In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
A former football hero comes back for homecoming and is cheered by the town, only to tell Coach in private that his life fell apart somewhere around the intersection of sophomore year and a busted knee. When a scout comes a-scoutin', Smash can't take the pressure and ends up disappointing everyone (except for the friendly neighborhood body builders he then goes to buy steroids from). Our favorite berry-lipped Adonis, surprisingly enough, picks up Smash's slack on the field. That's right, a few days without beer and Tim Riggins is suddenly Moose Johnston. Well, Moose Johnston plus some Bonne Belle Lip Smackers. Tyra and Billy Riggins are showing some promise as party planners, getting up one hell of a Homecoming party out in the middle of nowhere. In case you didn't quite get the theme of busted lives on broken dreams, Street also gets some gut-wrenching scenes as he makes it back on the field as honorary captain and increasingly self-aware cuckold. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
We open on a massive homecoming pep rally. The Panther Cheerleaders are on a raised stage under a banner that reads "Welcome Back Alumni!" doing a routine to a new Kelis song called "I Don't Think So." The camera pans across the audience and finds a young girl, about ten, trying to mimic the cheerleader's dance moves, and making their teenaged sexiness somewhat more innocent in reflection (this probably has something to do with the dorky banana yellow cap she's wearing). The girls finish up and hop off the stage. Tim approaches Lyla with a blue Solo cup in his hand. He remarks that this is "a waste of friggin' time, huh?" Lyla asks him not to be mad at her, and he protests that he isn't mad at her but wishes he were. Minka Kelly realizes that she is opposite of Taylor Kitsch and so loses what little acting ability she has (because, seriously, hubba hubba, right?) and starts furrowing and whining about not knowing how to deal with him. She remarks that it isn't even 7 o'clock and he can hardly stand. She lectures him that being drunk all the time won't make anything easier and that "it isn't cute, it isn't charming, it's just pathetic, and gross, and I feel sorry for you." She walks away from him. Yowza.
Lady Mayor Rodell is on stage tearing a hunk off the microphone like she's at the Olive Garden and it's an all-you-can-eat breadstick. She asks the crowd, teasingly, if they remember if the Panther's 2000 State Championship Team had a star quarterback. An audio clip from the winning game starts playing over the loud speaker, and the camera ranges across the audience as everyone listens to thirty seconds of excited play announcing. People seem to know the story by heart, like a fairy tale that helps them get to sleep at night. The camera stops for a second on Buddy Garrity who, standing to his daughter Lyla, mouths the announcer's words by heart, "He caught the dadgum ball! Panthers win state! Panthers win state!" I do not know if this detail is meant to humanize Buddy, but it really doesn't. He's still the disgusting Baron VonFatschild of the town in my eyes. Anyway, the clip ends and Lady Mayor takes a break from gumming the scenery to announce "Lucas 'The Maneater' Mize! Lucas Mize everybody!" And a real clean-cut freckle-faced guy in a letter jacket steps forward to the cheers of the crowd. As the crowd chants his name in the late-afternoon sun, the camera cuts to Smash gazing up at the stage in awe. A short girl to him looks up and says, "That's gonna be you one day, Brian" and he responds, "Maybe so, little sis, maybe so." Quite a clunker of a narrative signpost, that was.
A little later in the evening, everyone is now line dancing to some terrible country pop. Including Buddy and his daughter Lyla. Gross. Also including Matt Saracen, who is dancing like my husband with his arms clenched tight to his body, his hands in fists, doing strange little white-man pumps. Awesome. Cut over to Lucas Mize walking up to Smash and introducing himself. The Taylors are with him, and Lucas asks if Smash came up with that nickname himself. Smash quickly responds, "Well, 'Maneater' was taken. What was that, The Carpenters or something?" That's some sneak attack cleverness right there. It was Hall and Oates but, still, the point stands: "OLD." Lucas doesn't seem to appreciate wit and just steamrolls over the comment, telling tales about how Coach Taylor used to drive from Macedonia to coach Lucas in private back in the day. Coach doesn't take well to buttering, and replies "Well, I needed the money." Tami jumps in and asks Lucas how he's been, and he replies that he's doing great, that he's got an insurance agency in Dallas and that everything is great. But when Tami asks for a card to give to her sister in Dallas, he stutters that he's already given them all out and then quickly changes the subject back to Smash. Shady.
