A few weeks ago we bid a fond adieu to the third season of "Friday Night Lights" (thank GOD there's going to be another one!) and the last few episodes were just cram-packed with tearful, heartstring-tugging moments (at least for me). And since it's been awhile since I did a proper Top 10 list, here we go...
- 10 - Landry and his band playing "Vaseline" (ep. 7): Landry singing has always been particularly adorable, but his moments interacting with Devin, the new female bassist, are beyond cute. First, she plays The Flaming Lips' "Vaseline" to try and cheer him up, and later he starts it up on his guitar at band practice to let her know they're all cool after she rebuffed his advances (she's a lesbian, the cutest one ever!) I really just love this song with it's bizarre lyrics, but totally fun, laxadaisical attitude. Been listening to it plenty ever since.
9 - Tim's college acceptance apology (ep. 9): Tim and Lyla had a lot of sweet moments this year (Tim is well on his way to becoming the BEST BOYFRIEND EVER!), but my personal favorite is when he apologizes to a hungover Lyla for not taking his college options seriously. It's all in Taylor Kitcsh's delivery: "One - I'm sorry. Two - I mean it, I'm really sorry. Three - Thank You. Four - I wanna celebrate..." etc. It's the sweetest, cheekiest, yet most heartfelt apology ever. And to top it off, he then kisses Lyla and realizes her breath could get him drunk, which makes him even happier. - 8 - Tami and Coach "I'm behind you" (ep. 13): This couple is so consistanly awesome and together that it's damn difficult to pick one moment where they out-awesome themselves. But I'm going with the season finale where Tami stands by her man in sexy, calm, grown-up, ever-supportive fashion when the ungrateful people of the Dillon school board fire Coach from his job. Uncalled for! But seeing the way Tami is just solidly there for him, and the way he obviously takes comfort in that was a highlight.
- 7 - Coach and Tami's reactions to the Matt/Julie sex (ep. 10): This storyline really brought the funny and the poignant. First Coach accidentally walks in on Matt and Julie in a post-coital glow, but doesn't explode, just leaves wordlessly and stews on it for a few hours. He takes his anger out on the barbeque grill a few days later. Then Tami gets to have the ubiquitous-on-television talk about sex with Julie, and damned if she didn't make me cry. Tami has superpowers, I swear! She's emotional and worried about her daughter, but doesn't yell, just makes sure Julie has been careful and is in love, but still wishes she had waited because she doesn't want her to get hurt. Doesn't every parent want that? And Julie's tearful little, "I didn't want to disappoint you," just broke my heart.
- 6 - Matt and his Grandma (all episodes): I can't pick one moment with these two - they all seem to bleed together; one leads right into the other. Matt dealing with his Granma's progressing dementia has always been one of the cornerstones of the show, but this season really went full throttle. He became an emancipated minor, had to seek out and deal with his long-lost mother, handle freakouts about slippers, convince his grandma that going to college in Illinois was the right thing to do, and then take her to a rest home and leave her there in a move that just about killed them both. So when Matt decides to stay in Dillon with her, saying, "You're the only one who's never left me. I'm not gonna leave you," I'll admit I was crying like a baby. Who knows if it's the right call, but that is a decision that encompasses the entire series, everything that Matt and his Grandma have been through, and him making that call didn't feel like a cheap ploy to keep his character around next season (even though it probably was); it felt like a genuine decision because Matt loves nothing more than he loves his Grandma.
- 5 - Panthers lose State (ep. 12): It would have been awesome, but kind of unrealistic for them to win State again, wouldn't it? But what really makes this moment shine is the way it was filmed, the choices made with the sound, and the lingering close-ups on everyone's faces. For once the big game doesn't come down to something that Matt and Riggins do (although their second half comeback was a joy to watch, loved the music choices, and "Suck That!" J.D.!), but to the defense. And once the opposing team is in field goal range, there's nothing anyone can really do. Everyone knows they're gonna lose. And it all kind of goes into slow motion. We see Tami and Grandma and Buddy Garrity in the stands know it. We see it on Coach's face. And we see Landry and Matt and Riggins holding hands on the sidelines and you can see it on all of their faces. And the music (another sublime piece of score by Explosions in the Sky) is soft and sad and resigned. And for some reason it just feels so right that they don't win. That this is how it all goes down. And then Riggins leaves his cleets on the field. Gahhh! Perfection.
