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Wow. We're lucky that the show got renewed, because this was not a lot of closure. We pick up five months after the Panthers have lost State, and there's a lot of jostling going on.
Joe McCoy is making a move to make Wade Aikman Head Coach. Coach confronts him once over his double dealing, but McCoy just stands there looking like Guy Smiley with his jutting rich dolt chin and telling Coach Taylor that he has the money, and the kid with the golden arm: what he says goes. And, actually kind of shockingly, McCoy is right. The Board votes to hire Wade Aikman as Head Coach of the Dillon Panthers. The catch? They also vote to hire Eric as Head Coach of East Dillon's new football team. The episode ends with Tami and Coach standing in the middle of East Dillon's football field -- the school has been closed for twenty years, and the field is tiny and in total disrepair. They look daunted, but all I can think is: MUD BOWL ALL THE TIME? BRING IT!
So, the kids. They're all jostling around, too, wanting and wishing and fearing. Nobody knows which end is up. Matt has been accepted to the Art Institute, and is planning on going. Julie is the saddest girl with crimped hair evah, and tries to break up with him, but he's like, "Um? No." In preparation for Matt leaving for college, Grandma Saracen has moved into a home, and I would be lying if I tried to claim that I didn't do the ugly cry the first glance we get in her new room. It just isn't home, you know? Matt is clearly totally conflicted. In the end, he leaves Billy and Mindy's wedding to go grab Grandma to come over and party. He tells her that aftewards, he's taking her home. As in, home. We get no answers here, but it's looking like Chicago is going to have to wait for its Matt.
Lyla continues to stubbornly pursue her lifelong dream of going to a crappy party school. Tami and Buddy finally intervene, telling Lyla that they've confirmed that Vanderbilt will still take her if she wants to go. She brings it up with Tim in a very annoying way -- bringing it up only to assure him that she would never even think about it -- but Tim quickly tells her that she has to go to Vanderbilt, she's too good for San Antonio State. So, there she goes. Tim's motivation might not have been totally pure, as after he tells her to go, he runs to Billy to say that he's decided he isn't going to college at all. Tim has been waxing prematurely nostalgic for Dillon and basically just wanting to hang around town, shooting the shit, and helping Billy with his new auto shop. Billy -- literally on his way to his honeymoon after the wedding -- tells Tim to cram it, he's going to college, won't somebody think about the children?!?!
And then there's Tyra and Landry. They're still going strong, but Tyra somehow got back on the loop she'd been on for a while. I don't know what it is -- I mean, I was honestly moved and inspired by Tyra's college essay last week -- but this loop of "I've worked so hard, but I'm going to be stuck here forever" "Tyra, you have to believe in yourself!" is pretty much a snoozefest. This time, the angst comes from the fact that Tyra's been waitlisted at UT. She gets in. And, you'll be happy to know, she and Landry get into a heated argument in the middle of nowhere and DON'T kill anyone. Three cheers for progress!
Want more? The full recap starts right below! In true FNL season finale tradition, we get our montage. We open on shots of blooming spring flowers, and then a ball flying through the bright blue sky. This show rewards visual memory beautifully -- this shot of a ball slicing across the unbelievable Texas sky brings me right back to the same shot we got at the beginning of Season Two, when we opened with everyone at the community pool. That opening sequence remains one of my absolute favorite ones of the entire series. Crucially, the ball flying through the air is not a football, but a baseball, and as it lands in the mitt of a Dillon baseball player, the caption "5 months later" appears at the bottom of the screen, and we go into the montage, set to a very sweet Jakob Dylan song that I've never heard, "Something Good This Way Comes."Tim and Billy walk out of a tux rental place, all warm weather smiles. Buddy and Coach Taylor play golf and josh around. Tim and Lyla lay out in the Riggins' backyard, Lyla looking smoking in her bikini, Tim dangling two beers by their necks as he leans in to kiss her. Matt and Julie are at the movies, Matt's arm around his love, laughing at the screen. Landry and Tyra are at the lake, Tyra sitting all long legs and bikini on the edge of a dock, Landry getting out of the water in a dripping t-shirt and, get this, water shoes. They kiss in the late afternoon sun. Tami and Coach walk around a little blue car at Buddy's car dealership, apparently looking at it to buy for Julie. Then over in the high school cafeteria, it's a waffle breakfast, and everyone's there.
The music fades out, as Tami takes the podium at the end of the cafeteria, a handmade sign behind her declaring that this is the Dillon High Annual Senior Brunch. She makes announcements concerning our beloved characters: Matt Saracen is going to "the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago." Applause. Tim Riggins is going to San Antonio State. Applause. "And Lyla Garrity, number two in her class, will be attending..." perfect pause from Tami Taylor here, "...San Antonio State year." Her intonation is perfectly flat. And Tyra Collette? Tami tells everyone to give her a big hand for doing such a great job as student council President, and then bluffs that Tyra is "in the process of making a decision about some real exciting possibilities." Angela shouts out from the crowd "She's been waitlisted at UT!" to Tyra's mortification. As Tyra shushes her mother and brushes her hair from her face, you can see that she's feeling the twinge that comes from her "exciting possibility" being that she's been waitlisted at a university.
On the football field, Coach stands in the middle of his team, circled around him. He tells them they are now officially released until August 1. They all cheer. Coach makes one final announcement: J.D. has been named Dave Campbell's High School Football Quarterback of the Year. The "Dave Campbell" thing refers to the guy who publishes Texas Football Magazine. I'm wondering if he's in the habit of giving that reward to a kid who got pulled from the State Championship? Although J.D. did have some glorious moments the rest of the season, I guess. Off to the side, Joe McCoy makes strongman arms at the announcement of his son's achievement. Good thing to see he's keeping in shape to make the beating his gives J.D. really stick. Coach releases his kids for the summer and watches J.D. and Wade Aikman walk off the field, arms around one another.
Somber music starts as we cut over to Tami in a meeting with Superintendent Jerk. He tells Tami that Eric's contract is up for discussion at the board meeting and gives her a chance to recuse herself from the meeting. Tami is surprised at this "option," and he explains that he's worried she won't be able to stay "objective" during the heated contract negotiations. She tells him she has lots of confidence in her ability to be professional and he just says "okay." She pauses and then asks if there's "a, a question? about Eric's contract for year?" All Superintendent Jerk says is that the negotiations are complicated.
Buddy and Eric are in Buddy's car driving somewhere. Buddy's giving Coach the hard sell commercial for the Chevy Aveo the Taylors were looking at. Coach tells him to cool it, he doesn't want to hear about the car, and then says that he doesn't like what they're going to go do. "Recruitment, I know everybody does it." Buddy splits hairs and says that it's not "recruitment" because that would be illegal, it's simply "a visit." Cut to Buddy and Eric inside yet another perfectly art-directed Texas home: wood paneled, cool and dim ranch house living room. Buddy's now giving a kid and his parents the hard sell about Dillon Panther football until the father interrupts and says that he can save it: they've made their decision -- Shane is going to go to Dillon High. Buddy chuckles, while Eric just sits silently to him, looking tightly pleased, his hair a big summer mess atop his head. The father leans forward saying he has just one question: "Who's the Head Coach?" What? Buddy chuckles some more and says, well it's Eric of course. The father explains that last wee, "when they came by..." Coach narrows his eyes and speaks for the first time, "When who came by?" The father explains, it was Wade and "who was that other fellow?" Oh, just Joe McCoy. When they came by they made it seem like Wade was the one making the decision. Eric's hair suddenly looks less like Summertime Free and Easy and more like Summertime BEATDOWN.
Credits. Saracen house. Shelby, packing some boxes, asks Grandma if she needs all these dresses. She's holding this incredibly heartbreaking full-length beaded formal grandmother dress. Lorraine insists she does, Matt exposits that she's just going fifteen minutes away. But Grandma needs to make sure she has all her things. Oh, dear. This storyline is not going to be good for me. As we've all seen, something about the Saracen house has just taken me from the very first episode, and to watch it coming undone, Grandma moving to an assisted living facility, the whole thing left to stand a molted shell, no inside, no guts... I'm just not going to be able to take it. Julie notices a framed picture in a box and giggles and brings it over to Shelby to see. Matt protests, it's a picture of him in seventh grade -- and Zach Gilford was quite sweet looking in the seventh grade. Lorraine laughs and looks at it. Matt reminds her she doesn't have to take everything with her, but Lorraine says that she's taking this picture. "What if you're at college, and I wake up and have one of my spells and can't..." briefest most perfect pause, "remember you. I'll look up on my wall and there you'll be. That smile. That precious, precious boy." My soul hurts right now. And, clearly, so does Matt's.
