Mini-Cap: Friday Night Lights

Dear God, Please let the fine folks voting for the Emmy Awards finally recognize our humble show and the fine cast and crew for all of our hard work and general excellence.  We pray, in Jesus name.  AMEN!!!!

Our glorious Red Storm have now made the playoffs, surviving this season’s trials and tribulations, and the march to STATE is about to start unimpeded.  The team has once again found its focus with Blind Side Lite back at the helm, and they work their way through 4 wins to earn their rightful spot in the Championship game.  All is right in the world, or so it seems.  But the universe demands balance, so while things come together for the team, other things start to crumble.

Coach Father Figure has publicly vowed to stay at East Dillon instead of running off to Florida, chasing the riches and glamor of college football.  The fine folks over at Shane State have no doubt interpreted this a polite rejection of their job offer.  Perhaps it would have been wise to hold out a little longer on making a decision because the budget crisis hinted at all season long has now exploded.  More teachers will be getting laid off, and deeper cuts are demanded, with the football program firmly under the microscope.  Yet, despite the Red Storm’s success, the bad news is unavoidable.  One of the football programs in Dillon will be cut, and the two schools will be forced to share one team.  So the stage is being set for one last battle between the triumphant Red Storm and the Evil Empire in Blue…. this time off the field.

Fresh off the snub from Okla. State and Blind Side Lite’s firm decision to back off the college recruiting, Deadbeat Dad drops the sheep’s clothes to reveal himself for the wolf that he is.  He openly ignores Not Sandra Bullock’s sobriety, bringing beer into her house, showing up drunk and/or stoned, and dealing drugs. Blind Side Lite and Not Sandra Bullock start to regret their decision to let him back into their lives.  When they change the locks on him, he goes ballistic, getting violent and threatening revenge.

While he appears to be on the road back to jail, Texas Forever finds the adjustment back to freedom a bit difficult.  He keeps everyone at arms length, questioning T&T Girl’s decision to start working at the strip club, and refusing to cut Small Town Loser any slack.  His anger boils over at the Landing Strip when he starts a fight with some guy stuffing money into T&T Girl’s g-string, revealing her real age and getting fired, and when he punches out his brother for failing to get his life straight and to look after her.  In the end, he moves out of the Riggins’ abode, squatting in the old trailer he was living in before T&T Girl’s mom kicked him out.

Tami-Joe Clark is shocked to discover that Braemore College Lady, impressed with her ideas from the conference, wants her to travel up to Philadelphia to interview for a position in their Admissions office.  Coach is hesitant to let her explore the option, especially when he finds out that it’ll mean her missing a football game.  At first, it appears to be a non-issue when the Dean of Admissions contradicts and embarrasses her throughout the entire interview.  Tami-Joe remains upbeat and thankful for the opportunity when the college President joins their dinner to offer her the Dean position instead.  Guess someone just got fired!

And finally, QB Princess courts, and ultimately convinces Coach Father Figure to take her under his wing so that she can learn from the best and start her pursuit of becoming the country’s second female football coach.

This show is just 493 different shades of BRILLIANT!!!!  I’ve got my box of Kleenex primed for two weeks from now when this all comes to an end.