About:
Drinks Taken: 23
Follow the whole rewatch here!
A lot happened last week: Julie and Matt are back on in a big FIRST TIME DOIN’ IT way, which is Matt’s only win after he loses his QB1 spot. Teenage boys with no DIY experience realize it’s harder to do a flip than you’d think, Crucifictorious gets a new lady bandmate, and JD gets drunk for the first time in his life and his daddy makes him apologize to his coach for it at CHURCH. SO cringe you’re gonna want that drink, so refresh yourself on the game:
The Official FYA Friday Night Lights Season 3 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
You think, “It’s JUST football, people.”
Gracie appears in a scene
You want to punch Joe McCoy in the face
Grandma Saracen gets riled up
Billy and Mindy are too much but you love ‘em anyway
You tear up
Drink twice every time:
The Panthers score a touchdown
Tim and/or Billy Riggins makes poor choices
There’s a classic Coach Taylor pep talk
You think, “Cash is bad news.”
Devin is the shit
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”
Smash gets into college
On to the episode!
3.07 “Keeping Up Appearances”
Landry’s in a big ole snit about Tyra choosing Cash over him absolutely nothing because they WEREN’T DATING ANYMORE. But when new Crucifictorious bassist, Devin, tries to boost his spirits, she effs up in not realizing that Landry takes to any female attention like a shark to blood in the water. He kisses her without asking and tries to plan a date without asking, and she is incredibly nice (or IS SHE?) when she tells him she is actually a lesbian. She wasn’t totally sure, but then he kissed her, and now she KNOWS, and ROTFLMAO. (It’s even more amazing because she says this very sincerely.) Thankfully, Landry is chill about it and agrees to keep her secret under wraps since it’s not his business to tell.
Prospective Homebuyer: “…Maybe later.”
The house-flip is ready to go on the market for-sale-by-owner, and Jason stuns the guys by listing at $295K instead of their agreed-upon $265K. They’re worried this will slow the sale and leave them on the hook for the mortgage longer than expected, and Herc gets so worked up he and Jason come to blows in the backyard DURING the open house. Jason gives an impassioned plea to just let him TRY because he NEEDS this money to prove he isn’t going to be a deadbeat dad. The move pays off as they get an offer by end of episode!
Jason also gets a sports agent’s card and a vague offer to stop by the next time he’s in the city (this felt less “I’m actually interested in helping you” and more “I’m trying to sign your athlete friend here and being nice to you will boost my chances” but since we know Jason is about to skedaddle from the show, it’s all going to work out fine.). This leads to he and Lyla sharing a final, sweet moment out by the pool where she encourages him to find a better life outside Dillon. They’re both shedding happy tears, and I can’t help but feel like these are real tears coming from two actors saying goodbye to each other. (If they aren’t then Minka Kelly is an excellent crier!)
Coach Taylor is finally looking past his own annoyance with Joe McCoy’s constant meddling and taking in the dynamic between father and son, and he isn’t liking what he sees. Joe is putting an insane amount of pressure on JD and has no problem berating him in front of his teammates. Even when JD refocuses and WINS this week’s game, only his mother is waiting for him post-game. The man was SO mad things didn’t go his exact way he had a hissy fit and abandoned his family to go pout. Pathetic.
Prior to Friday’s game, Tami had to do some principal-y things this week like discipline starting fullback Jamarcus Hall for…lighting a girl’s hair on fire???! Is it the homeschooler in me who is slightly appalled this is not a bigger concern, as whatever Jamarcus did to get in trouble is quickly overshadowed by the fact that he had forged his parents’ signature on his football permission slip. His parents—who are Dillon transplants—are Serious People who don’t give a shit about football (honestly, same) and they ban Jamarcus from playing, even as Coach, befuddled and flabbergasted by this response, tries to convince them he NEEDS Jamarcus. But it’s Tami’s W this week as she actually listens and soothes their concerns and wins them over by inviting them to see Jamarcus shine at the game.
How many times do I have to take a drink?
23, thanks to copious focus on Joe and Buddy and Devin
Did the Panthers win?
Yes, but no thanks to Joe McCoy.
MVP of the Week
Jason Street
It’s (almost) the last time I can give this out to Jason, but I do think he deserves it. While I did not agree with his season-two-finale decision to have a one-night-stand baby just in case he never got another chance to spread his seed, I am proud of him for loving that baby and wanting to provide emotionally and monetarily for him and his mama. This week Jason dabbled in video editing, house-selling, and life-changing career moves!
Useless Plot Play of the Week
The youngest Garritys (actual names: Tabby and Buddy Jr.) are being forced to visit their father and older sister for the weekend, and it’s, ah, not going well, to put it lightly. It’s tough to know if the kids ARE being brainwashed against Buddy by “that hippie” or if the distance and time away has simply revealed to them how ridiculous their father is. (Or maybe they’re just typical bratty tweens.) Buddy literally walks home from the campground instead of dealing with his children, but Lyla drives after him because she’s never met a man she doesn’t want to try and save. Nothing actually gets discussed or resolved, but, somehow, through the magic of a Dillon Panthers football game, Tabby and Buddy Jr. throw Buddy a bone and let him take them out for ice cream.
Best Taylor Couple Moment
Tami singing Eric’s praises when the Taylors went to visit Jamarcus’s parents: “It took me a long time to understand all this fuss about football; he’s very convincing about it, but I didn’t get it either. But I do wanna express to y’all is that I’ve seen football do wonderful things for kids, and that’s because of my husband. He has a great ability to take a kid, get ‘em out on the football field and inspire them and empower them, and then that transfers over to their lives, at school and in every way. And I think he can do that for Jamarcus. […] And Coach Taylor will make him regret the day [he ever lied to you].”
