"Fracture" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger.
It features a set of characters, primarily connected to Coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami, and their daughter Julie.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.91 million household viewers and gained a 0.8/3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Vince (Michael B. Jordan) is interviewed by the media for his performance in the past games, but the Lions mock his ego as he only talks about himself.
When the coach asks for a verbal commitment to play for them within two years, Vince decides to accept the offer when his father encourages him.
Jess (Jurnee Smollett) is not content with Vince's decision, as he not only missed practice to visit the campus, but it could violate the rules as he has accepted a college offer despite not being a senior.
Mindy (Stacey Oristano) decides to enroll her at the Miss Young Texas beauty pageant, hoping it will cheer her up.
[3] This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by an estimated 2.92 million household viewers with a 0.8/4 in the 18–49 demographics.
Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "FNL has let its characters experience plenty of heartbreaking setbacks but it tends to pull back from truly unhappy endings.
"[5] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "This is a very dark period for most of our characters – one of the episode's more optimistic stories includes Becky losing a beauty pageant – and that's often when Friday Night Lights is at its best.
"[7] Andy Greenwald of Vulture wrote, "The woozy pep rally at the end of the episode is one of the most disturbing things we’ve seen on a show that's never shied away from tough times.