Season 1 & 2 Discussion

[NeenerNeener]

Ep. 5: I laughed, I cried. Saying that it changed my life forever is probably going a bit too far, though.

Seriously, I loved this one as much as the Christmas episode last week.

Edited August 20, 2021 by NeenerNeener

[MissLucas]

Damn, I loved the shout outs to rom-coms. I'm sure I did not catch all but here are the ones I noticed: Notting Hill, Jerry Maguire, Princess Bride, When Harry met Sally. I'm sure I missed a couple of them - there must have been one to Four Weddings and a Funeral too, but I did not catch it.

The montage of Rebecca and Ted on their phones is a red herring. I don't think Ted's remotely ready for another relationship. The Doc seems to agree, she sure took notice during his speech to the team when he talked about having 'zero expectations'.

Getting Roy into the coaching team was great - of course in real life that's decision with huge financial ramifications. But those are boring, the show will deal with the emotional ramifications (i.e. Nate) and I'm fine with that. I must say that I was worried Coach's weariness with Ted meant that his 'I'm leaving' is foreshadowing.

As for Nate: I really did not get why Jade was such an @ss and wondered if there was some racism going. Why else not give him and his family the table at the window when they arrived and it was clearly free? Rebecca's little trick to get more self-confidence was damn impressive, gotta try that one day. I'm glad Nate find his own (albeit yucky) trick and had a win, even if it was followed by another 'defeat' - it's clear that the takes Roy's arrival as such. I wonder how that will play out in the end.

Aww, Higgins and Mrs Higgins!

 

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by MissLucas

[legxleg]

I think Ted and Rebecca being each other's chat buddies on this no-photos-dating-app could be fun and I'm curious to see how the show does it (if they go there), but I agree they'll have to figure out how to explain why chat-Ted doesn't sound like IRL-Ted. The guy has a very distinctive voice, and they'll need a good reason for why he dropped it in the app.

I'm very worried about Nate's arc. We see from the beginning of this season that the first thing Nate does once he has the power of being coach is treat the new guy with his old job badly. It's disappointing to me that Nate is the type of guy who needs to build his confidence in a new role by kicking the guy on the lower rung of the ladder - but not unrealistic, considering the way some of the guys treated him in season one. I was more surprised that Ted didn't try to gently rein Nate in. And I personally saw his version of Rebecca's confidence trick as pretty dark. I mean, spitting is gross, spitting or making a mess and leaving it for someone else clean up after you is the sort of mix of contempt and privilege that is generally a red flag, and spitting on your own reflection (and then leaving it to someone else to clean up) seems to imply a kind of self-loathing that is troubling to me.  I also thought that the look Nate's dad gave him when they finally got the window table was more troubled than impressed. I'm thinking that Nate might need a good session with the team psychologist even more than Ted does, especially once his position is further challenged by Roy coming back. Am I reading too much into all of this? I'm worried.

 

That said, I loved all the Rom-Communism with Roy. Roy in general has just been even more of a standout this season, I adore him.

Edited August 20, 2021 by legxleg

[SHD]

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

As for Nate: I really did not get why Jade was such an @ss and wondered if there was some racism going. Why else not give him and his family the table at the window when they arrived and it was clearly free?

I absolutely thought that's what was going on. It's not like it was a fancy restaurant where they would hold the best table in case a famous or wealthy person came in. It just seemed like a little neighborhood place.

[AstaCharles]

Loved Roy growling at the little kid (and the kid's delight )

I don't think it was Ted on Rebecca's Bantr chat. My guess:  Rupert, because he's a shit. It wouldn't surprise me he'd be looking for hookups while Rebecca 2.0 is pregnant. 

[MerBearStare]

2 hours ago, AstaCharles said:

I don't think it was Ted on Rebecca's Bantr chat. My guess:  Rupert, because he's a shit. It wouldn't surprise me he'd be looking for hookups while Rebecca 2.0 is pregnant. 

I don't think it was Ted either, but I can't see it being Rupert. I don't think he would be on an app where he can't see how hot and/or young the women are. 

