I received an e-mail this week that, properly condensed, read as, "Hey, Drezner, stop talking about policymakers and academics and tell us something really important -- what did you think about the third season of Friday Night Lights?!"
I think the following five things (SPOILER ALERTS):
- One of the big problems with high school shows is that they tend to keep the characters around even after they should have graduated. Props to FNL for saying goodbye to Smash Williams and Jason Street, and laying the groundwork for further departures after the season finale.
- The funny thing about Season Three was the way characters not on the front credits nevertheless took center stage -- Brad Leland's Buddy Garrity and Derek Phillips' Billy Riggins. And that was mostly OK with me. These characters were gloriously flawed but never boring.
- This is one of my favorite shows on television because of the relationship between Coach Taylor and his wife, Tami. What's great about the relationship is that when a problem presents itself, it's far from guaranteed that their first reaction is necessarily the right reaction. Also, note to self: about ten years from now, re-watch this episode before talking to children about pre-marital sex.
- By the end of the season, I could have done without the Tyra-Landry and Lyla-Tim relationships (come to think of it, the scattershot character arcs of both Tyra and Lyla are a bit problematic: for Season 4, some new and interesting female characters, please). The Matt-Julie relationship, on the other hand, is fascinating because of all of the delicious combination of awkwardness sweetness that comes with those two characters.
- I'm looking forward to Season 4. This season's finale, with Coach Taylor now being asked to jump-start East Dillon's football team, sets up a whole variety of juicy conflicts and storylines.
For more on FNL Season 3, do check out the Slate discussion between Hanna Rosin, Emily Bazelon, and Meghan O'Rourke.
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