FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: East of Dillon

Dillon, Texas is a special place. From a distance, it can be mistaken for a truck stop on the highway to suburbia. When the fanciest restaurant in your town is an Applebee’s, locals have to live with being judged as simple or unsophisticated. The uniqueness of Dillon cannot be measured by economic indicators or census data. In fact, for six days a week, the naysayers could point to this speck on the map and rightfully ask, “What’s all the fuss about?”

All that changes on Friday.

On Friday nights, the religion of high school football holds open mass across the state of Texas. For generations, Dillon has been a unified congregation. Sermons of past gridiron glory have been passed from fathers to sons, with the expectation to carry on the values of faith, family, and the Panthers. The rings commemorating state titles from years ago are as sacred as wedding bands. For the alumni of Dillon High School, nothing comes between their team and decades of future dominance.

Except for redistricting.

Welcome to Season 4 of Friday Night Lights, the best show on television. If you have been here since the beginning, the events of this year will feel like a show reborn. If you have jumped onboard based on sparkling reviews or word of mouth, do not fret. This is a world that you can jump into today, and never regret it.

Coach Eric Taylor enters this season as the classic underdog. If I had any criticism of FNL’s first 3 seasons, it was that Taylor never meshed with being the beneficiary of the Panthers’ booster-driven power structure. Eric Taylor is a phenomenal football coach, but his true gift is teaching young men what it takes to be a good man. The victim of a power play by Joe McCoy, booster-in-chief and father to Panthers’ quarterback J.D. McCoy, Coach Taylor is starting from scratch. For the audience, this is the best place for him to be. The uphill battles to build a program, all while building character in his team, will be transcendent.

Kyle Chandler drips with believability in this role. His grit, passion, and determination are the essential qualities that Coach Taylor wants to instill in his players. Watch the speech he delivers before the new East Dillon Lions take the field for the first time. Then watch it again. The goose bumps are unavoidable. As a leader, Eric Taylor has few peers. That strength comes from an astounding actor. The Emmy voters should not be ashamed that Chandler has not been nominated for Best Actor in a Drama. They should be ashamed that he won’t be accepting his fourth trophy in September. Chandler is just that good.

Across town, Principal Tami Taylor is also facing the fallout of seeing her town divided. Parents are their kids’ most powerful advocates, and the boiling tension at Tami’s open forum was palpable. Connie Britton is magnificent during the most trying times. Under the weight of a raging cafeteria, she still tries to charm them with empathy and southern hospitality. Tami understands what those parents are feeling, because she knows they have been dealt a bad hand. If there is any doubt about that, check out the look on Tami’s face when daughter Julie announces her decision to attend East Dillon. Can a principal’s political fortunes outweigh a mother’s interest in her children’s welfare? It is fascinating subject matter, and you will see more of it in the weeks ahead.

Tim Riggins made a bold decision about his collegiate future, and announced it with a few flicks of the wrist. The real battle inside of TV’s most introspective bad boy is how to move on without Lyla Garrity. In order to survive in the absence of the only girl he has ever loved, Tim decides to go back to the only place that ever loved him. Dillon has a sense of history, but #33 quickly realizes that his fame may have been fleeting. With brother Billy now married and anticipating a baby, Tim is attempting to reinvent himself under the cover of familiar surroundings. When the daughter of a one night stand asks, “What’s it like to be the guy who used to be Tim Riggins?,” his course for the season was clear. How does a young man remain humble enough to face his limitations, yet fight to overcome the skepticism of a community that believes he peaked when his helmet came off for the last time?

New schools are full of fresh faces, and viewers will be introduced to a host of talented young actors to fill those roles. Beginning with Michael B. Jordan, playing the talented, troubled Vince Howard, we will see Dillon from all sides. The subjects of race, class, and inequality are rarely handled with care on network television. Be prepared to be impressed and enlightened.

Texas forever…