East vs West, Who’s the Best? A Friday Night Lights Debate

A discussion of Friday Night Lights and it’s most triumphant moments

Published in

PopCandie

13 min readOct 26, 2016

If there’s anything I regret more in life, aside from the melodramatic and generic teenager problems (girls, college, life, our future, ya-di-ya-da), it’s easily my inability to stay loyal to a TV series. However, even the most rotten of apples have something fresh about them. For me, that’s my adulation for the highly-underrated Friday Night Lights — which is easily my favorite TV series of all-time. Obviously that praise doesn’t mean much considering I’m the polar opposite of a television savant, but it does give me something to fall back on as a consolation prize, which is usually good enough for me.

I’ve watched the entirety of Friday Night Lights four times over, and still get the same level of satisfaction with each viewing. But then there’s always one question that goes unanswered in my mind: Between the seasons set in West Dillon (1–3) and East Dillon (4–5), which is better? Today, I’m getting my act together and solving this question that’s plagued humanity since the series’ conclusion in 2011.

I’m going to start by breaking down each season and detailing their best and worst qualities. Analyzing the best characters, episodes, moments, and plot points in order to create the ultimate manifestation of Friday Night Lights awesomeness. I’m also going to assume people have watched the show before, meaning I won’t be going over every part of the story in detail or giving complete summaries for each of the main characters. But before I delve into this ordeal, I want to explain how this is going to play out. So, I figured I’d start by answering some fake questions that I’m asking myself.

Why are you doing this?

Because Friday Night Lights is excellent and I want to debate which seasons have the highest swag level.

So, how exactly will you be doing that?

Did you not read that previous paragraph? I’m going to go through each season and talk about their best episodes, from my perspective (Originally, I wanted to render a synopsis for each season but that took way too long). Then, I’ll be deciding which seasons were better in a selection of categories; kinda like a down-on-it’s-luck award show. Trust me, it’s going to be dope.

Sounds like a tough task, how long is this going to be?

Well, as you know, most of my articles are pretty lengthy — and that can sometimes be a very good or very bad thing. Hopefully I don’t suck and can fully capture the spirit of Friday Night Lights in an appropriate length, no promises.

What if I disagree with you? Am I allowed to call you a fucking idiot?

Well, the conventional standard in unwritten Internet regulations seems to suggest so. I say go for it!

This intro is dragging on too long. Cut to the chase!

Agreed. Let’s talk some West Dillon Panthers football.

The West Dillon Panthers (Seasons 1–3)

This is where the legend of Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) all began. The Dillon Panthers have sky-high expectations, thanks in large part to their star quarterback Jason Street (Scott Porter). Street is being hailed as the greatest prospect since Peyton Manning, and is expected to lead the Panthers to the promised land. There’s the indubitably confident Brian “Smash” Williams (Gaius Charles), the star running back with tremendous promise as well. And then rounding out the core is Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch), best friend of Jason Street and a killer fullback regarded as one of the toughest guys in the district.

The season and series heads into tragedy immediately, with Jason Street suffering a career-ending injury in the first game of the season. From then on, the roller coaster begins — with Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) being tasked with assuming the starting quarterback role. There’s drama at every corner on, and off, the field. Can Coach Taylor unite the team and lead them through a litany of issues and satisfy the enormous Dillon expectations? Man, I love this show.

Season 1

“Pilot” (Episode 1): How could I not list this one?
“El Accidente” (Episode 6): I like how the episode is one of the first instances that shows Taylor and his wife Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) care about doing the right thing — and not just excusing people because they’re good at football. (But seriously, Bobby Reyes is a disgrace to the Reyes name and that upsets me. HOW COULD YOU BOBBY, WE HAD THE SAME LAST NAME AND YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT PAST EPISODE 6!!)
“Black Eyes and Broken Hearts” (Episode 16): Dude, remember when Tim friggin’ Riggins completely demolishes that player who landed a late hit on Smash? Also, this was the first big example of how much the show would successfully tackle a multitude of social issues.
“Mud Bowl” (Episode 20): It’s a gritty game with so much on the line. The build-up to this is worth it and I love how the players shout “We wanna play!” when the referees are thinking of calling the game due to the harsh weather conditions.
“State” (Episode 22): The Panthers beating that cocky Greg “Voodoo” Tatum kid (Okay, so honestly I’m not going to always look for the name of the actor, sue me) in the state championship game. You think the Warriors made an impressive comeback? How about from 26 points down, and Smash triumphantly returning to the game after dislocating his goddamn arm.

