The Dillon Panthers lost state and it’s six months later. Landry (Jesse Plemons) and Tyra (Adrianne Palicki), Matt (Zach Gilford) and Julie (Aimee Teegarden), and Tim (Taylor Kitsch) and Lyla (Minka Kelly) are all happy as can be. At senior breakfast, Tami (Connie Britton) announces which colleges everyone will be attending and it seems Tyra’s been waitlisted at UT. At the team’s last practice, Eric (Kyle Chandler) tells everyone JD was announced High School Quarterback of the Year.
Coach Taylor’s contract is up for discussion at the school board meeting. Paul gives Tami the option to opt out of the discussion but she refuses. Buddy and Eric go to visit an incoming freshman named Shane. Shane’s parents tell them that Wade Aikman and Joe McCoy have already been to see them. In fact, they were under the impression that Wade was the head coach. It seems Wade and Joe have been actively going after the job.
Tami and Buddy call Lyla into Tami’s office to talk to her about college. Tami called up Vanderbilt and convinced them to extend the decision until Monday. Buddy tells Lyla that he’ll call Uncle Gary to get the tuition money. Evidently, Uncle Gary hates Buddy, so it might not be that easy. The thing is, Lyla doesn’t want to tell Tim about what happened.
Tyra gets upset because some girl named Jenny got into Brown and she had to serve her for her celebration. Landry tells her she should go to UT to find the admissions officer. At UT, the admissions officer tells her there are a thousand people on the waitlist with her.
Eric decides to confront Joe McCoy about his move to replace him. Joe tells him that he has to promise JD will start every game and Wade calls the plays in order to keep his job as head coach. Tami tells Eric that he needs to come to the board meeting to fight for his job.
Eric and Tami buy Julie a car to reward her for her good grades and general good daughter behavior. The celebration is short-lived because Julie gets upset about Matt leaving. It’s a tough position to be in as most of her friends are leaving and going off to college as well. Meanwhile, Matt takes his grandmother to the assisted living home she’s moving into because he’s going to Chicago for college. It’s heartbreaking to see him leave her there.
On the ride home, Tyra freaks out about her chances of getting into UT. He pulls the car over and tells her to shut up because he believes in her so she needs to start believing in herself. When they get home, Tyra’s mom gives her a letter from UT. Landry tells her he’ll love her no matter what happens and when she opens it, she finds out she got in!
Billy and Tim go to an auction to buy a hydraulic lift for Billy’s garage. Tim convinces Billy to buy a longhorn bull. On the ride home, Billy’s truck breaks down. Tim tells him that he hates San Antonio State. Billy can’t fix his own truck so he freaks out about the prospect of fixing cars for his livelihood, especially because Mindy’s pregnant.
At the school board meeting, Joe tells them that Wade Aikman will take whatever pay they offer him. Eric comes in to tell everyone that he wants to keep his job. He actually blatantly points out that anyone that votes against him will be doing so because Joe and his money have swayed them.
At Billy and Mindy’s wedding, Tami tells Eric they offered Wade Aikman his job. The school board wants to offer Eric the position as head coach at East Dillon High. Knowing what he knows about the redistricting, he’s really not happy. Lyla finally tells Tim about Vanderbilt and tells him she has the money but won’t go. He tells her she needs to go. Tim doesn’t want to be the guy that stops her from achieving her dreams.
Julie tells Matt that she loves him but she wants to let him go. He tells her that he loves her and he doesn’t want to break up. She mentions Matt’s grandmother and he leaves to go get her from the home. He tells her that she’s the only person who’s never left him so he’s not going to leave her.
Just before Billy and Mindy are going to get in the car to go off to their honeymoon, Tim stops Billy and asks for a minute. Tim tells Billy he’s going to stay in Dillon and work with him at Riggin’s Rigs. Billy tells him no. He needs to do better for his kids and so that he can prove to them all that he can be anything he wants to be.
Tami tells Eric that no matter what happens, she’ll always be behind him. Eric takes her to the East Dillon High School football field. It looks like Eric’s going to be the head coach of the Lions next year. Thus concludes season three of Friday Night Lights.
-Kim Wetter, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image Courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
