<ol>
<li><p>The coda showed Buddy in a golf cart on the sidelines. I suppose that might mean that he was the coach, but it didn’t occur to me. I just thought more over-the-top boosterism. Mac was definitely coaching on the field; I wasn’t sure whether Billy was there or not.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m a guy, so I’m not allowed to cry that much at TV shows, but I definitely got a little choked up. The worst was Matt’s grandmother looking at her engagement ring on Julie’s finger. I got a little annoyed at how long it took Eric to make the right decision – it was in character for him not to make it right away, but not in character for him to take a week or more. I thought it was good conceptual plotting to juxtapose the issue of Julie’s marriage and Eric’s willingness to sacrifice for Tammy’s career – not just “What am I going to tell my daughters?”, but how was Eric going to model real manhood for his not-yet-a-real-man son-in-law, whose own father had failed at that?</p></li>
<li><p>It felt off, though, how everyone got paired up at the finale. I’m OK with one forever teenage couple as a romantic exception to the rule, but presenting everyone as making lifetime choices gave an unintended sense of impending disaster. Tim/Tyra especially felt forced, although I liked the idea that she had been in love with him since she was a little girl, but based on experience was reluctant to be vulnerable to him. And “You’re a nice boy, but you have to learn to use a condom” – what a great moment.</p></li>
<li><p>Who said this show wasn’t feminist? It has always been feminist as s___ – one of the many reasons it had trouble finding an audience. It showed women in traditional roles – wife, cheerleader, girlfriend, stripper, bass player – but paid a lot of attention to the power they exercised in those roles, the choices they made for themselves, the political implications of their personal decisions. And the vision of manhood it presented was definitely utopian-feminist: Eric Taylor always looked like the Marlboro Man, but he paid attention to women and appreciated them, and his marriage was always one of equals (taking the view most charitable to him).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Buddy in his golf cart was just Buddy doing what he always did on the Panther field–butting into everyone’s business as if he owned the team. As Katims stated, the new Panther coach is not someone we know. I was happy to see that Billy had a job with the new superteam now that he has three kids to support and it’s unlikely MIndy will be stripping again anytime soon.</p>
<p>I don’t think we’re meant to see Tim and Tyra as a couple. They acknowledge their mutual attraction but also that they have different paths that may converge at some point…or may not. I hope Tim ends up with someone who has the same “Texas forever” limited horizons that he has. He’s a Dillon boy through and through and needs a Dillon girl. Tyra has lots of worlds to conquer.</p>
<p>I cannot wait to buy the boxed set with extras when it comes out in the fall. I never buy DVD’s. I have maybe 6 movies that I wanted to have. I have the first season of Glee and likely will get each year for Christmas until it is over. This one, I am going to buy.</p>
<p>PS: They are playing it from the beginning on ESPN Classics channel. I saw the first two episodes listed on the program guide for ESPN the other day and thought that was curious. Until I saw the ad for the shows to be shown on ESPN Classics. I am glad it has a home for reruns. <a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/espn-classic-turns-friday-night-lights-165912338.html[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/espn-classic-turns-friday-night-lights-165912338.html</a></p>
<p>PSS: It will also be airing, likely in perpetuity, on the new Longhorn Channel!!! <a href=“http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/24636/espn-texas-form-all-longhorn-channel[/url]”>http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/24636/espn-texas-form-all-longhorn-channel</a></p>
<p>Seasons 1 and 2 were the best IMHO.</p>
<p>I think Dogwood mistyped and meant Billy? Not sure why anyone would let Buddy coach … :)</p>
<p>I agree that I don’t think all the couples end up together. Tyra might come back but most likely not – she sells Tim the land (right? that’s how I took it, that she doesn’t just give it to him) and talks about her ambitions so I’m doubtful that they’ll end up together. Jess and Vince definitely aren’t together. Luke and Becky – who knows? She’s obviously supposed to wait for him. Matt and Julie are certainly giving it a go, but I got a bad vibe from that scene with them.</p>
<p>Occurs to me that I’d love to see a movie down the road to see how it all turns out …</p>
<p>As I said earlier, I haven’t watched every show every season. I think it’s interesting that JHS has always seen FNL as very feminist and a reason that it couldn’t gain an audience. I do agree that the women of the show are part of the reason that the show wasn’t widely embraced, but I’m not sure it was feminism. I believe it was classism. The women – wife, cheerleader, girlfriend, stripper – really, most everyone on FNL are rural/blue collar. We have examples of shows with feminist women that have been widely popular. The ladies of Sex and the City were masters of the own orgasms, blah blah blah, and yet were enthusiastically embraced. I think it’s classism through and through.</p>
<p>Just watched again. Just cried again.</p>
<p>My question: When Tyra is talking about her plans, I can’t understand what she says. Tim says, “Like Sarah Palin?” and she said no, but then what? It sounded like Mrs. T, which can’t be right!</p>
