Always.

So. I finished watching the series finale of Friday Night Lights about two and a half hours ago, and I think I gave myself enough time to fully process it so I can write this.

If I thought the Life Unexpected finale was perfect, well, this was even more perfect. Not only was it a super-long episode (I'm guessing it took an hour and a half to air, because it was an hour and 5 minutes long), which was necessary because of the many, many storylines that had to be wrapped up in what seemed like it was going to be a rushed, complicated episode, but the way they wrapped it all up was perfect. Only a show like this show could have you wondering, going into the last episode, how they could possibly tie up all the loose ends, and then wondering how it could've gone any other way after watching it.

SPOILERS ABOUND:

The main focus of the episode was Coach and Mrs. Coach's dilemma about whether they should move to Philadelphia or not. What better way to solve that problem than to have Matt propose to Julie? It required Coach to give them his thoughts on marriage, that it's about sacrifice and compromise on both parts, which in turn made Mrs. Coach offer to stay in Texas because she was never going to win that fight. But alas, that made coach realize it was his turn to sacrifice something for her. Bam, decision made. Thank you, Matt Saracen.

Speaking of Matt Saracen, um, hello, HE PROPOSED TO JULIE. Now don't ask me what it was, but for some reason I've been having a feeling lately that he might. Not like, "I bet he's going to propose to her," because it really was a surprise, but I've just been thinking about how Coach and Mrs. Coach got married young and how Matt and Julie are like junior Coach & Mrs. Coach, and it would only make sense for them to get married young. Also, that would eliminate doubt about whether their relationship would last this time, and it would require Julie to move to Chicago. And it did.

Bonus: we got to see Landry give one last piece of bad advice to poor, unsuspecting Matt.

Then we move on to Tim and Tyra. I never really thought they were meant to be, but then they had to go and make Tyra say, "I've been in love with you since I was five years old." Just picturing the sheer cuteness of that made me kind of like them as a couple, even if it is slightly creepy and weird, as Mindy said.

Which brings me to Mindy. I love how attached she got to Becky, and how sad she was that Becky was moving out. As much as I wish Becky could've kept living with the Riggins clan, it wouldn't have been realistic and we would've been left wondering what would happen when she moved out. Would she still be a member of the Riggins family? Of course, that question was answered.

Speaking of Becky, I am so happy they had Luke show up at her house with a teddy bear and flowers. I wasn't sure if they were going to get back together in one episode, because he was a pretty big jerk in last week's episode, but his adorability was just so overwhelming that she had to take him back. And they stayed together. What I didn't like-- in fact, it made me gasp out loud and say "no!"-- was that Luke joined the Army. That is the one question left in my mind: why wouldn't Luke just go to some local college where he could learn about agriculture and farm stuff, so he could live on a farm with Becky? Luke Cafferty, while noble and respectful and all that good stuff, cannot join the Army. He has an injured hip, for crying out loud.

Anyway. I didn't really understand the point of having Vince's dad go to state-- yeah, he was there to see his son win and everything, but still. I wish the dude would just go away.

I think my favorite part (besides Matt proposing and Landry being in it) was the part where they show what happened to everyone 8 months later. They interrupted the last crucial minutes of the State Championship to show it, leaving us wondering for a couple of seconds what happened. And then you see Vince at practice with the Panthers, and immediately you look at his finger. State Championship ring. BAM. And then we've got the image of them taking down the Lions scoreboard, just like the image of them putting it up during the opening sequence. Freaking ah, how did they made BOTH of them so powerful?

You see Tim Riggins' dream coming true, him building his house on his land with his brother. They show Matt and Julie in Matt's Chicago apartment together, Coach as the coach of a high school football team in Pennsylvania (wearing GREEN =O), Jess shadowing a coach [or assistant coaching?] at her new school in Dallas-- because Coach is such a softy and called in a favor-- and Billy even got a coaching job with the Panthers, which I just realized was probably possible because they had funds left over seeing Coach turned down the head coaching job. Oh, how things that seem bad on this show always end up being good. Bonus: Buddy Junior and Tink both managed to get spots on the Panthers. I already mentioned Luke going into the Army, but they show him getting on the bus and Becky crying and waving goodbye to him, with his State ring in her hand. They always make all the main high school couples so real, like they could never break up [again].

Aaaaand finally, the most real couple of them all, the last image of the whole show is the image of Coach and Mrs. Coach walking across his new football field. Just like on Herrmann Field in the credits of the first 3 seasons, just like on the Lions field at the end of season 3 (and the opening sequence for seasons 4 & 5), just like the show could keep going the way it always has. Heck, they even had Tim Riggins say "Texas forever," just like in the pilot. Like nothing changes.

Most shows make the series finale seem like that's the end for all the characters. After everything has concluded, you never really find a desire to see where it could all go from there, but the last scene of Friday Night Lights did nothing to satiate my need for more. I want to see him bring that green football team to state, even though it's not the Texas High School Football State Championship. I want to see Coach and Mrs. Coach have more stupid little arguments that don't weaken their relationship at all. I want more compromises and sacrifices. And at the same time, I'm okay knowing that I won't get any, because I feel like I know how it would go. Like I said, there are very few questions left.

Anyway, I feel like a lot of people might have been disappointed that there wasn't really a detailed football game in the series finale, but I think it made the episode even more perfect. It solidified my point that it's not a show about football, it's a show about people whose lives are connected through football.

Basically, it's pretty much just one of the best shows ever. I already pre-ordered the last season because I refuse to say goodbye to Dillon, Texas.