4 - Street and Riggins goodbye (ep. 8): I love the friendship between Jason Street and Tim Riggins. LOVE IT! So I'm so glad we got to see an entire episode of them bumbling around New York in typical bumpkin fashion with Riggins being Street's cheerleader every step of the way. He drops him off in Jersey with one last feeble 'Texas Forever" and from there on out, I'm all tears. Street gives a great speech to the mother of his child, but what really gets me is the moment after. Street gets his hug, has been accepted into his new life, and then we cut back to Riggins leaning against the taxi. He has tears in his eyes and he takes one big, shuddering breath, like he's been holding it right along with Jay, waiting for her answer, and then he smiles a really sad smile. Because he's so happy for his friend, so relieved that he's gonna get exactly what he wants, but also sad to know that this is the end of their dream. That Street is gonna stay here without him. It's a beautiful episode between the two of them, but Taylor Kitsch just steals the scene there at the end. 
3 - Matt and Julie, the morning after (ep. 6): I have a soft spot for all interactions between Matt and Julie. I am so relieved they got back together. They spend a fantastic day together at the lake, have sex (her first time!) and the morning after is so sweet and vulnerable. They're driving back in his car, and the light is that perfect pre-dawn, blue-gray tinge, and she's leaning on his shoulder. When he drops her off, they just stare into each other's eyes with the faintest hint of an ecstatic smile, she walks inside and looks at herself in the mirror to see if she looks different. Later at church, they are sitting in pews on opposite sides of the aisle, but they can't stop looking at each other and smiling big, dopey smiles. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!
2 - Tyra's College Essay (ep. 12): Tyra's never been my favorite character (and she's been too all over the place this season) but her college essay was perfect, right from the moment she brought up Jason Street getting paralyzed. That was the starting place for all of us with this show, and her talking about it just brought it all full circle. I love that that was the beginning catalyst for change. And her speech it just so simple and hopeful: "Two years ago, I was afraid to want anything. I figured wanting would lead to trying and trying would lead to failure. But now I find I can't stop wanting." GAH! "I want to win and have people be happy for me. I want to lose and get over it. I want to define myself instead of having others define me. I want to not be afraind of the unknown." Don't we all. "I want to grow up to be generous and big-hearted, the way that people have been with me." Like Tami, and Julie and Landry. "I want an interesting and surprising life. I don't think I'll get all of these things, but I want the possibility of getting them. College represents possibility to me. The possibility that things are gonna change. I can't wait." I can empathize with that. - 1 - Smash's exit (ep. 4): Smash is another character I wasn't really sure I'd like at first. He was too cocky, too much a showboat, and all his storylines were related pretty directly to football (except maybe Waverly). The steroids and racism plots, while well-handled, all seemed a little too obvious at first glance. But when the show took away his dream of college and professional football, I couldn't believe how broken hearted I was for this character. Which is why his exit from the show was so well-handled. So perfect. He works his ass off. He sheds some of the cockiness and shows some real vulnerability. His absolute, all-consuming joy when he achieves it is so rewarding. I was crying this entire episode. His tryout, celebrating with his mama, his heartfelt thank you to Coach (ahhh!), and his final scrimage with the boys on their high school field. Gaius Charles has this huge smile (maybe the biggest I've ever seen) and he's fronting in the end zone, all "Where you at, baby? Where you at?!"
Also, shoutouts to Matt's wide receiver tryout with the Taylor's, Street singing "There's a Hole In My Bucket" to his son, Lyla getting drunk with Mindy Collette, Tim and Billy bonding over trucks and having babies on the side of the road, and Tyra sharing her college acceptance letter with Landry.
Any of your favorites that I missed?
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