I definitely also thought the restaurant was being racist to Nate, especially when he went in to make the reservation and the hostess said she had to go ask the manager if she could give him the table.

I loved how big Isaac smiled when he saw Roy on the field. It'll be interesting to see how new coach Roy and newly humbled(-ish) Jaime interact now.

Edited August 20, 2021 by MerBearStare

[AngieBee1]

6 hours ago, legxleg said:

Am I reading too much into all of this? I'm worried.

I don't think the series would ever get as dark as what it appears but, to me, Nate's actions make sense. He's a short guy who has been picked on by these "alpha" types and he replicating behaviour that he likely think is how a "real man" would act.  Especially trying to come onto the host. He's going to need a sit down with the psychologist for sure.

Add me to another who thought racism may be at play re: the host and Nate.  But then again I'm Black and went I went to London in 2005 I had a hard time getting served at several restaurants, including the cafe in my hotel so I was bringing my own experience to the table.  Glad it was just benign snobbery!

I wonder if it's Sudeikis or Bill Lawrence who loves "She's a Rainbow".  I love the song but from it to go from Higgins' wife's ringtone to an extended scene and reference shows a reverence for it.  I'm curious because on Kirsten Wiig's final SNL Mick Jagger was the host and he sang "She's a Rainbow" while her castmates took turn dancing with her and Sudeikis was noticeably emotional.

[MissLucas]

I read somewhere that Nate seems to have only two settings - illustrated by the training session in Rebecca's office. First he just goes along with the 'host' even though she gets his name wrong and then when Rebecca interferes he shouts abuse at her (though 'dithering kestrel' made me laugh).

We saw this before in the letter about the players that Ted made him read aloud and of course in the way he treats his successor. He's swinging from one extreme to the other - definitely unbalanced. And I'm sure we'll get to see more of that now that Roy is back. 

Not sure Ted has really noticed that or if he has, that he's the best guy to handle the problem. Looks like a job for Doc who I would really like to see getting scenes where she is more proactive. But for that to happen I guess she and Ted need to hash it out first. It's clear she makes him uncomfortable and that's another story waiting in the wings.

[slasherboy]

Ok, I have to ask ... what is so horrible about Ted and Rebecca being together, if that happens? I'm sure it's obvious, but not to me. Could someone please bring me into the loop?

Thanks!

[MerBearStare]

19 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

Ok, I have to ask ... what is so horrible about Ted and Rebecca being together, if that happens? I'm sure it's obvious, but not to me. Could someone please bring me into the loop?

I haven't said anything about Ted and Rebecca and I don't think it would be *horrible* but I definitely don't want the pairing. For me, putting the two opposite sex main characters in a romantic relationship is a cliche. I think platonic relationships between grown men and women aren't explored nearly enough in tv shows and movies. Plus, it just seems lazy, like we don't know what else to do with these characters, so we're going to have them date. They've already paired up Roy and Keely, who I love separately and together, so just leave it at that.

Having said that, I trust the Ted Lasso writers, so if they do put Ted and Rebecca together, they could do a good job with it. But I'd still prefer that it not happen.

[MissLucas]

Ted and Rebecca might be endgame - I wouldn't rule that out. But right now pairing them makes little sense from a narrative and emotional point of view.

[Seelouis]

I’m wondering if the story of how Higgins met his wife is how the actors actually met. They are married in real life. And the actor who plays Higgins does really play upright bass. 

[Pj3422]

Nice pic of George Wendt (Norm from Cheers & Sudeikis’s uncle) in the kebab shop.

[MerBearHou]

21 minutes ago, Pj3422 said:

Nice pic of George Wendt (Norm from Cheers & Sudeikis’s uncle) in the kebab shop.

Saw that!  I rewound to be sure.  A fun little set prop.

[whiporee]

 I think Nate is going to either try or commit suicide. That look he had when Roy walked on the pitch -- the way he fiddled with his jacket -- was not a sign I like to see. Ted has a lot of coping mechanisms (not all of them good) -- but I don't think Nate does. He's been the only one on the staff who knows football, and seeing Roy come out to cheers -- especially after Ted basically called him insignificant compared to Roy -- won't go well. And one other thing in that -- have we ever seen Ted not apologize before? Very weird exchange. 

