Last week's episode of Friday Night Lights was a little bit slow. There's the gay bar story, and who Julie found there. There's Matt hunting with Tim. There's Tami still facing the wrath of Panther fans and still managing to pretend that it's all okay, all while Eric looks for Lions alums to rally his current crop of footballers. (Who thought the Lions were champions before? Yeah, I know, development can suck.)

And then the bombshell: Matt's dad has died in Iraq.

So, perhaps this week, we can forget a bit about the issues with the Lions -- tensions between Vince and Luke, or whoever's falling for Jess -- and we return to home base, sort of. But that doesn't mean we forget the new kids, with Vince getting his career in danger, and Becky growing closer to Tim.

And then there's Matt, his mom and beloved grandma, all dealing with the death of the man of the house. Of course, everybody will come to support them in this time of grief, although I cannot imagine how this will affect Matt. Lyla's returning, too, but it won't really make a difference, will it?

Prepare yourselves for what may be the series' most powerful episode ever. Friday Night Lights returns tonight at 8pm on NBC.

(Image courtesy of NBC)