Friday Night Lights is all I have left. Let me explain myself, I’m out of new television. Officially in a drought. I’m supportive of the writers’ strike, but damnit, I write about TV, I need TV to do that. Anyway, tonight’s episode, Humble Pie, proved yet again that the major flaw of season two is the inability to have plots flow and feel original, things FNL used to make look easy.

Let’s start with Smash’s racism arc. My attitude towards Smash is often indifferent, especially during most of this season when the writers reverted any growth he may have had during Waverly’s sickness, to him simply being ‘The Smash” again. Now it’s obvious the writers are trying to mature him, make the character realize that there are more important things in life than football, but unfortunately it’s continuing to feel like a retread of last year’s race storyline with Mac McGill, except this one’s a lot less subtle. Gaius Charles is no doubt effective, especially in the scene where Smash consoled his younger sister after the prank call and the final scene where Smash realized just how screwed he was, as is Liz Mikel as Mama Smash (often the highlight of any episode in which she appears), but as often is the case with this season of Friday Night Lights, the actors are once again saving otherwise weak story lines. Even with Smash’s future up in the air, I’m having difficulty caring about this plot.

Another plot I’m having difficulty with? Tim and the Meth Man. Tim went from being the show’s figurative punching bag, to the literal one. Of course he didn’t get away with stealing Meth Man’s money, but having Lyla provide the money seemed like a cheap way out. I doubt Meth Man’s gone for good (especially after Billy opened his mouth) however I wouldn’t complain for a moment if he was. The last thing this show needs is another murder.

And then there’s the epic love story of Lyla and Tim. Tim loves her, she doesn’t love him, I don’t care. It was great to see Lyla set him strait that they would never happen again, as they only made sense during Jason’s hospitalization. Without that dramatic event to bond them, we get no sense of why these characters should be together and Tim’s speech that he knows her so well fell short with me, does he really know her at all? Of course part of Lyla’s rejection is because of Chris, but there’s just something about him that rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s the smile and his seemingly perfect response to everything she throws his way? I’m hoping there’s something more to his character.

After two weeks off screen, Tyra returned with not one, but two story lines. After her refusal to give Landry a shot, it seems like the two parted ways a bit, with Tyra returning when she needed math help. Typical Tyra. It was nice to see something new get thrown her way, in the form of Jean. Her ridiculous jealously over the new girl provided some much needed comedic relief, especially since Landry was enjoying it so much. Also awesome? Matt and Tim’s reaction to Jean’s mixed tape. The quiet smiles and gentle ribbing as Landry finally became the recipient of some courting, rather than the dumbling fool, were great to see.

Not as great as Tami’s look when Tyra easily put the chips on top of the fridge though. It felt like the first time in ages I’ve actually laughed out loud (not in disbelief) at FNL. Unfortunately the volleyball storyline felt like a tired retread of last year’s Powderpuff game, with some bad volleyball scenes. Seriously, I know the show is on a budget, but they couldn’t have hired Adrianne Palicki a coach or something? The writers haven’t forgotten that Tyra owes Tami for last year(this is the second time Tami’s cashed in on it this year, the first being Pantherama), but they’ve given us no scenes to show that that relationship has continued. It seems like this plot would give the perfect excuse for Tyra to get some much needed Mrs. T therapy, however, with Julie’s snide remark that Tami was “one for seven,” it’s obvious that the real reason for the renewed Tyra/Tami interaction was to facilitate yet another fight between Julie and her mother. Julie’s had one note all year, and it’s beyond annoying thirteen episodes in.

Now, Buddy’s the exact opposite. Brad Leland continues to win every scene he’s in, this time as he gave Jason a job and the confidence he needed to make the sale. The look on Buddy’s face when Jason told him that he closed the deal with the looky lu? Too great to describe. As nice as it was to see Jason again, it’s obvious the writers don’t have a clue what to do with him He’s outgrown Dillon, no doubt, but he’s still there. However, catching a glimpse into Jason and Herc’s hilarious domestic squabbles and guy love? Enough to make me forget that the character serves no purpose as of late.

Humble Pie was a step up from last week, but it feels like FNL is stuck. With only two episodes remaining in season two (and perhaps the entire series), they don’t have very long to get out of it.

*Photo courtesy of NBC.

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