Stay (Friday Night Lights)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Episode 6
| "Stay" | |
|---|---|
| Friday Night Lights episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Patrick Norris |
| Written by | Bridget Carpenter |
| Cinematography by | Todd McMullen |
| Editing by | Stan Salfas |
| Original release dates | December 9, 2009 (DirecTV) June 11, 2010 (NBC) |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"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.[1]
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, Matt and Julie leave for a musical festival in Austin, against her parents' protests. Meanwhile, Lyla visits Tim during her midterm break.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 3.66 million household viewers and gained a 1.0/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received extremely positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances and character development, although some were divided over the ending.
Julie (Aimee Teegarden) tells Matt (Zach Gilford) that she has tickets for the Austin City Limits Music Festival, but she hesitated in mentioning it due to his father's death. Matt states that he wants to go, feeling it should be a good distraction for his father's death. Tim (Taylor Kitsch) is visited by Lyla (Minka Kelly), who is staying for a while during midterm break. Even though things seem initially awkward between them, the two can't hold themselves back and rekindle their relationship.
Landry (Jesse Plemons) once again tries to flirt with Jess (Jurnee Smollett), and his tactics learned from his relationship with Tyra get him slapped. Vince (Michael B. Jordan) also tries to mend his past with Jess, but Virgil (Steve Harris) refuses to let him get involved again with his daughter. While watching a football game with Luke (Matt Lauria), he and Vince are approached by J.D. (Jeremy Sumpter) and other Panther team members, and Stan (Russell DeGrazier) is forced to intervene to prevent the conflict from escalating. Lyla hangs out with Tim, Billy (Derek Phillips) and Mindy (Stacey Oristano), although she admits that she does not plan in staying, causing melancholy between her and Tim due to knowing they will soon have to separate again.
Even though her parents disapprove of her going to Austin during school days, Julie decides to leave with Matt anyway. Tami (Connie Britton) angrily calls her daughter, who ignores her calls and does not tell Matt about her decision. Tami asks Landry for details, but he has limited knowledge of the event. Landry calls Matt to warn him, causing Matt to get mad at Julie for not telling him that her parents disapproved of the trip as he feels it will make him look bad. While strongly considering going to Austin to confront her daughter, Tami decides to not do it, although she confides in Eric (Kyle Chandler) that she is scared her daughter is leaving. At the festival, Julie finally admits that she fears Matt may leave Dillon, so he comforts her.
The Lions face off against the McNulty Mavericks, after Eric and the team make awkward TV interviews over the game. While the Lions show promise in the field, they still end up with a 14-7 loss. Even though both Tim and Lyla are now aware that they still love each other very much, Tim realizes that having her stay would hold her back from her dreams, so the two tearfully part ways again as Lyla returns to college. Matt drops off Julie at her house, where she cries as she apologizes to Tami for her actions. The following day, Matt is seen leaving Dillon, finally at peace with himself.
Production
Development
.jpg)
The episode was written by co-executive producer Bridget Carpenter, and directed by Patrick Norris. This was Carpenter's seventh writing credit, and Norris' fifth directing credit.[2]
Casting
In April 2009, reports suggested that Minka Kelly would leave the series after the third season.[3] Jason Katims confirmed that the episode would be Kelly's final appearance in the series, saying "I thought her final episode was so powerful. We talked about bringing her back, but I didn't really feel like anything we came up with beat the [Tim-Lyla] story in that episode, which I thought was really poignant. It wasn't a happy ending, but it was a really satisfying ending for me. It was a satisfying resolution to that story line."[4]
