Friday Night Writes: A Relationship Between a Father and Son (Pt.3)

[SPOILER ALERT] — Note this may contain spoilers related to the show Friday Night Lights, if you have not seen the 4th or 5th season, you have been warned

Introduction

What Relationship Between a Father and Son are we looking at? Of course the relationship between Matt and his father was told clearly. But after realizing the care that was placed in articulating Matt Saracen’s father in S4, you could think that the main fatherly figure being spoken about is Henry, but if you look closer there are several other fathers in the show.

There’s Vince’s Dad (Ornette); Buddy; Jess’ father; Billy Riggins. I’d like to make the case that the authors are alluding to another Father.

In Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 we discussed a framework from Steven Johnson that says complex TV shows demand more of their audience, requiring them to understand biographical, and supplemental information to understand “in jokes”.

Biographical Information

• Ornette Howard has been in prison for the entirety of S4 and S5, and as a result he hasn’t been there physically
• Vince is QB of the East Dillon Panthers

Situational Information

To begin, lets look at the plot of the episode “The Right Hand of the Father”

In the episode, Ornette Howard returns from prison, and Vince is not happy about it.

On game day, Vince’s tie is tied wrong.

“The short part of your tie’s a little long, man” — Ornette Howard

This is not some side comment, but an easter egg for the larger theme of the episode discussed more later.

When the Lions play their football game at the end of the episode, Vince looks in the stands to check if his father is there. There’s one minute left in the game, and Vince needs to drive the offense down the field to win.

With his father nowhere in sight, he hikes the ball, and wins the game. But what we notice is, that the drive doesn’t start until Vince’s father walks into the stadium and watches him play. Even though he thinks his father is not there, he isn’t able to win the game until he is.

Supplemental Information

Lets point out three pieces of supplemental information.

1. The Painting positioned in the middle of Vince and his father during the episode “The Right Hand of the Father”
2. East of Eden by John Steinbeck which the title of S4:E3 plays off of. The episode is called “East of Dillon”
3. The Book of Genesis

When Vince’s father makes the comment about the tie, its the first time that we get a look at the painting in the house that is a reference to the poem below:

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,
especially at the very lowest and saddest times,
there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You’d walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you
Never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.”

Like this painting, Vince’s father was there for him in some way, even though he wasn’t aware of it.

The comment Ornette makes about Vince’s tie is a subtle reference to the minute hand on the clock.

We could conclude this is the case based on multiple easter eggs

• The game winning drive is 1 minute long
• The Lions become 3–0. (Ex. When the minute hand is down its 30 mins)
• Luke causes #12 to fumble and there are 12 hours positioned around the clock

Further Supplemental Information referencing “God The Father”

Think of the narrative that the titles tell:

S4: East of Dillon -> After the Fall-> The Son

End of S4 — S5: Thanksgiving -> Expectations -> On the outside looking in -> The Right Hand of the Father -> Keep Looking -> Kingdom

In the Bible, after the fall of man, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s wishes, Adam and Eve are banished:

“ After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”

This means that everything that happens in the Bible is to the “West”

Hence a deeper explanation of the reason for there being an East and West Dillon.

The Next Father Son Relationship

While all this happens, Buddy Garrity is debating what to do with his son who is living in California and misbehaving. It isn’t until after Vince places the football in the trophy case, that Buddy calls his wife Pam and asks her to send Buddy Jr. to live with him. But we’ll save that for Pt. 4

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