Coach Taylor doles out praise in tiny bits, telling Lucas that Smash is a great running back, but only when he listens, which he rarely does. Lucas commiserates with Smash over all the pressure of homecoming what with all the alumni, and Grady Hunt, too. Smash is like "Grady huh?" and Lucas tells Smash to come with him. Taylor looks vaguely annoyed, but that is his resting look, I guess.
Lucas tells Smash as they walk that Grady Hunt has been scouting high school football forever, that he knows all the recruiters, and that if you make his Top 100 list, you are "good to go." They find Shady Grady, and Smash doesn't even introduce himself before launching into his stats, "I can benchpress blah, run a blah blah blah in pads, my vert is blah." Shady Grady jokes to Lucas, "I'm a little worried about his confidence," but Smash isn't there to slap any asses: "Look, no disrespect, but if you got a list, I don't just wanna be on it, I wanna be number one." Shady Grady tells him to play as good as he talks, that he'll be watching him. They shake hands and the camera close-ups on Smash's uber-serious face.
Uninspiring credits. Commercials. In the Depressingly Realistic Rehab Facility, Street and Corey (a.k.a.,Quadruple Amputee Doesn't Let Life Slow Him Down) sit around a table having some snacks. Corey is trying to tell Street about a bad date he had, but Street is clearly zoned out. Corey is like "I'm trying to confide in you, bro! Just because I have stumps, do I not bleed?" Heh. Street apologizes and says, "Okay, so you took her to Chinese" and Cory is frustrated, "I took her to sushi, man." Just then Coach Taylor walks in. Street introduces him to Corey, Taylor reaches out to shake his stump, and Corey apologizes for having potato chips all over his arm. Taylor apologizes but asks Corey if he can have a minute with Street, at which point Corey, as usual, gracefully exits the scene.
Taylor sits down and makes small jokes with Street about the homecoming rally, telling Street that Pudnick tossed up his nachos from all the line dancing. Street laughs and leans forward to sip on his straw. Taylor gets to the point and asks Street to come to the game on Friday. Scott Porter is GUNNING for an Emmy. He must have called up Charlize to get advice because dude looks pastier and less hunky as each episode goes on and it is just very convincing. Street clams up when Taylor makes the suggestion, clearly pained by the thought of it. He asks if people really want him there. Taylor quietly affirms that everyone does. Street stays quiet so Taylor just asks him to think about it.
Well, I guess one way to shock you out of the Depressingly Realistic Rehab Facility is to cut on over to a strip club. Where Billy Riggins and high school student Tyra Collette are hanging out at the bar talking about how some of Billy's friends in Abilene threw a huge party and made a lot of money from it. Just then, a woman shoehorns herself into the scene, walking over from about twenty feet away, greeting her "baby sis" and then telling Billy his party planning idea is dumb. Because everybody knows that in a strip club it's quite easy to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. Billy makes a disparaging comment about Ole Sis's small brain and big...ahem. Ole Sis does this really weird flick of the head and glance to the side and for a minute she looks for all the world like Cheri Oteri's Rita DelVecchio character, which just can't be a good thing. ["Heh. 'See this g-string? I keep it now!'" -- Joe R] She reminds Michael Alig and James St. James here that everybody is going to be at the homecoming dance; Tyra gets a glint in her eye: "It'll be the anti-homecoming." Confirming that whatever "it" is, Tyra is against it. Ole Sis gathers up her sister, who she acknowledges is too young to be in the strip club, and they leave. Ah, Texas family values. As they leave, Billy dorkily calls after them, "Hey, clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!" Tyra rolls her eyes along with me.
Back at the Playgirl Ranch, Billy comes home with a six pack and tells his little brother that Tyra is "one tall drink of water." Gross, dude. He tosses Tim a beer, but Tim tells him that he quit. Billy laughs in a fat-faced buck-tooth manner that is eerily reminiscent of Buddy "Carb Face" Garrity. It's a mean laugh, but then again Tim is being rather prissy.
