Friday Night Lights (season 1)

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Friday Night Lights Season One
Country of origin USA
Network NBC
Original run October 3, 2006 – April 11, 2007
No. of episodes 22
DVD release date Summer 2007 (TBA)
For more details on this topic, see List of Friday Night Lights episodes.

This article contains a summary of the first season of the American fictional drama television series Friday Night Lights.

The season (and series) premiered on October 3, 2006 and concluded on April 11, 2007.

Contents

[edit] Cast

Episode counts are courtesy of the Internet Movie Database

[edit] Major Roles

[edit] Secondary Roles

  • Billy Riggins Played By Derek Phillips (17/22)
  • Mac MacGill Played By Blue Deckert (21/22)
  • Lorraine “Grandma” Saracen Played By Louanne Stephens (12/22)
  • Corrina “Mama” Williams Played By Liz Mikel (13/22)
  • Herc Played By Kevin Rankin (12/22)
  • Waverly Grady Played By Aasha Davis (8/22)
  • Ray “Voodoo” Tatum Played By Aldis Hodge (5/22)
  • Henry Saracen Played By Brent Smiga (4/22)

[edit] Season Synopsis

[edit] The Beginning

Friday Night Lights is a show that details the trials and tribulations of the Dillon Panthers, a football team based in the fictional city of Dillon, Texas. Like many small Texas towns, Dillon’s pride is inseparably tied to the success of their high school football team and so the pressure on the coaches and players is almost always immense.

Season One opens with the Dillon Panthers clearly destined to win their first State Championship since 1991. The combination of star running back Brian “Smash” Williams, star full back Tim Riggins, and Jason Street, the number one high school quarterback in the nation, makes this conclusion all but foregone. Joining these players is first year coach Eric Taylor who, among other accomplishments, has mentored quarterback Street since he was a young child. The town of Dillon’s expectations are sky high and for all intents it appears they will be met.

Disaster strikes when Street throws an interception during the first game of the season. Desperate to prevent the defender from scoring a touchdown, Street makes an ill-advised tackle which leaves him paralyzed. This event sends shockwaves through the town and leads to repercussions for each player’s life both on and off the football field. Sophomore backup quarterback Matt Saracen, who has never taken a snap as a varsity player, now is forced into the spotlight. This understandably puts the Panthers' chances of a championship win into serious jeopardy. Saracen must now rise to the challenge of keeping the team’s playoff hopes alive and many doubt whether he has it in him especially since Saracen is shy and not part of the "jock" crowd.

Primary among these doubters is the Panthers' biggest booster, Buddy Garrity. A man who places Panther football only slightly below family at the top of his priority list, Buddy will do anything to secure a victory for the Panthers--including bribing a new quarterback to move to Dillon.

Enter Ray “Voodoo” Tatum, a star quarterback in his home town of New Orleans, who has found himself homeless and without a school after both were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. After much cajoling from Buddy Garrity, Tatum chooses Dillon as his new home and agrees to play football for the Dillon Panthers.

In theory, this means that Saracen should be pushed back into the second string position as Tatum’s greater experience and skill make him the obvious choice for starting quarterback. Unfortunately, Tatum’s talent is matched only by his colossal arrogance, and it quickly becomes clear that Tatum will not be well liked in Dillon, having successfully alienated virtually everyone on both the team and the coaching staff in just one week.

[edit] Dillon vs. Arnett Mead

The game against Arnett Mead becomes a focal point of the series as it is the point where “Voodoo” Tatum falls to his own pride and Matt Saracen finally grows enough to assume the role as quarterback. It also marks the point at which the team finally accepts Saracen as their new quarterback and solidifies around him.

The game begins with Coach Taylor reluctantly allowing Tatum to start as quarterback on the logic that, while he might not like the kid, he knows Tatum can win the game. The first quarter does not go well though as the team's defense can not seem to hold off the opposition. At this point Tatum decides to disregard the coach and starts calling his own plays.

