Love Letter: Friday Night Lights

Dear Friday Night Lights-

What can I say to you that would adequately express my feelings?

We didn’t watch you live during the first season.  The boyfriend picked you up at Best Buy and had to work hard to convince me to give you a try.  I couldn’t figure out why he’d even bother.  A TV show about football?  No thank you.  My boyfriend was persistent though, so I gave you a shot… and was hooked after the first 15 minutes.

I’ve met many people who say they’re not interested in Friday Night Lights because as I mentioned before, you market yourself as a show about high school football.  And while I admit that there is plenty of football, Friday Night Lights is so much bigger than that.  Friday Night Lights is about life, and I dare anyone to watch the show and not find at least one character compelling or relatable.

I’ve gone back and forth over my favorite character over the years, and now, at the end of your fourth season, I think I have finally pinned down my favorite four.

1. Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen

I cried during Matt’s last scene on the show this season as oftentimes he has been the teenage emotional heart of FNL.  Matt is always so sweet and sincere and Zach Gilford played the character perfectly.  I’ll certainly miss Matt next season, but his happiness is in Chicago and if there’s ever any character that needed a happy ending it was Matt Saracen.

2 & 3. Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor and Connie Britton as Tami Taylor

You can’t have Coach without Mrs. Coach.  Kyle and Connie play against one another so well and make the Taylor’s relationship real.  Their relationship is not perfect but it is perfect in its imperfections.  The Taylors fight.  They make-up.  They’re both revered and hated in their community.  They make mistakes.  They care for everyone around them.  If ever a TV couple should have a handbook for how to be good parents I think it should be written by the Taylors.

4. Michael B. Jordan as Vince Howard

Vince only appeared during season 4 but he is already an integral character.  You can’t help but care about Vince and I attribute that solely to Michale B. Jordan’s portrayal.  Fans of The Wire will recognize Michael B. Jordan as the tragic character of Wallace, and the character of Vince is almost a continuation of Wallace and what may have become of him if his life hadn’t ended so early.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Vince during season 5, and like so many other characters I hope he finds happiness.

I could go on and on about how much I love you, Friday Night Lights, because your characters are so real and you rarely do anything over the top.  But rather than do that,  I thought I’d share a little FNL snippet that showed me the type of mom I’d like to be one day, and proves that FNL isn’t just about football.  It’s about family and love.

In closing, thank you Friday Night Lights for four great years of delightful characters and wonderful storylines {to be fair, I’m purposefully forgetting that Landry’s storyline in season 2 ever existed}. Here’s to a great finale next season.

xoxo,

Lisa

Tagged as: Friday Night Lights, Love Letters