Friday Night Lights – 4×05 – The Son

This episode absolutely sent me running for the tissues. OH MATT.

Poor Matt Saracen. This episode was truly a monumental one for Zach Gilford as he totally nails a grieving Matt. He’s lost, yet trying to be strong for his whole family and himself, but still trying to deal with hating his father on top of it. Poor baby has never really caught much of a break.

Loved that while he had his own issues with his Father, his secondary family – the Taylors and his pals like Landry and the Riggins all came to rally around him, trying their best to support Matt in anyway they could. Matt on the field with Billy, Tim and Landry reminded me of back in S1 with Jason, Tim and Smash in a way – the boys would always feel most at home on the field… and then demanding to see his Father’s mangled corpse and his subsequent breakdown. As Tim Riggins says, it was just that feeling of total uselessness, watching Matt suffer all that pain.

I’m glad that Matt didn’t go with his ‘I hate you’ speech in his eulogy, and you know he’s pent up all that anger from young with nowhere and no one to let it out at, but that he chose to remember the good things about his Dad in the end. Him just shutting the doors on the McCoys was quite funny though.

I also loved Tami and Coach trying their best to take care of Matt, with Tami settling the funeral arrangments for a distraught Matt and Coach walking Matt home without a word after the breakdown at the dinner table. Poor Julie herself must be feeling rotten by not being able to do anything, but she’s always there next to him, to put a hand on his knee and support him while he gets a handle on things.

We also see a surprise face back – Hello Lyla – who returns to attend the funeral. What about Smash and Tyra though? One wouldn’t think Lyla was especially close to Matt. I like that Smash gets a mention, as Coach is watching his game on TV – he might be coming off the bench, but his potential is being recognized, and you know Smash is destined for big things… Lyla and Tim share a look, so you know we’re gonna get some drama on that in Lyla’s farewell arc. Love triangle with Becky perhaps, who finally decided to grab the bull by the horns and kiss Tim? Bad, bad timing girl, picking a moment when Tim is all pensive.

The kids on this show don’t really have the best dads eh? Matt’s was mostly absent, Tim’s upped and left him as did Tyra’s, Smash’s was unfaithful as was Lyla’s, Becky’s is unsupportive… Julie is lucky to have Coach Taylor as her dad, as is Landry!

We also see a little bit more of our new cast, with Vince finally having a great game and being a player of the week despite not having any electricity at home, dealing with a deadbeat mum and learning how to carjack, Luke breaking up with JD McDick and his jerk Panther mates, Becky winning 3rd at hr pageant…

But tonight, it was really all about Matt Saracen. Poor boy. I hope Matt has a happy ending when he does leave this show (SADNESS. After the hot Tim Riggins, Matt is my next favourite character, sweet boy that he is). That he finally goes on to have the life that he wants and everything that he needs.