My guess is that it's Rupert on the other end of Rebecca's texts. Whether he knows or not is a different story. 

Spoiler

Here's BL's tweet that makes me fear for the worst: Tonight at 9:00 pm pacific (12:00 am EST) is my favorite episode of #TedLasso (until following week). It makes me truly happy. Then it makes me unhappy (because I know what happens next).

 

Edited August 21, 2021 by whiporee

[Gwendolyn]

1 hour ago, whiporee said:

And one other thing in that -- have we ever seen Ted not apologize before?

Last season, to Nate, after he yelled at him for sliding the envelope under Ted's hotel door while Ted was looking at his divorce papers.

I really, really loved this episode and all the shout outs to rom-communism. Hee! Also loved how Roy freaked, not only Ted but Isaac out when the text message lit up his face. Then he reminded Isaac why they play.

It might have helped Nate if Ted had explained why he and Nate were not the right people to talk to Isaac (Roy had been there, they had not) and I think Ted will regret that later. Coach Beard sees all and knows all, so he knew Nate was being serious when Ted didn't. Though there have little reaction shots of Ted that he knows something is up with Nate and how he treats his replacement. But that look on Nate's face at the end when Roy showed up to be the 4th coach worries me (and what I know about football wouldn't fill a thimble, is 4 coaches normal? Is it like an American football team where you have a head coach (Ted) assistant coach (Beard) and then you've got a defense coach, offense coach, QB coach, etc.)

At the restaurant Jade could have been being racist, or she just could have been looking down on Nate because he's short, not traditionally handsome, rich or famous, so she was just being the lady equivalent of a d*ck to him. She did seem slightly impressed when he was confident to ask for a new table. But as someone noted above, Nate seems to go from meek to toxic masculinity with no in-between, which is strange because he has examples like Roy, Ted, and Beard to show him you can get what you want without being loud/aggressive/mean. I know it was supposed to be a funny little, look he's so confident now he'll try to ask the pretty girl out, but it was clear she wasn't interested and it was a step too far.

Finally, I think Ted looking at his phone with that little smile when Rebecca was messaging her BANTR match, was a miss direct. For starters they've never had that kind of relationship hinted at it. It's always been platonic friends. If nothing else, I think Rebecca would be weirded out hooking up with someone that had slept with her best friend.

[whiporee]

But Ted apologized the next day, and had Nate deliver the critique to the team. This time it didn’t even faze him. 
I think the surplus of Ted-isms is because he’s going crazy. I think we’re about to stop having as enjoyable a time. 

[SnarkShark]

7 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Ok, I have to ask ... what is so horrible about Ted and Rebecca being together, if that happens? I'm sure it's obvious, but not to me. Could someone please bring me into the loop?

Thanks!

It's lazy.  It's clichéd.  It spits in the face of the idea of platonic friendships between members of the opposite gender. It's UNPROFESSIONAL between a boss and employee, and undercuts the whole build up of Rebecca being the antidote for the traditional male leadership.  While the show is attempting to be clear she needs more than her position to be fulfilled, there's a delicate balance when you do that and roping her employee into that is a miserable idea.  

I'd actually thought her interaction with her goddaughter (as well as callbacks to the collapse of her marriage and reactions to her ex-husband's new wife's pregnancy) was telegraphing her big plotline would be attempting to have a child. Hannah Waddingham is 47.  One could safely assume her character is a similar age. A quite dangerous, but not impossible, age with medical intervention.  I'm having trouble letting go of the earlier hints towards that, which is why wrapping her up in some mystery chat plotline is even more off-putting.  

[SnarkShark]

New possible theory.  Not a strong one, but at least worth considering. 

What of Ted IS Rebecca's chat partner, but knowingly?  What if somehow he saw information from her online profile making clear it was her, and believed (because admittedly he's weird and in a few ways occasionally delusional) that he could boost her confidence if he fake-chatted her up, intentionally moderating his language to not come off like himself? 

