Episode Report Card Drunken Bee: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Uneven Playing Field
By Drunken Bee | Season 4 | Episode 12 | Aired on 07.30.2010
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close. If you were looking for a little pick-me-up, you came to the wrong place with this episode. Tim Riggins finally has everything he needs -- a little piece of land, a brand new baby nephew born to Mindy and Billy, a satisfying man-job, and just enough romantic angst with Becky to keep things interesting. But it all comes crashing down when the police show up at Riggins' Rigs, asking about those missing cars. New father Billy tries to apologize to Tim, but apologies don't go far when you're both sitting in a police station holding tank.Vince is caught up in a vengeance plot to go retaliate against the guy who shot his friend Calvin. On the one shoulder, he has Jess whispering in his ear, trying to remind him that he is a good man, not a monster, but on the other, there's Head Bad Guy, who just keeps reminding Vince that he's already bought his loyalty. Jess wins out for now, but Head Bad Guy isn't going to stand for Vince chickening out again on the mad shooting death sprees he likes to plan every weekend. Landry, meanwhile, buys Jess a bike. Which is nice, but kind of kindergarten rinkydink compared to what she's got going on with Vince
And then I can barely even bring myself to talk about what's going on with the Taylors. Luke's mother goes to the press and sics hordes of crazy anti-choice people on Tami. Superintendent Paul prepares a statement for Tami to read, and she's ready and willing to make a statement, until she realizes it's an apology. When she has done nothing wrong. She goes to a lawyer who tells her that if she were to get fired, she'd have a hell of a wrongful termination suit.... but that might take years to prosecute.
Meanwhile, with the big Lions/Panthers game looming, some questions about the suitability of the Lions' field arise. Various football eggheads go around evaluating the depth of the holes in the field, etc, etc, Eric gets some new turf laid and everything seems good to go. But when the Lions prank the Panther's field by sticking thousands of toothpicks in the ground, the Panthers respond like the bullies they are: they destroy the Lions' field by running their big compensate-y trucks all over it. More egghead evaluation but hey, Joe and Wade have a suggestion: why don't they play at West Dillon High instead of at the Lions' home? I have never seen Eric so beaten down (except maybe that one time when he had that really bad hangover after getting into a fight with Peter Berg) and we can only hope it's something he can turn around before the season ends for him and for us... next week. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Looks to be a crisp fall day on the Lions field, which is covered in middle-aged men bending and measuring things. Wade, coach of the West Dillon Panthers, exposits to one of the guys that this is what they're worried about: there's 18 or 19 holes in the field, not to mention a bunch of glass buried in the ground. Smarmy villain Joe McCoy talks about the "potholes" on the field that could pop a truck tire, Buddy retorts that they don't usually drive on their football field. Traub gets serious: "We have played on this field all year and not one Lion has fallen from the pride." Grooooan. Joe McCoy smirks at the dorktasticness of the comment, and I hate being put in the same subject position as Joe "McMansion" McCoy. Buddy and Joe get into it some more, and finally the guy who seems to be in charge jumps in and recommends to Coach that he should invest in some turf to cover over the holes for Friday's game against the Panthers. But, hark! Wade has a suggestion! "How about a neutral field?" The baker's dozen of grown-ass men erupt, yelling at each other. Buddy wonders if Joe's backyard would count as "neutral" territory. Meanwhile, Coach stands off to the side, quiet; his hair is SO not bending to their level. The guy in charge-- declaring himself the conference director-- yells to shut them up. He asks Coach if he thinks he can get the field in shape; Coach speaks quietly and directly, assuring the guy that this is Saturday, the game is next Friday, the field will be in fine shape by then. The conference director, Bill, accepts his assurance.At the Taylor's, Tami's doing a deep clean of the kitchen wearing rubber gloves while Julie pitches her on this Habitat for Humanity training program. Tami seems unconvinced, wondering if they know how old Julie is, Julie rattles off how they don't usually offer the job to someone younger than 18, but she wrote a great essay and has great recommendations, etc... Tami asks where, when, how long, and how much and Julie pauses, gulps, and let's it rip: in New Orleans in three weeks. I.e., in the middle of the school year. Tami yodels "What? No!" and Julie protests that it's "only three thousand dollars!" Tami: "Only? Honey, you're hilarious." Julie insists that she can pick up half the cost via grants, she has $500 saved, and if she passed Government, she can graduate this semester anyway. Tami: "No, no, no, and no." Julie makes a last stand, begging Tami to at least look at the brochures; Tami tells Julie to put some rubber gloves on and help her clean the stove. Damn, girl, you're going to go building other people's houses when your own's got a filthy stove top?!