It’s Wednesday night on our TVs, but Friday night in our hearts as the panthers take the field. Coach Taylor implements that split-the-plays-fifty-fifty strategy with JD and Matt, and it’s not going well. The pressure is getting to Matt, and predictably JD is kicking ass. To be fair, JD has nothing to lose and poor Matt’s been right on the edge of an ulcer for three years, so it’s not that surprising...
Meanwhile, Julie has a new tattoo and Coach Taylor and Tami are employing their usual parenting strategy alternating between taking her head off and being her buddy. Julie doesn’t seem to be responding to either approach so Tami takes matters into her own hands and books an appointment in San Antonio to get it removed.
Under the influence of Cash, the rodeo cowboy, Tyra’s cutting class again and Tami is not pleased. Also, Cash may or may not have a drug problem, which seems generally counterproductive to trail Tyra’s blazing to the University of Texas.
Back in the locker room, the assistant coaches are bullying Coach Taylor into dropping Matt Saracen from the starting lineup. JD McCoy’s ready to steer this ship back to safety. Coach Taylor spends many scenes scrunching up his face in consternation.
Jason Street is back in the picture for the first time this season and he’s a baby daddy. Money is tight because car sales aren’t booming at Buddy Garrity’s dealership. Jason needs to make some money to make an honest woman of Erin and bring baby Noah to live with him for good. But first, he has to do his weekly sweep of the apartment and throw out Herk’s porn.
Coach Taylor pays a visit to the Saracen house to break the news that he’s benching Matt during the last half of his Senior year. Matt sleeps on it, comes to school, freaks out in the locker room and starts banging football helmets against the lockers. We feel wretched. So does Coach Taylor. It’s ugly all around. On the upside, it turns out Matt’s mom is more than willing to listen to him talk over his troubles, so all is not lost for team Saracen.
Tim convinces Jason that the best way to make fast money is to start flipping houses on the real estate market. Jason, Herk, Billy and Tim agree to purchase Buddy Garrity’s house so they can fix it up and sell it for a profit. Problem is, the sale depends on Billy and Tim’s ability to unload the copper wire spools they stole from the construction site, and Billy is not exactly a man with a plan. Predictably, the whole thing goes awry and they do what they should’ve done from the beginning which is ask Herk to take care of it. Herk is sheisty, and he knows people. The boys buy the house and Jason’s psyched to tell Erin. Turns out Erin’s heading for the hills by way of the East Coast to stay with her parents and she’s taking Noah with her. Jason’s devastated, and we’re sort of wondering when any one in this town is going to catch a break.
Tami decides to make nice with Julie and let her keep the tattoo. Julie convinces Tami that a tattoo doesn’t necessarily mean a porn career and a drug habit. All is well in the Taylor abode for another week, except for Coach Taylor’s mammoth ball of guilt over breaking Matt Saracen’s heart.
Next week: Can Matt and Julie make out? Matt needs some love in his life.