friday night lights; eric and tami taylor picspam
For challenge twenty over at picspammy , I chose ten trope's best suited for Friday Night Lights', Eric and Tami Taylor. Before you go on, be aware of two warnings. One, this is not dial-up friendly and kind of insanely long. I probably should have made each section wider, but well, what's done is done. Also, there are heavy spoilers for the current season playing on NBC (Season Four), so if you don't want to be spoiled, leave now! One last thing, the screencaps are my own, so please don't use the screencaps as your own, they took a very long time. Enjoy!
Crowning Moment of Heartwarming
(There are certain moments in popular culture that feel so right, where something happens in stories that feels so good and so appropriate in the story, that you can't help but be moved by it.)
"I've given everything I've got for this team. I've still got that, I've still got my pride and I am not giving that up."
While Coach and Tami both have several moments of heart warmth over the series, these two moments truly stick out (and mirror each other in the third and fourth season finales!) Since the day Coach Taylor got the job to coach the Panthers, he's given everything he's got. Not to mention, giving up his dream of coaching at TMU and the same goes for Tami, she's given everything to help these kids, again giving up a dream of hers as well (being with her husband!). It always worked out for the both of them in the end, but in the season finale's along came someone who tried their best to take it all away and the town seemed to forget everything they had done. And in these two moments, in their very classy Taylor way, they both stuck up their finger to the world.
Fangirl
(Simply a girl who is obsessed with something or someone, capable of squee to Earth-shattering levels.)
"This is what you do, I've seen you do it with my own eyes. I believe in you. I believe in you with every cell of my being."
There's absolutely no doubt, nor is it a secret that Tami is Coach's BIGGEST fan girl. Mrs. Saracen might give her a run for her money, but Tami is the ultimate fan of her husband's. Not only is she always there to talk him through his troubles with indecision, but she is always in the crowd cheering like a teenager! She sends him off with a big kiss to every away game (that she drives to herself), she welcomes him back with a big hug, and has even been spotted waiting for him at the bus. All in all, even if she's going through a hard time, she never fails to be there like the fan girl she is, to say, I'm so proud of you.
Female Success is Family
(There is a tendency to give any female character of importance a male character to thank for her position.)
"You know you're an example to aspire to, don't you? You give them an oppourtunity to express themselves that they wouldn't have otherwise, you know that, because you're always there ready to listen to them. You never shy away from the difficult subjects. They know they can trust you. That's a rarity. You're my wife and I am damn proud of you."
This could very much be a mirror of Fan girl, because Coach is without a doubt a fan boy of his wife's. Without her, he probably wouldn't be who he was or have the success he has reached and always, he thanks her for it. He thanks her and praises her endlessly for being the woman he loves whom gives him all the inspiration in the world. He knows his wife is right 100% of the time and isn't afraid to say it to whomever needs to hear it. From my POV, without Tami, he wouldn't be Coach.
Good Parents
(Parents are either dorky, busy, abusive, embarrassing, evil, overbearing, overprotective, only human, absent or dead, squicky, lost, or just plain useless. But what about parents who get things right?)
Eric: "All the other parents have picked up their perp's, why can't we pick up ours?"
Tami: "I would like our perp to sit in there and think for a minute about what she's doing sitting in there."
One of the top reasons the Taylors are the King and Queen of Dillon is because what separates them from most of the town is how great a set of parents these two are, which you'll hear Buddy say on occasion. It isn't a secret that the parents in Dillon aren't the best. They've either abandoned their kids, been more flighty than their own child, or made terrible mistakes. Eric and Tami are the ones that get it right. They treat Julie like a real individual, but are hard-ass when need be. Thing is though, they don't lose their temper and if they do, they are right there to make up for it. Having a baby along with a teenager, both working such demanding jobs, they could easily just hire a nanny, but they don't. These two go to the ends of the earth for their girls and that is the best example of what parents should be.
Happily Married
(Against all the odds, in defiance of the laws of drama, spitting in the face of Love Hurts, there is... the Happily Married couple.)
"I love you. I respect you. I am in love with you completely."
I know I'm not the first to say these two are the best married couple on television. They could easily be boring, or not believable, and that couldn't be farther from the truth. Their relationship is so realistic and they are anything but boring. These two have their problems, they have their fights but they are mature enough and respect each other enough to work through it each and every time. One of my favorite moments as they are bickering and getting heated with one another, the moment comes where a person would get over-dramatic and storm out, Coach just starts laughing and tells Tami, it's never a dull moment with you. They don't let arguments and drama define them. Most importantly, they are friends, best friends before husband and wife. And to me, that's the most important thing, not to mention the best thing, to have in a true relationship.