We cut over to the Suddenly Spa-tastic Rehab Facility, where Lyla supports Jason as they sort of float around a pool. Her babytalk doesn't distract Jason from the horns growing out of his forehead, and he slyly asks if she's been seeing Tim a lot lately. She lies that she hasn't, then pauses before laying it on pretty thick: "I'm so proud of you baby. Phil says you're the best patient he's ever had." Jason jokes that Phil told him to put wax in his hair the other day. Which is quite quaint, really, as hair wax is such a late 90s product. Lyla asks Jason, who has his head reclined back on her shoulder, if his neck hurts; he responds, heartbreakingly, "Like I'd tell you if it did?" This boy is either going to be president or a serial killer.
Landry and Matt drive around playing word games again. Matt asks his friend to stop talking about Julie to him. Landry tells him "It's what I do. I pry, I prod, I wheedle. And sometimes when I get crazy, I cajole." I love old-timey verbs. I love Landry. Landry tells Matt that he just needs to ask Julie out on a date, and tells him he needs to get "the eye of the tiger. Boom, baby!"
And we cut to football practice where some boys are taking that "boom baby!" instruction in a different way. Lots of football stuff happens. (God knows these practice scenes really help a recapper out). Lucas and Shady Grady look on as Smash takes the ball and runs it to the end zone. On his way back, he talks some trash to his teammates, telling them they'll never catch him. Some extra tells Smash he's wrong, and so sets Smash up for some Thrilla in Manilla-type free association: "Hey, don't hate, accelerate."
Taylor calls the boys in to a huddle to talk about Friday's game. "Twang twang twang, man in motion, twang, run and shoot, twang twang." Taylor tells the boys they need to do more than just contain the other team's offense, he expects them to shut it down. He's about to let them go for the day when Smash asks him to hold up: "Hey, Hall and Oates, let see if you got any magic left." Nice follow-up there, kid, sniffing out the joke that needs to be made.
Lucas, accompanied by some bad bar band guitars, strips down to a wife beater and starts throwing the ball. He connects every time to the sounds of the kids oohing and ahhing. Finally, it's Smash's turn, and he wonders whether Lucas can get it done without his theme music. He goes deep and Lucas does get it done, but only with a little help from Smash as he seems to have overthrown a tad. Mac and Shady Grady look on; the latter mutters something about Smash's good hands, and Mac decides to make a bid for Grossest Man in Dillon by responding, "Soft as a Tijuana hooker's."
Beautiful shot of a desolate spot outside town. The wind blows dust this way and that. Tyra asks Billy what he thinks about the spot. I wish while she were at it she'd ask him how he feels about how much shorter he is than her. Billy thinks it's too far out in the middle of nowhere and that nobody will come. Tyra thinks it being in the middle of nowhere makes it perfect for their party and then adds that she just talked to her sister who confirmed that she and her associates will be at the party. Tyra explains, "Every good party needs a hostess. We got ten of 'em. Ten strippers to be exact." Tyra's leaning back on the hood of her pick-up truck, and damn is she hot. Billy loosens up a bit, "I think they prefer the term 'exotic dancers'."
Just in case you were grinning and enjoying the white trashy hotness of it all, we cut to a close-up shot of a hand with some sort of brace through which a plastic fork has been hooked. Suddenly Spa-tastic No More. Back to Depressingly Realistic, and even I'm wondering why they can't get the kid a metal fork for his lunch. Anyhow, Street is having lunch with his parents. He tells them that Coach suggested he come to the game. His dad is immediately and aggressively pro this option; his mother tells him that it seems too soon (and here lets slip a detail that makes no sense continuity-wise; that it's supposedly been two months since he broke his spine). The Streets start arguing in front of a tremendously hamster-cheeked Scott Porter. Mrs. Street isn't sure about the whole "trotting him out in front of 15,000 people" part, which, coming out of her mouth, sounds a bit like she is embarrassed about her disabled son. Jason tells them to stop fighting, that he'll decide himself.
