"Friday Night Lights" comes to an end

[dws1982]

I watched the finale back in February when it aired on DirecTV, and only watched the last half the other night, so I don't quite remember the Teddy Bear thing. But after not liking Becky in season four, I was surprised by how they handled the relationship between her and Luke in the final season.

And, no, it wasn't really important whether they won or not (the teams were getting merged either way). I think that they acknolwedged that by the way they only showed us the outcome in passing--the championship sign being taken down, rings on a few people's fingers. But I think they pretty much HAD to give us some indication of how the game went, if only to avoid the backlash that they would've gotten for leaving it out. I think the way they did reveal it was about perfect.

I agree that it's easier to remember individual scenes than specific episodes. Some of my favorites:
- Coach Taylor visiting Jason in the hospital. ("You did not let me down.")
- Basically the whole "Mud Bowl" episode, but especially Jason ending the lawsuit, and Jason working with Matt.
- Coach Taylor telling Smash he'll help him get on a college team. ("If you want this it's waiting for you. I can't want it for you.")
- Jason's last scene in New Jersey seeing his son again. Sentimental, for sure, but a totally deserved happy ending for the character.
- Matt going back to bring his grandmother to the wedding.
- Billy telling Tim to go to college so that they could tell their sons that Riggins men could do anything they wanted. It becomes really heartbreaking in light of what happened later happened with those two characters.
- Matt seeing his Dad in "The Son", and the funeral scene.
- Tim agreeing to take the fall for Billy.
- Buddy speaks for Tim at the parole hearing.

Lots of others but those came to mind first.

[FilmFan720]

Well, I certainly poured a large drink and watched tonights episode in a tear-filled haze. It was a pretty fantastic series finale, and there were a lot of touching moments, but I quite put it in the pantheon of great finales because it was almost too tight. Part of the charm and honesty of this series has always been its messiness, and too many couples had resolutions and rekindlings for me to really love it (by the time we got to Luke and the teddy bear, I actually groaned a little). And wouldn't it have been even better if we never knew whether Vince's pass was caught? Does it really matter?

That said, a really lovely television series, and maybe a contender for the best ever. It had it's problems, but overall it had an honesty, a realism, a daring and a welcoming of silence that no other show would dare to have.

I can't name favorite episodes (too many of them blend together for me, and I watched too many in a Netflix marathon), but I can name favorite moments (and if you haven't read Alan Sepinwall's recaps and ending coverage on HitFix, go there now!).

Just off the top of my head:
Anything that came out of Connie Britton's mouth
The Jason Street Injury
"Mr. Sandman"
Julie and Matt deciding not to have sex
Landry and the girls driving down to state
Mrs. Coach breaking the news of her pregnancy
Tim leaves his cleats behind
Coach and Matt: "There's nothing wrong with you"
Smash's "Mama, I'm going to college"
The trip to New York
Tyra's college application essay
Matt breaking into the funeral home
Tim Riggins confessing to "doing it all"
Coach telling Vince "you are going to be the QB of the Panthers"
Matt's proposal, and then Grandma Saracen pulling out her dress and kissing Julie's hand

[dws1982]

Back in 2006 when it first premiered, I don't think anyone would've guessed that Friday Night Lights would end up having a five-season run. It seemed like a huge victory when it got picked up for the full season, and then the first season finale was written to serve as a series finale in case they didn't get renewed. But they got brought back...only to see the second season get shortned by the writer's strike and leave the show in limbo. Surprisingly it got picked up by DirecTV for a third season (episodes later aired on NBC), and again the season finale was written to serve as a series finale. The big shock was that DirecTV eneded up picking it up for two more seasons. I guess it's kind of appropriate that a show that's about beating the odds managed to beat the odds itself.

I know I'm probably the only one who watched it, but if any show deserves a going-away tribute, this one did. The main thing I've heard from people who don't watch is, "I don't like football". (I do like football, so that part never bothered me.) The fact is, it's not about football. Plenty of episodes don't even feature football games prominently, or at alll. It uses football as a means for exploring life in small-town America. And it did that better than any TV show I've ever seen. It's all there: You've got the people who can't wait to get out, to get anywhere, and you've got the people who wouldn't even dream of living anywhere else. You see the way people of different socioeconmic statuses exist side by side in these towns, sometimes uneasily, and sometimes coming together and recognizing their shared hopes and dreams, even if it's over something as seemingly mundane as high school football. As a teacher, it's pretty refreshing to see a show portray educators struggling to work in increasingly cash-strapped schools, and the way small town politics often come into play over almost everything.

But most of all, what made it memorable was the characters, and how true to life the interactions always were. Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler as Mrs. Taylor and Coach Taylor gave us one of the most honest portrayals of marriage ever, in TV or film. They argue and disagree at times, but at the end of the day it's a happy, successful marriage. Both Chandler and Britton more than deserved the Emmy nominations they got this year and last year.The teenagers are all excellent as well--it doesn't really matter that most of the actors are about five years older than the characters they play (it's something I've accepted with these kinds of shows)--and again, as a teacher, they're even more impressive.

The final episode, "Always", was maybe the best series finale I've ever seen. It gives a sense of closure, but we also know that life goes on, and it doesn't for implausible or unearned endings on anyone. For an example of what I was talking about with its treatment of football, this episode was a perfect case-in-point in the way they handled the big game.

Friday Night Lights was heartbreakingly, devastatingly sad at times, but at the end of the day, it was a show that had a great deal of love and compassion and understanding for all of the characters.

The entire series is available on DVD. The first four seasons are available on Netflix Instant Play. If you haven't watched it, go ahead and start. Yes, you may not like football, but you don't have to.

Favorite episodes:
"Eyes Wide Open" (season 1, episode 2)
"Mud Bowl" (season 1, episode 20)
"State" (season 1, episode 22)
"Leave No One Behind" (season 2, episode 14)
"I Knew You When" (season 3, episode 1)
"New York, New York" (season 3, episode 8)
"A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" (season 3, episode 11)
"Tomorrow Blues" (season 3, episode 13)
"After the Fall" (season 4, episode 1)
"The Son" (season 4, episode 5)
"Thanksgiving" (season 4, episode 13)
"Kingdom" (season 5, episode 5)
"Don't Go" (season 5, episode 10)
"The March" (season 5, episode 11)
"Always" (season 5, episode 13)