MovieChat Forums > Friday Night Lights (2006) Discussion > My Thoughts on the Series Finale

My Thoughts on the Series Finale

posted 9 years ago by Shabnaj_33
21 replies | jump to latest

OK, so I'm officially done. The series finale was sublime. It was a lot better I was expecting as they spent a good portion of the finale focusing on the veteran characters, which I appreciated given that I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to this show.

I thought the editing at the end with the game-winning throw merging into a flashfoward was pretty smart and cool. We all knew the Lions would win, so they gave us this buildup but seeing the end celebration was unnecessary. Ultimately, I'm happy about how everyone's lives turned out. Here's what I thought about everyone's endings:

Coach and Tami - I'm glad they moved out of Dillon and that they did it for Tami and her new job, she totally deserved it and it was a beautiful thing for Coach to compromise even if coaching the Dillon Panthers again was a tempting offer. I do wish though that in the Flashforward he would be coaching a college team. I think he totally deserves that and I honestly didn't really buy it when he turned down Shane University a few episodes prior.

Julie and Matt - Really cute and sweet how this episode focused on their engagement. I loved the beginning scene where Matt comes to the Taylor's house and does his famous stammering and Coach is all like "What the hell you doing here?" And that scene with grandma, Julie and Matt...so lovely. I'm really glad Julie and Matt end up together in Chicago.

Tim - Texas forever. Of course it was the perfect ending for him, for him and Billy to build a house on his property. It was awesome. I also like the prospect of Tim and Tyra. I always thought they had an interesting relationship after their breakup, and I don't mind they are reconnecting after all these years. I thought it felt pretty natural, and I honestly didn't think Tim and Lyla were going to end up together anyways.

Tyra - Look at how far she's come! She's has matured, she has goals, she's "kicking ass" in college. I loved seeing her again, and the group scene with Tim, Tyra, Matt, and Julie was nice.

Jess - What a great ending for her. I really liked Jess throughout. That's all I got to say about that.

Luke - Kind of a random ending with him enlisting, and although I don't really like it, it does feel real. Sad that nobody recruited him for college football.

Vince - It was real nice seeing him as a Panther. I'm just really glad the Panthers are back to being THE team. I really didn't like that the show wanted us to root against the for the last two seasons.

Jason - "J. Street" written right under the Panther logo in the locker room. That's just...those are the kind of nods to the show's history and origins that I appreciate. I have a huge soft spot for Jason and his season 1 arc was one of my favorite stories ever. And him being the catalyst to this whole show has a lot of significance, so I really loved that they had his name there as a commemoration or a "never forget" type of thing. I wonder who even wrote that? Even though I would have liked him in the finale, I did appreciate his return this season because we found out that he's married and happy and successful. I'm so glad they gave us that.

Smash - He never appeared but they mentioned him an episode earlier where we see him on TV making a touchdown and Tim looks on with pride. Again, I just love hearing these guys doing so well.

There were only a few things I felt were missing, but I get that they could only fit so much and there could have been scheduling conflicts too and what not. But here's some things I felt like we should have seen:

1. Tyra/Landry. Their friendship was infinitely better than their romance, so I'm fine with the Tyra/Tim route, but man, I wish there was just one scene with them. As much as I liked the Landry/Matt moment, I think his connection to Tyra was much more poignant and deserved some kind of recognition. I mean, those scenes in S3 where he asked Tyra why she changed and she said it was because of Jason's accident and meeting Landry, and then she reads her essay, that was one of the show's finest moments. I loved Tyra and Landry together.

2. Tyra and Tami. Just a quick scene where Tyra thanks Tami for all she had done would have been awesome, but I get that time might have prevented it. I do love that Tyra mentions Tami to Tim, though.

3. A serious, heartfelt scene between Coach and Matt. Most of their scenes were comical in the finale with Coach being a hardass about Matt marrying Julie, and while all of that was great, I was really hoping that in the end, Coach would give his blessing to Matt. Tell him that he was a good QB, a good person, and that he knew he'd be a good husband to his daughter. I thought given their history, that moment was deserved and I'm sad they didn't have it. Only after Tami and Coach, Matt and Coach's relationship is the best one on the show.

But, yeah, those are my final thoughts. I loved this show and I think I'll probably watch it again someday.

