FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: The Son

I have played a variety of roles in my life. Before I was ever a student, co-worker, or friend, I was a son. Born into a crowded house with two older siblings, I was fortunate to enjoy the spoils of a childhood filled with love and affection. My parents taught us to value hard work, education, and friendship. Those lessons stayed with me every day, no matter how far I wandered from home.

On Sunday, May 24, 1992, my Mom died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. Losing a parent is a life-changing tragedy, whether you are fifteen (as I was at the time) or fifty-five. There is no better or worse time for it to happen, no paint-by-numbers method to deal with the aftermath. The biggest challenge in the wake of such loss is accepting the realities of your altered universe.

Death is a common device to tell stories on television and in films. They rarely get it right. Without the luxury of time, onscreen grieving has to move at a breakneck pace, lest the audience becomes bored with indifference. In telling the story of Matt Saracen, Jason Katims and the team behind Friday Night Lights took a leap of faith. They trusted their actors to take things slow, and trusted their audience to understand the nuances of mourning.

Zach Gilford may never be recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for his performance in “The Son.” It has become an embarrassing tradition for FNL’s best and brightest to fall short of Emmy gold, despite a track record of unparalleled excellence. Normally, these slights irk me as a fan. In this case, I take comfort in the fact that Mr. Gilford will be rewarded with a long and storied acting career on the heels of this outstanding work. In Hollywood, that is a far more precious currency than statues or magazine covers.

If I were Zach’s agent, I would keep three scenes on his acting reel, and let the work speak for itself. Their contents reveal an actor capable of playing a fully transparent character, naked of any self-indulgent melodrama or unnecessary movements.

With his friends in tow, and over the objections of the funeral director, father and son are brought face to (no) face. At that very moment, Matt was stripped of his sense of denial. He was shaken to his core, and anyone with a heart shed tears with him. Whether he was QB1, a pizza delivery guy, or Julie’s adoring boyfriend, Matt Saracen has always been Dillon’s best boy, the epitome of my theory that FNL’s heroes can be unearthed through their manners. No one could wish him ill, and no one could explain why such a tragedy would befall him. It was a moment that Matt had to experience, even as Tim Riggins wondered if anyone should have to face such things.

Because he is a well-mannered young man, Matt could not break his dinner commitment to the Taylors, even if it meant arriving late. A few fork strokes later, after expressing his discomfort with overlapping foods, Saracen’s downward spiral continued. The pain was too much, and the truth spilled out. Matt’s diatribe, where he explained that he channeled his anger toward his Dad in order to be a good person, was timeless. That scene would have fit any time line, any genre, in any era. Matt was angry at his father for leaving him, and angry with himself for turning a man he did not truly know into the villain of his story.

Finally, Matt’s eulogy was a poignant portrait of what FNL is all about. Ultimately, this is a show that celebrates respect, love, and commitment. Henry Saracen’s life in the military may have strained his family back home, but it was an honorable pursuit. His uniform hardened him, and made moments like the toilet paper incident more rare over time. Thankfully, his son understood the value of that work, and offered memories of the better times before laying him to rest.

Other stories moved forward in this episode, including Vince’s dual education on the football field and at the chop shop. For now, I’ll leave the focus on Matt’s story, and invite all of you to share your thoughts on one of FNL’s finest hours.

What did you take away from this story? I would love to read your opinions…