This is a weak theory in a lot of ways, because I can't quite figure out how to sell the thought process, but I'm trying to justify the apparent events we saw, and reconcile my gut feeling that an actual sexual relationship between these two characters would be a disaster, for many reasons detailed in my last post, and experienced writers like this would know that.  Ted does weird things, not even always completely logical things, in persuit of his apparent philosophy of trying to uplift the people around him.  That's the only "hook" I have here. 

[Avabelle]

10 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Ok, I have to ask ... what is so horrible about Ted and Rebecca being together, if that happens? I'm sure it's obvious, but not to me. Could someone please bring me into the loop?

Thanks!

I don’t think it would be a bad thing but I’d rather it come at the end of the show.  

[SHD]

14 hours ago, MerBearStare said:

I haven't said anything about Ted and Rebecca and I don't think it would be *horrible* but I definitely don't want the pairing. For me, putting the two opposite sex main characters in a romantic relationship is a cliche. I think platonic relationships between grown men and women aren't explored nearly enough in tv shows and movies.

I agree. It's one of the things I loved about Extras. Ricky Gervais' character's best friend was Maggie, and they never hinted that they had a past dating history or ever wanted there to be one in the future. They were just good friends.

10 hours ago, Pj3422 said:

Nice pic of George Wendt (Norm from Cheers & Sudeikis’s uncle) in the kebab shop.

And I believe the other photo was Marcus Mumford, who contributes to the music of the show. (Could be wrong about that, though.)

[Catfi9ht]

On 8/20/2021 at 10:18 AM, legxleg said:

I'm very worried about Nate's arc

I agree with everything you said about Nate. I'm worried about him too.

I can definitely see Nate being worried that Roy would steal his spotlight as a coach, but I don't think Roy would treat Nate differently than anyone else on the team. Wasn't part of Roy's season 1 team captain arc to get Jamie's cronies to be nicer to Nate? What would make sense to me is that Roy would help Nate to stop being so worried about everyone else and stop "giving a fuck" as Roy might put it.

The fourth wall break scene with that couple in the stands was weird. While it was in keeping with the "rom communism" theme of the episode, it didn't fit into this show for me, was a little jarring, and stopped the emotional momentum that had been building up.

Some of the camera work was great this episode. The light on Roy's face when his phone lit up from the text in the dark and scared Ted and Isaac was hilarious. The moment when Roy stood up after fixing his knee before he walked onto the pitch as a callback to Rebecca's "getting larger" routine was excellent.

I did kinda miss the three fans in the local bar this episode. I think they're really funny.

Other than the weird fourth wall break, I thought this episode was fantastic.

[slasherboy]

19 hours ago, AngieBee1 said:

I'm curious because on Kirsten Wiig's final SNL Mick Jagger was the host and he sang "She's a Rainbow" while her castmates took turn dancing with her and Sudeikis was noticeably emotional.

I remember it well. They slow danced. Sad.

[SHD]

2 hours ago, Catfi9ht said:

The fourth wall break scene with that couple in the stands was weird. While it was in keeping with the "rom communism" theme of the episode, it didn't fit into this show for me, was a little jarring, and stopped the emotional momentum that had been building up.

I couldn't even think of a rom-com that used that fourth wall device (though I admittedly am not a huge rom-com fan, I recognized all the others). The closest I could think of was when Sex and the City used to do that early in the first season. But that's a longshot. Did Bridget Jones or some other really popular rom-com that I somehow missed use that fourth wall device?

[twoods]

The couple reminded me of When Harry Met Sally when they had all those clips of elderly couples talking about how they met. 

[Pj3422]

8 minutes ago, SHD said:

I couldn't even think of a rom-com that used that fourth wall device (though I admittedly am not a huge rom-com fan, I recognized all the others). The closest I could think of was when Sex and the City used to do that early in the first season. But that's a longshot. Did Bridget Jones or some other really popular rom-com that I somehow missed use that fourth wall device?