Lyla walks into Tami's office, where Buddy and Tami are waiting to talk to her about going to San Antonio State. Tami gently relates that both she and Buddy have some concerns over the quality of the school for her. Lyla exposits that it's done, she's paid tuition, enrolled, she's going. Buddy protests that it's a party school, and Lyla does a perfect teen stiff-neck-refuse-to-look-at-you response, saying that it is NOT a party school. Buddy gets a little heated, expanding his take on San Antonio State to saying it is "crap ass" and the only reason she's going is because Tim Riggins is. Lyla heats up in response, suggesting that maybe Buddy should not have blown all her college money on tearing up a strip club. Tami finally interrupts, saying she doesn't want to interfere, but she did call Vanderbilt and confirmed that they would extend the decision to Monday, and that they will still take her if Lyla decided to go. Highly unlikely, but, okay. Lyla wonders how they would pay for it, and Buddy sheepishly tells her that he thought they could call Uncle Gary. Gary Garrity? Whoa. Lyla reminds her father that Gary hates him, but he says that since this is all his fault, he'll do anything to help her go to Vanderbilt. Except, it seems, APPLY FOR STUDENT LOANS? I just have a hard time suspending disbelief when it comes to television college decisions because they always act like everybody in America doesn't fund their college education by going deep into debt. It's like what EVERYONE does, right?
Applebee's. Landry picks Tyra up and she's all het up, banging her hands against the dash of his car. She's pissed because Jenny Warwick got into Brown, and then came to Applebee's to celebrate. I would have thought "Brown" would at least call for The Olive Garden, but what do I know. Tyra thinks the whole thing is a perfect metaphor for her future -- Tyra serving people who got into college. Landry tries to reassure her about getting into UT, and Tyra reminds him that she's on the waitlist and all she can do right now is WAIT. Landry suggests that they go to UT and find the admissions officer and make a pitch. Tyra thinks that's desperate. And Tyra is right. But Landry thinks they should do something other than sitting around and beating on his car.
Coach walks up the ridiculously portentous steps to the McCoy McMansion. Joe wears a mantle of smugness as he offers Coach water and wonders what he can do for him. Coach stands near the door, not willing to step even one foot further into Joe McCoy's world. He tells Joe that he understands he and Wade were over at Shane DuBuque's the other day: "I think you must imagine the way that makes me feel." Oh, Coach. Do not talk of emotions with this soulless capitalist. Joe confidently tells Coach that he didn't feel Coach was moving aggressively on Shane and so had to step in. Coach finally tells it to him straight: "Joe you do not represent this team." But, oh, Joe McCoy -- whose long face and square chin are totally reminding me of Guy Smiley -- comes right back at Coach. Coach may have the might of right, but Joe McCoy has money: "Well, I backed up a truckload of cash for this team. Without my son, there is no team. So as far as I'm concerned I do represent this team."
This scene is really tense. The two men are completely restrained, but this is a death struggle right here. Coach asks if Joe is trying to replace him, and that's when Joe makes Coach an offer. Eric guarantees that season J.D. starts every game, and Wade calls his plays. Coach reminds him that Mac calls his plays, and Joe just says, so so so smugly: "I know." Coach tells Joe that he doesn't care how much money Joe has, or how well he thinks his boy can throw a football, but right now Joe isn't just toying with Coach's livelihood, he's threatening his family. Joe -- who is now giving me chills -- says innocently that he isn't threatening anyone, he's just giving Coach an opportunity. Coach tells him that he's sure Joe knows what he can do with his "opportunity" and walks out.
Commercials. Lyla walks up to Billy's auto shop, now all spruced up with signage -- "Riggins Rigs" and a plastic steer mounted over the entrance, and we hear Tim and Billy bickering inside over whether someone is pushing the broom hard enough. Okay, brothers. Lyla walks in and Billy is pushing Tim around in a chair, Tim holding a broom, and they're apparently trying to sweep the floors of the shop this way. I love this. Together, they're like a Junkyard Wars Roomba. Lyla laughs when she sees them, Tim jumps up and they stand, arms around one another, and talk talk talk. It's hard to figure out what they are talking about because it is LYLA GARRITY and TIM RIGGINS CROTCH 2 CROTCH. Basically we find out that Billy and Tim are headed out of town in a minute to go to an auction to buy a hydraulic lift, and then that Lyla lies to Tim about what Tami wanted to talk to her about. "Just something about my schedule" she demurs. Your schedule for what? I thought it was like the last week of school?
