Friday Night Lights: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

(S01E19) After a short break, we are back for the final run of the season. There were answers to a couple lingering question, the avoiding of another one, and, as the title says, changes are in the air for many of the residents of Dillon. There was so much going on for everyone this week, it's hard to know where to start. Let's talk about Street.

There will be no trip to Beijing in Street's future, and I'm happy about that. His progress on the rugby adventure has seemed rather quick, so I liked hearing Herc's explanation for Street not making the team. He's not comfortable in the chair, and given how recent his injury still is, he really shouldn't be. That scene with Herc was very good. They do share in a lot of ribbing of each other, but they've developed a nice friendship. Herc is rough around the edges, but you can tell he wants what's best for Street. I also liked his line, "This is championship QB, not therapy."

It says a lot about where Street is right now with his injury, and his recovery. His world was turned upside down and he grabbed for the first thing that could give him some kind of control. For now though, he's got other things to deal with, so not going to Beijing may be what's best for him anyway. The sudden engagement to Lyla falls along similar lines. Finally he is coming to the realization that he is in no place to be making those plans. The time spent with Suzy is certainly helping him in that regard.

Waverly explaining to Smash that she is bipolar didn't come as much of a surprise after we saw her at the end of "Extended Families." Her revelation about the rumored Africa trip was not what I was expecting though. I had chalked that up to teen pregnancy and avoiding embarrassing her father. Adding all that on top of the bipolar disorder really would have been too much though, so I like where they ended up. It will be interesting to see how Smash ultimately deals with it.

I think after watching Angela's actions, we could probably make a pretty good case that she's bipolar too. Good grief she is just completely off her nut. She ended up in a good place, wanting to do what she can to help Tyra succeed, but I'm not putting much stock in that panning out. There is reason to be optimistic where Tyra is concerned though, because she has Tami in her corner. The scene in the office was good, but where that part of the story really worked was at the Taylor house. She was so happy, and you could see her grasping that this is what Tami was talking about. What the Taylor's have, is all there for Tyra if she wants it. It's hard not to root for her.

This was quite a rough week for Lyla. She means well, and she's a good person, but sometimes that just isn't enough. As if Street telling her that he doesn't know whether he wants to be engaged wasn't enough, she also had to find out a little bit about just who Buddy really is. Learning of his past affairs was bad, but coming on the heels of him swearing to Lyla that it was one mistake, it was much much worse. Bad enough to wreck five cars and destroy the showroom windows at the dealership? Maybe not, but who's to say.

We haven't really seen much of Pam through the series, but I really liked that scene. For a second there, I was worried that the photo album might actually work. She was just getting warmed up though. I don't think Buddy will be going home for a long time to come.

What about Tim Riggins? I think everyone suspected that romance was in the cards for Tim and his new neighbor as soon as we met her. With that in mind, her refusing his advances and kicking him out of the house was a bit of a surprise. Of course, that lasted all of a day. The two of them are good together, and I really liked the pacifist/bully exchange. I can't help but think that this would have been better served as a season two story. Not that it's bad, but we've seen Riggins do relationships, I would have liked to see a little more of that new Tim who was inspired to study by Landry.

That brings us to the Taylor family. I think the question surrounding the series is actually working in favor of their story. Eric taking the gig still seems like the perfect out if they end the series after just one season. If there had already been an announcement that season two was a go, I would take that to mean he was going to turn down the job. As things stand now, both options are in play. If I was to bet, I'd say the show will get a second season, and Eric will be coaching the Panthers.

How they went about not answering the question this week was interesting. I assumed Julie would object because of her relationship with Saracen, so that didn't add a lot to the mix. What really sold me on the Taylor story this week was the way Eric reacted to Julie's outburst. He embodies the confusion about raising a teenage daughter that Tami talked about earlier. Sometimes the guy just doesn't know what he's doing, but he does mean well. Occasionally though, when he gets it right, it makes for quite a scene. Such was the case as they had their little chat outside the dance. It was very touching.

I saved the best bit of the episode for last. It's been so long since we saw Street out with the gang. It was fun to see, and I think something they all needed. The reconciliation between Street and Riggins was good to see. "Texas forever." More interesting though was how easily Street slipped into coach mode with Saracen. As I said earlier, I think Eric will be back coaching the Panthers next season, and I think Street will be one of his assistants. Aside from planting that little seed, it was also just a great scene. Street barking orders, with the theme song slowly getting louder in the background, and seeing Saracen gain the confidence as they get ready for the big game. It was a great moment, and the highlight of the episode for me.

It wasn't a huge installment of our story, but there was a lot of good stuff to be had in there. It sets the stage nicely for the final three episodes that will decide the fate of the Panthers, and the show.