Hot Mom & Hot Dad
(Many series will have a mother, and in this case a father, who is noticeably attractive.)
Jason: "I'm having this dream, okay, and I need to talk to you about it. I'm like, it starts out in Mexico with Coach Taylor's wife, and we're kinda making out."
Tim: "Yeah, I've had that dream."
It's always surprised me that the show's never delved into the phenomenal good looks of Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. Particularly, Connie's 'Tami', being that television always has such a thing for hot mom's. They show it, with wardrobe choices for Tami and out of the Coach uniform, giving Eric a great hot, classy dad look. They just never talk about it. Only in deleted scenes really, the young boys (particularly Tim) make it known how hot Coach's wife is! But let's face it, Coach and Mrs. Coach are both HOT! Eh, maybe their hotness is so in your face that it doesn't need to be said? XD
Mama Bear
(Bears usually won't attack humans - but get between a mother bear and her cub, and she'll tear straight through you. Apparently, the same rule applies to human parents. Threaten their husband/wife, child, boyfriend/girlfriend, cat, etc., and you are in for a world of hurt.)
"Let me just tell you something, this is my fault and I just, it's just important, it's just important. I let her down and if I don't redeem myself here, I may not get her to trust me again for a while, and that's just gonna be a problem."
Tami is the ultimate Mama Bear. In her extremely classy way, she makes it known that no one messes with her husband or girls and walks away with such ease. Episodes in and out, she does whatever she can for Julie and when things don't look right at a daycare, she doesn't let go of little Gracie Belle. Most notably and full of awesome, when the Panthers did what they had done to Eric, she makes it known that no one messes with her husband. Eric and Tami have to stay on opposite sides with their jobs and yet, Tami proves to Dillon whose side she will always be on. Messing with their coin-flip was her magnificent way of proving that. Yep, she went and flipped her coin.
Papa Wolf
(The Spear Counterpart to Mama Bear. A Papa Wolf is always portrayed heroically in contrast to many an Overprotective Dad. You'll soon pray he'd let Mama Bear handle this instead.)
Julie: "What happened to your face?"
Eric: "I was defending your mama's honor."
Julie: "With your face?"
Very much a mirror to the Mama Bear trope, just a bit more.... uh, scary? Coach has had many funny moments in the first season with protecting his little girl from Matt, but he's also had more than enough intimidating moments where you could see the rage inside him and have the opposing end holding a facial expression that only read, God help me. And that's just with the young men who dared to cross his daughter. Mess with his wife, and he's... Coach. Poor guy will even beat up a phone! He really, truly makes it known that no matter how much he loves football, his family is and will always be foremost, the most important thing to him.
Mentor
(A more experienced advisor or confidante to a young, inexperienced character.)
"I wanted to stop by and say thank you. You know, for everything. I couldn't have done any of this without you. And that's for real."
Another thing the Taylor's are known most notably for, is the way they reach to the younger characters. Both Eric and Tami. If they see someone in need, hell, just in need of a dialogue, they are there. In moments to the point where they could sacrifice what they have, just to help and mentor a kid who isn't lucky enough to get it from their own parents. The two of them, both in different ways, have given more than enough support and acknowledgment to teenagers to make them believe in themselves, enough that they turn their lives around and see more in life because of the trust given.
But I Can't Be Pregnant!
(A character finds herself - or he finds his female partner - pregnant, after being declared infertile by doctors.)
Mrs. Williams: "Did you plan this?"
Tami: "I mean we planned it like thirteen years ago, you know? And then twelve years ago, and eleven years ago, and then ten years ago. And we have our beautiful girl, we figured, well, that's what we have and maybe having another one just wasn't in God's plan, you know?"
Mrs. Williams: "Looks like God changed his mind."
Lastly, a more pinpointed Trope that identifies with one particular event. Tami's pregnant! We learn that they've tried for another after Julie... several times, but it just never happened. It wasn't some miraculous event but it was something they both thought just wasn't going to happen. But it did! Even Eric spoke the words, pregnant, like you're gonna have a baby, pregnant?' Making her look him in the eye and tell him that. It was too cute and funny, and now they have their two girls, and can I just say Coach with baby Gracie Belle is adorable beyond words? Thank you for this surprise!
fin ♥