Landry and Tyra on the campus of UT. Landry waits outside as Tyra walks into the office of the admissions officer. She explains that she's on the waitlist and then proceeds to deliver a lame speech about appreciating being on the list and that she just wanted to tell him that going to UT is a dream of hers, and she just wants to know if there's anything she can do to help her chances. The officer tells her that she needs to understand that they get 35,000 applications per year, and they put 1,000 people on the waitlist. Tyra is clearly taken aback by the number: "A thousand? A thousand people got that letter?" The admissions officer just sighs.
Tami and Coach sit in the bleachers looking out onto the field. They're both somber in sunglasses. Tami turns to her husband and says she thinks he needs to be present at the meeting. He's short with the situation, saying that there's nothing he could do or say to save his job if they want to hand the team over to Joe McCoy. Tami doesn't think this is a good strategy and Coach, again, short (not with her, just with the whole thing), notes that "that's cuz it's not a strategy, hun." Ah, there's the thing about Coach. It's the thing we love, but also the thing that bites him in the ass: he does not usually have a strategy. He only has a heart. Tami tells him that she's starting to think they might need a strategy this time. Coach tells her that he can't out talk or outspend Joe McCoy, and that he's given everything he has for the team, and that's what he can hold on to, he won't give up his pride. Tami quietly assures him that he should never give up his pride, but she thinks that if he doesn't fight for the job, they're going to regret it. He turns to look at her, she looks at him -- and these two, Jesus Lord, even with sunglasses on, when they look at one another there's just always a story there. You just always want to know more. To hang out with them just a little longer.
Auction. The auctioneer is standing behind -- shit-you-not -- a repurposed church pulpit. He fast-talks his way through some items, one of which is a barber chair. Billy, commenting on the barber chair: "That's stupid." Not stupid? The item, an owl made from the hide of a rear end of a deer. Who knew if you stuck two big yellow eyes either side of a deer's tail, it'd look like an owl. Now we know! Finally, it's time for the hydraulic lift. Billy starts bidding. Another guy in the audience bids against him. Tim is the cutest wingman ever invented. I just get the feeling that this season the writers just unleashed Taylor Kitsch's personality. And Taylor Kitsch and Tim Riggins just sort of melted together to make the most endearing person ever invented. Tim is on the edge of his seat, so sweetly earnest and wrapped up in this bidding war, and when they finally win it for $1200, both Rigginses jump up and chest bump and Tim whoops and hollers in excitement. Boys' first rural auction. They sit back down, and the auctioneer introduces the item: a Texas Longhorn Steer. Tim scoots back to the edge of his seat; he's got an idea. He tells Billy that he will defy anyone to drive past Riggins Rigs if they have that steer out front and NOT come in. They get the steer, they get customers for life. "Things happen for a reason, Billy." Billy -- wearing a Landing Strip Dillon, Texas t-shirt (!) -- as he always does, listens intently to his cockamamie brother.
Cut over to the Taylors, who are leading Julie out into the front yard with a fishing hat draped down over her face. They tell her that this is for her grades and for helping around the house and with Gracie Bell, and for being a beautiful and amazing daughter. They take the hat off her head and show her the little blue car they've bought her. Julie is excited -- first checking that this is really hers, not a "family share" or something? Her father hands her the keys and clarifies that they'll get the first payment, and then they'll split the insurance and the rest of the payments with her. Love that detail! What great parents, making her take some responsibility for it. Julie runs to get in the car and revs the engine. Coach deadpans that he hadn't thought of her actually driving it, and Tami hands Gracie to Coach and cutely runs to get in the car with Julie, "Wait for me! Wait for me!" she sing songs. Tami coos and exclaims about how there's still plastic on the floor as they both put their seat belts on. But something crosses Julie's face and Tami notices. Tami asks her if this isn't what she wanted, and Julie rushes to assure her that the car is perfect. But she still looks morose, and Tami reaches out to smooth her hair a bit. Julie opens up, telling her mother that it's stupid but she just never thought that Matt would really move away, that all her friends would be leaving high school. "Just kind of feeling left behind." Aimee Teagarden is like the Platonic teenager, with that blonde hair and round face. Tami quietly agrees with her daughter that it's a lot of change. Julie, teary, says that she's really proud of Matt, but... and she sort of breaks off a bit. Tami tells her daughter that what she's feeling is not stupid, it's "a hard, hard thing." She tells Julie that she and Matt have had a really nice relationship, and she doesn't know what's going to happen with it. If Julie and Matt are meant to be together, they will, and if not, there will be somebody else special for Julie. But Julie, oh Julie, she nails it right on the head when she responds: "But it's not Matt."
