When last we left them, the Dillon Panthers had won state and Coach Taylor was considering a move to Austin to coach for TMU. I thought that last season’s finale was buttoned up a little too cleanly with the Panthers winning the state championship; it might have been better had the team fallen short in their quest for the title, but that decision might have had something to do with the tenuous footing that the series was on last season.
NBC decided to move the show to Fridays, which an interesting marketing ploy, but one has to wonder, aren’t the people that would be most likely to watch a show about high school football out watching high school football on Friday nights? Friday isn’t a very good night for television, but let’s hope that the word of mouth surrounding the series gives it a much-needed boost in the ratings.
Anyway, Coach Taylor decided to take the TMU job and his absence is causing Julie to act out. She’s flirting with “the Swede” at the pool and it’s causing tension in her relationship with Matt. She called Matt “perfect” yet she’s concerned about how easily they could turn into her parents. “There has to be more than this,” she said. I thought Coach had some great advice for Matt after he found out that his daughter was flirting with the Swede: “Don’t just stand by and let it happen.”
Meanwhile, Tami wasn’t nearly as sassy as usual, but that probably has to do with the fact that she just gave birth and she’s having a tough time dealing with her husband being gone for months at a time. She made her own bed, however, by putting her foot down and deciding to stay in Dillon instead of moving to Austin with Eric. That’s good for us though; if the Taylors had moved, there really wouldn’t be a show.
The episode’s most dramatic moments stemmed from the surprising Landry/Tyra/stalker storyline. The same guy attacked her last season, but the whole series of incidents in the premiere sort of came out of nowhere. Anyway, Landry’s unrequited love is charming and it looks like the two will have a strong connection going forward, for better or for worse.
One of the great things about “Friday Night Lights” is the realism in the conversations between the different teenagers on the show. This isn’t “Dawson’s Creek,” where the kids talk like college professors. These high schoolers talk like high schoolers; they stammer and step on each other’s words, just like real kids do. I could listen to Matt and Landry philosophize all day. The whole “WWRD” (What Would Riggins Do?) bit was hilarious.
Speaking of Riggins, he’s been up to no good all summer, boozing it up and sleeping around. He had a great line when the newly religious Lyla asked him what he’s been doing recently. He replied, “I had a three-way with the Stratton sisters.” There appears to be a Lyla/Riggins storyline brewing – it looks like Lyla might have her newfound faith tested by her attraction to Tim.
Lyla also had a great line when she said a prayer before dinner – “And please let other people at this table have the strength to realize that a mother of three should not be wearing skinny jeans.”
Going forward, it looks like conflict abounds. Coach Taylor will struggle with his decision to leave Dillon, Matt’s jealousy of Smash’s increasing profile could cause issues between the two while Riggins clearly has a personality conflict with the new coach. “Friday Night Lights” is great because the characters are so distinct and they each have their own crap to deal with. Moreover, it’s a small town, so everything intertwines eventually.
The big question is, when and how will Coach Taylor return to Dillon for good? Is this something that’s going to happen mid-season, or will he coach for TMU for an entire year?
