WELP, we’re definitely in the infamous Season 2 now. My memory of these episodes is hazy, if I even ever watched them. (I definitely dipped out for most of this season during the original run lol.)
Last week, we caught up with our favourite Dillonites as summer comes to an end and football season is around the corner. Eric’s been working for TMU’s football team in Austin throughout Tami’s entire pregnancy, just barely making it back to Dillon for the birth of their daughter Grace and only being able to stay for a few days, much to Tami’s dismay. New Dillon head coach Bill McGregor is a hard ass who’s verbally sparring with everyone — players, assistant coaches, and boosters alike. Julie’s been flirting with her lifeguard coworker, Anton aka the Swede who’s in a band and has a girlfriend, and poor Matty is well aware of it. Lyla finds Jesus, while Buddy finds ex-wife Pam’s new boyfriend’s face with his fists. Finally uhhhhhh Landry kills Tyra’s attempted rapist turned stalker.
Stephanie asked if Tyra and Landry would’ve ever dated if not for Deus Ex Homicide. If Tyra Collette was a real person? Absolutely not. Maybe flirtation and a bang, at most. But because she’s a fictional cool girl written by white men: lol yeah, they would have still dated for the nerd wish fulfillment fantasy.
… yeah, we’re going to need our drinking game.
The Official FYA Friday Night Lights Season 2 Drinking Game
Drink once every time:
You want to give Matt Saracen a hug
Tami Taylor drinks a glass of wine
Tami Taylor says “y’all”
Landry Clarke goes off on a tangent
You’re Team Tyra Collette
Buddy Garrity makes you roll your eyes
Lyla Garrity is a little (or a LOT) much about the Jesus
You think, “It’s JUST football, people.”
You are not a fan of the romantic relationship you’re seeing on screen
Glen is just SO Glen
Baby Gracie appears in a scene
You are reminded why no one likes Season 2
Drink twice every time:
The Panthers score a touchdown
Tim Riggins makes poor choices
There’s a classic Coach Taylor pep talk
Landry and/or Tyra stress you out
Tami and Julie clash
Take a shot every time you hear:
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!”
“Texas Forever.”
Finish your drink when:
Hands slap the Panther “P”
Landry straight up kills a guy
On to the episode!
2.02 “Bad Ideas”
Over in Austin, Eric accompanies TMU player Antwone Beltrane to a disciplinary hearing on accepting gifts from boosters. Antwone isn’t taking it seriously at all until Eric gives him some tough love. Thanks to Antwone’s newfound contrition and Eric’s impassioned* speech in his defense, the infractions committee reduces Antwone’s suspension from a full season to three games.
* Like he’s capable of any other kind lol.
Back in Dillon, Tami is struggling with married single parenthood while suffering the quiet indignity of dealing with an ignorant man and a combative daughter. Glenn, the science teacher pulling double duty as the substitute guidance counsellor, is both overwhelmed by his new responsibilities and judgmental as fuck about Tami’s parenting. Unfortunately for all of us, he’s the main person she interacts with this episode and the one she calls to pick her up when she takes Baby Gracie to the hospital out of precaution. Yeah, this long-distance arrangement with a newborn baby has not been going well, to no one’s surprise.
Matt finally succeeds in getting home care for Grandma Saracen, but it’s a real “Be careful what you wish for” situation when Nurse Carlotta moves in with the subtlety of a bulldozer. Also rough for poor Matt: Julie breaks up with him after she kisses the Swede.
Another person going through it: Buddy the pariah in his divorced era. After he publicly punched Pam’s new boyf, she tosses his remaining possessions out of the house, he’s shunned by his two youngest kids, and the dealership loses hosting privileges for the Dillon season opener pep rally to a “more wholesome” venue… at which Buddy gets blitzed and tries to fight another booster, which I’m sure will help with his current reputation woes.
After regaining muscle strength in his right hand, Jason’s hopes of walking again are quickly dashed by his doctor — and then immediately raised back up again when he learns about experimental stem cell surgeries being offered in Mexico.
Newly minted football player Landry can’t even bask in his achievement. He’s stressed over losing Chekhov’s highly identifiable watch during the disposal of the rapist corpse, on top of having a guilty conscience over committing second-degree homicide. In response to Tyra callously telling him to “act like a man”, Landry unloads on that notion of toxic masculinity while professing his love for her. Later, Tyra expresses her fears over Landry getting into trouble for what she wishes she got to do instead. The two of them make up and make out.
How many times do I have to take a drink?
32 drinks. (Baby Gracie showed up A LOT.)
Did the Panthers win?
The season hasn’t started yet, so they haven’t even played a game!