Not making it any easier is Matt, who is the Mattiest Matt in the world. A Matt that would be impossible to replace. He's driving Grandma, while a song by Gary Jules plays. Google tells me that Jules also did the awesome cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" that was used in Donnie Darko, and that is one very cool piece of trivia for you there. May you go forth onto the internet and re-enjoy that song twenty times in a row like I just did. So, a pretty song plays, and Matt and his grandmother smile quietly at one another in the car. The camera follows them, shooting from a low angle, as they walk into a low-roofed building, Grandma's new "home." Inside, old folks play cards and sit around. Grandma clasps Matt's hand, greets people sweetly, telling people that this is her grandson, the quarterback. We move into Grandma's room, where Lorraine and Matt work on unpacking a few boxes.
Oh, here it comes. The ugly cry. Again. On rewatching, I've pinpointed what does it: it's the fact that, on the wall above her single bed, which is tucked into a corner in the small room, above that bed are two flourescent light fixtures. That is not home. It isn't fair. Finally, Grandma turns to Matt and tells him to go home. He protests, he wants to make sure that she's settled in there, but Grandma finally acts like the guardian that we have been assuming she has always been but which we've rarely had the chance to see over the last three years. She knows she needs to protect Matt here, she needs to be strong for him, and get him out of this place. They hug for a long moment, and Matt heads out of the room, but pauses just after he leaves. The camera catches a split-screen shot of Matt on the left, leaning against the wall just outside her room, Grandma on the right, inside her room, sitting on her bed. They both stare blankly ahead of them, and my heart breaks into a million pieces.
Commercials. Tyra and Landry in the car on the way back from Austin. Tyra is motor-mouth lamenting. She marvels over the one in a thousand odds, wonders why they don't just tell you to not even bother applying on the application form, snarks that she has a great job at Applebee's or maybe Mindy can get her a job at The Landing Strip, and then suggests that maybe she and Landry should just get married and "start popping 'em out." I wish Landry had said, "Um, I'm going to MIT, so I don't know what you're talking about." Landry finally pulls the car over to the side of the road and says that he can't take this any more. He storms out of the car -- wearing those awesomely awkward but sort of fantastically unique loose-laced huge army boots he wears -- and turns to Tyra who's followed him out into the field. He yells that he can't take her feeling sorry for herself, and says that she cares too much what other people think about her. Tyra laments some more, shouting that it isn't just a few people who think things of her, it seems like the whole world. She tells him to screw off, he has a 4.2 GPA and can go wherever he wants, he doesn't know how hard she's worked, yadda yadda yadda. Seriously. This is a snoozefest. And plus? HE TOTALLY KNOWS HOW HARD YOU'VE WORKED, TYRA. Because he's worked just as hard tutoring you! Geez. Anyhow, it's all heated and crying and sadness and YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND until Landry finally brings the conversation to its hackneyed climax, telling her that he doesn't care what anyone thinks about her, not even what she thinks about herself, but he believes in her. And she needs to start believing in herself. Hugs. End scene
Over in another field, Timmy stands on the side of the road chucking rocks out into the field. Nice segue. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but the first thing I thought of, cutting from Tyra's Field of Dreams to Tim's was when they broke up out in that field, in Season One, that brutal scene between two seemingly permanently broken people. So, here we are with Tim and Billy Riggins. The truck has broken down and Billy's messing around under the hood while Tim confesses that he doesn't want to go to college. Tim is wondering "Where's the me time?" The books he's had to get are 800 pages long, he has four classes in a row. "Where's the me time?" Billy tells him to shut up, and Tim mutters, "Just tellin' you my deal, man." Billy snaps at him to just get in the truck and crank the engine. Tim does it but the truck won't start. Tim wonders why Billy's messing with the alternator anyway, and Billy insists that's what the problem is, but Tim just nonchalantly is like, "No, it's the timing." Tim hops up on the front fender and dips his insane body towards the engine. Tim says you just need to listen to this baby, "she'll talk to you." Billy wonders if Tim is the Car Whisperer. Well maybe not that exactly, but I'd venture to say that Tim Riggins is pretty easily the "Under the Hood Whisperer," amiright ladies? Billy tries the engine and it starts right up.
