First things first -- we're glad to be back in Dillon. We are. But it seems like the creators fo FNL have taken the fly-on-the-wall shooting style a little far and pretended that the cameras just kept rolling during the summer haitus. We feel a little disconnected from the Season 2 finale...
Tyra and Landry broke up over the summer. We're not sure why, but we all saw it coming, no? Tyra's still got Landry hanging around all the time fixing toilets and whatnot because, you know, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
Tammy's the new principal at Dillon High and she's just as smiley and "Hi, y'all!" as ever. Turns out the last principal was holding the school together with scotch tape and a prayer because suddenly there's no money for teachers or textbooks.
Lyla's living with Buddy, presumably because it's easier to sneak Tim Riggins into her bed at his apartment building -- although truthfully, even if Buddy caught them, he'd probably just be psyched Lyla was doing her part to help the panthers win. At school, Lyla and Tim are waving off rumors of their hookup with the tried and true classic: "We're just buddies." As usual, we're amused by Taylor Kitsch's accent which is Texas by way of British Columbia.
Meanwhile, the new guidance counselor has a slightly different approach to helping Tyra with college than Tammy did -- and by different, we mean soul crushing. Tyra decides that since busting her ass for the last two years was apparently all for naught, cutting school must be the only option. Tammy tries to get her back on track while also saving the school from ruin. She loses four teachers to budget cuts and the ones that are left can't afford chalk. Tyra yells at Tammy for giving her false hope, which makes us feel like Tammy should fire the new guidance counselor and use his salary to pay a Spanish teacher that actually speaks Spanish.
Matt Saracen's QB1 spot is once again threatened by an outside hot shot from Dallas. We're not that concerned; this is how Matt rolls -- straddling the fence between disaster and magic. Coach Taylor makes it clear to everyone that Matt's his guy -- presumably he's still working his way back into Matt's good graces after contributing to his abandonment issues last season -- they take that stuff personally in Texas.
Predictably, the Dallas QB's dad is a bit of a tool, and also a defcon-five football dad, bribing Coach Taylor with expensive scotch, cuban cigars and a jumbotron for the field.
Tim's worried that Lyla won't take a relationship with him seriously. Over drinks at the strip club, Billy attempts to deal out some sage advice: "[Lyla] went to bed with Jesus, and woke up with you." Translation: find a woman for the ages -- even if she has to make a living giving lap dances to other guys.
Coach Taylor's working with Smash to rehab his knee. Smash thinks his football career might be done for good, but on the upside, Mrs. Williams, your hair looks fierce this season.
Tammy decides to take on the football boosters and use the jumbotron money to fix the air conditioning.
Julie's role in this episode couldn't have been less interesting to us -- something about wanting to take less classes -- which makes us feel sad since the awkward Matt-Julie romance was our favorite part of the first season ("Julie, Ah love you." Zach Gilford just kills us). Ideally, next episode Julie and Matt will have more than one line each.
Tim confronts Lyla about avoiding commitment. Lyla tells him he has to get serious to be taken seriously. Very deep, Lyla. It's hard to take a guy that love a sleeveless t-shirt seriously.
It's margarita night at the local cantina and Billy slurs his way through the most painful marriage proposal ever. Watching her sister getting engaged to a Riggins puts the fear of God in Tyra, and she shows up at Tammy's door hoping to get back on the academic express train. Tammy psychs her up, and Tyra gives the new guidance counselor a piece of her far-from-moronic mind.
The panthers have the first game of the season in the bag so Coach Taylor puts in the Dallas QB who, predictably, kicks ass. Whatever, no one can compete with Matt's melancholy innocence.
Smash decides to quit rehabbing with the coach. Coach Taylor challenges him to a game of raquetball (or squash? What's the difference? Is there a difference?) in the middle of the night. Why? Also, are they at the school? The school can't afford paper, but they can afford an indoor raquetball/squash court? The coach won't let Smash give up on his dreams, which is good because it's been about six minutes since the last inspirational pep talk on this show. Coach Taylor hits him with the final, "the choice is yours" line and tries to make a dramatic exit, but it's kind of hard to make a dramatic exit out of such a little door.
Verdict: The FNL writers skipped summer clinic this year and they're a little out of shape. They need to start running some conditioning drills and get back in the game.
