Friday Night Lights - I Want To Be/I Want Eric Taylor/Kyle Chandler

Jumping the Gun - Ep. 211

Teary moment of the week #1: When Eric Taylor seeks out Tim Riggins to apologize for kicking him out and jumping to conclusions about him and Julie last week and calling Tim an honourable man.

Jaw drop moment of the week: When a frustrated Coach Dickes body checks Riggins just as Riggins is about to score after the Panthers sneak one past the Laribee Lions.

Teary moment of the week #2: When Coach Dickes finally blurts out about his wife's final three months to live after Coach Taylor confronts Dickes about his wild actions on the field.

So I'm not sure if I want to BE Eric Taylor or WANT Eric Taylor more. Or Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor for that matter? Loved Kyle since Early Edition. Missed him from Homefront. Love him as the ass in King Kong. LOVE HIM on Friday Night Lights.

Coach Dickes from the Laribee's is still being a dick and giving Eric stress but Eric tries to take it all in stride, until the shocking blow out on the field, but when Eric confronts the other coach about his abhorrent actions, his face changes completely as Dickes reveals his wife's terminal condition and if that scene doesn't win Kyle Chandler the Emmy, well, I've got a few more than:

Julie delays telling Eric the truth about the previous night when she got drunk at a party and Tim had saved her, but when she finally confesses, Eric realises his own mistake in jumping the gun on Tim. Loved that he reacted with a simple "Damn, Julie Damn"

There was Eric's apology to Tim, his fatherly speech to Julie's actions, and then there was the understandable blowout with sister-in-law Shelley after Shelley tapes over his football tapes with The Office. I hate when that happens. (Granted, I would probably be mad at the opposite, having football taped over The Office but I get his pain). Eric asks the simple loaded question of when Shelley is staying until, and Shelley takes it as a sign that she's being kicked out, and moves onto Dallas.

Meanwhile, Tim Riggins, who had been kicked out of the Taylors already, finds himself back home with an delinquency notice and a brother Billy nowhere to be found. When the girlfriend is found leaving, Billy returns apologetic but broke and the Riggins brothers need $2000 within 2 weeks or else they will lose their house, the only thing left they really have. Riggins returns to gather his stuff at the meth dealer (that Lyla had unknowingly hooked him up with as a roommate), and knocks over a gun and inadvertently finds $3000 in cash hidden away. And Tim TAKES the MONEY.

Oy Vey.

On the other side of town, Smash is being thrown offers of scholarships and deals in the colleges recruiting ritual and Smash is torn about what to do, and taking advice from a girl who seems way too young, while ignoring his own mothers advice.

I love anytime they give Liz Mekel as Corina more screen time as it deepens Smash's character every single time. There's all the internal conflicts of making the right/best decision for his own future, even as it may differ from what Corina has to think, but Eric Taylor (there he is again!) gives him the best advice of all (again). That Smash really needs to listen to his mother.

In the end, Smash verbally accepts an offer from TMU in a hastily made decision that still manages to please his mom Corina.

Another fantastic episode and we never even got to see Landry, Tyra, Lyla or Jason Street, but we got to end off with a happy Taylor family gathering around to watch a movie (Foul Play? over Cinema Paradiso?) as Eric shows Gracie the most important thing in the world: the TV Remote.

I couldn't have taught her better!