I kicked the extra point with my gold plated schlong!"
Becky being nervous about his parents walking in on them making out took me back. He reassured Becks though that they wouldn't be interrupted because his parents were off tractor shopping which apparently is "an all day affair."
How great were Becky's mentors from the Landing Strip? All three of her fairy god strippers raised their hands when she rhetorically asked what kind of person loses their virginity in a truck. Mindy told her all she can do when life throws a lot of crap at you is pout it in the past and leave it there. "Or you can drink a lot, I'm just saying," added the short haired peeler. Who knew it was against the rules to lift up your boobs in pageants? Someone should tell Hawaiian Tropic. Then the other one insisted that after Becky won the pageant she should sneak into Luke's room wearing only her tiara. Sage advice right there! Mindy threw in a "Hell yeah" for good measure. She has really come into her own as a character this season. Loved how she thanked God for little Riggins's sleeping habits which enabled her to have her "Mama-tini Time."


Her better half shined again as he broke out the Haka dance made famous by the All Blacks. Eric wasn't a fan as he asked "What in God's green earth is a Samoan war dance?" I applauded it though. Defense is discipline, but it also is fire and passion.

Eric's fatherly instincts boiled over when Derek came calling. I liked how nervous the little academic ass was around Eric and how he corrected himself when after he first called him Mr. Taylor then quickly added "I mean Coach Taylor." Being a coach carries a lot of weight in Texas. Calling him mister was like calling a doctor the same. Respect was paid.

If you forgot how much the whole ordeal with Julie and Derek affected Eric you were reminded as he took the handle bars to Gracie's tricycle and smashed the T.A.'s tail light.
Getting back to Vince, what was this kid thinking. Can't blame him for enjoying the visit to Oklahoma Tech, especially when Kaela and Connie showed up to be his personal "escorts." Reminded me of Jesus Shuttlesworth's recruiting trip in He Got Game.


Did he not see the photographer standing there on the field though right when they walked on? I can forgive him for being naive and manipulated by his father and the college booster, but i lost all respect for him when he lied to Coach and said he missed practice because his mom was back on the junk. That was a low point for him.

The team is headed for a breaking point with Vince set to be the wedge that divides.

Other notable moments:

-Buddy Jr.'s "Greetings from Buddy's, Dillon, Texas" tee shirt.
-Vince's dad remarking how he needed to go to college after seeing the sights at the dorm pool.
-Eric asking "isn't part of probation getting a job?"
-Did your guidance counselor ever dress like this?

-And last but not least the return of Matt Saracen.

Perfect Record

Put some sprinkles on the ice cream folks, that episode was dessert! The Lions dished out an old fashioned butt whoopin' but more than that FNL served up yet another great episode.
What a great start to this week as Eric yelled out "if y'all punch this one in we can go home." Such a classic coaching maneuver for all you ex-jocks out there. The opposite of which is "we're gonna stay here all night if we have to until we get it right."
Buddy and the boosters showed up to stand watch over the Lions's field to start Rivalry Week off right. How about the Colonel bringing along his rifle? "Don't worry Coach, the safety's on and I still got the bullets in my pocket!"
We knew the final season was going to bring some old faces back, but I was blown away when Jason Street a.k.a. "6" returned and announced he had become a real deal big shot agent. You had to respect the hustle and initiative he showed by trying to gauge Eric's interest in taking a college job. He had to ask the question before Bob Sugar came calling right?
He looked great and I loved hearing about his family and how his son is only throwing a loose spiral but is working on it. A Panther for life he cracked me up as he told Eric that Street's look better in blue when Eric handed him a Lions hat. Eric tried to tell him that RED is the color these days and by the end of the game he certainly saw that for himself.Only weak spot in the former QB 1's game was showing up to the Lion's practice rocking his old Panthers jersey. You're a big time agent now son, act as if. He bounced back though when he was in the center of the Dillon huddle firing up the Panthers before the game. That was some palpable intensity.
Jess knew right away that Vince's dad moving back in was not a good idea. He is moving in more ways than one that was evident. Good on Vince for not taking the free shoes even if they were fly.
What Ornette doesn't understand is that Eric always puts his kid's welfare ahead of his own. He marched right into the Panther's den and told the boosters to go after him if they want, but to leave his kids alone. You could see the look of regret on Mac's face as his old friend was most certainly right.
Eric was pissed, the Lions were pissed and I was pissed at the web site. I liked how Eric controlled the situation though and told them to focus on practice and come Friday they would punish.
Billy continued his training of Luke but called out his toughness. Their back yard workouts provided a number of amazing quotes.
Billy: Real men don't use real weights! Real men fender bench!

Billy: Stevie gets angry when you don't run hard!

Billy: My wife is a woman dumb ass.

Luke: Ms. Riggins works at the Landing Strip?
Billy: Yeah whatever, listen, you gotta let them know that they can't get this. They gotta earn this.
Luke: So does she still work there? Like nights or weekends?
Billy training Luke while he carried little Stevie in the Baby Bjorn and sipped his beer was as good a moment as I've seen. "Goodness in a Glass"

Ornette seemed like he may have been getting back into his old ways as he stalked the sideline at practice and ran his mouth like he was hopped up on something. Reminded me of Marlon Wayans in Above the Rim.
Vince's mom though was too happy to see her man's interference as troublesome. She has he boys back and could not have been more happy watching them play ball with the kids in the Taylor's front yard. She did have to tell them to give the little kids their ball back though which took me back to Boyz N the Hood.
Tami and Eric has great chemistry once again playing off one another like seasoned vets. Some of my favorite moments have come when Tami and Julie are talking and Eric just shouts things out from the other room. This week it was when he was cleaning out the fridge and came across what must have been Julie's tofu and exclaimed, "what the hell is this, who eats this stuff?" I thought it weird how Julie earlier on asked Tami if Eric had made any tofu scramble. This is a guy who cooks bacon in his own office. Somehow I don't think tofu scramble is in his repertoire.
The scene where he and Tami were in bed and she fell asleep while Eric tried to get her to fool around was so amazingly accurate. Just ask any married men out there.
As for the game what can I say? From Luke saying "Good Night 85" to Tommy Larkins to Buddy Jr.'s hit on kickoff coverage, the whole game was stellar. I've been on the wrong end of plenty of blow outs and nothing hurts more than a team running up the score on you, but after what the Panthers did to the Lions with the web site I didn't fault them in the least. Tinker screaming at the Panthers to get off the field was a bit much, but I was not a fan of Coach Crowley getting all uppity and in the face of Billy. Look Billy has some growing up to do before he can become the head coach, but he gets these kids unlike any of the other staff. Even Eric had trouble holding back his enthusiasm during the game. Crowley needed to remind himself of the criminal nature and potentially career threatening consequences of the web site put up by the Panther faithful.
To close out the week we saw Luke and "Fours" finally get it on again, this time in a more G Rated manner, but not lacking any passion. I liked how he channeled Tim by calling Becks "Rally Girl" and such but he played the bashful boy in love well too.
Great episode and just another solid step toward the show's ultimate finish. I have to share one bit of hilarity with you all. When Luke layed out the Panther receiver to open the game I jumped up and cheered as consequently got yelled at by my wife for threatening to wake the kids. Like Billy i was so caught up in the excitement that I forgot for a second that they were just at the other end of the hall. So it seemed as if we all let our emotions get the better of us this week, but hopefully Vince will see his way to getting back on track and playing for himself and his team mates and not for the father who let's face it was not there to catch Vince when he fell, Eric was and gave him a chance to discover his talent.