But instead of being happy, Billy tiny man kicks his way out of the truck all pissed. He shouts about having just bought a damn garage and he can't even fix a damn car. Billy has to start making money on the garage like immediately, or he'll lose everything. Tim goes over to him and they lean against the side of the truck bed, and Timmy waxes poetic about how Billy's going to be living the American dream: his own business, own employees, go home, hang with the wife, "have a B here and there," watch the kids grow up, it's pretty darn cool. Billy doesn't think he really believes that, but Tim confesses that he wishes he were in Billy's shoes. Billy lets himself fantasize for a moment and says that it would be pretty cool, Riggins brothers sitting around all day fixing cars, drinking beer. They pause, thinking thoughts of the good life until Billy walks off, muttering that his plan better work: "Mindy's pregnant." Tim tells him to say it again, and then just goes pure joy on his face. He can't believe they have a "little football coming our way" -- and does this little pantomime of holding a football down near his crotch. Tim Riggins, such a boy, doesn't know what to do with the happiness, so he pulls his arms up into fake fighting posture and starts play fighting his brother: "You're kidding me!!!" They start grappling and Tim kind of high-pitchedly exclaims, "CONGRATULAAATIONS!" Billy picks Tim up and they both fall into the golden field, horsing around, "get off of me" "no!" that sort of thing, and thank you, Riggins brothers, you just took my smashed heart and sewed it all back together.
Lyla hesitantly walks into Buddy's car dealership, finds her father, and tells him that she thinks they should talk to Uncle Gary. Buddy doesn't say anything, but you can see his heart swell at his daughter making the right choice.
Angela holds a letter from UT addressed to Tyra in her hands. Mindy insists that they shouldn't show it to her until after the wedding. Angela doesn't think that's right; Mindy doesn't want her "being all mopey and Tyra-ish" at her wedding, but Angela keeps hemming and hawing until Tyra comes in and wants to know what they're talking about. Angela lets it slip -- "it's from UT" -- and Tyra grabs the letter and runs out of the house, her mother and sister clucking and following her. Tyra screams for Landry, who's just dropped her off. She runs down the sloped yard to the fence along the road, shouting to get his attention. He finally sees her and gets out of the car and they stand, on opposite sides of the fences, while Tyra declares that she's shaking, she's afraid, is sure it's bad news because of the thin envelope, until Landry tells her to just go ahead and open it. She does, there's the requisite pause, and then Tyra breaks into a beaming smile. Landry: "What'd I tell ya?" Tyra screams and hugs Landry and her mother and sister and everyone is happy including me because, God, FINALLY.
Commercials. Board meeting. Superintendent Jerk asks McCoy if he's spoken with Wade about his interest in coming in as Head Coach. Joe takes the microphone and becomes even more Evil Guy Smiley, as he jokes with the Board about how Wade will take whatever salary they offer or he'll personally kick his ass, yuckity yuck yuck. Superintendent asks if there's anyone else who would like to speak on behalf of either Aikman or Coach Taylor before they vote. Suddenly, a spruced up Coach Taylor appears in the back of the room. Tami smiles a small smile, sitting up front with the rest of the Board. Coach comes before the room and declares: "I did not want to be here today. Here I am." It doesn't get much better than that, as Coach proceeds to deliver the most stubborn "fight for your job" speech ever. He snippily tells the room that he loves his job, he's good at it, and he'd like to keep it. He loves the school, and the kids, and feels like he's just gotten started. "There's some people here who want to replace me for an awful lot of money and a boy with a good arm. To those people I would say: 'You're wrong. You are dead wrong.'" Coach Taylor, man among men, people.