When Harry Met Sally. The movie was interspersed with couples addressing the camera. 

[MissLucas]

8 minutes ago, SHD said:

I couldn't even think of a rom-com that used that fourth wall device (though I admittedly am not a huge rom-com fan, I recognized all the others). 

When Harry met Sally did those couples interviews.

[SHD]

3 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

When Harry met Sally did those couples interviews.

Thank you, everyone who answered! Have not seen that one but knew the other allusion to it ("I'll have what he's having") because who doesn't?

Edited August 21, 2021 by SHD

[Kostgard]

I liked this episode (and I liked the Christmas episode…well, up until the final scene and what the youngest Higgins saw. That was too much magic). But man, this show, despite being sugary sweet this season, is really, really making me tense.

I think folks are right to worry about Nate. I think he has been kicked around so much during his life (first by his dad, whom Nate said in the Christmas episode is never happy/satisfied with anything, and then by Jamie and his hangers-on) that he’s got a lot of rage buried deep down and he is a ticking time bomb. We’ve seen hints of this - the obvious example of Nate turning into a bully at the first opportunity he had when he finally outranked someone, but remember last season when he was playing along with Roy’s anger and broke the window? It got played off as a joke, but I feel like it was foreshadowing. And not just using Rebecca’s technique but also spitting at his reflection suggests something dark/violent to me. He’s been so desperate for respect and recognition that if he starts to feel it slip away with Roy’s return, I fear he’s going to respond very poorly to that. We saw his face when Roy walked out onto the pitch, the crowd chanting for him. Not only will he feel pushed out by Roy’s presence, but if Roy catches him bullying the new kit man, he won’t try to smooth it over like Ted. Roy will give him hell for it. This could get ugly (though, oddly, I think the person who could help Nate - besides a therapist - is Jamie).

The other person I’m worried about is Ted. While we haven’t spent a lot of time with him this season, I just think he’s not doing well. At all. He’s not outwardly showing it, but I think he’s feeling the pressure of the team not doing well. I think that’s why he recruited Roy and why he’s tolerating Dr Sharon even though he hates her being there. The distance from his son is most likely eating at him, especially since he lost his own father when he was young (I saw someone recently suggest that Ted’s father died by suicide, and…that would just explain SO much). We already know Ted has some sort of anxiety disorder (not just the panic attack in the Liverpool episode - he was doing that thing with his hands in the pilot) and maybe depression? I just feel his Ted-ness is both his way to connect with people and a defense mechanism. Dr Sharon scares the shit out of him because she can see his Ted-ness for what it is. I just can’t shake the feeling he’s heading for a major breakdown that will make his panic attack look like nothing. Which brings me to the next thing stressing me out…

Rebecca. She’s obviously putting so much into this mystery man, what with her constant romantic giggles and sighs, that it feels like it is setting her up for major disappointment. It seems obvious to me that it will turn out to be someone she knows. It could be Rupert, but that would just be cruel and nothing else. I saw someone suggest that it is Beard, but I think that would be resolved with Rebecca saying something like, “I’m flattered, but I don’t think it would be appropriate since I am your boss” and that would be the end of it. The shot of Ted looking at his phone after Rebecca sent the message could be a red herring, but I feel like it being Ted would produce the most drama (I thought there was also a clue in that when Rebecca was happily reading over the messages at the top of the episode she was kicked back with a glass of whiskey…and Ted’s biscuits. Despite the drink indicating it was the end of the day and she usually devours Ted’s  biscuits as soon as he brings them in the morning). I just don’t think Rebecca would respond well to that news. At all. Especially if it is revealed that Ted has known for a while who he was talking to - and if it is him, I think he’s at least suspected he was talking to Rebecca before the message in this episode confirmed it. She will feel like he was playing her for a fool even if that was not his intention. And what is Ted’s intention? I see one of two possibilities - he could be interested in her. Rebecca would not be cool with that because Ted is “safe” to her. He’s her safe divorce buddy. Him being interested in her makes him not safe. The other possibility is he knows it is Rebecca, and thinks he’s doing something that will boost her confidence and make her feel good about herself. Rebecca will see that as a huge betrayal of their trust. Ted will have basically catfished her even if he was trying to do something nice. And I feel like Rebecca’s reaction is going to be something that pushes Ted over the edge (either hurt because he was genuinely interested or mortified at what he’s done to embarrass Rebecca if he’s doing this only to boost her confidence).

