Tomorrow Blues

Last updated
"Tomorrow Blues"
Friday Night Lights episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 13
Directed by Jeffrey Reiner
Written by Jason Katims
Cinematography byTodd McMullen
Editing byRon Rosen
Original release datesJanuary 14, 2009 (2009-01-14)(DirecTV)
April 10, 2009 (2009-04-10)(NBC)
Running time45 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Underdogs"		Next →
"East of Dillon"
Friday Night Lights (season 3)
List of episodes

"Tomorrow Blues" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights , inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 50th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Jason Katims, and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on January 14, 2009, before airing on NBC on April 10, 2009. [1]

Contents

The series is set in the fictional town of Dillon, a small, close-knit community in rural West Texas. It follows a high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. It features a set of characters, primarily connected to Coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami, and their daughter Julie. In the episode, Eric's job is under review as his contract awaits renewal. Meanwhile, Matt, Tim and Lyla prepare for their college future, while Tyra worries about not making it to college.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 4.36 million household viewers and gained a 1.3/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the performances, smaller scale, character development and emotional tone.

Plot

Five months after the state championship, Dillon has moved on after the loss. As the school year is over, Tami (Connie Britton) announces Matt (Zach Gilford) will be going to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, while both Tim (Taylor Kitsch) and Lyla (Minka Kelly) will attend the San Antonio State University. Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) is still in the process of applying for college, and J.D. (Jeremy Sumpter) was named by Dave Campbell's Texas Football as "High School Quarterback of the Year".

Eric (Kyle Chandler) has his contract expiring in a few days, requiring the committee to review a possible extension. As he and Buddy (Brad Leland) meet with a family to convince them in joining Dillon High, they are astounded when they realize that Joe (D. W. Moffett) and Wade (Drew Waters) already contacted the family on behalf of the team. Eric confronts Joe for his actions, who offers him a chance in vouching for him to keep his position if he uses Wade's plays, which he refuses. Buddy is not convinced of Lyla's college choice, as he deems the college as a "party school", especially with Tim's presence. Tami contacts Vanderbilt University, getting an extension of possible enrollment for Lyla. To pay for college, Buddy accepts to meet with his estranged brother Gary.

Matt takes Lorraine (Louanne Stephens) to an elderly care home, and he shares a goodbye as he prepares for leaving for college. Tim and Billy (Derek Phillips) go to an auction to buy items for the repair shop, and Tim convinces Billy in buying a Texas Longhorn. However, the car breaks down and they have an argument over Billy's financial status. As Tim consoles him, he is overjoyed when Billy reveals that Mindy is pregnant. Landry (Jesse Plemons) consoles Tyra over her impending future, telling her she only needs to focus on herself to find happiness. That night, a UT letter arrives and Tyra is delighted to learn that she has been accepted. Eric attends the board meeting, saying that his days as coach are just getting started. During the wedding of Billy and Mindy, Tami tells Eric that the committee has chosen Wade as the new coach, but that they are offering Eric the position of head coach in East Dillon High.

At the reception, Lyla tells Tim that she contacted Gary for the needed money but she questions leaving Tim. Tim assures her that she should go to Vanderbilt, feeling she deserves a better school. Julie (Aimee Teegarden) tells Matt that they will have to break up, knowing that a long-distance relationship won't work. Matt decides to take Lorraine out of the care home and get her to the wedding, as she is the only person who didn't abandon him. Tim tells Billy he won't go to college, so an upset Billy tells him that he needs to do it; as he is the first Riggins family member to go to college, he will inspire their children, convincing him to go. Eric takes Tami to the East Dillon field house, embracing as they stare at Eric's new job.

Production

Development

The episode was written by executive producer Jason Katims, and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. This was Katims' seventh writing credit, and Reiner's 18th directing credit. [2]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast on NBC, "Tomorrow Blues" was seen by an estimated 4.36 million household viewers with a 1.3/4 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 1.3 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 4 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast watched it. [3] This was a 20% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 3.61 million household viewers with a 1.2/4 in the 18–49 demographics. [4]

Critical reviews

"Tomorrow Blues" received critical acclaim. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.8 out of 10 and wrote, "this is for the most part a lovely send off for this season, and for some, if not all of these characters. The way one of the central conflicts of the episode is resolved (it's the conflict the final scene shows the outcome of) is very clever – I didn't see it coming, but in retrospect, it makes perfect sense, and definitely will be interesting to follow in Season 4." [5]

Keith Phipps of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "So whatever faults this episode might have had a series finale, they don't matter as much as a season finale. And as I revisited these episodes and the posts from last fall, I realized I underrated what turned out to be a very fine stretch of episodes, maybe in part because I was looking at it as the show's last gasp. I was wrong about that and wrong in some of my conclusions." [6] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "What a humdinger of a finale we got for a superlative season of Friday Night Lights. Could things have been more tense, emotional, or funny?" [7]

Alan Sepinwall wrote, "If the show somehow continues, I'm excited for the possibilities created by the East Dillon move. And if it ends, we'll always have those moments where Friday Night Lights reached deep into our guts, or brushed across our spines, and moved us in a way that few of us would have expected from a show about Texas high school football." [8] Erin Fox of TV Guide wrote, "Last episode, we saw the Panthers lose their coveted state title by one point in a valiantly played game. Now, we've fast-forwarded to the end of the school year and we meet up with Tami and the gang at the Senior Brunch." [9]

Jonathan Pacheco of Slant Magazine wrote, "For this finale, Friday Night Lights uses the celebration as a catalyst for decisions and adds that small town touch that we've come to love from the show. It's not as much of an all-time great like last week's 'Underdogs', but the Season 3 finale stands strongly as a capper to the season." [10] Television Without Pity gave the episode an "A" grade. [11]

Jason Katims submitted this episode for consideration for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, while Jeffrey Reiner submitted it for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Friday Night Lights</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights commenced airing in the United States and Canada on October 5, 2007, and concluded its 15-episode season on February 8, 2008, on NBC. While initially renewed for a 22-episode full season, the show ended production for the season after filming the 15th episode, due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. The series' future was once again placed in doubt as it did not return to production once the strike ended, and it continued to suffer from low ratings in its new Friday at 9:00 pm time slot. However, NBC announced in April 2008 that the show would return for a third season, with first-run broadcasts airing on DirecTV's The 101 Network. The second season was released on DVD in region 1 on April 22, 2008.

