Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler finally were rewarded for their work on "Friday Night Lights."

Well, it’s a start …

Thursday’s Emmy nominations announcement was definitely a good news, bad news scenario for “Friday Night Lights” fans.

The good: Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton finally were recognized for their outstanding work as Eric and Tami Taylor.

The bad: the show itself wasn’t nominated for best drama. It definitely was deserving, although I’m not sure which of the six nominees – “Lost,” “Breaking Bad,” “Dexter,” “True Blood,” “Mad Men” and “The Good Wife” – it would replace.

Bad, Dexter, Blood and Mad are four of my favorites, and though I don’t watch Wife, I’ve read nothing but praise. As for Lost, as much as I enjoyed – and was irritated by – the show during the past several years, its final season probably deserved a nomination.

One other Lights slight was the lack of a nomination for Zach Gilford, who should have been recognized for his outstanding work, including his heartbreaking performance in “The Son.”

As for Chandler and Britton, they continue to demonstrate this week what an injustice it was that they hadn’t been nominated until this season.

“I Can’t” opens with Luke receiving hosannahs of praise from the reverend at Mount Sinai Commandments Church. Luke, of course, is squirming in his seat, since the congregation wouldn’t exactly support the fact that he got Becky pregnant.

Becky, meanwhile, is too scared to talk to her mother about the pregnancy, prompting Tim to take her to talk to Tami. Tami urges the 16-year-old to talk to her mom and then lays out her options.

Later, Becky breaks the news to her mother by blurting it out during dinner. Cheryl reacts as one would expect she would — by freaking out. She takes her daughter to the doctor, who discusses options, but Cheryl is hearing none of it. “She’s not having a baby,” she tells the doctor. “She’s having an abortion.”

(Last week I was called, of all things, “a puritan” on this blog for my not writing the words “pregnancy” or “abortion” in last week’s review. Well, now I have. So there!)

Knowing that they will get busted if they keep taking stripped cars to the local junkyard to be crushed, Tim and Billy come up with a brilliant plan: they will bury the cars! Of course! Makes perfect sense! Gotta love those Riggins brothers. Fun-loving, good ol’ boys with not a lick of sense between them …

Vince finds his overdosed mother at home and calls 911. At the hospital, he emotionally asks her why she keeps doing this to herself and why she keeps doing it to him. “I mean, am I bad?” he asks. “Why don’t you want to be with me? Why do you want to leave me? I don’t know if I can do it by myself.”

A heartwrenching scene showing why Michael B. Jordan is FNL’s Season Four Rookie of the Year.

Virgil shows up at East Dillon’s practice and succinctly observes “they’re not very good, are they?” Later, he drinks with Eric at a local dive and tells the coach that he doesn’t know how to reach Vince and that he understands Vince better than Eric ever could. “I understand him because he’s me,” Virgil says.

In a funny scene, Julie has  Ryan over for dinner and Mr. Habitat shows he isn’t from these football parts as he’s fascinated at the fact that Eric’s team will play games in the rain. “It can get pretty weird,” Eric agrees with a grin.

Knowing he can’t pay the four grand needed to put his mother in private rehab, Vince goes to Virgil’s to ask for an advance. Virgil tells him he can’t afford to help, but is impressed with Vince. Jess sees the conversation and is hurt, saying how he never comes to the kids’ games or to her academic smackdown competitions. “You’re proud of him,” she says, “I try really hard to make you proud of me, too.”

Luke confesses to his father and is confronted by his parents, who compare his situation to Mary and Joseph. He says that he and Becky aren’t Mary and Joseph and his mother says, “Becky, that’s her name … We need to meet this Becky.”

I was disappointed in this scene, and in the coming weeks, how Luke’s parents are portrayed. It seems that people of faith on TV or movies are always painted as conservative zealots who are completely out of touch with today’s world. I understand that there are people out there like that, of course, but, just once, I would like to see a God-fearing character who also is portrayed as compassionate, open-minded and non-judgmental …

Enough of my rant. Back to the show …

Becky shows up at the Taylor home late at night and asks Tami what she would tell her daughter if she found out she was pregnant. Tami tells her that she would tell Julie that she would support whatever decision she makes.

Virgil shows up at a pee-wee football game and joins Jess in cheering Caleb on.

Digging holes to bury the stripped cars, Tim talks Billy into quitting the business and takes advantage of his brother’s vulnerability by strong-arming him into a partnership in Riggins Rigs.

In a scene as predictable as it is depressing, Vince gets his mother into private rehab and tells her he believes in her. He then hands over an envelope containing $4,000, walks out and gets into a car with Calvin, and is handed a gun.

In a fitting end to a downer of an episode, a hopeful Luke calls Becky and promises to be there for her and their child only to be told he doesn’t have to worry because she’s taken care of it. She ends the call by saying “Thanks for calling. See you at school.”

So what did you think of the episode? What did you think of the Emmy nominations? Do you think either Chandler or Britton have a shot at winning? Do you think the show should have been nominated for best drama? If so, what show wouldn’t have made the cut?