Friday Night Lights 4.09 – “Damn, I love” this show

Coach is looking for Dallas/”Tinker” at his home, but his sister says he’s probably at Carroll Park. Tinker hasn’t been to practice. Coach heads to Carroll Park, at night, where a bunch of people are smoking who knows what, not a really inviting place, especially for someone like Coach. He asks around, but they laugh at him. Suddenly gunshots and everyone goes running. The cops arrive and tend to a young boy lying in the street bleeding.

Next day at the police station, Coach asks why the lights aren’t turned on at the park. It’s all about the money. At practice, Coach asks Buddy if he still has the in with Mayor Rodell. She may be furious with Buddy about the mailbox incident, but hilariously, Buddy explains, “You know we go back, we have a little history, you know, before she started playing for the other team, you know what I mean.” He laughs at himself.

Tami has “encouraged” Julie to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Julie isn’t really excited about it, but she’ll go. It’ll look good on applications. Before they leave, Julie points out how it seems Coach and Mrs. Coach seem to not be in the same room so much anymore. Mrs. Coach notices that too.

Julie is working on tiling the floor when the head guy Ryan comes in to point out she’s been tiling the closet and not the bathroom. They get cute with each other. They end up along together and he asks her out to get some food. She says he’s nice and cute, but she admits she just got out of a relationship and she’s “broken.” He understands. He backs offs, but Julie suggests, why not skip the lunch and instead be spontaneous and just kiss, no strings attached. He thinks that an okay idea and they kiss.

Tami visits Julie at the Habitat site and is glad Julie is having fun now. Tami realizes why though when she sees Julie with Ryan. Julie tells her that she feels a lot better now.

Glen goes over to East Dillon to thank Coach for being so understanding about all that happened. What happened? Oops. “Don’t hit me,” Glen stammers and explains the whole situation. Coach stands there, quietly fuming, then lets out a laugh. Glen apologizes again and leaves.

Next day, Coach brings it up while they are lying in bed. They have a cute, hilarious back and forth. “Do you realize, by proxy, I have now kissed Glen!”
She brings up the McCoy’s divorce. Not wanting to be the nextMcCoys, they plan on a date together.

Buddy goes over to Virgil Merriweather to get his favorite meal and mentions their plan for wanting to clean up Carroll Park, to “take it back.” Virgil laughs at him, but recommends someone who can help. Vince is trying to apply for a job to help his mother, but his record isn’t helping. He asks Coach to maybe help him out and Coach offers to be a reference and maybe look out for some job openings.

Over at West Dillon, Principal Mrs. Coach is talking with Joe McCoy, telling him how J.D. has been a pain in the ass, calling his teacher a bitch and disrespecting her. Joe breaks the news that he and his wife have separated. Principal Mrs. Coach had no idea. Turns out Katie McCoy couldn’t stand Joe anymore either.

Big Mary Virgil takes Coach and Buddy to see Elden, a reformed gang member who now helps kids who might be following his own path into trouble. Buddy suggests a football game between the Lions and the kids at the park. “Good clean fun.” Coach is kind of hesitant, but Virgil and Elden like it. The Lions have a bye week, so they decide to play on Saturday.

Coach tells the team about it at the next practice, it’s voluntary. He then tells Vince about a job at Ray’s BBQ. Big Mary Virgil explains the rules and gets him to work, first cleaning toilets. Vince working there now opens up more awkward sexual tension between him and Jess.

While Jess and Landry are making out in his car outside her house, they plan on some hanging out time after closing time the next day. It’s the next day, and just as Vince leaves for the night, Landry arrives. Vince doesn’t look too happy.

Next day, Calvin and his boys come looking for some free food. Vince tells them to go in and order themselves, which they don’t take too kindly too. Big Mary Virgil comes to calm things down before something happens and the guys leave. “You’re better than them,” he tells Vince.

They close up early for the game at Carroll Park. Everyone’s there but the lights aren’t on. Coach is trying to find out what’s up just as the other team arrives, which just delights [/sarcasm] Buddy and Mrs. Coach.

Coach tells Elden the problem with the lights and he says all they have to do is get to the padlocked switchbox. They climb over the fenced-in switchbox.

Landry goes up to Vince to ask him if he has a problem, “if you want to hit me… I’d like to get past it at some point.”

Just then, they get the lights on and everyone applauds. Vince walks away.

They play, it starts off with some jostling, but it ends up a fun, successful night. Lance even threw a touchdown pass to Vince!

For Coach, he might’ve just found his next star (and maybe season 5 cast member?) Maurice on Elden’s team. He calls him over and tells him to come look for him next year when he’s in high school. Maurice is excited.

Next day, Coach and Mrs. Coach end up on an impromptu date at the lake. They have memories here and they make out. Beautiful scene.

“Damn I love you.”
“Damn I love you too babe.”

SHOCK! Becky finds out she’s pregnant and is freaking out. Tim notices she’s acting strangely and thinks it is about their kiss. At school, Becky waits for Luke who is happy to have her talking to him. But she drops the bomb. No not that she’s pregnant, that she needs to get an abortion. She asks him to come up with half of the $300 to pay for it. She wants to do it, it is all happening so fast. Luke says sure, but wait. Becky walks away.

At home later, Tim tries to get Becky to talk to him. He apologizes about the kiss, “it was a mistake.” Becky gives him a “You have no idea” and locks herself back in her room.

Luke and Becky meet and he wants to make sure she’s thought it all through. Becky doesn’t want to be a single mom at 17 like her mom. Luke says he’s worried about her and how he feels responsible. He wants to support her, but he also doesn’t feel too comfortable about making the baby just go away. Becky asks him to take her home.

Becky tells Tim, first that it hurt her when he said kissing her was a mistake. I don’t want to ever hurt you, Tim says. Then she drops the bomb. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do. He hugs her and says she’ll be fine.


Episode Thoughts
And… another episode ends with Tim and Becky. It feels like every other ep this season has.

While it seemed something happened between Becky and Luke that night, I never expected FNL to go this direction. Not only that she’s pregnant, but that she would consider an abortion. Man, this is Texas, so we’ll see how that’ll play out. Should be very interesting to see.

I’ve read a lot of comments about this season and how race is finally being explored in depth on the series. While we’ve had a little bit of it, like the Mack McGill comments in season 1 (which culminated in the amazing episode “Black Eyes & Broken Hearts”) and the so-so Smash dating a white girl storyline in season 2, this current season 4 has really dug deeper into the racial tensions in Dillon.

The redistricting has definitely provided for a huge number of story possibilities, and this has definitely been one of them. We’ve been used to suburbiaDillon in the first three seasons, now we’re seeing the other side, the eastside.

Newbies update… Vince has definitely gotten a lot of the focus and the material. Becky has the benefit of being part of all things Riggins, and now her pregnancy with good guy Luke. But Jess seems like a little bit of an afterthought. Are we supposed to be rooting for her and Landry? Or are we supposed to prepare ourselves for her falling (back?) in love with Vince? I think Jess is probably the most underdeveloped of the four newbies, while Becky could probably have benefited from a little more development too. Vince and Luke have both gotten deeper focus and as such, makes you connect with them more than with the two young women.

Hopefully we can see more from Jess and Becky in the final stretch.

EPISODE 4.09 – THE LIGHTS OF CARROLL PARK
Miss the episode or want to watch it again? Watch full episodes at NBC.com and download full episodes at or on Friday Night Lights on iTunes

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