Friday Night Lights: and the saviour declared "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose"
Created by Jillian Doucet
Characters
Coach Taylor (Jesus)
Coach Taylor is a god like figure to the Town of Dillon. He allows for the players of his team to achieve their highest potential by providing them with encouragment, time, faith and commitment. He always is there for his players day or night to help guide them through any situation. Coach Taylor is willing for the boys to make mistakes because that is a part of life and hopefully with the values he tries to give them for football, they can be carried over into real life. In this respect that is how Coach can be considered a figurative god to the town. God in the Christian faith is willing to embrace any follower as long as they try their very best to be a good person, and be open to the values he has to say. The words from scripture are similar to that of the speeches from Caoch Taylor during football games. a versus from John 8:32 "and you will know the truth... and the truth will set you free". (Smith, 2015), applies to the players because as long as they are being honest with themselves that they are giving their all to the sport and their coach that is all he can ask of them. He teaches the sport and at the same time there are subliminal values and spirituality that can be used in everyday life. Gods words in the holy bible have the same effect, for the stories may not be relevant to daily life, but the values and morals within them are what needs to remain upheld.
The town would not have a future if it was not for football, and their saviour coach Taylor. Coach personally looks for the good in all and helps to build on that by recruiting them to his team or creating bonds with members of the community in order to see through that they have a better future. One example is coach Taylor recruits one Billy Riggins, an older brother/guardian of a player on the team to be an assistant coach in order to see that the boys do not lose everything.
Tami Taylor is the coaches wife and provides a strong sense of guidance to the community through her work as the guidance counsellor.Her involvement with the students and her hospitality to be involved or help out at any event shows her true caring spirit. This spirit and enbodiment with the show is a symbolism to Mary. She is the mother figure for the show and pure in all her intentions towards the citizens of her town. This is true for Mary who was a lady of purity.
Tami Taylor (Mary)
The Football players of the Dillon Teams embody the spirit of disciples from the Christianity faith. Disciples are the followers of God and help to be guided by his words and portray their meanings for others to see. This is the same routine for that of a football team, with its players and coach. The coach tells the team the plays and skills and then the players see to using them in the game and in everyday life.
Football players(Disciples)
Julie Taylor (faith questioner)
The daughter of coach is a pesimist to the way in which she believes in faith, just like most teens. Having her as a character in the show helps to build on the idea that not all Christians see faith in the same way. Julie needs a different form of her faith then it being portrayed in football or at church. Throughout the series one can tell even when she does wrong her father and mother are still on her side because they see she is trying to find her own way to enter into the Christian faith.