Surprisingly this strategy works at first allowing the Panthers to score their first touch down of the game and further emboldening Tatum to the point where he refuses to even speak to Coach Taylor. But as with all victories built on arrogance it is fleeting and Tatum’s one touch down will be the last victory he’ll get. Calling a play that failed to take into account Arnett Mead’s safety, Tatum makes a disastrous misjudgment and gives the opposing team an easy interception. With that, the Panthers go into halftime down by a touchdown.

At this point, Coach Taylor has had enough of Ray “Voodoo” Tatum and, after an angry locker room confrontation, dismisses him from the game. We then cut to the fourth quarter with a little over a minute left in the game. Saracen has managed to lead the team to within 7 points of a tie and continues to slowly, steadily lead the team down the field. Saracen, while lacking Tatum’s flash, has become a competent quarterback capable of leading his team to victory. The team successfully scores the final touch down bringing themselves to an almost certain tie and effectively erasing Tatum’s blunder.

With only one point between the teams Coach Taylor must decide between a virtually automatic point after that will net the team one point and a tie or the risky two point conversion which, if successful, will net the team two points and a victory. Taylor takes the risky option and, under the leadership of quarterback Saracen, the team scores the 2 points and wins the game. The victory is only temporary though, as Tatum decides to leave Dillon and reveals Buddy Garrity’s earlier bribes to a reporter on his way out. Because of this, Tatum is eventually ruled ineligible and, due to his participation in the game, the Panthers are stripped of the victory.

[edit] Personal Lives and the Road to the Playoffs

With Tatum out of the way and the Panthers solidified as a team, the show’s focus turns away from football and more towards the personal relationships of each character. We see a relationship blossom between new quarterback Saracen and Coach Taylor’s daughter Julie, much to the Coach’s chagrin. Also vexing the Coach is his wife Tami who, needing more purpose in life, takes a job as school counselor. At the same time we become acquainted with star running back Brian “Smash” Williams. Easily the most promising player on the Panthers' roster, he works hard to achieve excellence and sees his future career as instrumental in providing his family a better life. Life has been hard for Williams' family since his father was killed in a car accident, and financial constraints have led his mother Corrine to take multiple jobs just to get the family by. Prior to the Laribee game, a recruiting guru visits Dillon to scout Smash, who expects to hear that he's a leading college prospect. Instead, the guru tells Smash he needs to work on improving his strength to be attractive to elite colleges. A disheartened Smash plays tentatively in the first half of the game, not able to run through his blockers' holes and fumbling several times. Coach Taylor is forced to bench Smash and Riggins leads the team to a come from behind victory. Afterwards, to preserve his college prospects, Williams resorts to steroid use, which his mother eventually discovers. She initially believes that Coach Taylor has pressured Smash to use them, which Taylor vigorously refutes. The coach faces an excruciating dilemma about whether or not to report Smash's steroid usage to the school administration and Texas athletic officials. Doing so will force the Panthers to forfeit victories and likely cost Smash a chance of a college scholarship. Taylor decides not to report Smash but benches him for the next game, which causes much speculation around Dillon, to allow the steroids to leave his system and orders drug testing for the remainder of the season. During these events the Panthers' season continues unabated, with the team winning a steady string of victories against often formidable opponents. Having not lost a single game since the “Voodoo” forfeiture, the team earns a place in the Texas High School Playoffs.

[edit] Racism takes center stage

After easily winning their first playoff game offensive Coach Mac McGill gives a post-game interview in which he makes comments that, while not intended as such, are interpreted by many as racist. Smash initially dismisses the comments as harmless, but his girlfriend leads him to view them differently. When Smash finally approaches Coach McGill to discuss the remarks, the coach brusquely dismisses him. At the next practice, Smash leads all of the African-American team members to walk off the field in protest, driving a wedge in the team and in Dillon.