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

I've seen the finale at least ten times at this point. I bought Coach turning down Shane earlier in the season only because he had been down that route and didn't like the experience. He also seemed to have a stronger connection with being a Lion than he ever had with being a Panther. Yes, that final montage was one of the smartest things the show ever did. However, I recall being slightly disappointed by the finale when I first saw it. I thought it was good, but I also thought it was a bit too sentimental (even by this show's standards), too overstuffed and too focused on the old characters. In fact, I didn't love the final few episodes of the series on first watched. Post episode 10 the mood and focus of the season completely changed course, and it didn't feel like the same season. I've learned to look at episode 10 ("Don't Go") as the season finale and the final few episodes of the show as their own mini season or a very long series finale. When viewed that way the final several installments is the show at its epic peak.

FNL might be the most flawed out of the great dramas (The Sopranos, The Wire and FNL are my trinity). The second season was a mess and the writers' strike screwed up the timeline, led to dropped storylines and characters and altered arcs. Every season had at least a couple of subplots that didn't quite work. Yet, when it comes to fulfilling, completely engaging television I can't think of a better show. It too risks. It was patient. It developed a very specific, fully fleshed out world and continue to evolve that world throughout its run. It's also in my estimation the only truly great drama that isn't cynical and dark.

favorite seasons:
1. one
2. four
3. five
4. three
5. two

top twenty episodes:
1. The Son (4.05)
2. Texas Whatever (5.12)
3. State (1.22)
4. Laboring (4.12)
5. Eyes Wide Open (1.02)
6. Always (5.13)
7. Underdogs (3.12)
8. Mudbowl (1.20)
9. Best Laid Plans (1.21)
10. Don't Go (5.10)
11. I Can't (4.10)
12. East of Dillon (4.01)
13. Hello/Goodbye (3.04)
14. Pilot
15. I Think We Should Have Sex (1.17)
16. Tomorrow Blues (3.13)
17. Kingdom (5.05)
18. The March (5.11)
19. It's Different For Girls (1.10)
20. Thanksgiving (4.13)

I tried to put an episode from season two in there. "Are You Ready For Friday Night?", "Leave No One Behind" and "Backfire" are good episodes, They're just not top 20 worthy.

[–] Shabnaj_33 9 years ago

I'd probably have to rewatch the show in order to rank episodes because I honestly don't really remember happened in which episode. But, looking at your list, I can at least tell what the S1 episodes were about, and I agree with you. The Pilot, "It's Different for Girls," "Mudbowl," "State," and "I Think We Should Have Sex" are all some of my favorites as well. Also, "The Son" and "Hello/Goodbye" are great choices, too.

From Season 2, I remember really loving the tornado episode where Tim ends up staying with the Taylors. And also the episode where Matt gets drunk at practice and then the shower scene at his house. And also the episode where a rival team comes to Dillon High and shares the facilities with the Panthers. That was a lot of fun.

As for the seasons, after thinking about it, I kind of just had to go with the ones I personally enjoyed watching the most, whether or not the writing was better is obviously debatable but I'm just going on pure viewer enjoyment. I mean, I'm putting S2 third, but I think I can come up with enough reasons to justify such a move.

S1
S3
S2
S4
S5

Any characters you disliked through the course of the series? I used to dislike Lyla the most, but I think she grew on me. And I actually resisted liking Tim up until season 2. I also hated Becky and Mindy but S5 changed that for me. Also, S1 Buddy creeped me out, but now I think he's the best non regular the show ever had.

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

Regular characters? I never liked Lyla beyond the concept of the character. I understood her purpose, but Minka Kelly was just too poor of an actress, and unlike Kitsch and Teegarden she didn't get better throughout the series. Julie was too often used as a plot device and catalyst for drama in Matt and her parents' lives rather than a full fledged character of her own. So, those are probably my two least favorite characters. I became kinda indifferent towards Jason after the midway point of season one. So, he kinda counts. While it took a while for Buddy to become likable I always found him engaging.

[–] Liz01219 9 years ago

That series finale is what won Kyle Chandler his Emmy for the show as Best Actor in a Drama.

I know his reaction to the engagement of Julie and Matt was pretty typical behavior for him, what a GREAT guy her daughter was getting.
He was certainly mature. No reason to doubt him. While in HS he held a job, went to school, was part of the football team, AND the most mature thing took care of his Alzheimer's stricken grandmother!!
I always thought it was amazing how the grandmother was able to be so focused, aware, when she went to the football games to support Matt.

