Get your Kleenex ready for the final episode of Friday Night Lights airing tomorrow on NBC.  And “you-know-who” is sitting in the stands cheering for Dillon East!  That’s right, I am proud to admit I was an unpaid extra on FNL. 

I’ve had the opportunity to appear on TV on several occasions, from a brief shot on The Tonight Show, to a 10 minute planned event on QVC in front of 7 million viewers, to a paid extra on the original “Dallas” series.  But the highlight of my TV experiences was last summer when my daughter Courtney, and her friend Morgan, and I were on the set of final episode of Friday Night Lights filmed in Dallas , Texas at the Cotton Bowl.  

After enduring many hot, humid hours in the Texas sun, we had the excitement of being involved in the filming and appearing at the last Dillon football game, The Texas High School State Championship.  OK, “appearing” is a bit of an exaggeration.  A big exaggeration, since our shot lasted a nanosecond. 

Coach Taylor standing next to Number 18

We didn’t even know we made the episode until it aired.  We figured that with the 1000s of fans there, we would end up on the edit floor.  So we were pleasantly surprised while watching FNL finale that aired in February on Direct TV, (tomorrow night’s the NBC finale) to see we made the episode.  There was a lot of screaming and hitting rewind when they flashed the three of us in the stands.   My daughter posted on Facebook a photo taken from her iPhone of our TV of us in the stands cheering.  An ensuing “convo” on that picture started amongst all her FB friends.   I think that photo got more “likes” than the cheerleader mishap photo. (Hmmm, you missed that one too.)

Vince Howard (Actor Michael B Jordan)

 In any case, there’s no doubt that FNL has entertained us for 5 seasons.  And the last throw of the football had a “Hollywood” ending.   After the Direct TV season, we know what happens, BUT that night last summer when filming this episode, we didn’t know jack.  And the producers were careful not to spill the beans.  We filmed three endings to the game.  Spoiler alert! With 3 seconds on the clock, Dillon East is behind by 5 (26-21), the Lions QB (Dillon East) Vince throws a Hail Mary, his final desperation pass,  and it lands… in the STAR actor “Luke’s” hands. We (the fans in the stands) go wild. They film us cheering and screaming.  BUT then they film it again.  AND it’s intercepted by a Hudgins Hawk player. We all BOO & get sad.  THEN they film it AGAIN, and it’s incomplete. SO you won’t know how it ends until the actually airing on NBC.  Spoiler alert # 2, the ball never even lands in any of those places in the final episode.  (It lands in Philly.) How it ends you’ll love it, trust me.  Even though you are hating me right now, giving you a glimpse into the true ending, you’ll still love it. 

Final Seconds to the end of the Game, the season....the series.

For those readers that are not familiar with FNL (then why would you still be reading this blog?), the Emmy nominated series was adapted from the book and movie (2004 starting Billy Bob Thornton) of the same name.  FNL explores a rural West Texas town where the weekly ritual of Friday night high school football games is the obsession.  

The book by H.G. Bissinger’s profiled the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High Panthers.  The town struggled with a city racially divided and economically dying, but thrived for that one night that gives the town something to live for, Friday Night Football.

Luke (Actor Matt Lagoria) getting instructions for the next play.

The drama series Friday Night Lights since 2006 has explored the cultural scene in a rural town in Dillon Texas that includes the importance of football, dating and church to students at Dillon’s high school.   Even though the series is based on rural America high school issues, it could easily parallel the problems infused in urban high schools.

Our family started watching the series when Tami Taylor (Dillon Football coach’s wife) begins to coach the Dillon girls’ volleyball team.  We found the series engaging and thrilling.  Plus my teens found the lead high school characters “hot”.   I agree the characters, (the likes of Matt, Luke, Vince, Tim, Tara, Landry, Julie…) are beautiful people but they are authentic and served as an alternate reality check to all the TV images from reality MTV pumped into our kid’s culture.   They struggled weekly with the drama associated with high school issues.  

Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler)

As a Texas high school alumnae, and mother to three Texas high schoolers, I have personal experience of the real world of Texas HS football drama that has been depicted in the series.  FNL is an outstanding show that’s only incidentally about football. The drama actually returns each week with a lesson on small-town America touching on issues like race, class, and religion with a rare eloquence. 

Two Fans of Dillon East

The cast has always been about family on and off the field. And after our pleasant experience of spending 10 hours with the cast, I would add behind and in front of the cameras as well. It’s going to be hard to say good-bye to certain cast members.  Pass me more tissues, please.  We’re going to miss them.  So from Clear Eyes, Full hearts, to wet eyes, broken hearts, we say good bye Dillon, Good bye Friday Night Lights!

One second on FNL

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