Season 2

“Are You Ready for Friday Night?” (Episode 3): I list this here because you get that great scene where Smash and Saracen get into a physical fight on the field even though they win the game — and you see Taylor’s concerned face as he watches it all unfold from the sideline. Also, there’s the beginning of Street and Riggins’ voyage to Mexico (a decent subplot that gives us more fun moments with Riggins)
“The Confession” (Episode 9): If it wasn’t made obvious enough by the title, this is the episode where Landry admits to killing the man who assaulted Tyra. This is also when Santiago becomes an absolute beast and balls out to win the game for the Panthers. It’s pretty incredible watching him unleash his anger and emotion that he’s kept coiled up inside of him. Such a shame his character is unceremoniously removed after the season’s conclusion.
“There Goes the Neighborhood” (Episode 10): It’s rivalry week, and with even more tension since the Panthers have to share a locker room with their opponent. The distasteful pranks that occur (Taylor grabbing the other Coach and slamming him into the wall is the most epic thing I’ve ever seen), the game with the unorthodox ending, and the reveal that the other coach’s wife is dying of cancer (explaining why he was acting like a jerk the whole time) make this episode one to remember.

Season 3

“How the Other Half Lives” (Episode 3): This is basically the episode where we recognize Saracen’s time as the starting quarterback is over (losing it to the very talented freshman phenom J.D. McCoy). It’s so unrelentingly sad as you watch Saracen come within inches of leading the team to victory — and the image afterwards captures that feeling of “Yup, he couldn’t get it done. Time for a change”.
“Game of the Week” (Episode 9): HAHA YES SARACEN REDEEMS HIMSELF AND PLAYS WIDE RECEIVER AND HELPS THE PANTHERS WIN THE GAME YES IT’S LIT!!! Also, there’s the epic announcement that Riggins is going to college.
“A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” (Episode 11): This is eerily reminiscent to the “Mud Bowl” episode from season 1 because of the playing conditions. Mr. McCoy’s punk ass gets upset with J.D.’s less-than-stellar play, even though they won the game. After an argument ensues, Mr. McCoy proceeds to assault his son and warrants Coach Taylor’s interference in order to protect the kid.
“Underdogs” (Episode 12): The state championship. Saracen replaces J.D. at quarterback after halftime and leads one of the greatest comebacks in Panthers history, but it’s not quite enough. What’s great about this episode is how they avoided the cliché ending, with the Panthers actually losing this time around.

The East Dillon Lions (Seasons 4–5)

Now we’re breaching the borders and heading to the other side of Dillon. After the McCoy’s essentially take over the school and get Taylor removed from the head coaching position, we now set our sights on a new crew of characters; the main one being Vince Howard (Michael B. Jordan), a juvenile delinquent with sky-high potential that’s given a second chance with Taylor as his overseer. Also new to the fray is Luke Cafferty (Matt Lauria), a former Dillon Panther who was forced to relocate to East Dillon since his residence is discovered to have been fabricated. These are just two of the new characters introduced in season 4, and it really doesn’t emphasize the drastic changes that have occurred. It’s kinda like the jump from Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy to Jak II. Instead of having all of the resources in the world, the East Dillon Lions have nothing and are consistently viewed in a poor statute. It’s the epitome — and sometimes the grand cliche—of an underdog tale, but you can’t help but love it.

Season 4

“East of Dillon” (Episode 1): This premiere episode is the perfect set up for what’s yet to come. It captures the feeling of rock bottom more perfectly than anything in the series. The best is when Coach walks into the new locker room and almost has a heart attack after a raccoon jumps out.
“The Son” (Episode 5): After finding out the death of his father, Matt feels conflicted — and almost doesn’t know whether or not he should care. Seeing Matt lose it after he forces the caretaker to open his father’s casket (they don’t show it, but one can assume the face was demolished. War sucks.) is a real gut-puncher. It’s a deep episode that touches on so many different aspects of life, and one of the best in the series — even if a bit tough to watch.
“Thanksgiving” (Episode 13): It’s Lions versus Panthers. Vince Howard versus J.D. McCoy. Taylor wants to win this game so badly and to get revenge on the school that left him for dead. The build-up is absolutely worth it. Oh, and Riggins takes the hit for his brother and goes to jail (!)

Season 5

“The Right Hand of the Father” (Episode 3): As the title suggests, this is where Vince’s father makes an appearance after getting out of jail. That one particular scene between Taylor and Vince is incredible, too.
“Kingdom” (Episode 5): The Lions go on a road trip to face their next opponent. I love the mischief that Vince and the rest of the boys get into after winning the game — just boys being stupid boys, classic. This is also where the seeds are planted for the fall of the Lions, with them changing their playstyle to be overly cocky and full of themselves — followed by Vince’s father starting to interfere in the recruitment process.
“Always” (Episode 13): This is how you finish a series, not that buffoonery they pulled with Lost. Let’s just conclude by saying this is 50% of the reasoning behind my Twitter bio.

The Breakdown (Seasons 1–3 vs Seasons 4–5)

This is it. The end of the path I started us on.

