The A.V. Club breaks down the best (and yes, some of the worst) moments of Ted Lasso season 2
It’s time to review the game tape for Ted Lasso’s second season
Image: Photo: Apple TV+ TV Features Ted Lasso
After months of generating more discourse than a class of Ph.D.s, Ted Lasso has wrapped its second season. The series’ sophomore outing featured an expanded episode count—12 to season one’s 10—and ever more ambitious storytelling. Some of those gambles paid off, while others have remained as hotly contested as matters of domestic policy. Skeptics and believers alike looked to the finale, “Inverting The Pyramid Of Success,” to resolve the issues and/or prove them right.
For our reviewer Myles McNutt, the season closer came up short: “I know Game Of Thrones has become something of a joke after the response to the final season, but one thing it modeled very effectively was using the penultimate episode of each season as a climax, allowing for a finale that would simultaneously reflect on the season that came before it and gesture toward the future. And that’s what Ted Lasso really needed, because across the board the actual resolution that comes after Richmond’s promotion is rushed and frankly confounding.”
The A.V. Club staff is divided on the season overall, so we gathered (virtually) once more to review the game tape. Here, our writers and editors discuss season two’s biggest strengths—and flaws—and wonder where Nate, Ted, Roy, and Keeley should go from here.
Alex McLevy
Well, every protagonist needs an antagonist, and this season ended with the definitive introduction of one who’s been slowly changing sides (and hair color) over the course of the season. When the finale ended, my partner turned to me and said, “I hate that they’ve made us hate him,” and honestly, that’s an understandable reaction. Watching Nate go from under-appreciated guy finally getting his first taste of authority to vindictive, ego-obsessed monster has been the definition of car-crash-in-slow-motion drama, but I also think it’s one of the season’s biggest strengths.
In a year that often struggled to fill in the connective tissue between character beats (Dani, Jamie) and storylines (sponsorship being the most glaring), Nate’s steady progression to the dark side has been one of the few organically and smartly plotted arcs of season two. It’s not “fun” to watch the formerly meek and mild-mannered guy get drunk on power, but it felt wholly honest in a way that the show couldn’t always match with its other subplots.
Roy and Keeley, by contrast, were rock-solid throughout—which, of course, meant the show just had to throw in that last little scene where she sends him off on vacation alone. I think I know what that means—next season will test their relationship by throwing her into the deep end of a busy new career path, with little time for her boyfriend—but I hope I’m wrong. Roy and Keeley are two of the more consistent characters on the show; please, Ted Lasso, surprise me by letting them continue to grow their relationship in a mature way, rather than “Ross and Rachel in season 3 of Friends”-ing their romance. No breaks!
Shanicka Anderson
It saddens me to say this, but: my confidence in Ted Lasso has really been shaken. For me, the strongest stuff this season was Ted dealing with his emotional baggage. The episode where he and Rebecca both confront their issues with their respective fathers was well done. When Ted addresses the pressroom in the finale to talk about mental health in sports, even though we didn’t get to see the full speech, it felt like a full circle moment.
Nate’s character arc, although chilling to watch, was another definite strength. However, as a whole, this season was incredibly confusing. So many loose ends and so many bizarre storylines that ended without a resolution. The single biggest weakness for me this season, though, was Beard’s solo episode.
Look, Beard’s a nice enough character, but I don’t get why we had to spend an entire hour watching him running around London. Back in the pre-streaming days, when network shows had 22-episode seasons, I get why quirky stand-alone episodes were popular. But season two only had 12 episodes, and I cannot understand why the hell we wasted one on Beard instead of tying up loose ends.
Keeley and Roy’s relationship is another sore spot for me. I get that, presumably, the writers wanted to drum up a little Conflict™. But so much of their relationship drama felt forced. Why even add the storylines with Jamie and the schoolteacher, and hint at a love triangle (or love rectangle) if those storylines weren’t going anywhere? Keeley and Roy’s relationship is one of my favorite parts of the show, and I really hope they stay together instead of devolving into some on-again, off-couple nightmare couple.
Saloni Gajjar
I’ve quite enjoyed Ted Lasso moving from a feel-good, half-hour comedy into, ultimately, an existential dramedy with almost 50-minute long episodes. I think the switch has unnerved most people, but the writers and cast are capable of rising to the challenge they’ve given themselves.
The biggest strength of the second season was tapping deep into the characters—Ted’s trauma with his father, Roy feeling like he isn’t “enough” for Keeley, Rebecca longing for companionship, etc.—to help pull the rug from under us after what everyone expected from the show after the first. The execution was messy in some ways, but also absolutely riveting and real. For me, the series successfully maintained the humor, and added to it by fleshing out the characters with mostly believable drama.