<p>^^^I thought she was referring to Tammy Taylor. Didn’t quite get the connection with politics, but makes sense if she talking about becoming a woman with strong convictions who fights for what’s right.</p>
<p>Oooooh. Yeah, I’m not getting the political connection then. Any other ideas?</p>
<p>Nope…I meant to write Buddy. I saw something posted that said that Buddy was appointed the head coach. It didn’t make sense at the time, but I thought maybe they were throwing a little curve.</p>
<p>sunnyFL, thanks for the ESPN Classic tip. My DVR is set!</p>
<p>School board member? President of the school board? For Tyra…</p>
<p>Incidentally, the fact that Luke went into the army as his only option is ridiculous. He was a standout player on the team that won state. He could have won a scholarship to many D1 schools. Nice touch…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Have you been watching this last season? Luke was good but not great. He also realized that football isn’t everything for him. He was being recruited by some D3 schools who were just starting programs. Luke was being recruited by D1 schools so they could get to Vince…</p>
<p>Remember when Tim talks to Luke about how the state game will be the best thing that ever happens to him, and just to accept that and not expect more? (I’m paraphrasing big time, but it was along those lines.) I think Luke took that to heart, and the prospect of playing (or maybe not playing, who knows) on a lowly college team like the one that recruited him just didn’t resonate with him. One of the things I liked about the show was that all the football players didn’t assume their futures would revolve around the game, despite their wild high school successes. Luke and Matt both chose otherwise, wisely, I think. Matt’s calling was art. Luke never expressed a great desire for the academic side of college (honestly he never seemed terribly bright to me), so perhaps without the magnet of Div. 1 football, college just didn’t have that much appeal.</p>
<p>I keep noodling things over like these were real people I knew personally. Darn you, show!</p>
<p>A lovely article that may just start the waterworks again:
[An</a> Oral History of Friday Night Lights - Grantland](<a href=“http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6766070/clear-eyes-full-hearts-lose]An”>» Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Couldn’t Lose)</p>
<p>Hmm, yes…I did watch the show. Yes, the Riggins’ character did say that State should be played for the moment. As should life…remember the character arc of Riggins was in the moment that he choose to go to jail for his brother. That doesn’t make the Army decision correct in context of the character. Nor does the advice. It was a way of tying up loose ends…</p>
<p>The actor who played the quarterback Vince…the character who was being recruited by top schools…the ACTOR is short, much too short to play any D1 program. But the “character” would be…reality bridges writing bridges the fact that we care about the characters/</p>
<p>Best show ever on TV. H and I watched it on Direct TV, so we said goodbye awhile ago. H had many relatives in west Texas, so he coule really relate to the show. It was just incredible. My 2nd favorite show ever on TV was Everwood.</p>
<p>I watched it last night. I wanted to wait because, as I said earlier, I didn’t want it to be over. But I couldn’t wait any more because I needed to find out what happened to all of the people I have come to care about! (Yes, I know they are characters on a tv show-lol.)</p>
<p>I think they did a great job tying things up without making everything too “neat and tidy.” </p>
<p>Julie and Matt are engaged, but they’re not married yet. (Yes, that scene with Matt’s grandma . . . in fact, his whole relationship with her over the years. That always made me cry.)</p>
<p>Luke told Becky he wanted to be with her forever and then went into the service; we don’t know if he and Becky will end up together. </p>
<p>Tim and Tyra may end up together. I agree that he will marry a Texas girl because home and family seem to be a priority for him. (How cute was it that he took Stevie for the day?) I thought it was strange that Tyra wanted to go into politics. Where did that come from? </p>
<p>I wish they had at least mentioned Lila. I’d like to know what she was doing. Still going to school with no intention of returning to Texas?</p>
<p>What a great way to wrap things up, with the last pass in the state championship going up into the air and never witnessing the end of the play, but knowing what happened because of the scenes that followed. I love this show and will miss it so much!</p>
<p>Didn’t Lila go to Vanderbilt? I can understand staying in Nashville! :)</p>
<p>Yes, I believe she did go to Vanderbilt. I just wanted an update on how she was doing. :)</p>
<p>The military wasn’t Luke’s only option, just, perhaps, his best one. As mdem says, the DI attention for Luke was just to get to Vince.</p>
<p>I can’t help, again, but to think of my own family. My dad was one of five boys, and the four oldest boys joined the military. The youngest came of age during Vietnam and wanted none of that. So many men I know of their age who grew up on farms joined the military as a way to see another side of life. They were serving their country and looking for opportunity. In fact, my father was too young to join during WWII and asked his dad to let him join underage, and his dad said no. I think having someone in the cast from that little town join the military was perfect and shows that they really get small-town Texas.</p>
<p>Speaking of, how big do you think Dillon was supposed to be? Big enough to spport two high schools …</p>