Previously on Friday Night Lights, Coach Taylor left but came back, Tammy had a baby and is having a hard time, Julie is being a brat, Tim and Jason are in Mexico checking out some experimental surgery, and the police found the body that Landry and Tyra tried to hide.
This episode opens in Mexico with Lila in a cab. When she gets to the hotel, Jason is not happy to see her. In fact, he goes off on Tim for calling her. Tim really is against this surgery for Jason and has enlisted Lila’s help in convincing Jason that it’s not a good idea.
In the Taylor home, Eric has the baby in bed and has put on some mood music. Smokey Robinson is almost guaranteed to get our generation in the mood. Note I said almost. Tammy is exhausted and all she wants is a good nights sleep.
Next day in school, there is an awkward interaction between Matt and Julie. And at practice, things are even more awkward. It’s an ugly practice … I mean ugly. Eric tries something different and turns the offense into defense and vice versa for the rest of practice. He discovers Landry has joined the team, and after all this time he still doesn’t know the poor kids name. Matt and Smash get into it again and Eric is just disgusted.
Eric and Coach Mac have this hilarious conversation about ‘getting back in the saddle’ after a wife has had a baby. Mac advises Eric to buy flowers, get Tammy to go out with her girlfriends and have a few drinks. Then she’ll be ready. Eric tells him that he doesn’t want to have this conversation with him.
At the police station, Landry’s dad finds out that the police have pulled Tyra’s record. When he asks why, he finds out that Tyra filed a police report about the guy they found dead accusing him of trying to rape her. He asks if she is a suspect and is told that she’s a person of interest at this time.
I guess Eric was listening to Mac after all. The next morning when Tammy wakes up, she realizes that Eric took all the night time wakeups, has bought her tulips, and has even cooked bacon for breakfast. He tells her that things are going to change, that he’s going to take care of his wife. He reminds her that she has book club tonight and tells her that she needs to go out and have fun with her friends.
That afternoon, after Tyra leaves Landry’s house, his dad, Mr. Clark, questions Landry’s relationship with her. He asks Landry why he didn’t tell him that the guy they fished out of the lake is the guy that tried to rape Tyra. Landry, bless his heart, mumbles and stumbles some sort of excuse, but his dad just walks out.
Eric has Smash and Matt over to his house for chili. He’s trying to find out what the heck is going on between them. Finally Matt tells him that he doesn’t like Smash’s attitude, that Smash is just using the team to get ahead. Kind of like Coach Taylor did … he used them to further his career and when it didn’t work out, he decided to come back and then expects them to all be happy about it. Kind of like Julie did … used Matt, then went on to bigger and better things and when it didn’t work out decided to maybe come back. After that outburst, he leaves.
As Eric sits dejected on the couch, Tammy comes home happy and giggly from her book club meeting. She’s very relaxed, and they kiss and it looks like maybe tonight will be the night, but, no, their moment is interrupted when Tammy says that she aches and has to pump milk.
At school the next day, Julie approaches Matt in the hallway. She has an extra ticket to a concert and wants to know if he wants to go. It’s not a date, but she just misses hanging out with him. He accepts her invitation.
After practice, Eric tells Landry that he’s going to put him in on Friday. Landry is so excited. Meanwhile, his dad has gone to Tyra’s house to ask her about their relationship. He tells her that he’s figured out that their relationship started right about the time that the dead guy was killed. He’s not there as a cop, but as a worried dad and tells her to stay away from his son.
Tammy sees Matt at his job and he dutifully admires Grace. He then asks her if she thinks he is a chump for agreeing to hang out with Julie. Tammy can’t tell him yes or no, that he has to answer that question for himself.
In Mexico, Lila and Tim stage an intervention for Jason. They tell him that they don’t think this surgery is a good idea. Tim says that best case, he just wastes $10K and worst case, Tim has to bring his body home. He’s not going to do that even if he has to knock Jason out and take him back to Dillon. Jason feels like this is his only shot at getting out of the wheelchair and that he doesn’t want to live in it. Once they both go to the front of the boat, Jason takes a dive off the back.
When he surfaces, I guess he realizes that he does want to live and he swims to shore. Tim and Lila drive up and find him laying on the beach. Lila asks him what the heck he was thinking and he tells her that he wasn’t. But he’s decided not to have the surgery.
It’s Friday Night, and you know what that means! It’s Coach Taylor’s first game back and the town is all excited. Eric has benched Matt and Smash to teach them a lesson. The first half is ugly with turnovers, missed tackles, everything. At halftime Eric lights into them. Landry steps up and tells the team that it’s like one of his algebra problems. They have to win together or they will lose apart.
In the second half, Landry is put into the game as a tight end. He makes a great hit after Dillon’s quarterback throws another interception and causes a fumble. Dillon recovers the fumble and turns it into a touchdown! There is very little time left on the clock.
Dillon kicks an onside kick and recovers it. Matt and Smash have decided to patch up their differences and beg Eric to put them in. They go in, with 4 seconds left, and of course everyone thinks that Smash will run the ball, but a pass play is called to Landry. He misses the ball, but the defender is called for pass interference in the end zone, so Dillon gets one last play with the ball on the 2 yard line. This time Smash does run the ball and scores a touchdown. Dillon wins 20-19!
Landry is lauded as the hero of the game. His hit that caused the fumble turned the tide and the pass interference called on his defender gave Dillon the opportunity to win it. At the hangout, he is psyched. Everyone is congratulating him and he’s loving it. Tyra turns up and breaks up with him. Even though she’s protecting him, she’s really brutal about it.
Julie is congratulating Matt and making plans for their concert night. He tells her that he’s not going to the concert with her and he tells her why. He tells her about herself and her cheating on him and lying to him. Then he walks away. She has tears in her eyes.
The three musketeers, Lila, Tim and Jason are together partying. Lila kisses Jason, then dances with Tim. Then she kisses Tim. She breaks it off and tells him that she has to go pray. Is this gonna be a love triangle?
Tonight’s Friday Night Lights ends with Eric and Tammy relaxing on the couch. They discuss whether or not to make love. Talking over, they escape to the bed.
Next week on Friday Night Lights, it’s not going to be smooth sailing. Tim has to deal with being kicked off the team and Landry is going to have to deal with his dad.
-Ladytex, BuddyTV Writer and Forum Moderator
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
