Last week, Meredith C. asked on a scale of 1-10, how much trouble do I think Tim and Billy’s dumbass theft is going to cause? That plotline still seems to be simmering on the back burner, but when does anything ever work out for the Riggins boys?
Previously, Tim kissed Lyla and when she asked what he was doing, he made some dumb Jesus joke. Santiago lost his temper with Buddy, who just wants to help him play football. Mama Smash was concerned about his new girlfriend’s influence. Matt tried to define things with Carlotta now that they’re sleeping together, but she distracted him. The Taylors need to find new childcare for Gracie.
Let’s refresh ourselves on those handy drinking game rules.
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!
2.12 “Who Do You Think You Are?”
The Taylor house is chaotic as they’re all getting ready to head out the door for the day while Tami is on the phone with a daycare that had a last-minute opening and can take Gracie (since Tami’s awful sister finally left town). Eric is concerned about any daycare being good enough if they have an opening. Then stay home with the baby yourself, Eric! Tami is nervous about dropping Gracie off, which is fair, but the woman works in a school, so you’d think she’s already seen the scariest things kids can get up to. She chickens out and leaves with Gracie, promising to try again tomorrow. Eric goes by Tami’s office and she tries to keep him out but he barges in to find her co-worker Clint holding Gracie on the sofa. Tami sticks Eric with the baby while she heads out to a meeting. That night, Tami thanks Eric for being so understanding about her not being ready to leave the baby with strangers just yet. At work, Eric tells Mac that he wishes Tami would just quit her job and stay home with Gracie but he can’t say that because he isn’t willing to do the same. Mac says that’s because men aren’t built that way and he wouldn’t let a woman of his go to work when she has a baby at home. Once Eric hears it said aloud, he realizes that’s some caveman nonsense.
Santiago walks through the Dillon High parking lot when an old friend pulls up in a sweet drop-top. Devin is played by beloved Veronica Mars frenemy, Francis Capra. Devin tries to talk him into skipping and can’t believe he’d rather go to school and football practice. Devin comes back as he’s getting out of practice and insists Santiago join their crew for a ride-along. They end up drinking out of a paper bag in the parking lot in front of Buddy’s apartment when Buddy comes home and invites the guys to come by anytime.
Lyla starts her new call-in Christian radio show job and meets her cute co-host, Chris, played by controversial Rory Gilmore ex, Matt Czuchry. Lyla is a bit flustered starting out, but Chris is super smooth. So, teenagers can just give out sex advice on the radio in Dillon as long as they’re Christians, huh? After their radio shifts, they spend time talking about their relationship with God and growing closer. Riggins prank calls into the show while Herk laughs in the background. Street disapproves of that method of getting Lyla’s attention. She stops by Tim’s house that night to let him know in person that he sucks. She’s getting up at 4 am to do this show and is pretty mature and polite in asking him to respect what she’s doing and to think about why he does the things he does.
Smash’s girl Noelle (played by Jana Kramer of One Tree Hill) invites him and his family to dinner with her parents. At Noelle’s house, Snash’s family all give each other looks at the door to her fancy house. The families get along well at dinner until the younger sisters leave the table to play video games. Noelle’s mom asks Mama Smash what she thinks about the two dating and admits that the relationship scares her because Dillon is a small town and people talk. Mama Smash admits that she agrees. Later, Smash confronts his mom for embarrassing him, but she’s not backing down. Smash takes his sister to the movies, which is just a ruse for him and Noelle to be out together without their parents knowing. After his sister is harassed in the theater, Smash quickly hustles them out. She cries on the way home about how he shouldn’t have left her sitting alone at the movies. He feels awful about it but begs her not to tell their mom. The next morning, Mama Smash asks about the movie, but his sister keeps the secret.
Carlotta (also of One Tree Hill!) tells Matt that she has to go back home to Guatemala, and in typical Matt fashion, he looks like a kicked puppy about it. Matt tells Landry about her leaving and Landry gathers that Matt has been sleeping with his grandma’s hot home health aide. And that’s the last we see of Landry this week, but I’m just glad these guys are friendly again! Carlotta takes Matt to a quinceanera (which he’s somehow never heard of, despite growing up in Texas, where they’re extremely common). While dancing, Matt tells her he loves her and he doesn’t understand why she can’t stay, but she tells him that she’d stay if she could, but her family needs her and she can’t. The next day, Matt gets home from practice to find a goodbye letter from Carlotta on his bed. This pairing bored me, but this show will never skip a chance to knock Matt down again.