The downside of juggling all these storylines is they’re going to remain incomplete. Jamie’s arc with his father doesn’t go anywhere; Sharon is just gone; Higgins was chilling all season long. A glaring error was no one questioning the power dynamics or consequences of Rebecca dating her employee. The least they could do was mention it as the potential HR nightmare it is instead of only romanticizing it.
As for Roy and Keeley, I loved their dynamic in season one. Early season-two episodes fortified them as a couple worth rooting for, but the last few episodes established that they are weak at communicating with one another, like when she felt he was clingy but couldn’t tell him about it. Don’t hate me, but I wouldn’t mind if they take a break to figure themselves out. Keeley has a promising new job, Roy will possibly take on a larger role with coaching now that Nate’s gone, and hopefully both can see their self-worth before getting back together. I’m hoping Ted Lasso shows a mature resolution to this conflict.
Matt Schimkowitz
Shows like Ted Lasso require a deft hand. Throughout this second season, I kept thinking about Parks And Recreation’s first two. Parks had magic from the beginning. It just needed some finessing. Ted Lasso came fully formed. It’s so rare for a show to be this confident out the gate that the second season had to be a letdown.
My preconceived notions of how these shows work hurt my enjoyment—that’s on me. So I kept waiting for Ted to step in it. What kept Ted Lasso on track was that it is still very, very funny. The comedy is so disarming, and the writing staff worked through many tough situations that would overpower a weaker show. For example, a boss-employee romance is so unpalatable, but Hannah Waddingham and Toheeb Jimoh added just enough seasoning to make it work.
The weaknesses came from a missing center. Ted Lasso, the character, got sidelined a lot for his therapy, and “character goes to therapy” is such a boring shortcut. Of course, there are exceptions, as my Sopranos fandom can attest. But this felt manufactured in a way that butted up against the rest of the series. Nevertheless, like Rebecca and Sam, they pulled through thanks to the show’s humor and cast. Jason Sudeikis and Sarah Niles are gunning to keep Lasso’s Emmy streak going.
But the real weakness of the season was that atrocious Coach Beard episode. A little bit goes a long way; this episode felt like bonus content for a credit card company website. And the irony that Ted Lasso is produced by a credit card company and streams on its website isn’t lost on me.
Roy and Keeley were the heart and soul of season two, but they’re dangerously close to Jim and Pam territory. Still (water), Ted Lasso continues to challenge my—let’s say it together—preconceived notions of what this show should be. So I don’t know where they should go, but I trust the production to get us there safely.
Tatiana Tenreyro
The first season of Ted Lasso was fun to watch because it was a fish-out-of-water story: Ted coached a sport in which he had no experience, in a foreign country, while in the midst of a divorce. His vulnerable moments showing his mental health struggles made him so relatable and likable. So, I feel that the best moments in the second season come when Ted confronts issues he buried deep down. When I watched the episode where Ted accepts the weight that his dad’s death by suicide left on him, it made me think, “Okay, the show’s back on track.”
But the main issue with this season is that there’s been a lot of exploring in the writers room to see what sticks, and the risks don’t pay off much. As Saloni said, it feels like many of the storylines presented didn’t quite go anywhere. There was seemingly no point in introducing Sam and Rebecca’s brief romance. Jamie was also teased to have a bigger arc, confronting his issues with his dad and processing how his actions affected his teammates and Keeley, but that’s barely explored on a deeper level.
The Dubai Air protest led by Sam didn’t have true consequences; the situation would’ve likely played out differently in real life. And the Coach Beard standalone episode didn’t work at all. It showed fans nothing new about a character that fans are eager to learn more about.
When we last had a Ted Lasso roundtable, we talked about how there wasn’t enough conflict this season. By the finale, there was, with Nate becoming the villain. But he doesn’t make a fun villain. If anything, it turns a wholesome character into an extremely annoying asshole. It’s not an engaging conflict; it’s just painful to watch.
And when it comes to Roy and Keeley, it’s also irritating that the show’s teasing there’s any chance their relationship won’t work. Every issue they’ve had so far isn’t any different from any relationship, so why would they not be able to stay together while tackling small issues nearly every couple faces? I hope the show doesn’t break them off and instead continues to show how they learn to communicate better and support each other.