Eric was so moved he opened Tami’s car door for her afterwards. (No, that’s not a euphemism.)
Tim Riggins’ Finest Moment
Billy recruits Jason to create a highlight reel for Tim to send to college recruiters because he wants better things for his brother, and it’s heartwarming to see them all gather around to watch it and cheer Tim on.
Bonus points to Tim for being the most professional in the bunch during that disastrous open house.
The Taylor Advice of the Week
It’s a tie, as both Coach and Tami got in some good words of wisdom:
Tami tried to help Landry tame his creepiest of tendencies by explaining that he needs to stop stalking high-school girls because really he’s just a late bloomer with the ladies who will one day have the money and skin products to back up his personal self-confidence, and, when that happens, all the chicks will flock to him. (Ya know, to paraphrase.)
Eric’s advice to JD is that football dads are a subset of “stage parent” who won’t always have their kid’s mental well-being in the forefront of their minds, so JD will unfortunately need to protect himself because Joe’s expectations will always be a hill too high for him to climb. (Or something like that.)
Post-Game Breakdown:
- As I was reviewing storylines from a top-down level to decide what to focus on and what to (barely) sum up, I realized almost all this week’s plotlines revolve around dads or dad-like figures!
- They try to make us dislike JD at the start of this season for encroaching on Matt’s QB territory, but these last two episodes have made me feel for him. I can’t imagine having to deal with an overbearing perfectionist like Joe every day.
- Like, every time I felt a little bad for Buddy—Tabby literally told him she wishes he wasn’t her dad, ouch—I get annoyed at myself because he’s so…so BUDDY about almost everything. Buddy and the Jumbotron? Annoying. Buddy cheating? Annoying. Ignoring his kid’s preferences? Annoying! But I guess I’m more like Lyla than I want, because pathetic, downtrodden Buddy saying he deserves to lose his kids after cheating DID make me feel sorry for him. Just a little. Ugh, is this what reading has done to me?? Given me the ability to empathize with ding-dongs?? /s
Before Mandy W. heads to “New York, New York” next week, riddle me this: Are you gonna be sad to see Jason leave Dillon (and the show)?
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I loved Tim’s college recruitment video storyline so much! I’m truly going to miss Jason *sob* – guess I must go watch Hart of Dixie for the thousandth or so time.
Oh, Hart of Dixie! Such a cute show!!
– “Lyla drives after him because she’s never met a man she doesn’t want to try and save.”
– “Eric was so moved he opened Tami’s car door for her afterwards. (No, that’s not a euphemism.)”
– “I had to ‘gif’ this. Jason calls him “Timothy”.”
Stephanie, you are KILLING IT in this post. Damn!!! I feel you on Buddy; he drives me crazy AND YET I do actually care about him. As for Jason, eh, not to be stone cold about it but he’s never been my favorite. I am glad he is leaving for a better future, for sure, but I won’t actually miss him on the show (sorry!!).
Tami’s speech about Coach to Jamarcus’ parents really got me!
Thank ya, thank ya!
Jason isn’t my favorite either, and I was not a fan of the baby storyline last season, but seeing him WITH the baby this season is all kinds of awww (less so with his awkward relationship with the mother). I do agree that in the past when he wasn’t in a spate of episodes I didn’t really miss him, so it’s probably for the best that he moves on!
I’m sad to see Jason leave, but I’m also happy for him? And I LIVE for him and Tim in the streets next episode.
Yeah, I mean it’s clearly a much happier ending for him than plenty of other options we’ve seen potentially come down the pipe (that misguided para sports moment, marrying Lyla, being a car salesman forever, etc.), so I am happy he’s off to bigger and better things!
– I still feel nothing for JD as a character, even though I feel for him as Joe’s son, you know?
– Also in annoying dads: Buddy throwing a tantrum, fucking off into the woods, and leaving his three kids behind wtf! I was also annoyed at Lyla for telling Tabby to knock it off with being a vegan lol although it was interesting to think about how far Buddy/Lyla have come, with her being his biggest defender now.
– Landry, maybe you’re having girl troubles because you keep calling them females 💀 which I know is a pretty 2025 take on it, but still. SO MUCH CRINGE, esp. calling Devin his girlfriend to Tyra after ONE KISS. (In character though, I suppose.)
– NOOOOOOO BILLY with the threesome tub 😂 how did this man make it to adulthood
– I loved how JaMarcus’ parents did not give a singular hoot about football! And that it was a Tami speech that won them over. But also, YES — how did we move on so fast from LIGHTING A GIRL’S HAIR ON FIRE???!?!?
– JD definitely needs more teenager to teenager interactions to get some layers as a character because he’s just Football-Bot right now, but yes, I do feel bad for him for his dad turning him into this puppet for his own purposes.
– Buddy is so ridiculous. I think it must be the actor imbuing him with some latent sympathy because HE’S a decent person (I assume), because Buddy is so unserious and I would never want to deal with him in real life. (Actually, I had a friend from college who could be very similarly equal parts narcissistic and bumbling idiot, and we don’t talk anymore for these reasons!). Agree Lyla has really done a 180 and gotten on Buddy’s side, which, given her track record, is not super surprising lol.
– JaMarcus’ parents are my people. I mean, I adore Coach when he’s not being a dingbat to Tami but anytime he gets baffled that someone doesn’t center football in their life, I have to shake my head and laugh.