Top 10 Best Friday Night Lights Moments
friday night lights, television,
Script written by Francesca Savoy LaMantia
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. Welcome toMsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Friday Night Lights Moments.
For this list, we’ll be looking at some of the most memorable moments from the critically-acclaimed show “Friday Night Lights.” A spoiler alert is in effect.
#10: Uphill Sprints in the Rain
Coach Taylor is famous for his rallying cry, “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” But this time it’s Smash who inspires the team with these powerful words. When the team resorts to infighting, arrogance, and apathy, on and off the field, Coach Taylor whips them into shape by making them run uphill wind sprints in the pouring rain. Just when it seems like they are ready to give up, Smash rallies the team with Coach's battle cry, and they band together as a team. This is easily one of the most memorable scenes of the show.
#9: Smash Leads a Protest
Speaking of Smash, the rain sprints are not the only time he inspired the team. After coach McGill makes a racist comment to a reporter about Smash, and black football players in general, Smash has an apathetic viewpoint at first, but he quickly begins to see things differently and realizes he should not remain silent. He unites the other black players to take a stand, and they all walk out of practice with him. He does return with them for the big game, but Smash makes it very clear to Mac exactly where he stands. Smash’s carefree nature is a great part of his character, but equally as great is the side of him that stands up for what is important.
#8: Mindy Stands Up for Becky
When Tim goes to prison he promises Becky that his family is her family. So she goes to them for a place to stay when her mom is out of town and her dad leaves her alone with her step-mom. Mindy hates having Becky around and is not afraid to show it. So you would think she’d be relieved when Becky’s father ordered her back home. But as Mindy drives her back home and she sees how terrible her situation is, she fights for Becky, and brings her back to the Riggins house indefinitely. There is no question about it, Becky and the Riggins are family.
#7: Riggins Takes the Fall for His Brother
On the surface, Tim Riggins comes off as a pretty self-serving guy. All he really thinks about is women, and beer, and what’s going to be the most fun for him. Though people have a tendency to write him off as nothing more than a drunken delinquent, deep down, as Coach Taylor puts it several times, he is a truly honorable man. When the Riggins brothers get in trouble for running a chop shop, Tim decides to take the fall for everything, so that Billy can be there for his wife and newborn son.
#6: Tyra’s College Essay
Tyra had such a hard time trying to make something of herself. No one ever expected anything from her so she never expected anything from herself. But when she became friends with Julie and Landry, and Mrs. Taylor started looking out for her, Tyra started changing for the better. Xref She worked so hard her last couple of semesters to get into college, and she had so much going against her. It is such a satisfying moment when she opens her acceptance letter with Landry. Even more heartwarming is the scene where Tyra reads her college essay out to Landry. It is such a beautiful moment encompassing all of the great things Tyra learned about herself.
#5: East Dillon Lions Beat the Dillon Panthers
The Dillon Panthers used to be an inspiring force throughout the first three seasons of the show. But after all the main character players graduated, and the McCoys took over, they turned into a bunch of elitist entitled jerks. So we all wanted to see the Lions destroy them. And they did just that. Coming from behind in the game, the Lions make an epic comeback and take down the Panthers, winning the first Big Cat game. Landry even kicks a spectacular field goal to get the win, and is the hero of the game.
#4: It’s Tami’s Turn
Tami and Coach get into a huge fight when she’s offered a job in Philly, and he’s offered the job as the new head coach of the East/West Super Team. Coach is very bullheaded about the situation, but Tami sticks to her guns that she has been a coach's wife for years and has followed him around everywhere, and now it's her turn to have her dream job. You can’t really argue with Tami’s logic there. After some reflection, Coach has a change of heart, and gives a lovely speech to his wife about how much he appreciates her. We spent five seasons watching Tami support all of Coach’s career moves, even sometimes against her better judgement. So there’s no better payoff that now it's her turn.