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Nate reminds me of myself, and it makes me uncomfortable. Life has taught many, many times that letting my ego run rampant is a recipe for disaster, and hinders my success in the end. Insecurity and doubt inspire me to do my best work. Overconfidence and hubris make it impossible for me to see my own mistakes and correct them, leading to subpar results.I also learned over the years that seeking validation from the internet hordes or random strangers is a huge waste of time. It’s better to cultivate meaningful friendships with people you know, and ignore everyone else.Finally, and perhaps most importantly: it’s a huge advantage to appear unremarkable and fly under the radar. People tend to underestimate you, which makes it easier to outmaneuver them. Having a high profile is just as likely to attract scorn as it is to attract praise. Notoriety is incredibly difficult to handle, and I’m definitely not cut out for it. It’s just a huge pain in the ass, honestly.
Totally agree with this. The scene where Nate finally lets Lasso have it is easily my favorite of the entire series, and that’s not at all to say it’s fun or easy to watch. I can just relate so much to the jumbled mix of feelings Nate has going on: anger, sadness, self-loathing, disgust. Here’s a guy that both thinks he’s constantly disrespected and also at the same exact time thinks he’s worthless. It’s an exhausting set of contradictions, and while I’ve never felt them to the degree the character does, I’ve absolutely struggled with that dichotomy myself.
Wired: Liking Ted Lasso.Tired: Leaving comments that people will ever see.
The write-ups have conditioned me to flinch whenever I read the words “Dubai Air.”I’ve said it before, but I think the writers took the calls for Conflict a bit too close to heart. They wanted *something* to stick, so they just came up with a bunch of subplots—and when there are that many, it makes even the stuff that *does* stick feel more muddled. The first season had plenty of stuff going on, too, but it was ultimately about Rebecca coming clean about her deception and moving past that. There wasn’t really a lodestar this time around.Also, this is a petty gripe, but this show truly has the worst music department. Everything sounds like the soundtrack to a Subaru commercial.
Did I never mention I’m a long-lost relation to Pavlov? (I’m sorry.)
The conflict never quite feels real in the case of Dubai Air or the Roy-Keely relationship, or avoidable in the case of Nate, who, as Myles pointed out, had an apparent need for an unsustainable level of validation that no boss could have met, combined with a determination to read every comment in the worst possible way.
There is a potentially interesting conflict in Nate’s growing resentment of Ted being loved for his positive attitude and personal concern for his players while not actually knowing anything about the sport he’s paid to coach, one which I think could have retained some level of sympathy for the character. The show doesn’t seem willing to really pick that apart and examine it, though, and it kinda gets buried in Nate just being a relentlessly insecure and unpleasant asshole all season.
Disagree on the need for the show to dig into power dynamics of Rebecca dating Sam. The power dynamics in pro sports are completely than in other workplace circumstances. There’s not a clearly more/less powerful party, because players’ skills are in such high demand. In fact, players sign contracts guaranteeing their pay over long periods — something completely absent from typical workplaces. Now owners do band together and collude in an attempt to control players (although that’s mainly in North American sports — drafts, restrictions on free agency etc) but that’s not because they’re strong relative to their employees it’s because they’re weak. (Now college sports … that’s a whole different ball of wax.)If it were coach-player I’d be much more concerned about the power dynamic than owner-player.If they were going to get imbalance, it would need to come more from class than the workplace power dynamic. But it’s not clear exactly how rich Rebecca is or isn’t, and frankly it’s not that interesting to know.
I agree that class would add to a tension, but as far as the workplace, I have to disagree. In any remotely real scenario a player dating an owner would rip a club apart. The players are competing for the ball, playing time, stats, status, it’s endless. Any perception that a player is being favored would blow up.
It doesn’t matter if Sam had five years to go on his contract — others on the team would not, and players get dealt all the time even with long term contracts. Players are always thinking about their next contract, where they might get sent, what endorsements they might gain or lose if their goals and playing time goes up or down.
Does Sam’s backup suddenly feel like he’s not getting proper attention during practice? Does he feel like he’s losing oportunities to sub in when Sam gets fatigued late in a game? Does he suspect the coaches are bowing to Rebecca? What does that do to locker room chemistry? Does Sam sabotage his own opportunities to score to show he’s not a teacher’s pet? If he takes an accidental hard hit in practice, does he start overanalyzing what it means?
How do you stop players from focusing on what is happening with Sam when they should be thinking about their games? How does a coach try to keep things on an even keel? Even if Rebecca told Ted she would never interfere with his running of the club as far as Sam, how does Ted prove a negative to the team?And that doesn’t even to begin to address the press. What happens when the first banner headline runs showing Rebecca and Sam and anonymous quotes from players and coaches (real or made up, it doesn’t matter) intimating that she is just getting revenge on Rupert for his fling? Blaring how she doesn’t care about how it’s destroying team chemistry (even if, by chance, it isn’t)?Sam and Rebecca’s relationship didn’t make any sense, absent some kind of magic isolation booth technology. Pretending power dynamics didn’t exist was a bad misstep. I suspect it was the result of an awkward result of writers wanting to give more screen time to two actors they liked, and they settled for a device like one of the latter season couplings in That 70s Show or The Office that made no sense except it meant not having to hire another actor.