Ted and Rebecca may be endgame, but a lot has to happen first, and at the very least this chapter has to end badly (again, IF it is Ted she’s been messaging).

I think I read that they only intend to do three seasons of the show. If so, this is their “Empire Strikes Back” and things have to fall apart so they can put them back together in the next chapter. Things have been too harmonious this season and it is stressing me out.

That said, it will really piss me off if they don’t address this stuff. I’m already a bit miffed that the team lost their sponsor after being regulated and it’s apparently no biggie. That should have a big impact.

 

[meep.meep]

20 hours ago, slasherboy said:

Ok, I have to ask ... what is so horrible about Ted and Rebecca being together, if that happens? I'm sure it's obvious, but not to me. Could someone please bring me into the loop?

He is her employee for one thing.

Was the hostess waiting for Nate to tip her to get the table?  That's the way it works in the US.

[Gwendolyn]

On 8/20/2021 at 7:02 AM, MissLucas said:

As for Nate: I really did not get why Jade was such an @ss and wondered if there was some racism going. Why else not give him and his family the table at the window when they arrived and it was clearly free?

Been thinking on this, while reading something else, and yes there probably was a bit of racism involved because it was a power move on Jade's part. Like Nate, bullying his replacement Will, the one person he feels he has power over at work, Jade's in a dead end job in Tooting and bullying customers is the one thing she can do. She probably can't pull that power move on white people, but people of color she feels bold enough to play games with seating.

On a happier note I'm trying to figure what made me laugh the most this episode "Lets invade France" or Coach Beard's gasp when Roy shows up at the game.

Because I fear we're entering that dark forest Ted droned on about when everything starts to really go down hill for everyone (just don't mess with Roy and Keely and I will get through).

[SnarkShark]

1 hour ago, meep.meep said:

He is her employee for one thing.

I gave a whole list of reasons upthread, including the Employer/Employee thing, but one wrinkle of that occurred to me since I last posted on this. 

Really just reverse the genders (if the boss was a man, getting into a romance with his female employee).  Isn't that universally seen as inherently uncool and clearly inappropriate? 

I don't understand why it isn't equally clear with a female boss.

There's something really distressing that people are seeing some endgame here where that's less inappropriate.  As if the female boss is EXPECTED to be less ethical because she's weak and needs the man more than professionalism and integrity. 

Hell no.  This would be the biggest disservice EVER to the character of Rebecca, to expect she can't be a good boss and would be too selfish and needy to act like one. 

Edited August 21, 2021 by SnarkShark

[AllyB]

I agree with pretty much everything said about Nate after this episode. I had genuinely thought up to this point that his problem with the new kit guy was his inability to let his old role go. But spitting on his reflection as a confidence boost was messed up in all the ways detailed.

I did however slightly feel that Jade was really dismissive of him as a single adult man going to dinner with his parents for their anniversary. That she just thought he was a saddo with the way he was quietly wittering on about their anniversary and 35 years and it being jade, etc. Then when she learned he was going to be a third wheel at their dinner it solidified her contempt for him. And she figured a sad adult man gatecrashing his parents romantic occasion wasn't what should be in the window at 'her' restaurant. Tooting has a very, very significant Asian population. A high street restaurant that clearly discriminated against Asian customers wouldn't last.

Edited August 21, 2021 by AllyB

[KittenPokerCheater]

1 hour ago, Gwendolyn said:

I'm trying to figure what made me laugh the most this episode "Lets invade France" or Coach Beard's gasp when Roy shows up at the game.

I know, right?  But I think, by the slimmest of margins, Coach Beard's gasp eked out a win for me.

