Friday Night Lights - Don’t Go

Have you ever found yourself in a position to stop and ask someone to not go? I have. And unlike in the movies, ie, ending of Garden State (oops, spoiler, move on), it generally doesn’t work. It’s a difficult thing to ask someone, to ask them to potentially vacate a better opportunity, for you; it’s a last ditch attempt.

And so I prepared myself for last night’s episode to be gut wrenching and filled with the feeling of loss. Yet, once again the writers, those crafty geniuses, surprised me.

I know some of you readers - who probably aren’t even reading this - and some people that I know in my daily life, don’t fully understand the draw of Friday Night Lights; as it’s been written off as a teen drama, made for girls who like to cry. But I have always disagreed, it develops characters in a very non-linear way juxtaposed with the issues surrounding football, high school, and a town’s love of high school football. And as a girl who grew up in a state that knows few things besides football, this story has always struck me. Don’t Go was one of the best culminations of this type of storytelling.

With that said, let’s begin the recap. Few things to know. 1. Gracie didn’t wear pig tails. 2. Julie and Epic were NOT in this episode - they took a place on the back burner to let the true flavors develop 3. Luke isn’t getting talk from colleges regarding football so he tries to find something else he might be good at for the rest of his life, and we come up with pigs and farms and 4. I did indeed cry.

We start with Coach, meeting with the Shane State representative. They have officially offered Coach the job. He’d have complete control of the program, keys to the kingdom, and is exactly what they are looking for in a head coach. Buddy is not oblivious to this development, as a crate of Florida oranges appear at East Dillon. Having seen Coach Taylor leave Dillon for the bright lights of college coaching once before, he knows the drill.

Speaking of college, Daddy and Vince are playing basketball, when Daddy gets the crushing call that Oklahoma Tech offered the scholarship to the other player.  Daddy throws the phone and storms off.

Side note: due to the scheduling of Packers Transplants, I watched this episode on replay and still could not fast foward through the opening credits. I really do love this show.

Daddy and Vince and trying to figure out their next move. Vince seems to have learned his lesson and suggests talking to Coach. He wants to pump the breaks on the whole meetings situation and focus on, surprise, playing football and earning his starting spot back.

Meanwhile we learn that Tim Riggins is up for parole. Billy approaches Coach to be a character witness, and Coach agrees, as does Buddy who is currently in Coach’s office trying to talk him out of leaving and trying to show loyalty. Buddy is on a mission to not let Coach go and has asked members of the football team to speak at the annual fall athletic dinner as a semi-tribute to Coach Taylor.

Speaking of tributes, Tami Taylor was nominated by the East Dillon principal to be on a panel regarding getting high school kids into college. She shows up at the symposium and basically blows everyone away by suggesting that people should actually listen to and get to know kids as opposed to using standardize testing as the sole marker. The former teacher in me, and public school grad smiled.

Back in East Dillon, Daddy is clearly not listening to Vince and continues to set up meetings and phone calls. Vince walks out of the first meeting, and yells at Daddy when he mentions talking to Alabama. Finally Mama intervenes and tells Daddy to step off, “He needs a father, not an agent.” Daddy storms out, but not before telling Vince that Coach Taylor did indeed get the offer from Shane State.

Back at the jail, Tim Riggins is a changed man. Looks even more haunted than before, if that is humanly possible.  In the first episode we saw Tim and Billy remaining close, but it seems that the time in jail has hardened Tim and changed the way he views his sacrifice; Tim doesn’t want Billy speaking for him. Billy stumbles through his speech, but luckily Coach is there. “He is a good young man, that’s how I know him.” Then Buddy fights to speak, and it has all the makings of going horrible. While Buddy’s intentions are probably mostly self serving, they end up working as he describes a man whom he learned to love, and promises Tim a full time job. “We took him in as part of our family. He is family to me.”

The parole hearing wears on Billy. Clearly he cares for his brother, and the guilt of having Tim take the fall is at times too much to bear. He comes home and yells and both Becky and Mindy. All he wants is to have his brother home and to try to make this wrong, right.

Billy and Mindy head to the A\athletic banquet and I am quite surprised by the number of teams that East Dillon has outside of football, didn’t this school not exist two years ago? Buddy continues his campaign and gives Gracie a little East Dillon Lions t-shirt and, wait for it, says, “You like this? Remember, Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose”! ABOUT TIME. Anyways, the players all take the stage saying touching words about how Coach has helped them. Luke, in particular, says that the greatest days of his life have been playing for Coach Taylor.” Vince takes the mic, but finds himself unable to say what he truly means, and what he truly needs to say, and simply adds, “Coach Taylor is the best.”

Buddy’s plan is starting to work as Tami and Coach talk about how great Florida could be, and Coach says, “Right now more than anything, I want to take those kids to state.” Tami urges him to think about the offer after state though, because he deserves it.

The next morning, it’s game day. Playoff game day. And Vince is on Coach’s doorstep. “I know about the Shane State offer.  I’m asking you not to go.  Having you as a coach is one of the best things that ever happened to me.  Without you, I’d either be in jail or in a ditch somewhere.” He promises no mess ups and no drama next year, “Just don’t go.”  Coach replies that they’re late. When they get to school to board the bus for the game, surrounded by “we love coach” signs, Coach makes the public announcement that he will not be leaving. Shane State offered him money, control, a pool and all the oranges a person could want, but at his core, Coach cares most about being a molder of young men. And he can not leave that behind. Tami, semi-shocked by the announcement, hugs her husband, because while she’ll miss the pool his decision is what makes him so damn lovable.

In another household pregame, Tim Riggins is home. Everyone is celebrating. And man, does it feel good to have him back. Becky walks in and man is THAT awkward. This is going to be fun. Billy leaves for the game, and the screen fades to black as we all anxiously await the first playoff game.

There are only 3 episodes left of Friday Night Lights, and part of me would like to plead with FNL not to leave.

Scenes from the next three episodes:
Becky tells Luke she is confused about her feelings now that Tim is home. Tami gets an interview with another school, someone is breaking into Vince’s house, and the Dillon school board is thinking of cutting one of the two football programs. Tim punches Billy, “the deal was I screw up my life so you can fix yours.” This is going to be fun folks.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts...CAN’T LOSE!