“Didn’t make any sense?” Have you SEEN Hannah Waddingham?
Sam is a soccer player in his 20’s, no one at that age is hitting Cougar Town.
It’s already kind of happened with Canadian striker Paul Peschisolido marrying Managing Director/basically chairman Karen Brady whilst both working at the same club. And nothing came of it and they’re still married to this day with both having solid careers (sadly, in the case of Brady. Awful person).
Agree that it would be bad for the team, but the issues aren’t the power dynamics. I mean, if you want to extend the concept of “power dynamics” to include the extra power that Sam would relative to other players by virtue of dating the owner, then yes — but that’s not what’s meant in the article above.In a normal workplace, there are major power imbalance issues when owner or boss dates employee — because of the power the boss has over the employee, and the implications that has for consent. Take Clinton/Lewinsky — that’s a problematic power dynamic, probably the most extreme example. That’s the kind of issue the article was referring to, but it’s not what’s happening between Rebecca and Sam.
I feel like the show has always played fast and loose with the professional sports aspect of all this. In a situation where these guys have worked their whole lives and now have millions of dollars on the line, there’s no way they would all be banding together behind a coach who doesn’t know the basic rules of the game. Even if they all liked Ted personally, the second they got relegated, they’d lose everybody who wasn’t bound by contract, and they’d be filling those spots with players who had no other options. The club would likely be in a death spiral unless Rebecca started pumping massive amounts of cash into it. The truth is that a coach’s personality is largely irrelevant when success or failure can be objectively measured on a week-by-week basis. There are many apparently huge assholes commanding loyalty because they win games, and I have no doubt there are also many nice guys who were immediately bounced out of the profession because they didn’t. But that’s not really the story Ted Lasso wants to tell.
Thank you! I detest the Sam/Rebecca pairing for all the reasons you state above and then some. It is by far my biggest gripe of season 2 even though I love the show overall.
It’s interesting you say that about the power dynamic between owner and player when in this very show Rebecca terminated Jamie’s loan for no reason other than to hurt the team. I would also say that in professional sports there’s even a greater power imbalance as my employer can’t sell my rights to another employer in another country. Yes – the player would have to negotiate with the other team to come to an agreement, but it’s still something unique to few industries with one being professional sports. Further, as has been seen in any sport, a contract is not a guarantee to future employment. Players are regularly released from teams despite having years remaining on their contract. This isn’t even a rarity it’s the norm. Now, it seems like your stance is that they’d still be rich and aside from collusion by owners (I.e Colin Kaepernick situation), they would land on their feet. But if you think of them as any other person, they would still be dealing with factors such as loss of their job which psychologically impacts both the rich and poor, and then what’s unique about professional sports is it’s almost a guarantee you’d have to relocate. The same can not be said for an “average” person and job. That is, I can find another position without having to relocate myself and my family. At the end of the day, a person who has a level of control over the employment of another person should not get romantically involved with said person. Even if the power imbalance isn’t perceived, it’s there, and it would be impossible to remain impartial to that person because of your relationship. And Rebeccas situation is even worse because it’s not only a “level” of control it’s complete control. That’s also why I’d disagree when you say that coach would be worse. There’s almost nothing Ted could do if Rebecca didn’t want him to because at the end of the day she is also in control of his career and the team. Ted can’t transfer list Sam, but Rebecca can. Ted can bench Sam, but Rebecca can tell him to start Sam or he’s fired. Many prominent team owners are known for meddling in the decisions of coaches as it relates to the team. The show even showed this power when Ted went to Rebecca about benching Jamie because ultimately he has to answer to her. This is where I think the show has failed. They’ve taken a black and white situation and have tried to spin it so you actually justify and support it. The optics of Rebecca being an attractive, independent woman, and Sam being a willing participant, doesn’t negate that fact that it was wrong. What if the optics were different? What if a Harvey Weinstein looking guy owned the Chicago Red Stars and it came out he was dating Mallory Pugh (23 year old USWNT player). Would you be cool with that? Do you think the players on her team would be cool with that?
Harvey Weinsten-looking guy is too loaded. You’re automatically pulling in implications of the power Weinstein has and strings he could pull related to the people he had power over. That simply doesn’t exist in sports where the players earn at the level of men’s soccer. I’m not going to try to convince you this was a good plotline; as much I like Sam I didn’t enjoy it myself. But if anything, addressing the power dynamic issues here would’ve been worse than leaving it unaddressed. The power dynamics here are so _unlike_ what it’s like if, say, a restaurant owner is dating a server that digging into those dynamics would just blow up in their face. The famous athlete’s power relative to his boss would make it so that an investigation of the power dynamics would deem it pretty much okay, minimizing the problematic nature of my restaurant hypothetical.
