The latest episode of Friday Night Lights, "Leave No One Behind", is hands down one of the best episodes of the season. Much of the tension that has been building for many characters (Saracen, Landry and Tyra, Smash) all come to a head.
I have to say that I have really been enjoying Tyra's volleyball storyline, particularly as it relates to her relationship with Tami. We've gotten glimpses of how much Tyra looks up to Tami in past episodes, but we really get a chance to see how much more comfortable she's gotten around Tami, and the Taylor family in general. While Julie is clearly feeling left out of the bonding, she is reluctant to admit to anything. Julie's conflicting emotions, brattiness, and self-involvement make her the perfect teenager on the show. Most of the other teenagers on FNL exist in places with little to no parental supervision, with the exception of Landry. They have responsibilities that Julie does not yet have. She's really the only one allowed to be a teenager with all the moodiness and angst associated with the age.
We also saw Tyra move towards admitting her feeling for Landry all episode until she finally cornered him on his date with Jean (I guess Jaws won out as the more romantic movie). Landry's refusal to leave Jean and confess his feelings in the moment was a nice scene between the two and I was happy to see Landry stand up to Tyra. Of course, it didn't last long as he dumped Jean soon after and went to Tyra. I'm curious to see how Tyra will handle her relationship with Landry going public.
Saracen has been having a hard time since Carlotta left (although I'm very happy with the end of this storyline) and he finally began acting out by cutting class, getting drunk with Riggins, and skipping football practice. His breakdown in front of Coach went a long way in showing how close he's been to cracking for a long time and I hope we get to see him start trusting Coach again.
Smash's storyline seems a little overdone to me, as we've already seen him involved in a similar storyline where racist comments directed at him lead to the threatening of his football career. However, the performances by Gaius Charles and Liz Mikel, as Smash and Corrina, were beautifully executed. Smash's final moment in the locker room was especially effective. Charles and Mikel are wonderful together and when their characters experience any kind of conflict they always come back together to fully support each other. The possibility of no TMU in Smash's future is his biggest fear realized and the way he and his family deal with the news will be of particular interest.
It was great to see Jason back on a more regular basis. He had been absent for too long and his interactions with Herc and Buddy are always welcome. I look forward to more scenes between him and Coach, as they have a unique relationship that is more one of equals, rather than merely an extension of coach and player.
Lyla's job on the Christian radio program is an intriguing storyline that puts her at odds with Riggins in a much more public way; and her relationship with Chris is one that provides an excellent contrast to Riggins. Matt Czuchry, formerly Logan on Gilmore Girls, has done a good job of distancing himself of that role with his portrayal of Chris and I'm interested to see him interact with other FNL characters.
Some other things that I liked: Coach and Grandma Saracen together are always a delight, the end of the stolen money storyline for Riggins, and Tami continues to be a lot of fun to watch as volleyball coach.
Also, it looks like the release of Friday Night Lights - The 2nd Season is scheduled for April 22nd. The set will include the 15 episodes of the abbreviated strike season, so one more episode to go and then nothing for some time.