Angela puts lip gloss on Mindy, in her sweetly trashy open-backed wedding dress. Some of the show's curiously missing Mexican-Americans sin and play Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Way" at the front of the Veteran's Hall. Have to love a wedding that opens with Frampton. Almost, but not quite, as good as the wedding I went to where the bride walked down the aisle to Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" -- which I'm not sure she realized is not so much about a perfect day spent with your boyfriend, but rather a perfect day spent with a syringe of HEROIN. Anyhow. The attendants walk down the aisle in horrible mauve satin. Tami scoots into the hall at the last minute wearing a very hot grass green sheath. She sits down to Coach and takes his hand, and looks intently into his eyes. Coach stares back at her, registering what her eyes are telling him. He turns his head to stare straight ahead for a moment and then turns back to Tami and whispers: "You gotta be kiddin' me." She leans toward him and whispers that the board voted to offer the job to Wade Aikman. Pause. Pause. Tim Riggins walks down the aisle in a white tux and white cowboy hat. We are distracted for a moment. Cut back to Tami -- who is really drawing the situation out dramatically there for her husband -- who finally adds: "And, hun. The board wants to offer you the position of Head Coach for the East Dillon Lions." Pow! Wow! Nice set up for season there. I mean, it's fairly unbelievable -- given the compressed season -- that the job would go to Wade, since all the guy really did was call one decent play all season. But I'm totally willing to go with this, because it could lead to some great television season, and also because I totally trust that, had the writers had 23 episodes, they could have made that Wade storyline more natural.
Okay. So Angela walks Mindy down the aisle to the warbling song and Coach just stares straight ahead of him. Abrupt cut to the reception, where everyone is getting down on the dance floor. Landry and Tyra, Julie and Matt, and Buddy and... Angela. Oh, snap! Very nice detail? The band is on a slightly raised platform, but since the reception is in a Veteran's Hall, the lead singer's sweaty head is about two inches from the low, dropped ceiling. Lyla sits at her table kind of moping. Tim catches her eye and walks over to her. Another nice detail? Lyla is totally wearing a dark green dress that she's worn before, and which I specifically remember Tim telling her that he liked. Tim plucks a rose from a centerpiece and presents it to Lyla; she morosely informs him that she needs to tell him something. She starts prattling a bit, assuring him that this is a "crazy idea" about going to Vanderbilt, and they asked her uncle and he said he would help, but she just wanted to tell Tim because she actually isn't thinking about doing this at all. "I'm sorry I would even think of doing something like that without talking to you first..." Tim finally interrupts her and says: "Go." Lyla quickly says that she doesn't want to, all she wants is to be with him. Tim tells her that he loves her: "so much." But that she's better than San Antonio State, they both know it. He tells her that he's not going to be the guy to stop her: "Don't make me be that guy." Lyla glances around her, tears in her eyes, and Tim tells her once more: "Go."
The wedding continues, folks chat and smile. Julie hangs a spoon from her nose and makes a peace sign with her fingers -- just a little nonsensical detail that kills me a little bit dead. Over at the bar, Coach drinks a glass of beer. Tami sits alone at her table, staring. The elder Taylors are doing a lot of confused staring this episode.
The wedding continues some more, the band is now jamming "Mustang Sally." Lyla smile and dances with her dad. Various dance floor shenanigans. Julie is dancing extremely cutely with Landry. She catches Matt's eye, as he sits morosely at his table. She goes over to Matt and sits down to chat. Her hair is crimped, and this show continues to kill me dead tiny bit by tiny bit. Julie goes from zero to sixty here -- moving from asking Matt to join her on the dance floor to proposing they break up. She tells him that she doesn't want to be Debbie Downer but he's going away and is going to meet new people, and she doesn't want to be that high school couple who are always getting in fights over the phone, and never see each other. "I love you. I just think we should break up." Matt Saracen proves that he's going to be the best husband in the world because he just looks at her and says, "No." Julie tells him that it's not a yes or no question, but Matt tells her that he loves her and they'll be fine. He pulls her into his lap, and tells her once more how it'll be fine. And I usually don't notice much of this -- but I think I sense a little awkwardness here between Zach Gilford the twentysomething and Aimee Teagarden the actual teenager. Like it seems like Zach Gilford is feeling guilty for macking on a girl this young. Anyhow they kiss and watch people dance for a little bit. Julie muses that Matt's grandmother would have really liked this wedding. Matt gets an idea.