I’ve been avoiding Twitter lately so I can’t confirm, but it seems like The Ted Lasso Discourse is in a healthier place now than back when everybody was flipping their shit over the Christmas episode and setting off a cascading series of backslashes and counter-backlashes. Ted Lasso remains a very funny, relatable show that says some interesting things about positivity, mental health, and masculinity (toxic and otherwise). Season 2 was a letdown, and lacked the strong narrative cohesion of season 1—culminating in a finale where the team finally being promoted after a miraculous run of victories (i.e., what should be a Very Big Deal) is treated as an afterthought. Ted is sidelined and checked out from team business—giving fodder to the “Ted’s an abysmal coach actually” folks—Rebecca is trapped in a “why can’t I find a man?!?” cul-de-sac, and Roy and Keeley are jerked around for no compelling reason. At the same time, the dialogue and characterization are still on point, and Nate’s heel-turn and reasons for resenting Ted are deftly handled. Season 1 both a) was extremely good television, and b) arrived at a time when everyone needed a collective security blanket to cling to. Given that context, season 2’s struggles and everyone’s reaction to those struggles make sense. I still think all the pieces are there to bounce back for season 3.
I don’t think I have a “worst” moment from season 2, just a lot of stuff I wish had better ramifications. But I’ll say I didn’t like Lasso’s therapy storyline as much as others. Felt like he got sidelined on his own show, and I found some of his attitude about it just didn’t sync with the character presented in Season 1. In general a lot of S2 didn’t have the kind of Ted who seemed a little cleverer than he let on, as if there was a method to his madness. This year he was a lot more face value in his interactions with other characters; Defined so much by his good nature, that when he’s talking to people he’s not even saying anything interesting anymore. Maybe he’s suffering a bit by “Flanderization” this year, but he was less multifaceted. Less pearls of wisdom and more pop culture references.
My “best” moment was Roy taking his niece door to door until they found a dentist. I loved the Christmas episode, and the show’s use of romcom logic to tell its story. It’s silly, and embarrassing, and sweet in a way that doesn’t have to be tied down to the baggage of the main plotlines. Perhaps an instant holiday classic, I can see myself getting drunk off the warm fuzzies from this episode for years to come. And at least now I’m half convinced that the Santa Claus at the end was another one of Edwin Akufo’s elaborate stunts
Yeah, as I commented on the review thread it would be one thing if Ted actually took some of the lessons he learned from therapy and applied them to his coaching—and hey, maybe he’ll do just that next season—but instead he felt very peripheral to the season’s biggest moments. Season 1 Ted is complex character who conceals real canniness and penetrating insight behind his good cheer. Season 2 Ted is a happy man who is also sometimes sad 🙁
One of the things that happened early in the season was Ted seemed jealous, maybe even threatened of how well Sharon was helping his players, and I thought that was leading to something when it came to Ted’s coaching philosophies, but nothing really came of that. The fallout with Nate can still get us there, though. It’s an easy enough fix I hope they get around to it next season
Here’s a question for all of the Roundtable reviewers:Is the issue you have with Ted Lasso that the conflicts aren’t believable, or that they aren’t fun?I can’t help but read Tatiana’s comment about Nate’s arc and wonder whether part of the backlash to Lasso might not be because things aren’t getting resolved the way you want or expect, or that loose ends stay loose instead of tied up, or things like that.I mean, we are so conditioned to expect certain things from our entertainment that such a response is not only understandable, but warranted – and yet, as a fan of the show who doesn’t feel shortchanged by Ted Lasso season 2, I want to understand why my visceral reax are so diametrically opposed to these.(But yeah, the Beard episode was unnecessary.)
