Friday Night Lights: 10 Episodes That Made Us Start Liking Football

 Posted on September 15, 2024  |  13 minutes  |  2682 words  |  Larita Shotwell

Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!

Let’s be honest, the lives of the students in Dillon, Texas in “Fright Night Lights” were filled with a lot of loss, a few wins and way too many teen scandals. But that’s what made Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) such an inspiration, modern-day hero and, for many, a first crush. He was always there to nonchalantly and oh-so unenthusiastically push the kids to do — and to be — better.

“Friday Night Lights” did not deliver huge ratings during it early-aughts run on NBC. In fact, despite its critical acclaim, it was on the brink of cancelation after Season 2 and was only saved due to a new co-production deal that pushed the original run of the show’s third through fifth seasons to DirecTV’s 101 network. (They were aired on NBC later.) The show developed a loyal following that did grow once it hit streaming. And, with Netflix’s announcement that it had once again acquired the series (to return to the service on Aug. 1), there is no doubt that there will be even more new fans cheering for the Dillon Panthers and eventually the East Dillon Lions.

Ahead of that reintroduction to the rural lives of Dillon’s upper crust (and in that we do count Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch), who was a football god but lived in his girlfriend’s mom’s trailer), Variety is ranking the 10 episodes that made us fall in love with Dillon and all of its small town heroes.

  • Wind Sprints (Season 1, Episode 3)

    The Dillon Panthers were still reeling from the tragic injury of Varsity quarterback Jason Street (Scott Porter), but this episode is really about Tim Riggins blaming himself for the accident — so much so that he refuses to go visit his best friend in the hospital.

    Tim’s next oh-so-clever decision is breaking up with Tyra (Adrianne Palicki), then walking out of practice after Coach Taylor tells him he hasn’t been putting enough effort in. His best friend is currently paralyzed, maybe he should be allowed to take it easy?

    Later on, Coach schedules an emergency night practice, where he forces his team to do wind sprints up and down the muddy hill drenched from the rain. “You think you’re something because they give you a free piece of pie at the diner? You’re wrong!” he yells, and it was never so upsetting to hear the truth.

    What could be interpreted as verbal and physical abuse, sprinkled with child labor concern, is actually Coach’s best approach to reach this team and they start to chant their signature motto in pain: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!”

    As the boys get back on the bus, Coach grabs a crying Tim and tells him that what happened to Jason was not his fault, saying, “I want you to let yourself off the hook, son.” However, he still makes Tim walk home in the rain since he bailed on practice. Tough love, indeed; gotta love Texas football.

  • Crossing the Line (Season 1, Episode 8)

    It’s not just a bromance between Jason and Tim, it’s a brotherhood. So, one can imagine the heartbreak when it is revealed that Riggins and Lyla (Minka Kelly) having a secret affair behind Jason’s back while he’s in the hospital.

    Watching this episode results in a lot of deep breathing, on the edge of seats hoping Jason doesn’t find out, but at the same time wanting him to, because he deserves to know that his best friend and girlfriend are sleeping together while he’s now paralyzed.

    Jason’s new rehab buddy confronts him, saying, “You think that as long as you hold onto that girlfriend, the girlfriend you had when you could walk, you can avoid the reality of being one of us.”

    All of the anger comes to fruition when Jason delivers a straight punch to Tim’s beautiful, symmetrical, rugged-but-perfect face after his anticipated quad rugby match. Some may have seen it coming, but it was still gasp-inducing.

    “You’re gonna steal a cripple’s girl but you won’t fight a cripple?” “Friday Night Lights,” how could you?

  • Blinders (Season 1, Episode 15)

    After Coach Mac (Blue Deckert) makes racist comments to a reporter regarding Black football players, Dillon goes into a racial frenzy.

    The fun of “Friday Night Lights” is the fact that a high school football team is in national media coverage every other week, on talk show radio and welcoming journalists in the boys’ locker room to ask coaches questions. Hey, it’s Texas football!

    When Black players don’t believe Coach Mac’s apology, and white players don’t understand the “drama,” the Black players, led by Brian “Smash” Williams (Gaius Charles), refuse to play for the Panthers until Mac is suspended.

    The comedic relief in this heavier episode involves Matt (Zach Gilford) and Tim being team captains for the girls’ “Powder Puff” football game. Tim screams, “I see a W in my eyes, let’s go!” when the girls do the bare minimum of passing the ball underhanded.

  • I Think We Should Have Sex (Season 1, Episode 17)

    “Friday Night Lights” navigating the losing-your-virginity-at-15-with-the-star-quarterback storyline is peak comedy, but sometimes that is cringe comedy.

    There is not enough time to add all the little details of what makes this episode so great, but it may be one of the best depictions of a realistic coming-of-age storyline in television. Julie (Aimee Teegarden) tells Matt that she wants to have their first time, and an excited Matt plans what house to borrow and what contraceptives to buy. (As he puts it, “Lemme buy the one that protects everyone from everything.”)

    While at the grocery store with the contraband, he is spotted by Julie’s mom, Tami Taylor (Connie Britton). Julie does not come home that night and both parents stay up, with Coach having a frozen wide-eyed face through the entire waiting period.

    Little do Julie’s parents know the two teens try to have their first time, only for them both to be uncomfortable due to what looks like a brick couch and multiple deer and pig heads on the wall that they covered with blankets. When they’re trying to get it on, Julie pauses (for what seems like the 10th time) and asks Matt, “Does it… kinda smell like wet dog?” Matt says, “You really don’t want to do this, and that’s okay because we don’t have to.”

    And in that, “Friday Night Lights” offers a great depiction of levels of consent, which a lot of TV is unfortunately still lacking.

