Writer: Jason Katims
Grade: A
This was yet another outstanding episode, but it left me confused about a couple of things. For one thing, what do they intend for Matt? I thought they were going to send Matt off to college and make JD the “neo-Matt,” but it looks like we’re going to see what happens when a Panther sticks around in Dillon after high school. I think I’d rather Matt go to college for the sake of the character, but a) I adore Matt, so I guess I won’t complain, b) the decision he made is not out of character, and c) for the sake of balance, they probably should follow the story of a Panther who doesn’t leave. I think it would also be slightly less depressing to see Matt, who likes football but didn’t plan to make a career out of it, hanging around in Dillon than one of the more football-obsessed guys like Tim or Smash. Maybe they’ll ease him out slowly like they did with the other players.
My second point of confusion involves East Dillon High, because all the players we’re familiar with are Panthers, and last we knew, the boosters were messing with the re-districting lines to keep the Panthers together. If most of the good football players in town are already with the Panthers and staying there, who is Eric Taylor going to coach? A bunch of greenhorns and maybe one or two kids who move from somewhere else to be coached by him? At first I thought that maybe this would be a temporary storyline, like when Eric went off to coach college ball for the first few episodes of the second season. But ultimately, I don’t think that would work--they can’t just un-make a school, or pretend East Dillon High doesn’t exist once Eric gets his old job back. With one simple move, they’ve basically hit the reset button, expanded the show in a huge way, and set up a conflict in which many viewers may end up rooting for both sides (JD and the Panthers vs. Coach Taylor and his new team). I’m very curious about what the writers plan to do with this (and I’m in awe of their efficiency!).
I noticed that Buddy didn’t look too happy about the possibility of Aikmen as head coach, so I wonder if he’ll end up staying loyal to Eric, maybe even help him bring in some star players from elsewhere.
I was a little sad to see Tim and Lyla separate after working so hard on their relationship, but I’m glad she’s going to Vanderbilt and that Tim was warm and generous enough to encourage her (although did anyone expect him to react differently? Probably not.). I still think her “Life Coach Lyla” storyline this season was a yawnfest, and even though she’s far from my favorite character, she deserved better than that.
Other Stuff
-I didn’t much care for the song, but I enjoyed the opening musical montage. It was good to see Dillon in the late spring/early summer, with football over and done with for a few months.
-Junior high Matt Saracen/Zach Gilford really was adorable.
-I completely do not understand Tim’s logic about the steer mascot… then again, maybe that was the point?
- I was getting a little tired of the histrionics about Tyra getting into UT, but I’ll admit that I still got caught up in the drama and shed a few tears when she received the acceptance letter. Good for her!
-What a great scene when Tim found out he’s going to be an uncle! Taylor Kitsch and Derek Phillips have such great chemistry.
-Tami’s “I think they think very highly of us” about the bride and groom was a little too snobby and self-important. Granted she only said it to her husband, but yuck.
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