Best There Ever Was

Last week, when blogging about the second to last Friday Night Lights ever, I maybe let my emotions get a hold of me and said things I shouldn't have, particularly that FNL was just a TV show and I wasn't sad it was going away.  That was just me protecting my feelings, but I'm here to talk about my real feelings: The finale was so great, the series was so great.  It taught me how good TV could be and it taught me to love television again.  Season 5 is coming to NBC in the middle of April and to DVD at the BEGINNING of April, so if you can't wait, hit up Amazon.  Interesting twist there, but I like it.

While watching the finale I took some notes, notes which I will here share.  Usually I avoid spoilers in my FNL posts, but this post is going to be spoilery.  I'll leave out the biggest stuff, I'm not awful.

• The season ends around Christmastime, that's good thinking, lots of kids come home from college at Christmastime, so this episode feels like the old FNL, even though FNL isn't that old.
• The Alamo Freeze!
• And suddenly, in the first minutes of the final episode, a major arc that ran through the whole series has closed.  We're seeing beautiful things happen that I never dreamed I'd see.
• "You need to do it man to man."
• Nevermind!  Guess that arc wasn't closed after all.
• "There's no blood line."
• Tim Riggins acting like old school Tim Riggins.
• I don't want to look at the credits at the bottom of the screen, I don't want any cameos ruined.
• Landry and Saracen, just talking, being hilarious.  It feels good to see these dudes.
• Riggins teaching Baby Stevie about football.  Riggins loves football, don't let him pretend that he doesn't.
• "How are you, son.  Coach Eric Taylor, nice to meet you."
• Oh man, Matt Saracen vs. Coach Taylor, just like the good old days.
• "It will be 'no' until the sun burns out."
• "This is really just a courtesy."
• "We've got a really big problem. . . ."
• "Oh great!  Let's break out some champagne!  I think this is fantastic!"
• "I don't know why you're yelling, I think we agree on this."
• There's Tyra's mom!  But where's Smash's mom?  Why can't we just see Smash's mom?!"
• The guy that play's Vince's dad, he's really good at being shifty.  He's as convincing a character as Grandma Saracen.
• "Two people who, for the rest of their lives, are ready to listen, to really listen to each other."
• Matt's still wearing his Live Strong bracelet?
• And is Julie Coach Taylorin' her parents now?
• It's time for tough talk at the Tres Amigos.
• This look on Coach's face at 28:34
• At this point I'm freaking out because I think there's only 14 minutes left in the episode and there's still so much that has to happen.  Turns out the episode is over an hour long.
• Julie says, "I want you to be on my side and to trust me that I'm making the right decision."  But when has she ever made the right decision?
• Whatever happened to Jess's ADD brother?
• Is Coach Taylor going to get shot before the game? (turns out no)
• The return of polite Luke, a character I've been missing for about a season and a half.
• So Buddy's restaurant doesn't card?
• In my notes I've written "Whoah" I'm not positive what that referred to, but I have a hunch.  It involves Coach looking at the kitchen table while on the phone with Buddy and seeing in his eyes the new direction everything is heading.
• I wonder if these characters can tell they're in the final episode of the series?
• Part of wrapping this series up is lots of people have to tell each other that they love each other.  Everyone is crying and telling each other that they love them.
• Again!  Another declaration of love!
• And now it seems like the Taylors are parenting Gracie, that's a turn of events.
• "Will you take me to [REDACTED] with you, please?"
• Remember when the Panthers arrived at State in 2006?  Who's even on the Panthers now, anyway?  How did their season turn out?  I think they talked about this, I can't remember.
• And whatever happened to Voodoo?
• Wait!  And what about Landry and Tyra.
• This game looks different.  I am thinking about the last game of Season 3.  I am thinking about the last play of the first game of Season 1.
• Wow.  The Pioneers, just like that.
• I don't know about that edit.
• Some people on the internet had to wait for a banner, but I spotted rings first.
• Tim saying he'll never do anything illegal again in his life as he opens a beer.
• Clear Eyes restored, Panther Pride.  I've still got some of it.
• "Texas forever."  You knew it was coming.
• "We got a long way to go and you know what?  I'm looking forward to it."
• ". . . we'll deal with that later."
• "Yeah, let's go home."
• Lights out.

Okay, that's it.