  • Mud Bowl (Season 1, Episode 20)

    The Panthers are getting ready for the Texas State Semifinals! But even Coach realizes that this is all too much for high school when he says, “It looks like we’re playing the damn Super Bowl out here.”

    A huge explosion breaks through the window of his office, and he realizes there was a train accident and chemical spill — causing the Panthers to lose their home court advantage since they have to evacuate the school.

    Going back to the pattern of the ridiculous fame that these high school boys and their coaches receive, in arguing about home court advantage, the rival coach says, “This is the state semi-finals, I have my fans to think about!”

    The teams create a neutral, homemade playing field so there is no advantage, but it gets obliterated by a rainstorm causing it to be “The Mud Bowl.”

  • Leave No One Behind (Season 2, Episode 14)

    It doesn’t matter how many years go by since watching the series, loyal fans always remember the absolute pitfalls that our favorite, mumbly, underdog Matt Saracen was put through.

    In Episode 14 of the second season, puppy-dog Matt finally has his breaking point, as he should! As a viewer, you can’t blame him: a 16-year-old quarterback taking care of his grandmother who suffers from dementia, along with his depression spiraling after his father goes back to war (voluntarily!) and Julie breaking up with him is more than enough to make you tear up. Things only get more emotional when he lashes out at Coach in a drunken stupor, only for Coach to give him his signature tough love back (yanking him by his collar and throwing him in the bath to clean the drunk off).

    Coach Taylor has always been the wise father of all these boys — almost every male character in the show lacks an active father in their lives — but the connection he has with Matt is more than just a mentee-mentor type of bond, which makes this scene even more emotional.

    The two proceed to have a yelling match, but Matt’s loud, “Why does everyone leave me?!” swiftly softens on the follow-up of, “What’s wrong with me?” Coach tells him, “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you.” And it was at that moment, through tears, that you couldn’t help but want Coach to adopt Matt — even if that might make things weird for Matt’s romantic relationship with Julie.

  • Underdogs (Season 3, Episode 12)

    There are no comedic interludes or out-of-the-ordinary tricks in Episode 12 of the show’s third season. The episode ties up the loose story strings and conflicts that characters have with one another in an authentic way that is a breath of fresh air for a teen show. Although it isn’t the season finale, it makes the audience feel fuzzy warmth, filled with lessons and wisdom that only “Friday Night Lights” can provide.

    The big storyline in this episode is Tyra’s college essay, and she expresses in her writing what the audience has watched her endure for years: being perceived as the “bad girl” to the outside world, constantly angry and blaming everyone for all of her bad misfortune. She acknowledges how much she’s changed and that she wants to get out of Dillon and see what the world has to offer her. The love and support she gained from the Taylors and Landry (Jesse Plemons) — who, let’s not forget, killed for her, albeit accidentally — was enough to make Tyra a well-rounded young woman ready to give herself a chance.

    “I want to travel, and I want to be invited to the White House. I want a life that’s interesting, and surprising. I want to be generous and big-hearted as others have been with me.” It was a far cry from the “I’m never going to college” Tyra of Season 1.

  • The Son (Season 4, Episode 5)

    Perhaps hoping Coach would adopt Matt came at a price because in the fourth season episode, “The Son,” Matt’s dad dies overseas.

    When Matt learns his dad is not going to make it home from Iraq, he is naturally flooded by grief. Matt processes his complicated feelings about his father verbally while he is having dinner with the Taylors, ultimately breaking down and saying, “I hate him.” The incredible depiction of parenting from the Taylors as they look on in utter sadness and silence is a great way to allow the audience to soak up in the emotion with them. And Gilford’s performance here had many viewers talking about an Emmy nomination — although, sadly, he was snubbed.

    But this season also blends the new world of East Dillon with the proven favorites from the first three seasons. East Dillon’s Vince (Michael B. Jordan) is going through some traumatic family drama of his own, with his mother suffering from a drug addiction. The show does a great job of showing parallels to these characters’ stories, with Coach having to gently navigate between both dramatic worlds.

  • Thanksgiving (Season 4, Episode 13)

    It’s always hard to watch your favorite characters inevitably grow up and close chapters in their stories, but “Friday Night Lights” did an amazing job of offering closure for some while ensuring there was enough of interest about the new wave of players to keep people sticking around.

    “Thanksgiving” did this extremely well when everyone from Tim and Vince (Jordan), Julie and Matt, and Buddy Garrity (Brad Leland) fight over the turkey dinner at the Taylors’ house.

    There is some reminiscing: Matt takes Julie to a “special spot” in Dillon that he misses since moving to Chicago. “Why? Because you deflowered me here?” she retorts. There is also ample explanation of where gone but not forgotten characters are in their lives now.

    “The area I live in is called Greektown. There’s a lotta, like, Greek people there,” Matt says. And thanks for that.

  • Always (Season 5, Episode 13)

    It would be utter blasphemy to not include the series finale on the list. It’s State, baby!

    Coach is getting prepped for the game, and the audience is getting prepped to say goodbye to their favorite troublemakers, who have since grown up to be pretty decent human beings.

    Endgame ship Matt and Julie are living together in Chicago, while favorite problematic couple Tim and Tyra are functioning together again, Jess (Jurnee Smollett) gets her dream job as an assistant coach in Dallas, and Tim finally gets to build his dream home.

    But nothing brings the tears harder than when Coach finally puts Tami first, asking Tami, “Will you take me to Philadelphia with you?”

    For five seasons, the Taylors had been seen as a dream couple, and here they really prove why. After upending her life at every turn to support him and his football dreams, he now does the same for her. There is nothing one-sided about them, and after watching their realistic portrayal of the ups and downs of marriage for 76 episodes, viewers can breathe easy that they will still be going strong, no matter to where they move.

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