Why We Love . . . Becky Sproles

When we first met Becky Sproles, all we could say about her was, “Oh, she’s . . . cute.” A seemingly vapid, stereotypical teenager with a fixation on winning beauty pageants, Becky initially came across as a Little Miss Sunshine. She also was the sort of girl who was manipulative enough to call Riggins’ Rigs just to make Tim Riggins give her a ride. (In his tow truck, people. His tow truck.)

But over time, as we got to know her, we grew to love Becky Sproles. We adored the soft vulnerability in her eyes every time she looked longingly at the effortless hotness that is Tim Riggins. We appreciated that she maintained a strong relationship with her mother, even though the woman was constantly blowing her off. And we just flat-out admired the way she handled her unplanned pregnancy: how she immediately grasped the gravity of her situation, carefully weighed her options, and smartly sought counsel from the Oracle, otherwise known as Tami Taylor.

But most of all, we loved her relationship with Luke, which overcame its baggage then went on to exceed the Friday Night Lights season-five quota for cuteness. We also love Becky for these reasons:

• Becky could fill any potentially awkward silence with inane chatter. In fact, her ability to chatter incessantly about banal subjects–how her dog went missing, how her hair does a weird flip thing–was so strong one could almost call it a talent. Almost.
• Becky could say even more inane things before a committee of beauty pageant judges–“I hope that when I die, people will say that she gave more than she took. That would be true success to me”–and smile with such sweetness that she still won them over.
• Becky was smart enough to know that there was only one person qualified to help her find a beauty pageant gown with a portrait neckline. And that person was Tim Riggins.
• Ever the master of restraint, Becky called Tim at the wake for Matt Saracen’s father. To her credit, she was polite enough to offer to hang up if Tim happened to be “near the dead guy.”
• We completely understand why Becky had such a crush on Tim. We love the fact that her unabashed adoration compelled her to tell Tim that he’s “not nothing.” And we respect how she let go of those unrequited feelings while living with Billy and Mindy and became an honorary Riggins.
• After Luke Cafferty promised he was “coming for” Becky, she was wise enough to be there waiting for him–and to fall in love.

Of all the regular Friday Night Lights characters, Becky’s final bow may have been the least satisfying. The last time we saw her, she was waving good-bye to Luke with tears in her eyes as he headed out of Dillon to join the military.

We don’t like to think of Becky this way, as a mere weeping girlfriend, left behind and void of purpose. Becky Sproles proved that she was independent, capable of thinking for herself even when making the toughest of life’s calls. So for Becky’s sake, we hope that in the Friday Night Lights future we never saw, she stopped waiting tables at the Landing Strip. We hope she got a college education. And we hope that Luke came back to her, safe and well, so that the cattle rancher’s son and the former beauty pageant hopeful could settle down on a farm of their own.