It wouldn't be fair to thephenomenalwork that Scott Porter has done this year to say that it's because of him being out of the show that this episode feels so good. But with the whole "trying to sell the house/be a sports agent" arc gone and Jason Street out of the show for now, it gave the show a lot of room to stretch its legs and focus on things that it hasn't had time for. That includes Saracen's mother and football scenes.
I'm not one of those people who thinks that the show needs football scenes every episode to succeed but I always do like it when they give us an intense game to follow. Based on this show's track record, you can never assume that the Panthers will always win. That's why I was nervous watching the game. You never know what's going to happen. But it was great to see Saracen get some well-deserved respect by playing a great game at wide receiver. It also dovetailed nicely with his mother and grandmother, who continue arguing. I've loved the actress who plays Saracen's grandmother, but as far as characters go, her selfishness over wanting Matt to stay with her forever is frustrating. Right now, that arc is building up nicely and I'm excited to see where it goes.
I'm hoping that this is the last we see of Tyra and Cash together. Tyra had a good arc going on with the whole "get into college" thing, and it helped that her and Tami were in scenes together because they've always had some sort of connection. I loved seeing Coach go with Tami to get Tyra away from Cash. I was almost hoping we'd get to see him throw a punch at Cash, but I suppose we've seen Coach doing enough nice and noble things over the course of this show. Let's hope Tyra gets back on track.
As for Lila and Tim, Tim gets badgered by San Antonio State to join the team and he keeps blowing the scout off, instead staying home with Billy to get drunk and help Billy forget about the fact that he got dumped by Mindy. By the time we get to the end of the episode, both Riggins' brothers seem to be on track again, with Tim finally accepting the S.A scout's offer to get a scholarship. The problem is, until I see Tim on the team, I won't believe it. The way they didn't show the conversation makes me hesitant to believe he's actually going to college. But we'll have to see.moreless
