[1] The series is set in the fictional town of Dillon, a small, close-knit community in rural West Texas.
It features a set of characters, primarily connected to Coach Eric Taylor, his wife Tami, and their daughter Julie.
Meanwhile, Tami's career hangs in the balance, while Tim and Billy face possible jail time for the stolen cars.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 3.56 million household viewers and gained a 1.1/5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Julie (Aimee Teegarden) visits Lorraine (Louanne Stephens) to invite her to a Thanksgiving dinner, only to be surprised when Matt (Zach Gilford) appears.
Despite the pressure, Landry manages to hit the mark, earning the win for the Lions and preventing the Panthers from going to the playoffs.
Matt and Julie eventually reconcile and he invites her to come join him in Chicago for a weekend, but she declines, feeling that, being there with him, she might fall in love also with the city and abandon her dreams.
Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 and wrote, "While perhaps not quite living up to the notably high standards set by previous season finales for this series, "Thanksgiving" still ended Friday Night Lights' fourth season on a compelling, if not perfect, note.
As Friday Night Lights heads into its fifth final season, his character's future remains unclear, a football sailing toward some landing place we can't yet make out.
"[6] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Seeing that close-up of Zach Gilford gave me pause: If there's one thing this hour didn't do, it was to raise the stakes for new characters such as Vince or Jess or anyone else on the Lions team.
"[9] Matt Richenthal of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "The season four finale tried to cram a whole lot into just one hour, as the first half was filled with so many scenes, involving so many characters and storylines, that I had to grab my neck to keep my head from spinning.
[12] Jason Katims submitted this episode for consideration for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards.