"Laboring" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American sports drama television series Friday Night Lights, inspired by the 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 3.12 million household viewers and gained a 0.9/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Julie (Aimee Teegarden) fails in convincing Tami (Connie Britton) in allowing her to go to New Orleans for a trip with Habitat for Humanity.
While talking with Becky (Madison Burge), Tim (Taylor Kitsch) receives a call from Billy (Derek Phillips) just as Mindy (Stacey Oristano) is giving birth.
Inspired by an idea by Landry (Jesse Plemons), the Lions plant toothpicks across the Panthers' field, delaying their training and taking two hours to remove them all.
While Eric (Kyle Chandler) finds it funny, he punishes the Lions by delaying practice until Landry manages to kick a 40-yard field goal.
During an assembly to discuss damages, Eric refuses to downplay the events as just "a football game" given his family's treatment in the past few days.
Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "In some ways, this episode did little but set up the events of next week's finale: The big game with West Dillon, in which the Lions could play spoilers to their rivals’ playoff hopes, Tami's moment of truth, Julie's decisions about her future, the Riggins Boys' legal problems, and so on.
But it's also one of my favorite episodes of the season, forcing the characters to crisis points that could fundamentally change who they are and sustaining a mood of slowly mounting tension that's forever threatening to erupt.
"[7] Alan Sepinwall wrote, "'Laboring' was a table-setter that brought a lot to the table on its own: great moments for half the cast and some huge developments in their own right, regardless of how things play out in the finale.
"[9] Andy Greenwald of Vulture wrote, "It was never Mayberry, but life in East Dillon is completely stripped of any Hollywoodian happy endings or gloss.