MVP of the Week
I was tempted to give it to Antwone for all his great lines, but I can’t condone and reward the bad behaviour of attending a Justin Timberlake concert, obvs. But Eric wins, sort of by default on account of everyone else’s life being pretty shitty, and despite rolling my eyes at him complaining that he isn’t in the inner circle at TMU yet. (You’ve been there for the length of one pregnancy, Eric. Slow your roll.)
Intrusive Play of the Week
Excuse you, Carlotta, for ransacking Matt’s room and teasing him about his porn stash! How does that contribute in any way to Grandma Saracen’s care!? I understand Carlotta needing to work in a clean and tidy environment, but (1) why is she even going into Matt’s room, and (2) why would a nurse pull double duty as a maid?! You’re not getting paid for that! Also, (3) why are you sex shaming a teenager whom you don’t even know, like you know exactly why a teenage boy would have porn mags under his mattress! (Her comment was more about the old school format, but still very sex-shaming adjacent.)
Best Taylor Couple Moment
Extremely slim pickings, since they don’t even appear in a single scene together. (Who were the geniuses that decided to separate the show’s dynamic duo?!?!?) Their also-best-by-default interaction was their late-night catch-up phone call while Baby Grace fusses. But it’s been hard to watch desperate and exhausted Tami not receiving any help or support from anyone other than fucking GLENN.
Tim Riggins’ Finest Moment
Even though Riggins seems to have upped the sleaziness since last season, the fuckboy bob is working on him. Character-wise, Tim’s finest moment had to be helping drunk Buddy and showing empathy towards both Garritys. And also visually fine, with the prolonged eye contact with Lyla. (He might have looked better in motion lol but a rare Riggins smile!)
One nice thing I’ll say about Season 2 (that’s actually about Season 1): Rainy Riggins in the opening credits!
The Taylor Advice of the Week
Eric calling out Antwone is the clear winner, but I have to give a shout-out to Tami for telling Glenn to mind his own beeswax, even if she ends up apologizing to him later, and a lol for her “Oh, lord” when Jason starts saying that he has a recurring dream about her.
Post-Game Breakdown
- Lolllll Lyla listing off all the positions — “Christ in me”, “Christ above me, Christ beneath me, Christ when I lay down” — as she’s watching Tim make out with a random girl.
- Why is Glenn every-fucking-where?! Make even ONE adult friend in Dillon who’s not Glenn, Tami, I BEG. Why are we wasting Connie Britton with this loser character?!
- Of course the Swede drives a pedo white van; yet another adult kissing a teenager on this show!!! (He’s probably early 20s at most, but definitely older and more legal than Julie’s 16.)
- I assume Antwone is just a one-off character, but the writers Tyra/Lyla’d again by giving two new characters similar names (even though no one really calls the Swede by his government).
- Also in Antwone: his ‘scandal’ is particularly interesting nowadays, because he’s absolutely right that college athletes should get paid, and there’s an ongoing court case about the very topic.
- Omg Jason’s friend who tells him about the experimental procedure is played by Mark Zupan from Murderball aka an actual quad rugby Paralympian! I mistook him for an uncharacteristically not-aggravating Herc lol until I recognized him.
- Second nice thing I’ll say about Season 2: LANDRY’S DAD HAS ARRIVED. AARON FUCKING PIERCE IN THE HOUSE!
- Speaking of Landry: his declaration of love made me recontextualize the murder as his grand gesture lolololol. If a rom-com edit of this subplot doesn’t exist, IT SHOULD.
- Oh hey, Lester’s ranch is the taxidermy footsie love shack!
- I’m really curious about who wrote Smash’s raps. Also, for someone who seems to rap at every football event off the field, rapping never comes up in any other context, which feels like lazy characterization. We should have had Smash the Poet, alongside Matt the Artist!
Join us next week as Mandy C. recaps “Are You Ready for Friday Night?”. My question for her and all of y’all: in an episode with bad ideas as its central thesis, which one was the worst?
Shop Our Friday Night Lights Themed Merch
Haha I can feel your Glenn rage just simmering off the page. I love it! I second it!
Bad idea of the week has gotta go to Buddy throwing ‘em back and throwing punches at a Panther event. Your wife already left you, dude. Now you’re gonna get kicked to the curb by the real love of your life!
Haha I just had to create that drinking game rule for Glenn because it is the only way to tolerate his presence. I agree, why can’t Tami find a real friend? There have to be more women in Dillon than just the fake “bless your heart” book club ladies!
Also yes MAJOR LOL when Lyla is reciting the positions. Oh, those writers knew what they were doing.