This leads to an often revisited dilemma for Coach Taylor in that he must choose between doing the right thing and doing what is the safest, most expedient way to resolve the problem. Taylor knows that McGill is not a racist and that his gaffe was simply a foolish mistake made by a man who was responsible for integrating the school in the first place. Facing down boosters, players, and a media all demanding McGill’s head, Coach Taylor decides not only not to fire McGill but refuses to accept his resignation when it's offered. In the end, it is more important to do the right thing even if it means losing the team’s chance at a championship. Fortunately, it will not come to that as some wise words from Smash’s mother Corrine Williams leads the players to return to the team. Returning to the bus, Smash dismisses Mac McGill's apology attempts claiming "I know who you are, this don't change nothing."

The Panthers however must face real racism in their opponents, the Dunston Valley Cardinals, an all white team who gained notoriety for hazing a player in blackface. The game does not go well, with the Dunston players committing multiple fouls against “Smash” Williams and the Dunston referees doing nothing to acknowledge it. After an illegal hit against Smash followed by racial epithets, a riot breaks out on the field and eventually leads the Athletic Board to call the game. Dillon secures the win having been ahead by 16 points at the time of the riot. Coach Taylor orders his team to leave immediately on their buses, but before they leave Dunston the buses are pulled over by local police who want to arrest Smash for shoving a Dunston player. Coach McGill refuses to allow the police officer to board the team bus without a warrant, and the officer ultimately stands down. As the players exit the bus on arrival into Dillon, Smash asks McGill what happened with the police who then claims "Son, they made a mistake, just like I did," leading to a reconciliation between McGill and the team's African American players.

[edit] "Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes"

Now past the issues of racism and having easily won their last playoff game the team finds itself facing down a semi-final game plagued with personal distractions. For Williams, now dating preacher’s daughter Waverly Grady, he must find a way to deal with a girlfriend who he truly loves suffering from a severe case of bi-polar disorder. Riggins on the other hand must deal with a newly blossoming relationship with his 30-ish neighbor Jackie Miller and the affects that it might have on her 9-year old son. Coach Taylor must deal with an embarrassment of riches as Austin based Texas Methodist University offers him a job as offensive coach at the college level, an offer that leads to turmoil in his family. Outside the team, Lyla must face the fact that her parents may be destined for divorce as the secret of her father’s adulterous past comes to light. At the same time Tyra begins to turn her life together under the tutelage of Tami Taylor. Finally both current and former quarterbacks Saracen and Street must deal with insecurities as Street is not picked for the Quad Rugby team and Saracen looks forward to facing a team in the semi-finals that he doesn’t believe he can beat. All these events bring about a chance meeting between Street and his former teammates Saracen, Williams and Riggins. Saracen expressing his self doubts brings about an impromptu training session from former star quarterback Street and eventually leads to a mentoring between the two that gives each the purpose and confidence they need.

[edit] The Mud Bowl Cometh

As the show builds up to its season finale all plotlines converge on the night of the Texas semi-finals. An unforeseen catastrophe puts the Panthers in a situation where they are due for a home game but can’t play on their field due to toxic contamination. Rather than relinquish their right to the home game to play at an ostensibly neutral stadium closer to their opponent, Coach Taylor and his players construct a makeshift field in a local cow pasture. Taylor has become increasingly concerned with the marketing firestorm that surrounds the semifinal game and hopes the stripped down field will instill the joy of playing football in his players. The Coach’s plan works as the stripped-down field gives the game “a feel of Woodstock”, as a local reporter puts it. But as the game continues, the cow pasture becomes a challenge in itself as a sudden rain storm hits. Through the rain and the mud the game continues, but while the Panthers struggle against their opponents, Tyra is engaged in a much more personal struggle. In an almost deserted town Tyra skips the game to study for an upcoming test only to be attacked by a would-be rapist. As the Panthers win a dramatic victory thanks to a newly invigorated Matt Saracen, Tyra fends off her attacker and finds comfort in the arms of her new friend Landry.

In the aftermath of the game Coach Taylor realizes Street’s role in Saracen’s performance and offers him a job as assistant coach.