#3: The Dillon Panthers Win the State Championship
No one thought that the Panthers had a shot at State. Not after star quarterback Jason Street’s career-ending injury in the first game of the season. But we’ll get back to that later. However, Coach Taylor and Matt Saracen prove all the naysayers wrong and lead the team to an unforgettable State Championship victory. Having quickly dug themselves into a deep whole during the first half of the game, the Panthers pull together for one of their patented rallies, and make an amazing comeback to take the game. Saracen even calls the game-winning play himself.
#2: First Game
As mentioned, at the beginning of the series, quarterback Jason Street suffers a life changing injury that leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. For him, this game was a tragedy. But within the context of story and character development, there was no better way to launch this series. After Street gets hurt, it is up to Matt Sarecen, who has never seen any game time, to win the game. The intensity of the game, Street’s injury, Coach Taylor’s inspiring speech, and Matt Sarecen’s absolutely unbelievable, game-winning deep pass set the standard for what to expect from this show.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Street Returns for Homecoming
“Homecoming”
Matt and Julie’s First Kiss
“Full Hearts”
Riggins Helps Street Get the Girl
“New York, New York”
Buddy Follows Coach Taylor to East Dillon
“In the Skin of a Lion”
Coach Taylor's Burning Jersey Speech
“After the Fall”
#1: Everyone’s Happy Ending
The ending of this show is the epitome of what this show is all about: hope, family... and football. In the finale Riggins and Tyra reunite with Matt and Julie, Matt and Julie get engaged, the Riggins brothers make amends, and, of course, the Lions win state. We feel the bittersweetness of their victory, as we saw them grow over the years into state champs. We also see that Luke graduates and enlists but is still happily with Becky, the remaining Lions are playing on the super team, Jess is now studying to be a coach, Taylor and Tami are at their new jobs in Philly, and Matt and Julie are together in Chicago. There is no better ending than all of our favorite characters getting the happy endings they deserve.
Top 10 Friday Nigth Lights Moments
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. Welcome toMsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Friday Night Lights Moments.
For this list, we’ll be looking at some of the most memorable moments from the critically-acclaimed show “Friday Night Lights.” A spoiler alert is in effect.
#10: Uphill Sprints in the Rain
“Wind Sprints”
Coach Taylor is famous for his rallying cry, “clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” But this time it’s Smash who inspires the team with these powerful words. When the team resorts to infighting, arrogance, and apathy, on and off the field, Coach Taylor whips them into shape by making them run uphill wind sprints in the pouring rain. Just when it seems like they are ready to give up, Smash rallies the team with Coach's battle cry, and they band together as a team. This is easily one of the most memorable scenes of the show.
#9: Smash Leads a Protest
“Blinders”
Speaking of Smash, the rain sprints are not the only time he inspired the team. After coach McGill makes a racist comment to a reporter about Smash, and black football players in general, Smash has an apathetic viewpoint at first, but he quickly begins to see things differently and realizes he should not remain silent. He unites the other black players to take a stand, and they all walk out of practice with him. He does return with them for the big game, but Smash makes it very clear to Mac exactly where he stands. Smash’s carefree nature is a great part of his character, but equally as great is the side of him that stands up for what is important.
#8: Mindy Stands Up for Becky
“Keep Looking”
When Tim goes to prison he promises Becky that his family is her family. So she goes to them for a place to stay when her mom is out of town and her dad leaves her alone with her step-mom. Mindy hates having Becky around and is not afraid to show it. So you would think she’d be relieved when Becky’s father ordered her back home. But as Mindy drives her back home and she sees how terrible her situation is, she fights for Becky, and brings her back to the Riggins house indefinitely. There is no question about it, Becky and the Riggins are family.
#7: Riggins Takes the Fall for His Brother
“Thanksgiving”
On the surface, Tim Riggins comes off as a pretty self-serving guy. All he really thinks about is women, and beer, and what’s going to be the most fun for him. Though people have a tendency to write him off as nothing more than a drunken delinquent, deep down, as Coach Taylor puts it several times, he is a truly honorable man. When the Riggins brothers get in trouble for running a chop shop, Tim decides to take the fall for everything, so that Billy can be there for his wife and newborn son.