I agree Tyra has come a LONG way, but so has Tim.
I loved the way he stepped up in the end. How mature he became when he went to jail for his nephew so that he would have a father, something he and Billy never had.
I also like the way Billy matured too.

The marriage between Tami and Eric throughout the entire run of the series was fantastic.
Unlike typical shows the husband was never made to look foolish, granted that happens on every comedy, usually not on a drama, but still.
They both gave their all to their marriage.

[–] Shabnaj_33 9 years ago

That series finale is what won Kyle Chandler his Emmy for the show as Best Actor in a Drama.

The writers won for the series finale as well. But you know, I kinda feel like it's not actually exactly the episode that got them the emmys, but rather it was the whole FNL experience. It was their last year, the actors and writers will never be able to win after this year, and so they won. It's not like they were any less deserving of it from years prior, but it's just they never were nominated then. It's Kinda like how John Ham JUST won, on his LAST season, as though this season was his best work compared to the other 6 times he was nominated. To me, Chandler won for the whole FNL show, and for what he put into in all the seasons and episodes.

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

A big reason why Hamm won this year was because the voting system was altered, which allowed more people to win based mostly on buzz/being the sentimental favorite rather than submitted episodes. I'm sure Chandler got some votes because it was his last opportunity to win for FNL. But it is (or at least was) difficult to win the lead drama Emmy without submitting a very good episode, even if it is you're show's last season. I also don't think voters were big fans of Mad Men's "The Suitcase", which failed to win the writing, lead actor and lead actress Emmys despite the episode's hype. Then not completely falling for that episode made it easier for Chandler to get his victory.

[–] Shabnaj_33 9 years ago

I guess you're right. My point is that it's almost irrelevant what episode Chandler won his emmy for because the actor was fantastic throughout the series and definitely deserved to be nominated for previous seasons, especially S1 and S4. The series finale was honestly a stand out performance for me. It was a great episode but it wasn't the best out of the entire series and it was definitely not the best performance Chandler gave in the show. I feel like voters take into consideration the entire journey even if they have to judge one specific episode. Chandler and Katims absolutely deserved to win based on what they accomplished through the years on the show, and the episode that was submitted just feels like a formality, really.

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

I do think Chandler got his best material in the final two seasons, but there were a few performances from him in the final couple of years that I prefer to his work in the series finale. But it's more about how his submitted episode compares to the other submitted episodes than how it compares to his work throughout the series. The year he won was a year where Bryan Cranston was ineligible, and the only other legitimately good submission that year was Hamm's. The problem with your estimation is that there are plenty of loved performances and shows that didn't win during their final year. (Hamm's win this year isn't comparable since the entire voting system has been changed and has made it easier for people to win in the drama categories based on buzz and namesake alone). And no one was really pressuring voters to give Chandler or Katims an Emmy since after many years of being snubbed the media looked at their nominations as their prizes. So, that leads to me think voters being won over by "Always" and/or being indifferent to "The Suitcase" had more to do with their victories than the show being in the final season. Before Chandler won it had over a decade since someone won in that category for their show's final season while people like Hugh Laurie, Michael Sheen and Michael C Hall remained Emmy less.

[–] Liz01219 9 years ago

Shab

And the year Chandler did get the Emmy, MANY of the posters feel the episode Jon Hamm submitted that year "The Suitcase" was not only his best performance over 7 yrs but the episode was also the best episode of the 7 yrs it was on the air.

Actually, I thought there was a good chance Chandler was going to shut down Hamm again this year.
If you haven't seen him in Bloodline you really should.
The last two episodes of Season 1, especially the next to the last one, Chandler was UNBELIEVABLE, IMO., and that's coming from someone who LOVED Mad Men from the minute I watched the pilot.

Maybe the biggest slight though over the last few years was how Hugh Laurie was snubbed for the last year of "House".
The way he evolved and grew to the point that he was going to do something so unselfish for a change and take care of Wilson for as long as he lived.

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

I'm cool with Laurie having never won. Beyond its first couple of seasons House wasn't much of a show, and while Laurie was impressive his character's shtick got old pretty quickly. He certainly shouldn't be without an Emmy when James Spader has three for his Boston Legal/Practice speechifying as acting. But most of the top tier lead male performances in dramas over the past two decades have won at least one Emmy. That can't be said for any of the other three acting drama categories. Hell, I wouldn't have been that upset had Hamm never won.