[edit] State

Victory in the semifinal game leads the team to a State championship game, held at Texas Stadium in Dallas, and a face off with an old nemesis, Ray “Voodoo” Tatum. Originally thought to have returned to his home state of Louisiana, we discover that Tatum instead accepted a better offer from West Cambria, Texas which secured Tatum as their quarterback. He in turn encourages Smash to join him next season when the two see each other at the teams' hotel. Arrogant as ever, Tatum predicts his team will crush the Panthers and even suggests that Saracen would be better off watching him from the sideline where “he might learn something”. The first half of the game goes much as Tatum predicted. The Panthers, distracted and disenchanted by the announcement of Coach Taylor’s departure, find themselves shut out and go into halftime down 26 to 0. In the second half the Panthers rocket back, shutting down Tatum and his Mustangs and bringing the game to within a touchdown at 26 to 21. In the final quarter, it boils down to the performance of the Panthers' offense with 6 seconds to go and still down by 5 points. Coach Taylor is faced with a decision--accept the more conservative plays being suggested by his coaching staff or take the advice of his players and try a complicated 18-yard hook and lateral play. Taylor decides to trust his players one last time and go with the trick play. The play works as "Smash", having dislocated his shoulder earlier in the game, plays through the pain to score the winning touchdown.

[edit] Aftermath

At the time the season finale was filmed, the show’s future was in doubt and that leads to a fairly ambiguous ending to the first season. Coach Taylor offers to forgo the job at TMU to stay with his wife and daughter in Dillon but his wife Tami objects, saying they can make the long distance relationship work. In the end, no decision is made. Relationships between the main characters are left up in the air and character circumstances are specifically skirted. The second to final scene is of the Panthers' victory parade, the residents of Dillon line the parade route to cheer the championship team. Members of the 1991 state championship team flash their rings at the players to show the current players that neither they nor the residents of Dillon will ever forget their triumph. Despite the joy of the parade, many looks are exchanged between the main characters, almost all of which could be interpreted in several different ways.

The only resolution that is given is in the final scene, where it is made clear that the team has forgiven Coach Taylor for accepting the TMU job. The final episode closes with the players giving the coach a standing ovation in the locker room.

[edit] Fictional Game Results

Fictional Game Results
Opponent Win/Loss Score Record Episode # Episode
Regular Season^
Westerby Win 27-24 1-0 1 Pilot
Milbank Loss 13-7 1-1 3 Wind Sprints
Arnett Mead Loss forfeit+ 1-2 5 Git 'Er Done
Laribee Win 28-17 2-2 7 Homecoming
Gatling Win 6-2 3-2 9 Full Hearts
"Timberwolves" Win++ n/a 4-2 10 It's Different For Girls
Wescott Win 28-24 5-2 11 Nevermind
South Pines Win 7-0+++ 6-2 13 Little Girl I Wanna Marry You
Regional Playoffs
McNulty Win 30-10 7-2 15 Blinders
Dunston Win forfeit++++ 8-2 16 Black Eyes and Broken Hearts
Royal Rock Win 26-21 9-2 18 Extended Families
State Semi-Finals
Brant Vikings Win 14-8+++++ 10-2 20 Mud Bowl
State Championship
West Cambria Win 27-26 11-2 22 State

+ Dillon won the game, 22-21, but had to forfeit due to Ray "Voodoo" Tatum's ineligibility.
++ Final score not revealed, though a TV newscast indicates the game was not close.
+++ Final score not shown, but Dillon scored a touchdown with about 5 minutes left in scoreless game.
++++ The referees at Dunston were allowing the home team to commit infractions such as facemasks, late hits, and pass interference without penalties. When Dillon scored late in the third quarter to take a commanding 40-24 lead, a Cardinal hit Smash after he scored the touchdown, again with no penalty call. Riggins rushed to Smash's defense and a melee ensued before the extra point could be attempted. The game was called off and Dillon was awarded the victory.
+++++ The game was played at a makeshift field due a toxic train car derailment.

^ While Friday Night Lights is presented as a serialized show with seemingly no gaps between episodes, public high schools in Texas typically play a ten game regular season.