In the weight room, Tim Riggins is really going for it on the Sit and Reach. (He's not really doing the Sit and Reach, I just love talking about the Sit and Reach and how the President makes you do such a pervy sounding exercise). Mac walks in and announces that Shady Grady wants Smash to call him. The whole weight room erupts in hilarious WHOOing. Tim Riggins tells Smash to "pucker up," and Smash does some of his big smiling, talking big about how he'll bring them all back a Longhorns t-shirt. Tim Riggins, exhausted from whatever it was he was doing, leans with his head forward while giving Smash a "You da man" finger wag, and I guess they really have just totally dropped the Smash/Riggins hatred?
Taylor and Lucas sit at a table in a family-style rib joint. Taylor asks him how he ended up in Dallas, and Lucas keeps up appearances for about two seconds before confessing that he's up shit's creek. I have to confess that this actor, Chad Brannon, just happens to have a sort of look that I really hate on a man; a sort of Irish, square-jawed, freckle-spotted, round-eyed, baby face. In my experience, men who look like this are always insipid. Which I think is exactly what this character is meant to be. So, kudos on the casting.
Lucas tells Taylor that he blew out his knee sophomore year, which wasn't even that big of a deal since he wasn't playing much anyhow. He met a girl, lost focus on football, lost his scholarship and never even graduated. He's basically back in Dillon to ask for a job helping out with the Panthers. Kyle Chandler is, as we have come to expect, nailing this scene. Coach Taylor is obviously slightly repulsed by Lucas's neediness, especially since he isn't a kid anymore. But, always the advocate, Taylor promises Lucas that he'll look into it. But his hesitation and darting eyes reveal how precarious he feels his own position at the helm of the team is. It's a really complicated social moment, and it gets delivered.
Commercials. Taylor household. Morning. Tami walks out in the cutest sleep t-shirt I've ever seen, accessorized by the most luscious bedhead I've ever seen. This woman. Sheesh. She asks her husband how the dinner went last night, and he tells her what Lucas asked him for, adding also that Lucas "has a four year old he's only seen once, or never seen, I'm not sure which." Tami pours herself coffee and looks shocked, declaring this "The most depressing thing I've ever heard." Coach's hair is like "It is TOO EARLY for this" as he complains to his wife that he doesn't know why Lucas is coming to him, that he tutored him "for one season, six years ago." Tami hits the nail on the head as she further declares that the fault is the town's; that the town makes these teenagers into idols and then when they go out into the world they "fall flat on their faces." She trills, as she sips her coffee contentedly, "It's a shame!"
Street and Herc are in their own weightroom, this one far less full of bravado and also rather lacking in the African-American Sonic Forcefield, as well. Herc is telling him the story about Jake Nevin, a trainer for the Villanova basketball team who had Lou Gehrig's disease. When Herc is surprised that Street never heard of the guy, Street retorts, "You gotta remember, I wasn't even born in 1985." Knives. Through my heart. Herc continues, saying that the team used to roll Nevin onto the court and then rub his head for good luck. Herc declares this "sick, bro." Jason "False Consciousness" Street looks confused; he thinks it sounds fine. Herc wonders why anyone would want to get turned into "a pathetic mascot." Jason stands his ground, muttering that he would be proud. Got a lot to learn, this kid.
Jason's phone rings, and he asks Herc to hand it to him. Herc sees it's Lyla calling, and Jason says that it's okay to let it go, then. Herc wonders what Jason did wrong. Jason tightly says he didn't do anything. "Ah, so Little Miss Perfect's the one in the doghouse." Herc cajoles Street into confessing that he thinks that Lyla is sleeping with his best friend. Herc is shocked, but nicely enough does not remind Jason of his little speech about the various ways Jason's life will go to shit over the few years, which is turning out to be right on the money in more ways than one. He instead tells Jason that he's changed his mind; that he now thinks Jason has to go to the game to look that son of a bitch in the eye and find out the truth.
