Friday Night Lights, Season 3

Friday Night Lights"You're screwed either way," as you wrote, Meghan, or you're blessed either way. That's both the message of Tyra's essay and of this episode. There's another moment I loved that we haven't mentioned. On the night before the game, both Tami and Eric are too nervous to sleep. They go out on the balcony and look out into the night. Eric is seeking comfort from Tami and she says, "Well, you're gonna win."

And then she pauses, and the wind blows. For a moment you're left thinking that her words will have the magic power they often do, and they will win the game. And then she finishes.

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"Or you're gonna lose."

This could be seen as extreme pessimism, almost cruelty on her part to feed him realism when what he needs is inspiration. And it's a break from her usual mode of support. But it's perfectly suited to this episode, when everything hangs in the balance, not just the football game but the futures of these kids we've grown to love. Tyra's essay runs along these same lines. Before Street's accident, she was of the "you're screwed either way" mindset. After it, she realized that being screwed was not her particular fate; anyone could be screwed or blessed, so you might as well choose to be blessed. And as you point out, Meghan, this is what makes this show great—the characters evolve and in most cases improve, but not so predictably that they don't always seem vulnerable to fate or failure. (An aside here: Slate's Seth Stevenson points out one life-changing event Tyra failed to discuss with Landry: her near-rape and then the accidental murder of a man. But we all conspire in wanting to forget that unfortunate string of events.)

Many of our readers who've already seen it have written to warn me that I will be stunned by the final episode, and particularly by who is staying and who is leaving Dillon. I've heard nothing but glowing things about it, so I will excuse myself now and go watch.

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