I didn't like that Jess spent so much time trying to "save" Vince Howard from his stubborn personality and his lifestyle, but she cared for him and wasn't afraid to tell him when he was wrong. Jess was a precious little gem in "Friday Night Lights." She was an independent, strong, African American woman, and she took care of her younger brothers religiously and always made time to work for her grandfather.
Jess Merriweather (played by Jurnee Smollett) He wasn't the best character in the show, but his presence was very enjoyable. When he and Becky finally became boyfriend and girlfriend, I knew I wanted to live vicariously through Becky, and I sure did.
Obviously all the bolts weren't there but, luckily, Luke knew how to think on his own. When Becky became pregnant, Luke's parents shunned Becky away in hopes of keeping Luke dedicated to working on and committing all of his time to their farm. He was a sweet and kind Southern boy, and who doesn't like that? He crushed on Becky Sounders for two straight seasons and was persistent about making her his girlfriend. I said it before and I will say it again, Luke was the East Dillon replica of Matt Saracen. However, away from these stereotypes, Smash Williams dealt with many pressures that young black males go through in every day life, allowing him to be relatable to some viewers. The writers also exposed the idea of black men believing their only way to success is through athletics, but the realism of that situation wasn't fully addressed. These writers portrayed this character as a cocky, aggressive black athlete who bullied Matt Saracen, the "docile white male" until they made amends in season three. I was irritated, not with him, but with the writers of "Friday Night Lights." In my opinion, I think the writers used Smash Williams as a way to perpetuate African American stereotypes.
I had a love/hate relationship with Smash Williams. Brian "Smash" Williams (played by Gaius Charles) The only reason he was ranked higher than Jason Street and Lyla is because his presence was prominent in seasons four and five when he had a huge crush on Jess from East Dillon.ĩ. Remember when Landry beat someone to death (on accident) because he was taking advantage of Tyra? Remember the times Landry threw actual tantrums when Tyra wouldn't answer her phone? Call it romantic or toxic (definitely toxic), Landry always had a good head on his shoulders, giving Matt quality advice when he needed it. His care for Tyra was through any roof, but he was so damn emotional that it actually clouded his judgement through every season of FNL.
Landry was a sweetheart and he was the hopeless romantic we hated to love. Becky was a strong soul in FNL and one of the nicest girls consistently for two seasons, but I also couldn't get over how sad she made me consistently for two seasons.ġ0. When she and Luke had sex for the first time, Becky got pregnant, Luke's parents hated her, and she was torn between being dedicated to her Christian roots and wanting an abortion. When she finally accepted that Tim was more like an older brother than a love interest, she moved onto Luke Cafferty, who was the East Dillon replica of Matt Saracen. She fell in love with Tim Riggins in season four, but she was in high school and he was still in love with Lyla. I felt bad for Becky for almost all of seasons four and five, and I just couldn't keep reliving it. Before I get a mob of comments on this article of how I couldn't have possibly put Becky at number 14, I just want to clarify that I fast-forwarded the parts of FNL that she was in when I watched it a second time through. Not that I've ever done anything I've regretted, but I think Julie was just immature and made many selfish decisions, like most of us do at that age.ġ3. But, I also think I dislike Julie because she reminded me of my teenage self. She completely took advantage of Matt's love for her, and WHY WOULD YOU EVER DO THAT TO MATT (which also made me frustrated with him that he kept going back to her). Out of all the rankings, I think this one may be split down the middle of people who either incredibly agree or incredibly disagree with me. Long live the odd and confusing Buddy Garrity.ġ4. However, when season four rolled around, he realized who his true friends were, and made the official loyalty switch to East Dillion and Eric Taylor. I found it hard to like Buddy Garrity because as a grown man, he cared way too much about what others thought of him. He cheated on his wife with Tyra's mom in the start of FNL and participated in some shady plans against Eric Taylor in season three. He is that character in every show that no one likes, but no one hates. Buddy Garrity (played by Brad Leland)īuddy Garrity confuses me.