At the Playgirl Ranch, Billy walks around being short while Tyra sits on a chair trying to hide being tall. They're talking about golf, which Tyra says bores her. Billy is apparently talking about his almost-pro golf career, "If it hadn't a been for September 11, I would've gotten my card." Tyra teases him, "So, what, it's the terrorists' fault?" They laugh. Billy explains, they cancelled some tournament that year right when he was on a roll; then at Christmas, their father left, and he had to take care of Tim. Tyra asks about their mom, and Billy exposits that she spent all her time sitting on the back porch, drinking bourbon and coke, and smoking. Tyra looks serious and Billy apologizes for whining. She says that's not it; "it's just, I learn more about the Riggins family in two minutes sittin' with you than I did in a whole year dating Tim." She looks wistful: "He doesn't talk much," with which Billy agrees. Aw, Tyra is still hung up.
Shady Grady is making a house call at the Williamses'. Smash is showing him the letters he has from all the big football colleges. Shady Grady breaks it to him "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but any kid who can run twenty yards without falling down gets one of those." He tells Smash he needs to get serious, treat football like a job. Smash interrupts him to tell Shady Grady about his plan, which is less a "plan" and more "fairy dust up the ass." He's going to get a scholarship, go pro, buy his mother a huge house, give one sister an Escalade, and the other a pony. Um, okay. Shady Grady says they have to wait and see about his size and strength, and Smash interrupts him again, telling him not to worry about his size, that people have said he was too small since J.V., but he's started ever since. He says it isn't size that matters but heart. Shady Grady decides to leave the boy to his delusions: "I reckon that's what this game is for." That and also for lining the pockets of a bunch of fat, white men.
Alamo Freeze. Julie and a friend walk up, Julie complaining about Homecoming, "I mean, so, what? You graduated. You're fat and old." Heh. Matt and Landry are eating in Landry's car, watching Julie. Landry tells his friend to "go forth and multiply." Fangirls everywhere squee.
We cut, with the help of some rap-rock, over to a pair of slim legs running. I honestly thought this was another Lyla-Out-For-Run-That-Turns-To-Sex scene opener, until the camera pans up and we see that the beautifully shapely Lady Legs belong to none other than Tim Riggins.
Tyra and Billy are obviously tipsy, giggling a little too overzealously at the plain fliers she made for the party. Tim walks in, all sweaty from his run, which apparently took two hours because it was full daylight in the scene just prior and is now nighttime. Billy announces "the new and improved Tim Riggins, clean and sober for 24 hours." Tim disgustedly asks Tyra what she's doing there and then pointedly tells Billy that "Nan from the office called." Billy is pissed: "I took a sick day, Tim," and Tyra explains that they're planning a party. Tim, however, apparently took so long because he was practicing standing in a glass house chucking some stones around. He continues judging Billy and Tyra, who are, gasp, having a few beers and joking around. The horror! Tyra asks Tim when he quit drinking, but Tim ignores her question and walks off.
Lyla is laying in bed curled up with the phone, (baby)talking to Jason. He wonders about coming to the game. She thinks he should, but he says he doesn't know if he's ready to be the center of attention. She says he should be used to that, but he seems to have become slightly enlightened since talking with Herc: "Yeah for football, not for being hurt. It's like 'Hey everybody come look at the freak show. Don't feed the animals'." Lyla tells him that people just want to see him. Jason takes a break to joke around with her: "What are you wearing? Kermit or Miss Piggy?" Lyla melts my cold heart by exclaiming "Oh my god! That's eighth grade, you dork!" In the end, Jason decides to come to the game, and Lyla smiles into the phone, and then we all go take our insulin shots.
Commercials. Taylor is working out plays with his assistant coaches when Lucas stops by to get the news that there isn't a job for him. Nice setting, with those four guys sitting in the other room all having the job he wants. Lucas acts the jerk to Taylor, "Did you even ask?" and Taylor stutters about tight budgets and how it's the middle of the season. He tells Lucas he'll keep his ears open about openings at other schools and help him out any way that he can't, but there just isn't work for him with the Panthers. Lucas brats out of the room.
Drive-by shot of the Beverage Barn. Sigh. We don't have drive-through liquor stores here in Chicago. But we had them in Louisiana. And I...I just miss getting a frozen margarita handed to me through the car window. Billy and Tyra are stocking up on alcohol for the party. Billy thinks they're getting too much, but it turns out he doesn't even know how much that is. Tyra tells him that they simply can't run out of alcohol at the party; "If we want this thing to be a hit, we gotta think big. Trust me on this."