[–] Liz01219 9 years ago

faulkner

But that's WHY IMO Laurie should have gotten the Emmy for the laat year becasue he did change.
He finally broke, and showed he really could have compassion and care for someone, something more than himself.

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

He was snubbed for House's final season (as you probably already know). I doubt he could have beaten Lewis or Cranston who had two of the best submissions in that category ever.

Even when House was at its best I wasn't a huge fan of the show or Laurie's performance, though I respected it. He was mostly deserving of his nods and should have an Emmy over the likes of James Spader and Jeff Daniels.

[–] amber-1991 9 years ago

I just finished the series too, like I literally finished it five minutes ago. I loved the montage at the end of the game, that was awesome. I would have liked scenes with Landry and Tyra because last we heard of those two (together I mean) was when they were supposed to meet and Tyra blew him off.

I would have liked Matt/Coach and Tyra/Tami scenes as well. Plus Jason/Tim.

[–] Julie_Julii 9 years ago

Totally agree about the scenes I would have loved to see in the finale.

It was still a pretty perfect ending, I wept like a baby. But the cool thing is that the show built up such a strong sense of its world that I sometimes think about where those characters are right now and believe that all those scenes we didn't see in the finale played out somewhere in Texas anyway and that Matt finally gets to call Coach 'Dad' now :)

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

I agree on the world building front. As far as creating a specific, complex environment with many different and interesting people only perhaps The Wire compares. Game of Thrones is the most ambitious show ever as far as world building but it's so dependent on its source material, and its world building is as frustrating as it is fascinating.

[–] BrionyT 9 years ago

I actually wanted Landry and Tyra to end up together. I don't know why they brought him back in the finale at all, he had like 30 seconds of screentime. I really did expect him and Tyra to interact and I just thought it was weird that she and Tim reconnected as I truley believed that she was in love with Landry. I just hated their break ups because they seemed random and unexplained.

[–] moonflower0906 8 years ago

I wanted to see Landry get nerd's revenge in the finale. Doing awesome in school, bright future and hot girlfriend. haha

[–] morn1960 9 years ago

No she didn't deserve it. They emasculated coach to given a selfish petty woman her way

[–] faulknerster 9 years ago

Coach was hardly emasculated. He merely compromised, which is something they both did in their marriage.

[–] whjones79-1 8 years ago

Shab:

I do wish though that in the Flashforward he would be coaching a college team.

He did!!!! He was coaching at Tammi's College. (He followed her for a change)

I mean, those scenes in S3 where he asked Tyra why she changed and she said it was because of Jason's accident and meeting Landry, and then she reads her essay, that was one of the show's finest moments.

I couldn't agree with you more!!! I too thought this was the best overall scene of the show. Which flies with your "emotional vs relationship" aspect of your post. Although, Little Girl I want to Marry you" is the best overall episode IMVHO!

K/H D

If there's a way to screw something up, the "O'Commie regime" will find it EVERY SINGLE TIME!! Only 122 more days left!

[–] guanzilla 8 years ago

Just finished the series for the second time.

I think the Lions should have lost. It would have been nice to see things not work out for Coach. Flashforward to Vince on the new Panthers, and Coach checking online texas school rankings etc

I'm glad they didn't have a Landry/Tyra scene, I felt their ending was the perfect ending for a relationship like that. The slutty hot chick using guys her whole life, and then she didn't need him anymore, she just vanished on him. Leaving him hanging. A reunion scene would have ruined their dynamic.

I'm glad we didn't see some cheesy Layla scene.

Indifferent about the Julie/Matt... like, they seemed too happy, but they were the one couple I rooted for the most the first time through.

Still shocked that Luke didn't get a D1 scholarship. Dude was a legit star on BOTH sides of the ball for a state champion? Now, if this was like Montana, fine, but this is TEXAS. You win a state championship in California, Florida, or Texas and you are a star like that, you will be getting a scholarship D1.

Tim is Tim. I feel the one thing that needed to be said that wasn't, was when he hit Billy, he needed to tell him that he was suppose to protect Becky from "the life" and even working at a strip club was "the life", and even if not at that moment, but later with Tyra. Somewhere, I felt him giving up his life so Stewie could have a dad and Billy could make things right was voided when Mindy went back to stripping and Becky was on that path.