Quick Take: Friday Night Lights "Texas Whatever"
"Eighteen years." - Tami Taylor
Review: Friday Night Lights, "Texas Whatever"
(S0512) One thing that I have always liked about FNL is the way that it can communicate the excitement and pressure of a championship football game. As a guy who rarely enjoyed the athletic arts (surprise), I am on the edge of my seat when the playoffs roll around. Considering that this season's finale will be the final one, I can hardly stay in my chair.
There have been so many times in past episodes when I thought Tami (Connie Britton) was surely going to ask Eric (Kyle Chandler) why his job was more important than hers. However, to further prove that she is the perfect wife, she always kept that to herself and supported her husband while still making a difference. Well, clearly, she knew that when she played that card, it was going to be huge.
The other card that got played tonight was the sexy card that Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki) played when she walked into the bar. Personally, I have been waiting all season for Palicki to return and I only wish she had done it sooner. I guess getting in and out of those Wonder Woman skinny jeans took up a lot of time.
The biggest downside with most series coming to an end is that the writers try very hard to give every character a nice sendoff. While I appreciate the effort, I could have done without the latest baby drama of the Riggins clan or the appearance of Matt's grandmother.
While we're at it, I don't really get why Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) is so upset with Billy. He did a noble thing. He should take pride in that and move on. It doesn't make sense to me that Tim would hold a grudge about something that he choose to do in the first place. Besides, isn't going to prison preferable to raising three kids with Mindy?
It seems to me that going back to coach at the school that fired you and your wife would be a hard thing to do. So would denying your devoted wife her dream career, but as we all know, men are hardly known for their rational decisions, on TV and in real life.
I can't wait for next week.
Agreed Paul -- this show has always done a number of things exceptionally, including portraying small town life in a way that at least feels very real (while being entertaining, of course) and making the portrayal of a football game entertaining. 99% of other shows/movies try to do this and fail, ending up looking like some sort of bad infomercial typically.
Agreed too on Riggins -- I know he's "changed" but there's something slightly off about his return to Dillon.
Love all the Eric/Tami dynamics -- pitch perfect as always.
One other slight nit pick is Vince's dad's character arc. Thought he went from "bad" to "good" to "bad" to... a little too quickly for my liking relative to the typical laid back pacing of this show.
I would imagine that having an extensive stay in prison can give you a different perspective and make anyone bitter, regardless of what your intentions are going into it. He must resent Billy for having to waste a year of his life for him. As far as Grandma Saracen goes, you can never have enough appearances from her.
I don’t think you’re giving the writing of this show enough credit where Tim concerned. Tim’s issue has nothing to do with the sacrifice he made. Now out of prison he’s realizing just how stale and shallow life in Dillon is. Nothing has changed. Everyone is behaving the same. Everyone is still football obsessed. But he’s seen a different side of the world. He wants better for himself and better for the people that he loves.
There simply can't be enough of Grandma Saracen. Besides, she has a great scene in the finale that justifies her appearence here.