Friday Night Lights is one of the most intricate shows on television. Though underrated and underappreciated, its diverse content matter keeps even the most hyperactive viewer entranced. However, this episode was the first that touched upon an often-taboo topic: homosexuality. Sure, there have been plenty of shows that mention homosexuality, or even have a gay character. The difference here is that not only is a homosexual a pariah at best in a football-jock-dominated small Texas town, but the gay person was a girl.
The situation is such: after being hurt from a prior relationship, the show’s most timid character, Landry, is quick to find a new girl, perhaps too quick. Because he rushed into his new relationship, he failed to notice any signs that the girl he was trying to date was in fact a lesbian. However, this ignorance was not completely Landry’s fault. He has grown up in a traditional society where homosexuality is a nearly unheard of, un-discussed, un-thought-of topic. Why would he naturally assume that a girl he has met and (in his mind) been flirting back and forth with is a lesbian. In fact, even after their first kiss, he still does not realize his err. Homosexuality is such a foreign topic to him that it takes her telling him for him to realize.
Although this has been the first touch on homosexuality for the show, it has gone about it the right way. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of people in the world who are entirely uncomfortable with being around a gay person. The show cast a very comfortable and endearing character to first introduce its not-as-accepting viewers to the fact that homosexuals are normal people and do not deserve the persecution they often face. It is not only the casting that makes this episode a success, but the reaction Landry has to this admission. His reaction is not so accepting that it’s unbelievable, but at the same time, once he had some time to think it over, he treated her the way she should be treated: the same.
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