I’m obviously not one of the reviewers, but I would answer your question by adding an additional possibility. I wasn’t disappointed in the conflicts being unbelievable or that the show seemed less fun. Rather, for me it was that so much of this season’s plotting felt unearned. That speaks to a problem of structure and development (both of characters and of plot). Things happen because the writers needed them to happen (like Jamie’s declaration of love), not because of an organic development over the course of a season. More work had to be done for that plot point and others to feel logical within the world of Ted Lasso. One of the reviewers above mentioned that for them the season lacked connective tissue, and I think that’s right and the first part of why the show’s plot felt unearned at many points during the season. There were some compelling storylines—for me they were Ted’s therapy and Nate’s devolution. But Ted overall really felt disconnected from his team and from other characters in ways that didn’t help the plot. It is frustrating to to watch unearned plots develop. When good moments were earned—the hug between Roy and Jamie stands out here*—the show absolutely soared. But these great moments made the unearned moments clang all the harder when they failed to land. The second part of feeling like much of the development in Ted Lasso was unearned was the general lack of accountability or consequences. That maybe falls in the category of believability. Ted spends a season confronting the ways in which his philosophy is damaging to him, while not at all seeing the completely obvious ways that it is also damaging to those around him. The writers had that plot all queued up for the finale and then there were absolutely no consequences for Ted’s failure to see the cancer of his own making (to at least some degree) within his own clubhouse. Instead, the plot lets him win a promotion. Ted didn’t have a plot arc within the context of the team for this season, and that’s a problem for a show that bills itself as an office comedy set in a soccer club. *This was maybe my favorite moment of season 2, but it’s also a great example of an area where the show leaves some productive territory unexplored. In that deafening silence after Jamie punches his dad, it seems like the entire coaching staff is waiting for Ted to make a move. He freezes then flees, and that lets Beard and Roy step up. Roy’s hug felt earned because the plot had taken the time over a few episodes to deepen the interactions between Roy and Jamie and to let Roy grow into his role as a coach. But then there were absolutely no consequences for Ted’s failure of leadership there. Viewers didn’t get the sense that Ted purposely held back, like he might have in season 1, in order to let another character’s leadership emerge. Instead, it was clearly presented as a failure to act on Ted’s part rather than a conscious choice. But there aren’t any consequences for Ted in the locker room or within the coaching staff, and there should have been. The show hints at some level of disappointment with Ted during the conversation between Beard and Ted after the FA cup game, but it doesn’t ever go anywhere beyond that. It dies on the vine after the Beard After Dark episode. That for me is the problem. As a viewer you could see so many logical openings where that connective tissue could have been built within the season, and the writers for whatever reason missed it or backed away from it. The central tension of the season could (should?) have been “Ted has won the locker room, but lost his hand-picked coaching staff, with destructive results.” The roadmap was right there for the writers, and it could have dealt with the same themes in arguably more coherent ways if they’d done that.
That hits the nail on the head for me. The season kept examining Ted, finding him lacking, and doing nothing with it. Even Nate, his biggest failure, just sorta leaves him perplexed.
I think the underlying issues the show has faced is that it’s leaned too hard into creating separate tracks for its characters, when it really needs to about a team and, well, Ted Lasso. Running on separate tracks works better for some shows — a show about friends or coworkers at a big company doesn’t need a strong cohesion between characters. It’s a problem for this setting.Separate tracking characters instead of working with a supporting ensemble below Ted’s lead has created a lot of pressure for every character to have journeys and arcs and all of the baggage of modern screenwriting. Maybe a more nimble writing staff could have done it, but they’re better suited for scenes than stories.
I think it could have helped if this wasn’t a Premier/Championship League team, and was set at a third or fourth division team in a smaller community. The lowered stakes and greater informality may have given the show more room for wandering off in interesting directions instead of worrying about fulfilling someone’s spirit journey quest arc, or however screenwriters cubbyhole these things.Having said that, I liked a lot of the individual story lines, but I felt the choice to even out the weight and emphasis of each also lowered the impact of the whole.
yeah i think this nails it for me. it was a really weird choice to expand the narrative around the supporting cast so much, but not have it building to anything substantial. and for long stretches it seems like the show completely forgot that it was called ‘ted lasso’. also i think doing that different tracking stuff works further down the line in an ensemble show, but to pull it out so early in the show’s life was bizarre. there were episodes where i couldn’t even remember if sudeikis has appeared or not. they do have a great supporting cast, but in an attempt to give everyone something to do it all just felt inconsequential.i also don’t understand the ‘empire strikes back’ analogy that’s being thrown around AT ALL. it was ‘darker’ in subject matter i suppose, but every conflict was more or less resolved immediately and amicably, with nate obviously being the exception. even the roy/keeley stuff seems to feel like i’m supposed to be reading it differently than it’s presented, because they just seem like a boring happy sitcom couple to me.
I think it could have helped if this wasn’t a Premier/Championship League team, and was set at a third or fourth division team in a smaller communityVery much agree with this. Being a Premier League manager would make Ted a mid-scale celebrity in the UK (and in various foreign markets), and being one who took a team from near the bottom of the Championship to the Premiership in just half a season would represent a Leicester-title-win scale performance that would have national teams interested.All the hoopla that this entails would have been too distracting to tell a good story, so I can see why they avoided dwelling too much on it, but the absence of it makes the whole thing seem a bit weird to a sports fan.
