El Accidente (Friday Night Lights)

"El Accidente" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger. The episode was written by supervising producer Carter Harris and directed by Dan Lerner. It originally aired on NBC on November 7, 2006.

The series is set in the fictional town of Dillon, a small, close-knit community in rural West Texas. It follows a high school football team, the Dillon Panthers. It features a set of characters, primarily connected to Coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami, and their daughter Julie. In the episode, with Voodoo's future in jeopardy, Eric faces another public relations nightmare when a football player brutally attacks another student.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 5.94 million household viewers and gained a 2.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances, themes and pacing.

Plot
The Texas High School Athletic Administration announces that the investigation into Voodoo (Aldis Hodge) will be postponed until the following week due to insufficient evidence. While team dines at the restaurant, member Bobby "Bull" Reyes (Walter Perez) brutally attacks Kurt Kaster (Brent McGregor), a friend of Matt (Zach Gilford) who mocked football, in the parking lot until the rest of the team takes him off.

The following day, Bobby is arrested during practice, and Kaster's mother confides in Tami (Connie Britton) that she fears Bobby will be allowed to go back to the team as if nothing happened. As Eric (Kyle Chandler) and Buddy (Brad Leland) go to visit Bobby, Buddy confesses that Voodoo's case is not in their favor. At county jail, Bobby lies by claiming that he felt insulted when Kaster called him "wetback" and this prompted the assault, when it was actually Voodoo who said it. After bailing him out, Bobby makes a statement in the media to explain his actions and to apologize, although Tami is not convinced of his sincerity.

As Jason (Scott Porter) shows improvement, Lyla (Minka Kelly) decides to end her relationship with Tim (Taylor Kitsch), disappointing him. Later, Tim visits Jason, who scolds him for not visiting him and draws comparison between their new lifestyles. To cheer him up, Tim decides to take Jason out of the facility for a day out. They are caught by Lyla, who is convinced by Jason in accompanying them. Tim is put in an awkward position with Jason's and Lyla's affection, and privately asks her to leave it aside just for the sake of Jason. They take a few drinks on a campfire as they reminisce over their dreams. Tim and Lyla then take Jason back to the hospital, who thanks them for the day. However, he is seen annoyed when he sees them hugging in the distance.

The board officially declares that Voodoo was eligible, allowing Dillon to maintain their victory. However, Matt's friendship with Landry (Jesse Plemons) is jeopardized as Landry knows Kaster didn't say the slur to Voodoo and Matt does not want to say anything because he wants to protect the team's defense. That night, Matt visits Eric at his house, confessing that Voodoo was the person who said the slur and Bobby vented his anger with Kaster. Eric then visits Kaster, apologizing and promising that he will be protected at school. The following day, Eric expels Bobby from the team and makes Voodoo take his place in the defense. At night, Eric is visited by Buddy, who informs that Voodoo went back to Louisiana after his school re-opened and told a reporter about his bad experience in Dillon.

Development
In October 2006, NBC announced that the sixth episode of the season would be titled "El Accidente". The episode was written by supervising producer Carter Harris and directed by Dan Lerner. This was Harris' first writing credit, and Lerner's first directing credit.

Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "El Accidente" was seen by an estimated 5.94 million household viewers with a 2.1 in the 18–49 demographics. This means that 2.1 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. It finished 68th out of 97 programs airing from November 6-12, 2006. This was a 29% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 8.26 million household viewers with a 2.9 in the 18–49 demographics.

Critical reviews
"El Accidente" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 and wrote, "While there were some off moments occasionally, this was another well done episode of Friday Night Lights, which continues to be the most heartfelt of the new series this television season."

Sonia Saraiya of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "'El Accidente' is a simple but well-balanced episode of Friday Night Lights, one that uses the altercation between Reyes and Castor as an opportunity to let men of principle be men of principle." Alan Sepinwall wrote, "As for the episode itself, a much stronger effort than last week. I like that the show isn't ignoring the realities of Street's recovery (the no ejaculation rule is a bummer, though I would think/hope it's temporary), yet is willing to be just sunny enough to show him and his two backstabbing pals having a fine old time on their day trip."

Brett Love of TV Squad wrote, "This show just keeps getting better. Episode six brought to a head a few different story lines that have been brewing over the course of the first five episodes, some bigger than others. And some more surprising than others. The episode should have been called Do The Right Thing, as we had a number of characters all struggling with that idea." Television Without Pity gave the episode a "B" grade.

Brad Leland submitted this episode for consideration for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards.