One of the hallmarks of the first two seasons of "Friday Night Lights" was the show's ability to really use its ensemble cast to the fullest. Each week would shine the spotlight on a different character scenario or two, and if those weren't the ones that appealed to you...well, you knew that the next week it would be something different. While this third season does a good job of moving certain storylines forward, it also turns rather repetitive at times in terms of the areas it really focuses in on.
For a basic summary, Season Three is one in which we (as viewers) say goodbye to some established figures and welcome some "new blood" into the fold. Because the writers strike of 2007 completely screwed over Season Two's "ending", the beginning episodes of this year basically just get us back up to speed. From there, a few things given to us in this installment include:
-Mrs. Taylor's new role as school principle and the new perspective it gives her on certain issues.
-The continued evolution of the Tyra/Landry & Tim/Lyla relationships.
-Jason Street doing everything he can to provide for his new "family"
-The ongoing foibles of Buddy Garrity.
-A new QB threat to Matt Ceracen.
There are some parts of Season Three that work very well. The chemistry within the Taylor family is still the backbone of the show, and it still never fails to produce emotion in nearly every episode. The "new QB in town" angle is also probably the strongest one of the entire season. Tami's new turn as school principle also brings up some moral dilemmas that prove quite interesting.
The trouble with this season, though, is that all the other angles fall under the following two categories: Either they are done too quickly (Smash Williams, Jason Street), or they linger on for far too long (Tyra's rebellious streak, the ticking time bomb that is Tim Riggins). More specifically, the characters of Tyra & Tim (who really stood out in the Second Season) are given more screen time but less character development in the sense that they don't seem much different from beginning to end. It is probably a case of the writers knowing that such drama works with most viewers and being a bit scared (in the wake of cancellation) to stray too far from the formula.
Overall, then, I can't rate Season Three of "Friday Night Lights" nearly as well as its two predecessors. Whereas those earlier seasons were high drama with pockets of repetition, I felt that the formula was flipped in this case. The ending of the season set up a scenario that looks like it has great potential to produce an entertaining fourth season, so I'm not giving up hope just yet. I'm just a bit concerned that the show has "slipped" a bit with each subsequent season so far.