vaznetti | FNL finale: State (Reply)

I started to tear up in the pre-credits sequence, with the pregnancy (which of course everyone knew about from last week's promo, so I like that they got that out of the way early) and the "Looks like God changed His mind," but then thought I'd be OK because LANDRY! With his grand plans and his car full of women, and how he just can't say no to anyone, not even Lyla, who probably never said a kind word to him ever. I wonder if Lyla had tampons for Tyra's mother?

I also loved Lyra and Tyra fighting in the road, and then coming to some kind of understanding, and Riggins giving the tickets to his Older Woman. And Lyla dumping her cheerleader outfit in the trash. (The full reconciliation between Lyla and Tyra seemed a little forced, actually, but whatever.)

Basically, I have an enormous amount of love for the show and the episode -- even the totally predictable and thus not entirely believable recovery in the second half, which at least was well-written. Look! Matt Saracen has grown up! He can stand up to Coach! And the absolute misery of the dinner before the meal was also great -- how flat everything was, how miserable after the high of walking into the dressing room, with their names over each locker, and how flat everything stayed, all until that halftime speech, when even Coach thinks they can't win, but is still trying to give them something.

(So, will he stay or not? I loved the scene with Tami and Eric, when she tells him about the baby -- and his gradual understanding and joy, and her relief -- and how she insists on him not giving up the coaching job for her -- but this is television, so if they do get another season, who knows. I like that Jason has been brought on as a kind of coach, but he can't take over Eric's job.)

And part of me was thinking -- you know, for some of these boys, this is as good as it will ever get, this one moment in the sun, in high school football. And that's just heartbreaking. Especially, in the dressing room, with their names on the lockers like real players. Which they are, of course, but...

Another thing I loved -- that Voodoo had a point, when he was talking to Smash, and that Smash didn't have an answer to that, or not one that he could say.

So it was a perfect season, and a perfect end -- the parade in the sun, the whole town there to cheer -- and then it all starts again.

I would like another season of this.

I'm sure there were other things I loved about the episode, but haven't remembered here.

Oh! and a link to proof of the slashiness of Primeval, with pictures. There are spoilers in the text, but the pictures are great.