"Friday Night Lights" Recap & Review - "Last Days of Summer" (Season Premiere)

Friday Night Lights
“Last Days of Summer”

Original Air Date: October 5, 2007

Tiffiny F - TwoCents Staff Writer

Welcome back to Dillon, FNL fans!

We join the kids 8 months post-State championship at the local pool. Julie’s a lifeguard, Smash and Riggins are surrounded by ladies, Matt and Landry are together and discussing girl problems—it’s like we never left. First problem: Julie’s spending a lot of time talking to “The Swede”, a fellow (older) lifeguard, which doesn’t sit well with Matt. Second problem: Tami Taylor, heavily pregnant, goes into labor while at the pool, but Coach isn’t in Dillon.
Where has Eric Taylor been? Working for TMU in Austin, that’s where. He does manage to arrive in time for the arrival of little Grace Taylor, much to his wife’s relief. Also, want to know how to keep your teenage daughter from getting pregnant? Have her there in the delivery room while you give birth to her baby sister.

As for the football part of this show, there isn’t much to say—yet. There’s a new coach in town, some “hillbilly from Tennessee,” according to Buddy Garrity, who isn’t a welcome practice spectator in the new coach’s eyes. Bill McGregor is a tough character and the boys, especially Riggins, aren’t overly impressed with his new hard-nosed style. Oh, and did I mention Landry is trying out for the team? That Tyra sure has some influence on him.

Lyla Garrity has found a new path and it leads straight to Jesus. We see her getting baptized in the river as part of her rebirth. She and Riggins have a nice little confrontation when he sees her putting flyers for her teen Christian group on cars in the grocery store parking lot. I want to see more of this dynamic: Christian Lyla vs. Hedonistic Riggins.

Meanwhile, Coach is asked to go back to Austin a week earlier than planned and Tami is devastated. I’m not sure how the stress of him being away, leaving Tami with a new baby and a moody teenager, can possibly be good for their marriage. Speaking of marriages, the Garritys are still separated and Buddy sleeps at his dealership, which is looking more and more like a permanent arrangement.

Tyra has a stalker, and it’s the guy from last year who attacked her in the diner parking lot. He makes the mistake of following her and Landry to a convenience store, and while Landry’s inside getting some food, the stalker attacks Tyra again, but this time, Landry sees it and ends up clubbing him in the head with a pipe, and the stalker dies. Now what do they do with the body? Tyra suggests they throw it in the river, but Landry isn’t convinced.

We leave you with the state championship ring presentation ceremony and the sight of Landry suited up in a football uniform. Until next week, remember: clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!

Final grade: A