Shouldn’t Dubai Air become the sponsor of Rupert and Nate’s new Evil West Ham? Seems like a no-brainer: Rich assholes conspiring together to be rich assholes and destroy Rebecca.
That’s actually an interesting question. I wonder if part of the licensing agreement to use real clubs is that they have to use their real kits and, thus, their real sponsors.
Beard’s offer to gladly head-butt Nate was a highlight, as was his non-verbal acting
Once again…the Monday morning quarterbacks want to whine and cry… Here’s a thought…if you don’t like it… don’t watch… otherwise…shut up
How dare TV critics criticize television!
Couldn’t you apply your own advice to yourself and say “If you don’t like it… don’t read…otherwise…shut up?”
I know it’s a weird one, but of all the things that make you love Roy Kent, that scene on the couch when Keeley tells him about Nate is right up there. He doesn’t once mention Nate or try and take charge of the situation. Just, “that sounds like it was really awkward, sorry you had to go through that.” He listens and actually listens. He’s such an amazing character because so many grouches are just “not gonna listen or play along” and he listens, processes, and understands the situation. Getting him to play is harder, but if he’s game, he’s really game.
I missed Rupert, he is such a good villain, he really helped tie season 1 together.
This is one of the worst tv shows I have ever seen and I think it is only made for like entertainment journalists. I think one of the reasons squid game is so popular is that now that we are not in the “trump era” people dont want this cynical hope punk bs
I think the difference between seasons 1 and 2 for me is that, I know with certainty that I’ll go back and rewatch season 1 many, many times. Outside of one or two episodes, I probably won’t go out of my way to rewatch season 2. And I liked season 2. I’d probably give it a solid B, on the whole. But it’s a tough act to follow when season 1 is damn near an A+.
I enjoyed Beard After Hours. Most series don’t have enough depth on their secondary characters for one to be able to carry an entire episode like that
I think, to me, the biggest miss of the season is that we didn’t get more of Ted and Sharon finding their way to common ground. As conflicts go, theirs felt the most charged and uncomfortable, but also the most powerful. If this season is all about pushing Ted’s philosophy to the limit, then their dynamic should have been centre stage all season long. That’s not to say I think this season is bad by any stretch, just nowhere near as focused as the first one.I think all the other stories are interesting and engaging in their own right, but in a 12-episode season, they just don’t have the space they really need. As for the Beard episode, I wound up enjoying it despite myself. It’s a bit slapdash, but it arrives in a truly happy place and moment.
I actually liked the Beard episode. Made me wonder what other mysterious adventures he goes off on by himself we don’t see.
It was one of the only episodes that felt justified in its length, for what that’s worth.
If this show has taught us anything, it’s that the cushiest job in the world is being the head coach for a top-tier British football club. Apparently, you don’t need to know much about the sport you’re coaching, and you can hire all your friends to be your assistants, regardless of their qualifications. All you really need to do is maintain a cheery attitude and throw out lots of old American pop-culture references.Just make sure your employer is someone who is so freakin’ rich that she doesn’t seem to care if the club goes from being a Tier 1 team with a valuation of a billion pounds to a Tier 3 worth 1/50th of what it was, as long as she gets to have sex and gossip with her much younger employees.I love this show, but really wish they’d portray Rebecca as more the ‘Boss-Ass Bitch’ who actually expects results from her underlings, rather than a big ol’ softie who’s happy as long as everybody likes her and she’s getting laid.
You gathered 5 television critics and none of them mentioned how Nate is merely a catspaw being used by Rupert? Not one? Was I the only person who saw that scene at the funeral?
We loved Nate because of his battle with his insecurity and now that same insecurity is being used to (try to) destroy both him and Ted and all I hear is “Nate’s a heel now. I hate him.”
You’re being played, just as Nate was. No worries. Ted will forgive him in Season 3.
Was Nate at West Ham? I meant to look up what that black jersey was, but I never did.
You somehow missed Rupert talking to him as a hint to what team he might possibly be coaching?
Missed it completely.Do you feel better?
Yes!
I just can’t with the hate on the Coach Beard Episode. You didn’t learn anything about Beard? Then you weren’t watching.I guess if it wasn’t fun for you then it wasn’t fun for you, but for me it was a brilliant highlight in an otherwise uneven sophomore season.
I totally agree with you. In many ways it was the most “complete” as a stand alone narrative with an ending that brought me to tears of delight. I enjoyed having more time with the character who is so often in a marginal role as Ted’s Magic 8 Ball.