<i>Friday Night Lights</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights began airing in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2008. It was the first season to be aired on DirecTV's The 101 Network. The 13-episode season concluded on The 101 Network on January 14, 2009, and then began its run on NBC two nights later, on January 16, 2009, and concluded its NBC run on April 10, 2009. The show was renewed for two more seasons in March 2009, with both seasons airing in the same format as season 3, containing 13 episodes each. The third season was released on DVD in region 1 on May 19, 2009.

"Always" is the series finale of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season and the 76th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by executive producer Jason Katims, and directed by producer Michael Waxman. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on February 9, 2011, before airing on NBC on July 15, 2011.

"Crossing the Line" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. The episode was written by producer Bridget Carpenter and directed by co-executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on NBC on November 28, 2006.

"Little Girl I Wanna Marry You" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. The episode was written by executive producer Jason Katims and directed by co-executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on NBC on January 24, 2007.

"Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes" is the nineteenth episode of the first season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. The episode was written by executive producer Jason Katims and directed by co-executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on NBC on March 21, 2007.

"Best Laid Plans" is the 21st episode of the first season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. The episode was written by consulting producer Kerry Ehrin and supervising producer Carter Harris, and directed by co-executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on NBC on April 4, 2007.

"State" is the 22nd episode and season finale of the first season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. The episode was written by executive producer Jason Katims and consulting producers Patrick Massett and John Zinman, and directed by co-executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on NBC on April 11, 2007.

"Last Days of Summer" is the first episode of the second season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 23rd overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Jason Katims and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on NBC on October 5, 2007, but the episode was released to stream on Yahoo! on September 19, 2007.

"Are You Ready for Friday Night?" is the third episode of the second season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 25th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Kerry Ehrin and directed by Seith Mann. It originally aired on NBC on October 19, 2007.

"Humble Pie" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 35th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Carter Harris, and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on NBC on January 25, 2008.

"I Knew You When" is the first episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 38th overall episode of the series and was written by executive producer Jason Katims, and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on October 1, 2008, before airing on NBC on January 16, 2009.

"Tami Knows Best" is the second episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 39th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Elizabeth Heldens, and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on October 8, 2008, before airing on NBC on January 23, 2009.

"Hello, Goodbye" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 41st overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer David Hudgins, and directed by co-producer Michael Waxman. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on October 22, 2008, before airing on NBC on February 6, 2009.

"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 42nd overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Kerry Ehrin, and directed by executive producer Jason Katims. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on October 29, 2008, before airing on NBC on February 13, 2009.

"New York, New York" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 45th overall episode of the series and was written by consulting producer Kerry Ehrin, and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on November 19, 2008, before airing on NBC on March 6, 2009.

"Game of the Week" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 46th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer David Hudgins, and directed by co-producer Michael Waxman. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on December 3, 2008, before airing on NBC on March 13, 2009.

"A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 48th overall episode of the series and was written by supervising producer Bridget Carpenter and co-executive producers Patrick Massett and John Zinman, and directed by co-producer Michael Waxman. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on December 17, 2008, before airing on NBC on March 27, 2009.

"Underdogs" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 49th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Elizabeth Heldens, and directed by executive producer Jeffrey Reiner. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on January 7, 2009, before airing on NBC on April 3, 2009.

"Stay" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. It is the 56th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Bridget Carpenter, and directed by Patrick Norris. It originally aired on DirecTV's 101 Network on December 9, 2009, before airing on NBC on June 11, 2010.

References

  1. ↑ "(#313) "TOMORROW BLUES (NETWORK PREMIERE)"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Friday Night Lights – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ Seidman, Robert (April 11, 2009). "Updated Friday Ratings: Terminator: TSCC goes out with a whimper". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  4. ↑ Seidman, Robert (April 4, 2009). "Friday Ratings: CBS wins with mostly repeats, Dollhouse looks done". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  5. ↑ Goldman, Eric (April 9, 2009). "Friday Night Lights: "Tomorrow Blues" Review". IGN . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  6. ↑ Phipps, Keith (April 10, 2009). "Friday Night Lights: "Tomorrow Blues" (kind of)". The A.V. Club . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  7. ↑ Tucker, Ken (April 10, 2009). "'Friday Night Lights' finale: Some say goodbye, some stick around...for two more seasons!". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (April 10, 2009). "Friday Night Lights, "Tomorrow Blues": Something old, something new". What's Alan Watching?. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ Fox, Erin (April 10, 2009). "Friday Night Lights Episode Recap: "Tomorrow Blues"". TV Guide . Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ Pacheco, Jonathan (April 12, 2009). "Friday Night Lights Recap: Season 3, Episode 13, "Tomorrow Blues"". Slant Magazine . Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Friday Night Lights: "Tomorrow Blues" – In 'n' Out". Television Without Pity . April 11, 2009. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Official 2009 EMMYS Episode Submissions". The Envelope Forum, Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.