I’m going to compare the seasons with each other in the context of a selection of categories I’ve made. No more screwing around, this is where things get real.

***Best and Worst Seasons*

I’ll start this off with the most obvious question: How would you rank all the seasons in Friday Night Lights? Well, my fellow brethren, like this:

1. Season 1
2. Season 4/5

(I couldn’t decide between Season 4 and 5, but was certain I enjoyed either of them more than 3 and 2)

3. Season 3
4. Season 2

Season 1 was, definitively, the longest and most fulfilling in the series. But that number 1 advantage isn’t large enough to give the West the advantage. Even though season 1 was the best, seasons 4 and 5 weren’t that far behind to warrant their victory in this category — and I saw them as clearly better than seasons 2 and 3. Essentially, I’m saying that season 1 was the best but 4 and 5 weren’t far enough behind, got it?

Advantage — The East Dillon Lions

*The Football Teams***

The show is about football, isn’t it? So what kind of guy would I be not to compare the best teams against each other?

Each side won the state championship, and each side had elite level players with potential NFL promise (Smash and Vince). But here’s the twist I’m going to throw in the ring: The second-half Panthers from the state championship in Season 3. Those guys were underdogs heading into the game, and by the end of the first half they were down 0–27. Then after sitting J.D. and starting Saracen, the Panthers made an unreal second-half push and outscored the opponent 28–3. They may have ended up losing 28–30, but it was a valiant enough effort that it’s worth mentioning. In the end, the West gets the advantage because of their impressive comebacks — and guts like that is what I want from a team.

Advantage — The West Dillon Panthers

**Characters*

Here are a few of my unfiltered notes I made prior to writing this:

— Yes, the OG crew (Saracen, Street, Riggins, Smash) primarily spend their time as part of West Dillon. However, I found that seasons 4 and 5 have some great story moments with Saracen (coping with the death of his father) and Riggins (taking the blame for his brother and going to prison).

— One advantage the East has is that Vince Howard, while perhaps not the most beloved character in the series, is definitely portrayed by the best actor. (Kyle Chandler is obviously the star, but he’s not exclusive to either side so don’t freak out that I didn’t mention him)

— The side/supporting characters for both are great. The West side has more characters outside of the football team (Ex: Lyla, Tyra, and Herc), while the East has some characters more directly aligned to the football team (Hastings Ruckle, Dallas Tinker, Buddy Garrity Jr.). To me, the best supporting character was Vince’s hard-nosed and ex-convict father. You can see he’s not trying to be a bad guy, he’s just unaware of how things work and doesn’t accept that Coach Taylor is the best person suited for helping Vince.

After carefully looking over everything, this was clearly the hardest category to decide. In the end, I gave the slight advantage to the West because of one simple fact: They have The Smash.

Advantage — West Dillon Panthers

Story

I’m always one to look for incredible storytelling; I mean, who doesn’t? Friday Night Lights is a prime example of how to do storytelling in a drama series well, and should be recognized more as such. When it came down to me deciding between the East and West, it was close. The West had more of a storyline that felt unique, while the East had something more generic yet effective. When judging by episodes, I found that the ones from the East were a tad more memorable than the West. I genuinely believe that “The Son” was the best episode in the entire series, so that was a major part of my final decision.

Advantage — The East Dillon Lions

The Verdict

It was a long (hopefully you made it this far) and hard-fought battle that ended with a 2–2 score. So, I guess that’s all she wrote. A tie is a tie, right?

WRONG.

That’s not how Javier Reyes decides things.

I thought about it more and more for about a week. I re-watched episodes, I wrote scientific equations on my bedroom wall, I researched the Internet for hours on end, and I partook in plenty of sleepless nights. It wasn’t easy, folks. But I finally made the decision.

The East Dillon Lions are PopCandie’s winner of the the esteemed “Best Seasons of Friday Night Lights” championship award.

I’m sure many of you may be surprised, or upset, that I didn’t give the award to the classic Dillon Panthers, which is fine, but the bottom line is this: The entirety of the Friday Night Lights series is phenomenal. I went into this expecting to find conclusive evidence for an indisputable victor, but along the way I had something of a pop culture epiphany.

I believe that we, as a culture, are too obsessed with constantly wanting to rank things against one another. Sometimes I think its important that we enjoy all of the great content out there, instead of seeking out largely subjective debates. Everything I’ve written about thus far cannot truly capture the wonder and magic I felt while watching Friday Night Lights, and I doubt I’ll ever be able to. So, while I declared the East Dillon Lions the winner of this debate, that’s all just a matter of my biased opinions. The real winners are us, the viewers, since we are able to be witnesses to the fantastical world of Friday Night Lights — and all other beautifully rendered works of art made by incredibly creative and talented people.

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose.

Originally published at popcandieent.blogspot.com on June 3, 2016.