If FNL skewed somewhat sentimental toward the end of last season, they've made up for it this season. Injury List featured relationships and situations, even seemingly strong ones, damaged to various degrees. Darkness, from dependency to death, is just a step away, and seems to shadow just about everything in Dillon these days.

A chill's even clinging to the golden couple, Eric and Tami, who is brought before the school board on a complaint from Luke's scary mom, Margaret, who's boiling with rage at Tami for supposedly counseling Becky to abort her grandchild. Even though we basically have to side with Tami/Becky/Luke, FNL makes Margaret's side understandable. Tami's cleared, but the news is somehow leaked (by Mrs. Cafferty, most likely) to the local paper, so desperate to pursue the story that the reporter calls Tami at 11:30pm for a quote, which she declines to give. Coach is not able to support Tami as much as he usually does, or as much as she needs; he coaxes Buddy to have another beer at a bar after the game as Tami sits on her stoop waiting for him, worrying.

The week's Lion's game, vs. Westcott, is overshadowed by the following week's matchup with the Panthers. Buddy's the new Slammin' Sammy as the voice of the Lions on the radio station El Fuego, and it's sweet torture to hear him drop Spanish phrases into his patter. He only wants to ask his guest, Eric, about the Panthers game. But he shows his new perspective on things by taking off his Panthers' ring and lasting a whole 48 hours. And Eric's star running back Luke can't get his prescription for Oxycontin refilled, so he can barely walk. Yet he guts it out, making a few good plays in the game, until he's walloped and has to fess up to Coach about his injury. 


It's so bittersweet, and so indicative of what a decent guy Luke is, when he's moaning "I'm sorry!" as Coach is walking away after yelling at him for waiting so long to tell. They lose, and Luke's out for the big Panthers game. But during the game, we see how the team's bonding; Tinker's looking out for Luke, and Vince even takes the heat when he changes Eric's call last-minute to protect Luke's hurt side. Poor Luke then has to confront his maniacal mom at home, defending Tami and saying he was the one who got Becky pregnant, it's his responsibility. Poor guy can't cut a break; then again, who can?

Not Vince. We see that he's trying to do right, but dang, guy's gotta pay for his mom's rehab, which is just as bad as a drug habit. He's asked to literally whack with a crowbar a guy who owes them for parts, which we presume were chopped by none other than our Riggins boys, but all he can muster is a kick. He's dragged out for a job after his game, and while car-sitting, sees his buddy Calvin gunned down. Cripes. We were just getting to appreciate you as singlehandedly driving the entire economy of Dillon, like some sort of latter day Henry Ford. Vince is sobbing like a child in front of Jess' house that night; she comforts him, as she has done all episode -- from Vince's mom, who she kindly visits in rehab, to Landry. They're steady enough now for him to ask her to dinner at his house; it's awkward, what with stroganoff and references to big families and Obama bearing a whiff of unintentional racism, but they laugh about it the next day. And yet Vince is lurking in the background, always. And Jess feels for him.

Saracen's alive! And living in Chicago, working at a gallery, about to start school next semester, with one of those mythical "garrets" that is simultaneously shabby and ridiculously grand. (C'mon Friday Night Lights, you're so good with realism in Dillon ... what happened? Three arched windows? Srsly?) He calls Jules, finally. I mean, Gracie's grown like a foot since he last had contact with Julie. She can't deal with it on the first call, then second call -- in which he's telling her he's basically great except she's missing -- she gives it to him, big time. "I hate you so much for leaving me, how could you do that to someone you love!!," she screams. And ya know, it makes no sense at all that Matt wouldn't call her for so long. If I wasn't totally brainwashed into liking Matt, I'd call him a bastard. Albeit a talented bastard.

Meanwhile, Julie's applying as a team leader with Habitat, which will take "several years" apparently. But she needs parental consent as she's only 17. Hmmm. But Ryan seems to have moved on to Arizona, which is a relief because he was semi-annoying and not as cute in prolonged sequences as at first glance. 

Timmy slams a wad of cash on Kitty, the realtor's, desk; she jokes "did you rob a bank?" and Tim, deadpan, replies, "You won't tell anyone, will you? Just kiddin'!" 

LOL. Never seen this facet of his humor for some reason, and he's grinning ear to ear. She says she'll notify the owners of the offer, but even though it's not sealed, Tim wants to celebrate by taking his new BFFs, the Sproles gals, to dinner after Cheryl tells Tim he's A-okay as he helps with unloading the groceries. "When I picked you up at the bar, I didn't know what a good guy you were," she says, mentally undressing him again. She has a few margaritas at dinner, where Tim announces he's bought a little piece of Texas. Becky knows something fishy's up; guess it has something to do with being desperate to get a crappy sales job at Sears one minute, and the next, being a mogul. And as soon as Cheryl makes moony eyes at Tim, and he reciprocates -- okay, he looks back at her -- Becky makes the "ew" face, which mixes with the "why her and not me" face.

Back at the house, Cheryl makes her move, entering Tim's trailer, under the sacred 33 jersey, and mackin' on him. But he resists! God he's getting good at this. Who ever knew. She's all, "but we live meters (meters? yer in Texas, not Paris) apart and we hardly know one another..." and he's all "THIS IS NOT HAPPENING." Go Tim! Feeling evermore like a piece of steak getting pulled by the fangs of mother and daughter, when Becky later, in a tiny kimono, asks him in to watch Thelma and Louise (no symbolism there, eh?), he says no. But when she says I don't wanna be alone, all he can think is, neither do I.

But in a scene that's all too reminiscent of when Eric threw Tim out of his house because he thought Tim was taking advantage of Julie, Cheryl walks in on them lying on her bed on her white satin sheets (yech), even though Becky's asleep and Thelma and Louise are just about to drive off the cliff. And Tim had just tried to tell Becky he was moving out. So prescient! Cheryl's screaming at him that how dare he touch her daughter, that he's just what she thought he was, like all those other men, and he'll never amount to nothing. Sigh. Yeah, tell him something he's never heard.

And still, it hurts. And it's not that Cheryl actually thought Tim was with Becky, she was just jealous because he'd rejected her, too. (They really nailed this competition between mom/daughter, I must say.) Tim crashes at the Rig and, in a lovely scene, Becky goes to tell him he's none of those things her mom called him, that he's not a loser, he's kind, good, strong, and protected her from his dad, and drove to that dumb pageant. And he was there at the worst time of her life, when no one else was. They hug, and you still see how infatuated she is when she kisses his neck. 

"Goodbye Tim Riggins," she says, echoing how Tim bade farewell to Lyla once and for all. Those are words I don't want to rehearse, but I suppose in self-defense, I better.

Next time, with just 2 to go: Vince packs heat, Tami's getting threatened works its way into the rivalry between the Lions and Panthers, and Tim is visited by the law. So - Who gets custody of Skeeter?