Liked the season overall, though it was definitely weaker than season 1. I’d echo most of the same criticisms mentioned above. The one thing that really drives me crazy though is Ted still not understanding soccer. He’s been in England for nearly 2 years now, and he would’ve had an entire summer to understand the unique aspects of the Championship (i.e. promotion battles), FA Cup, etc.
Coach Beer’s episode doesn’t work because they had to film it at the end after being asked by Apple for two more episodes. So they needed something that wouldn’t interfere with the narrative of the season they had just finished shooting. Beer having a crazy night after a loss does nothing. It was designed to be a throw away, which is why it feels like a throw away. Don’t judge the rest of the season by something that was barely a part of it and was designed to be so.
Nate going from lovable underdog to power drunk asshole is jarring, but they built the foundation for it throughout the season. His relationship with his dad has made him feel worthless. He hates himself as a result. That self hatred spills into his interactions with others. Why does he treat Will the kit man so poorly? Because he sees himself in him. Why does he crave attention from Ted and others? Because he gets none of it from the man he craves it from most. His final speech to Ted was basically what he wanted to say to his own father but can’t bring himself to, which only makes his self hatred stronger. This by no means justifies his behavior, but it helps us understand it better. They did a far better job telegraphing his turn and the reasons behind it in one season than Game of Thrones did for Dany over the course of 8.
I also liked the progression of Nate’s turning. I particularly liked that little trigger right at the end when he found out Roy was not one bit angry about Nate kissing Keeley.
I get some of why Nate could be angry at the world (the episode with going to dinner with his parents among others), but to take it out on Ted is absolutely ridiculous. Lasso promoted him, constantly called him Nate The Great, then Nate got huge press as the Wunderkid, and they went with his False 9 play to win the final game & get promoted. And all he focused on was he didn’t get more credit and wasn’t seen as a threat for stealing his co-worker’s girlfriend. It seems obvious Rupert acted as Emperor Palpatine and helped whisper evil motivations, but it doesn’t make Nate seem any less gullible or ungrateful, and because he got played he’s not a formidable villain. Yes Ted knows Jack about soccer but he’s never ever denied it. I get why Nate is angry in general but his speech at Lasso in the end was complete BS. I do agree that it was all things he wanted to aim at his father, and it was obviously misdirected which is why I found it more annoying than eye opening. I hate that they made me hate Nate… I also hate Beard’s girlfriend. But I still like the show.
Here’s the thing. You have to view his rant and his anger at Ted through the lens of him hating himself from the very start. Something we, as viewers, didn’t understand until we met his Dad.
He was only promoted out of pity and as a curiosity. He doesn’t actually deserve the position. “Nate the Great” can only be a constant sarcastic dig because he’s obviously not great. He’s worthless. Everyone sees it. “Wonderkid” is thrown in his face by everyone who disrespects him and laughs at him because of his on-camera gaffe. Going with the False 9 was Ted’s plan to discredit and lay blame on Nate for their inevitable loss because it was obviously a shit strategy that wasn’t working. (This last one he said outright.)
I don’t think those things (and neither does Ted or anyone else), but that’s what’s in Nate’s head. Obviously, to us it’s ridiculous, and that’s what makes it sad and pitiable. I don’t hate Nate. I feel sorry for him and for the view he has of himself. The way he spits at his own reflection in the mirror is indicative of this mindset. And yes, he is projecting his feelings about his Dad onto Ted unfairly, but that’s what people in that mindset do.
People are hating Nate and hoping he doesn’t have an easy redemption. I personally hope that Dr. Sharon will play a role in the next season for Nate. Maybe just as a beginning to his redemption.
I do agree with all of that. I also pity him for those reasons. I thought he was better than that though and yes I think he definitely needs Sharon’s help. I’m surprised no one else on the coaching staff met with her. I guess it seems obvious that he’s misdirecting his anger to everyone but himself which is why he comes off as an arsehole. Looking forward to season 3.
jeeeeeez everyone hates my favourite episode of this disappointing season, eh
I feel like the bigger problem is that s1 is structured like a movie and everyone’s core conflicts are solved by the end. S2 is almost twice as long and doesn’t want to undo that so it’s largely arc free bar Nate. In S1…Relentlessly upbeat Ted has to accept his divorce is real and sad.Shy nobody Nate earns authority and respect.Angry loner Roy finds love.Seemingly vacuous Keeley proves she has other skills.Ice queen Rebecka learns to care about the team shes sabotaging.Egotostical star Jamie becomes a team player.A cynical England learns to accept cheery American.Etc. But once everybody is nice and fulfilled, there’s nowhere obvious to go. And even when it pivoted to less well loved characters like Coach or Sam, they weren’t overcoming character flaws. Does Sam even have any flaws?