Fans were worried when it was first announced that Scott Porter and Gaius Charles would be leaving Friday Night Lights during its third season.  The characters of Jason Street and Smash Williams have been integral to the series since its pilot episode, and many people wondered if their arcs would wrap up in a satisfying manner.  Porter won’t return to resolve his character’s baby mama drama until later in season 3, but tomorrow night’s episode does mark the final appearance of Gaius Charles.  As a huge fan of the show, I think that Smash’s final episodes have been wonderfully handled.  His send-off is bound to be one of the more emotionally powerful moments in Friday Night Lights history.

To get fans ready to say goodbye to Smash, E!Online visited the set to speak with the cast about Charles’ departure.

Wednesday night’s episode of Friday Night Lights, entitled “Hello, Goodbye,” not only wraps up Smash’s storyline, but it also finds Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) dating a local rodeo star named Cash.  The character is played by former As the World Turns troublemaker Zach Roerig, and it’s obvious he’ll stir up plenty of drama between Tyra and Landry (Jesse Plemons).  Executive producer Jason Katims spoke to Entertainment Weekly‘s Michael Ausiello about what’s coming up for the duo, saying, “Tyra in the past eight months has [realized] that, while she loves Landry, she kind of feels like he’s not really The Guy.  So it becomes a story about ‘Are they going to be able to be friends?  And will Landry be able to accept that?'”

While Tyra and Landry deal with their romantic drama, Smash will be making a decision regarding his future as a football player.  Beginning around the 1:30 mark in the video below, you can see E!Online’s Kristin talk with the FNL cast regarding the departure of one of their own.  She speaks with Charles, Adrianne Palicki, Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Jesse Plemons and Zach Gilford.  It’s obvious that the cast will miss the actor just as much as fans will miss the character.

The new episode of Friday Night Lights, “Hello, Goodbye,” airs Wednesday at 9pm on DirecTV.

– Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: E!Online, Entertainment Weekly
(Image courtesy of DirecTV)

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Staff Writer, BuddyTV