(S02E14) This episode left me comparing the show itself to its own fictional Panthers football team. Both had their seasons get off to a rough start, but now everyone seems to be coming together in the hopes of a strong finish. There are still no guarantees for another run at state, or a third season, but tonight was a step in the right direction for both teams. With some great development for Saracen, a turn in the Landry/Tyra story that didn't make you want to kick a writer in the crotch, and the continuation of Smash's story, a lot of points were put on the board.
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(S02E10) And we're back. After a month off for viewers to celebrate the holidays, and for the networks to try and figure out how to fill up the schedule as the strike stretches on, our old pals in Dillon have returned. And things picked up right where they left off. Riggins is still wandering from home to home. Buddy is still in denial. None of us are sure just why Shelley is still living with the Taylor's. And Landry has gone from being riddled with the guilt of committing murder to being emotionally pummeled by the fact that he's fallen for a passive aggressive nutjob. It's a lot to get to, but we'll give it a shot, after the jump.
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(S03E04) "The Eagle has landed. It's a done deal." - Buddy Garrity

Another Friday night spent with NBC, and this one came across as a little bit strange. Not bad strange, or good heavens, what now strange. Just that the story here caught me a little off guard. It's a little early in the season for what you might call a pivotal episode. Usually at this point things are being put in motion, or big picture stories are getting a break for a stand-alone episode. Such is not the case in Dillon, as three big stories had big moments this week. To balance it out, we also had more from the shark blood road trip, and the quickly getting away from us Lyla crusade. All that, and some other junk, after the jump.
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(S02E03) "What if I told you I could make him go away and you could have your job back?" - Buddy Garrity

That line was the big feature in the promotion this week, and it certainly means a lot moving forward, but that was just a tiny part of what was a jam packed episode three. Really, sometimes when I look back over an episode of FNL I can't believe it's only an hour long show. When it's firing on all cylinders, they really can deliver a boatload of story. And that's what we got in episode three, with everybody getting involved.
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(S02E02) As I was watching the show tonight, thoughts on this post were running through my head. Initially I planned on doing like last week and pushing the Landry/Tyra stuff to the end of the post, after we go through the parts of the episode that actually make some sense. But then I typed out that episode title, "Bad Ideas", and I just can't get over how well that fits.

They may have intended that title as a reference to what is going on with many of the characters. Things like Tami's admission that her insistence that she and Julie stay in Dillon was a bad idea, how Buddy's own actions have created his situation, the experimental Mexican surgery proposed to Street, or even Antwone's trip to the Justin Timberlake concert. To me though, THE bad idea is nothing that any of the characters are doing. It is this Landry and Tyra story that the writers and producers have cooked up. So we'll get started there, after the jump.

(S02E01) And we're back for another season with the Dillon Panthers. You have to think that there is some pressure on the folks behind the show as they kick off this new year. The renewal was great and all, but I suspect it came with some helpful suggestions as to the kind of numbers the network is looking for on Friday nights. It should be interesting to see how the show performs on the new night.

Over the summer we lost eight months of Texas time, but that really doesn't matter. For the most part, we pick up all of our ongoing stories where we left off last spring. Anything we really need to know is handed off to us as we are reunited with these characters again. Since the show kicked off with Matt and Landry at the pool, let's start there.

(S02E20) It's been a strange week of coincidences on television. Bones and CSI both did alien episodes while Heroes and Supernatural both featured what if stories. Having now watched all four of those, "What Is And What Should Never Be" was my favorite of the bunch. Credit the lions share of that accomplishment to the ever improving Jensen Ackles.

(S01E20) As the season winds down for the Panthers, the focus turns more to football. As has been the case for the show all season though, there is much more going on than just another football game. It's an interesting line that the show walks. Things like last minute comebacks and a semi-final game in a renovated cow pasture run the risk of seeming contrived. Fortunately, they managed to pull it off in an interesting way.

Let's start with the game. I liked that the rains came and the game turned into a big sloppy mess where neither team could score. More points for how they handled Saracen's performance as well. The tutoring he received from Street over the past couple weeks provided some technique, but more importantly it also brought a needed confidence boost. That, combined with a game ending bootleg was a good way for the Panthers to win. Watching him stumble his way through the mud and puddles fit right in with both the conditions and how he has grown as a player. He is now that guy that can seize the moment.

(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."

(S01E12) This was a strange episode of Friday Night Lights. Not that it was bad, just that it seemed to lack the polish that earlier episodes have had. A couple of the stories seemed rushed, or maybe a little disjointed. For example, the resolution to the cliff-hanger from last week.

After leaving us with the news that Henry Saracen would be returning to Iraq and sending Matt off to live with the relatives in Oklahoma, I expected some kind of drama over that. I think we all knew that Matt wasn't going to be leaving Dillon, but the machinations of the town to keep him would be the story. Apparently there were bigger fish to fry though as they just cut that plot thread off at the bud and Henry tells Matt he's staying. For a second there I thought I had missed an episode or something.

There is an odd list over at MSN where they pick Fall TV's Hottest Hotties. It's strange because of the haphazard way they go about the list. Apparently 25 wasn't enough slots, so they have the entire cast of Studio 60, and the cast of Prison Break on the list. Now, I'll give you Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell, but when you say the "cast of Prison Break" you are including Robert Knepper (T-Bag) and Peter Stormare (Abruzzi). They are both great in their parts, but hotties?

Another oddity is that David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel from Bones are lumped together in the list. It's strange not only because she is the third hottest woman on that show, but also because later Jason Ritter and Lizzy Caplan from The Class take up two separate spots.

As with every list like this, someone always gets left off. I would have liked to see Adrianne Palicki (Tyra on Friday Night Lights) in there somewhere. She's cute and that show can use all the help in can get right now. And it is hard to argue with Anya from Deal or No Deal. Unless you bring up that her only line on the show is "Hi Howie." Who is your favorite Fall Hottie?