Cut to Matt striding down the hallway in Grandma's new home. He tells her to take her curlers out of her hair and he's taking her to a wedding. See, she does need her dresses! He tells her that after that, he's going to take her home. "For good." Grandma protests, but Matt interrupts her to say that she's the only person that's never left him: "I'm not gonna leave you." She stops protesting and asks sweetly, "You mean, go back home?" She bursts into a pleased chuckle and tells him she's going to need her chair.
Back at the wedding, Coach leads Tami onto the dance floor. She smiles and rubs her hand along his back as they dance and sighs, "What a sucky day, hun." Coach quips that at least the ribeye was good, and then tosses one to us out here wondering why they are at the wedding in the first place: "I don't even know why we're here. I don't even know Billy Riggins." Tami laughs it off, explaining that they must just think very highly of them. Coach kisses her on the cheek and they pull back a bit to look into one another's face. Tami quietly and so romantically tells him that no matter what happens, she is always going to be behind him. Coach whispers that he knows that. Meanwhile, Matt is threading his way through the tables with Grandma clasping his hand. They make their way onto the dance floor, where Matt spins and sways with Lorraine while Julie looks on, obviously in love with Matt in large part because of how wonderfully he treats his grandmother. I love how these teenagers are so full-hearted (in addition to hormonal and bratty). The camera pans around and shows us all the couples on the dance floor -- Tyra and Landry, Lyla and Tim, Coach and Tami, Mindy and Billy -- holding one another close, in that happy-wedding-exhaustion-heart-swelling-for-the-one-you-love moment. Ah, life. This show makes me love it.
Commercials. Everyone's crowded outside of the hall -- it's the Dillon Lodge, not actually a Veteran's Hall like I thought it was. The point is: it's a little tin-sided shack. Coach steers Tami outside, and Connie Britton's body is, I'll say it again, ridiculous. I mean, seriously. Coach tells Tami he wants to take her someplace and they head off. Mindy and Billy come out into the crowd amidst cheers and rice throwing and head to get into the limo. Tim jumps into the frame from the side and insists he needs a minute with Billy. Mindy tells Tim he's an idiot, but Tim collars Billy and excitedly tells him that Lyla's going to Vanderbilt. Billy is like, what does that have to do with anything? Tim tells his brother that it means that he doesn't have to go to college now, since Lyla was his sole purpose in going. Riggins Rigs! We're in it together! (Please note that Tim's vision of this successful business venture involves "popping beers and gettin' off early.") Billy grabs Tim and pulls him a bit further to the side and you know he's about to drop some wisdom on the boy. He calls him a "little idiot" and instructs Tim that he is not going to wuss out, he's going to go get a degree. Billy says that whenever it gets too hard, Tim needs to think of the kids he doesn't have, and also about the kids that Billy and Mindy don't have yet. He needs to think of these kids and realize that when he gets a degree, those kids will know that they don't need to settle for second best, that they can be whatever they want to be. Tim's face falls. Billy: "God bless our mom and dad, wherever they are. But we gotta do better by our kids." Geez, man. I don't know how exactly that line of argumentation is really going to work on an eighteen year old, but okay. Tim obediently tells Bill that he hears what he's saying, the two brothers hug it out and Tim and Mindy get into the limo -- awesome eighties style boxy white limo -- and head off for their honeymoon. Angela is choked up watching her girl go, Buddy puts his arm around her and draws her in close, uh oh!
Cut over to Coach and Tami, bathed in the golden light of late afternoon. And, seriously, this lighting on them would make me laugh -- The Holy Ascension of the Taylors -- if it weren't actually representative of how I think about them. Tami Taylor is always aglow in my mind. The camera pulls back and we see that they're at a shabby football field. The stands are tiny, the field is pocked, the fence is in total disrepair. They stand in the middle of the old East Dillon field and the camera circles them as they look around, daunted but together. Their backs to us, they put their arms around one another and the camera pulls back and up and up, the sun glinting off the lens, but not enough to blind us to the fact that the Taylors have their work cut out for them...
SEASON YAY!!!!!!
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