'Friday Night
Lights' comes to a thrilling end
"Friday Night Lights," one of the best TV series ever, comes to a
close with a special 90-minute episode (Friday, 7 p.m., NBC). As you'd expect,
the Texas air is charged with drama. The East Dillon high school football team
prepares for the state championship game — the last one ever for the Lions,
as the program is being merged with West Dillon's. Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler)
has been offered a dream contract as the head of the combined teams, but his
wife, Tami (Connie Britton), has also received a dream job offer from a Philadelphia
college.
I'd love to tell you everything, but the bylaws of the TV Critics Association
prevent me from indulging about the final plot twists. On the other hand, I
don't think I'm giving anything away by saying that you will laugh, cry, hold
your breath and pray for an East Dillon championship.
I'll let team manager Jess (Jurnee Smollett) have the last word: "Being
part of the Lions has been the greatest experience of my life."
Amen.
'Haven'
Friday, 9 p.m. (SyFy)
Based on a Stephen King story, "Haven" is set in a Maine town infested
with "cursed" citizens who have supernatural problems. At least, the
local reverend believes they're cursed, declaring holy war on them. FBI agent
Audrey Parker (Emily Rose), on the other hand, considers them "troubled"
and wants to help.
In the season two premiere, biblical plagues descend on Haven and Audrey must
find a way to stop them before the town suffers the final plague, "death
of the first born son."
You might expect an hour's worth of spurting blood, flaming hail and swirling
flies to be overwrought, but "Haven" has a knack for remaining low-key
in the midst of apocalypse — even droll.
I think most of us prefer our apocalypses droll, especially in the summer. CV