Eric and Tami argue at dinner about the options for Gracie’s care while repeatedly claiming to Julie they’re not fighting. Then Buddy shows up at the door with a box of his prized possessions that he doesn’t want to leave at his place since Santiago’s thug friends might come over. But really, he’s there to ask their parenting advice about Santiago. That night, Santiago’s gathering evovles into to a full-on party. He adorably wanders around nervous trying to prevent messes and fights while Devin scopes Buddy’s stuff. While cleaning up the huge mess after the party, Santiago is upset to find a broken picture frame and an empty display for Buddy’s watch. He heads out and finds Devin drinking a Mickey outside again. Devin gives him a bunch of shit about forgetting where he came from and how Buddy wouldn’t care about him if he wasn’t playing football for the Panthers. Santiago runs into Devin’s house to find the watch and they end up beating the crap out of each other on the floor.
How many times do I have to take a drink?
18, many of those courtesy of baby Gracie. Cheers, Gracie!
Did the Panthers win?
No game this week! Rest up, team.
MVP of the Week
I kind of can’t believe I’m saying this, but Buddy Garrity was pretty damn endearing this week. He told Santiago’s friends they were welcome anytime, he drunkenly expounded at the bar about the importance of what’s inside a person being what counts. He earnestly asked the Taylors for parenting advice, recognizing they’re the best ones he knows. And when Buddy felt guilty about not trusting Santiago’s friends, he puts his valuables back around the apartment to show his trust. Even after the party got out of hand, and he was cleaning up, he merely seemed exasperated, not angry. And when Santiago came home beat up, to Buddy’s credit, he didn’t care about the watch, he’s just concerned about the kid.
Worst Small-Town Moment
This show was pretty good about not ignoring the racist elephant in the room and not pretending Dillon would be immune to issues that can be pervasive in small towns. (How well they handle these nuanced topics is up for debate.) The fact that Smash and Noelle’s parents are in agreement about it being a bad idea for the kids to be dating is significant. We see this play out when Smash and Noelle kiss in the movie concession line and a couple next to them make sour judgey faces. In 2008! Then a few douchebag bros behind Smash’s sister in the movie harass her, making really inappropriate comments to an obviously young teenager. When Smash confronts them, they make gross cracks about interracial couples, and Smash is obliged to hit the guy who then yells that he didn’t do anything like a toddler. I don’t remember what comes of all of this but I’m really worried that Smash will face consequences over the incident and those dbag white boys will not.
Best Taylor Couple Moment
Eric and Tami sit on their porch swing drinking wine and Tami admits she’d forgotten what new motherhood was like and she thought she’d be able to do it all. Eric tells her she’s not giving up her job because he quit TMU so she could keep it, and that she’s a damn good mother, counselor, and a hot wife. AMEN.
Tim Riggins’ Finest Moment
Tim listens to Lyla’s radio show while driving in his truck and her answer to a question about how she deals with others making fun of her faith seems to give him a real lightbulb moment. He stops in to buy flowers at a gas station and heads to the church radio station. As he walks in, he sees Lyla and Chris kissing. He tosses the flowers aside and walks out looking shellshocked. Poor Riggs was finally ready to show Lyla he cares about her like a grown-up, and he was too late.
The Taylor Advice of the Week
During their sweet moment on the front porch, Eric also tells Tami he did some googling (or maybe given the year, he Binged it) and found out that separation anxiety is normal and they’ll all get through it. The next day, Tami and Eric take Gracie to daycare together and successfully drop her off.
Post-Game Breakdown
- How much do we bet that Tim will take this disappointment in a mature fashion and not lash out by doing something reckless?
- I just love that Eric used Mac as a sounding board but then told him when he sounded like a damn caveman.
- Do these guys still play football or what?
And my final question for next week’s recapper, and you, is who is your favorite of the new characters we’ve met this season?
Be sure to join us next week for “Humble Pie”.
With all the other CW cameos this episode, I’m sure he Bing’d it.
“This pairing bored me, but this show will never skip a chance to knock Matt down again.” You nailed it.
I unironically do Bing it nowadays lololol and I’m forever disappointed in the internet that no one has made a GIF of anyone from TVD announcing that they’ve Bing’d something.
– Favourite new character is extremely slim pickings lololol. Probably Santiago? His first football practice with the endless running was high comedy. My only other candidate would have been Baby Gracie, except her existence has caused some of the worst Taylor subplots.
– Lyla’s radio job seems extremely random, especially with the teens giving teens sex advice angle.
– Matt/Carlotta: what a waste of everybody’s time! Good riddance!