In the locker room. Smash sits with a Bible to him and a playbook in his lap. Coach Taylor walks by and asks him what he's doing there, since the game isn't for four hours. Smash says he's just trying to get his mind right, but as Taylor turns to leave, Smash asks him what he knows about Shady Grady. Taylor sees what the problem is, and comes in -- looking exhausted I might add -- to give Smash a talking to. He tells him that Shady Grady has a list and that Smash will be on it. He tells Smash that he is a prospect, and that he's going to have to get used to people coming and looking at him over the two years. But, Taylor says sternly, Shady Grady cannot make or break his career. Smash has to focus on "this game, and this game only." Smash responds, ambivalently, "Yeah, you right." Taylor turns to leave, asking Smash if everything is "all good." Which it obviously isn't. This episode is doing such a great job of not having Taylor at the center of any of the story lines; they're taking his absence from the plot as an opportunity to underscore, thematically, all the ways he can'tcoach these kids out of their personalities, preconceptions, or worries.
Out in the middle of nowhere, Tyra and Billy set up for the party. Billy lugs a keg into place and then rushes into their ramshackle RV command center and turns on the radio which takes us over to...
Homecoming at Panther Stadium, with its bright white light trying to fend off the surrounding darkness, the garish team colors, and cheering crowd. But the usual game night cacophony fades out a bit as the camera swings behind the huge Panther banner to show us Jason Street sitting quietly in his wheelchair; Explosions in the Sky gently insistent behind the roaring crowd noise; the rest of the Panthers standing behind Jason with heads bowed. The announcer shouts, "And here are your Dillon Panthers!" and while the crowd shrieks, one last quiet shot of Jason's paralyzed feet gracefully resting against the bottom of the banner as he reaches out and pokes his arms through the give-away banner and wheels through it. The crowd goes silent at the sight of him, and the announcer quietly asks the crowd to "Welcome tonight's honorary captain, Jason Street." At which the crowd resumes its cheering and Jason reaches one gnarled hand up to wave back in acknowledgment. Lots of furrowed brows of confused Love/Pity/Pride/Regret/Self-Congratulation-for-Sticking-By-Him from folks in the crowd, Lyla, and the Streets themselves, which Herc would say reminds us of the sensitive politics of a display like this one. The team sort of walks behind Jason slowly as he wheels along until Tim rather graciously gives them a big-ups sort of signal to run onto the field, which they do, leaving Tim to wheel Jason onto the field. The team huddles around Jason and chants "clear eyes full hearts can't lose" over and over until they've reduced not only the paralyzed guy on TV but also the lazy recapper on the couch to tears.
Commercials. Football. Larrabee scores, and when it's Panther offense time, Smash chokes on a simple running play. Then he chokes on a simple passing play. Then Riggins, at least, gets a few yards. Then Smash chokes on a simple reverse. The whole time, Shady Grady frowns on the sidelines and the Panthers -- as usual -- are losing at the half.
Not that I'd ever want it to be different, because where else do I get my televisual fix of sweaty men yelling at even sweatier young men? I mean, besides The Duel ["Go Tina and Kenny! Wait, they're out. Go Evan! Go Robin!" -- Joe R]. Surprisingly enough, Coach Taylor's hair is like, "I can handle this," and he pulls Smash aside to yell at him in private about reading blocks and hitting gaps. Smash is stuttering and staring and totally fearful, and Coach Taylor knows what it's all about: "It's that guy out there with the damn clipboard. Well you don't play for UT, you play for me!" Then he threatens Smash that if he doesn't shape up, he's going to make some changes out there. Smash stutters and stares some more. Poor kid.
Back out on the field...hey, wait! We totally missed Homecoming Queen! Stupid boys. So, on the field, guess what? More football. Whatevs. Smash continues to choke big time. Panthers losing 17-0. Taylor calls for Tim Riggins on the sidelines and things start picking up, as Riggins fulfills the PSA for tonight by showing how good at football you can be if only YOU STOP DRINKING. Football football football. Tim Riggins keeps doing great. Scores a touchdown. Football football football. And it appears that Tim Riggins is SO good that he prevents the other team from even having a chance at offense! So Tim Riggins just keeps scoring like forty-two times. But just when you thought you could be happy, they really rev up the dramatic drum kit as the kids go celebrating into the locker room, so you know you have to be sad because this is just not going to turn out well for Smash "Maybe I Am A Bit Too Small" Williams. This show. Can't be happy when they lose. Can't be happy when they win.
