Friday Night Lights - On the Outside Looking in recap/review

We have ignored Friday Night Lights for too long on this blog. It’s been over two weeks since the premiere of its final season, and we haven’t mentioned it. Blame school. It’s keeping us busy. We are obsessed with this show. Ern doesn’t care about any sport, ever, but she cares about the football teams on FNL. Who cares if the Dolphins (or whoever) suck, as long as Coach Taylor’s team wins? If the world made any sense, this show would be more popular than it is and would not have to end. We don’t think enough people have actually seen it or more people would love it. The show is set in high schools, so it could have gone on forever.

Tim Riggins is still in jail and his brother is still looking out for Becky. Can we start a petition to get Tim Riggins to cut his Jesus hair? It’s getting a little too long for us.

Vince got permission from Jess to get his own rally girl (since Jess doesn’t want to be one), and the rally girl threw herself at Vince and threatened Jess. She and Jess got in a little smackdown in the bathroom and ended up in Tami’s office. The actress who plays Jess, Jurnee Smollett, is rocking two shows this fall season: FNL and The Defenders. Yes, she plays a high school student and a lawyer. Oh TV, with your requirements that most girls look between 23 and 29, no matter how old the character they are play is. Vince also got a few letters from good colleges that are interested in his athletic abilities. We teared up when Vince showed his mother the letters, asking her where she wanted to live.

Tami and Coach Taylor were adorable together this episode, flirting, joking, and having each other’s backs. Julie Taylor, who we have hated since season two when she dumped Matt Saracen for no reason, went off to college and was flirting with a TA. Meh.

One of Tami’s students, Epyck (which is not a real name), skipped class, lolled around smoking, is apparently a foster kid, and is trying to get out of an appointment to see Tami. Tami will save her in the end, because she is a caring guidance counselor, and not one at home wants to see Tami have it too hard in her new job. It was bad enough to watch the end of last year. Tami had trouble bonding with the other teachers at her new school and getting them to help her tutor the students after class. Dear Tami, 9/10 teachers are complete morons who stayed in school because they are on power trips and want to lord knowledge over the weak and fragile. They can’t make it in the real world, they are bullies, and they have cliques. 1/10 teachers are great, humble people who actually care. Tami found her 1/10 (sort of). She finally made an ally in one teacher, Laurel, after going to the teachers’ happy hour. But Laurel is only nice to Tami when she isn’t around her peers … Sounds like a typical teacher who never left high school to us.

Meanwhile, in football, Coach Taylor’s team gets set for a game, but the powers that be are discriminating against them. They are poorer and less favored, so although they beat a top team, they were not ranked. Also, Luke got suspended for a game. Unfair, but probably realistic.

So that's what happened. It was a typical, perfectly good, and realistic episode of FNL. We hope the gritty football show goes out as strong as it was in its first and fourth seasons.

Episode grade: B+