#6: Tyra’s College Essay
“Tomorrow Blues”
Tyra had such a hard time trying to make something of herself. No one ever expected anything from her so she never expected anything from herself. But when she became friends with Julie and Landry, and Mrs. Taylor started looking out for her, Tyra started changing for the better. Xref She worked so hard her last couple of semesters to get into college, and she had so much going against her. It is such a satisfying moment when she opens her acceptance letter with Landry. Even more heartwarming is the scene where Tyra reads her college essay out to Landry. It is such a beautiful moment encompassing all of the great things Tyra learned about herself.
#5: East Dillon Lions Beat the Dillon Panthers
“Thanksgiving”
The Dillon Panthers used to be an inspiring force throughout the first three seasons of the show. But after all the main character players graduated, and the McCoys took over, they turned into a bunch of elitist entitled jerks. So we all wanted to see the Lions destroy them. And they did just that. Coming from behind in the game, the Lions make an epic comeback and take down the Panthers, winning the first Big Cat game. Landry even kicks a spectacular field goal to get the win, and is the hero of the game.
#4: It’s Tami’s Turn
“Texas Whatever”
Tami and Coach get into a huge fight when she’s offered a job in Philly, and he’s offered the job as the new head coach of the East/West Super Team. Coach is very bullheaded about the situation, but Tami sticks to her guns that she has been a coach's wife for years and has followed him around everywhere, and now it's her turn to have her dream job. You can’t really argue with Tami’s logic there. After some reflection, Coach has a change of heart, and gives a lovely speech to his wife about how much he appreciates her. We spent five seasons watching Tami support all of Coach’s career moves, even sometimes against her better judgement. So there’s no better payoff that now it's her turn.
#3: The Dillon Panthers Win the State Championship
“State”
No one thought that the Panthers had a shot at State. Not after star quarterback Jason Street’s career-ending injury in the first game of the season. But we’ll get back to that later. However, Coach Taylor and Matt Saracen prove all the naysayers wrong and lead the team to an unforgettable State Championship victory. Having quickly dug themselves into a deep whole during the first half of the game, the Panthers pull together for one of their patented rallies, and make an amazing comeback to take the game. Saracen even calls the game-winning play himself.
#2: First Game
“Pilot”
As mentioned, at the beginning of the series, quarterback Jason Street suffers a life changing injury that leaves him paralyzed from the waist down. For him, this game was a tragedy. But within the context of story and character development, there was no better way to launch this series. After Street gets hurt, it is up to Matt Sarecen, who has never seen any game time, to win the game. The intensity of the game, Street’s injury, Coach Taylor’s inspiring speech, and Matt Sarecen’s absolutely unbelievable, game-winning deep pass set the standard for what to expect from this show.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Street Returns for Homecoming
“Homecoming”
Matt and Julie’s First Kiss
“Full Hearts”
Riggins Helps Street Get the Girl
“New York, New York”
Buddy Follows Coach Taylor to East Dillon
“In the Skin of a Lion”
Coach Taylor's Burning Jersey Speech
“After the Fall”
#1: Everyone’s Happy Ending
“Always”
The ending of this show is the epitome of what this show is all about: hope, family... and football. In the finale Riggins and Tyra reunite with Matt and Julie, Matt and Julie get engaged, the Riggins brothers make amends, and, of course, the Lions win state. We feel the bittersweetness of their victory, as we saw them grow over the years into state champs. We also see that Luke graduates and enlists but is still happily with Becky, the remaining Lions are playing on the super team, Jess is now studying to be a coach, Taylor and Tami are at their new jobs in Philly, and Matt and Julie are together in Chicago. There is no better ending than all of our favorite characters getting the happy endings they deserve.
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