Taylor gets up on a bench and gives Tim the game ball after a nice little speech about who won the game for them. The boys call on him for a speech, which is unfortunate, because he decides to give a speech "a-boot" being Canadian. Well, not really. He gives a really sweet speech about how he never believed in the "one team, one heart" crap that Coach foists upon them, but now he does. And that everyone knows where the team gets their heart from: Jason. He offers the game ball to Jason who looks up at Tim, I guess trying to "look the son of a bitch in the eye," but Tim is totally making Jason's detective work difficult by being all teary and weepy and melodramatic: "Take it. I love you like a brother, Six. Like a brother." Jason looks into Tim's eyes and is probably fooled by the non-drunken clarity into thinking that he's seeing non-girlfriend-fucking evidence. He takes the ball and then tells the boys to go party. Whooo!
Commercials. Smash's mother tries to console her son in the high school parking lot. His sisters hang back a bit as he tearfully apologizes to his mother. She tells him he's talking nonsense, but he won't listen. He declares that "everybody knows" that he's the family's meal ticket and that he's let them down. Well, actually, mister, your MOTHER is the family's meal ticket and one thing you shouldn't be doing to her is making her feel guilty over how much pressure you feel. He says he needs to be alone and walks away.
Out at the Anti-Homecoming, a DJ spins a kick ass and majorly crowded dance party in the middle of the field. Everybody's doing shots; regular shots, body shots, whatever and I am thankful that I still think this all looks AWESOMELY FUN. I say "thankful," because the other day in the car I found myself shaking my head in concern over these kids today while listening to an NPR report on this new dance craze called "freaking." And when you find yourself doing that? Might as well break out the bedazzled holiday sweaters.
Smash knocks on Shady Grady's motel room door to ask him if he's going to make the list. Shady Grady tells Smash that he's worried about his "strength and Size" and so he should work on lifting and conditioning. Smash asks again about the list. Shady Grady tells him it comes out in January. Perfect! Plenty of time to juice up then!
Back at the Anti-Homecoming, more shots, more "freaking." Tyra works "the door," which in a West Texas bonfire means waves cars through after they pay admission. Cut over to Julie, who's found Matt Saracen sitting on the hood of a car. She asks if this is "the safe zone." Aw, good girl. Julie's hair is CRIMPED, and I die from cuteness. Julie tries to make small talk about the game, but Matt just busts out with it: "Will you go on a date with me?" When she pauses, Matt rushes to prevent further embarrassment: "Maybe. Or not. It's probably...it's probably a bad idea." We're left hanging on Julie's answer.
Smash waits outside the B&B gym in his car looking conflicted and IN NEED OF THE JUICE.
Early morning out at the bonfire. There are kids passed out on hay bales, the ground, wherever. Billy wakes up cheek-to-jowl with the windshield of the car. Ugh. I can smell the alcohol wafting from his pores through my television. He stumbles over to find Tyra in the RV Party Command Center, counting money. He asks how they did, and she finishes counting: "$4,680." Billy's hangover probably just gets a lot better at that news. He asks her how he knows she wasn't skimming money from working the door. She looks at him askance, "Same way I know you'll share those tips you made working the bar: Trust." At this he starts taking wads of cash out of his pants pockets, his shirt pocket and throwing them onto the table for her to count. She starts chuckling with glee.
One last scene to make sure we end on a low note. Smash is in his room, in a do-rag and surrounded by clippings and pictures that testify to his greatness. Just as his mother knocks on the door to tell him he's got to get to game film review, he taps a syringe and gives himself a shot in the stomach. He breathes heavily like he's about to cry until he finally calms down and looks up, his eyes full of resolve and regret.
P.S. Voodoooo, where are yoooouuu?