I don't want Ted and Rebecca together because for no other reason than I think that both of them are looking for different things in a partner/lover.

Part of me wonders if Rebecca's online suitor is one of the football players....

[akiss]

I don't delve too much into it. I love Ted, I love Rebecca, so of course I would love to see them together. I actually think they make a lot of sense. I disagree that the show never hinted at a relationship between them, when constantly they show up when the other is in a tough spot to help. Ted's panic attack and his sad Christmas and Rebecca's charity dinner and the dart game, they all could hint at a relationship. I'm not saying it's absolutely certain, but it's not totally out of the blue,  and for me it would be great.

[Catfi9ht]

1 hour ago, SnarkShark said:

Really just reverse the genders (if the boss was a man, getting into a romance with his female employee).  Isn't that universally seen as inherently uncool and clearly inappropriate? 

I don't understand why it isn't equally clear with a female boss.

There's something really distressing that people are seeing some endgame here where that's less inappropriate.  As if the female boss is EXPECTED to be less ethical because she's weak and needs the man more than professionalism and integrity. 

In reality, I absolutely agree with what you're saying, but in tv shows, it's fairly common for the audience to want the two leads together regardless of relationship status.

I don't want Ted and Rebecca together, and I'm one those people that agree platonic opposite sex relationships need to be more commonly shown. I don't see anything sexist about some people wanting to see Ted and Rebecca together, people just like romance in movies and tv shows.

[Kiddvideo]

Roy Fucking Kent is fucking fierce…yet he can’t get a free fucking kabob. (Too many “fucks”?)

I loved this episode. Too many one line laughs to count.

I also worry about Nate. C’mon, mate. You’re part of the team. No one puts Nate in the corner.

Edited August 21, 2021 by Kiddvideo

[juno]

At some point I am hoping that this show would get back to the football. The wins the losses and the ties.

Ted took over a team in the lower part of the table of the Premier League and coached the team into relegation. He is now in the Championship League and still at last count losing or tying. This means millions of euros less revenue to the team.

If this was a normal team Ted would be gone by now as the goal is to get back to the premier league and play the Manchester City or my team the Tottenham Hotspur and the only way to do that is to win and place in the top two to get back to the premier league.

Hopefully this season Ted will start winning or Rebecca will have to face having to fire her friend and even worse possible hire Roy.

[MissLucas]

Ted and Rebecca can go either way, if they're endgame then definitely not in their current professional constellation - that much seems clear to me and therefore the whole sexist angle is not relevant.

[WorldWarIV]

I really hope Brett Goldstein will be cast as Wolverine at some point.

[DearEvette]

Another great episode.  Very thematic with all the Rom-Com allusions and shout outs to various movies.  I especially liked Roy running through the rain snow, across different obstacles,  to get to his true love -- AFC Richmond.  And his 'You had me at Coach.'

I agree with what y'all are saying about Nate.  I haven't felt good about Nate at all this season and this feels like a spiral to darkness.  I hope not, I hope he pulls up in the end because this show doesn't do completely dark. 

3 hours ago, AllyB said:

I did however slightly feel that Jade was really dismissive of him as a single adult man going to dinner with his parents for their anniversary. That she just thought he was a saddo with the way he was quietly wittering on about their anniversary and 35 years and it being jade, etc.

Jade's attitude toward Nate began before he even asked for a table.  She didn't even greet him when he came in.  She is a hostess.  Her job is to smile and greet  She was dismissive before he even opened his mouth.  So, imo, it wasn't even about her forming a bad impression of him as being a sad person who is eating with his parents, she had been a jerk before all that. That is a textbook microaggression there.

I also agree about Rebecca and Ted.  Either is an obvious misdirect to show them both texting with smiles at the same time or they are each other's BANTR match.  I would hate that, tbh.  I like the Ted/Rebecca colleague and support system dynamic.  I do not want a romance dynamic there at all.  He's not really ready anyway. 

5 hours ago, Gwendolyn said:

On a happier note I'm trying to figure what made me laugh the most this episode "Lets invade France" or Coach Beard's gasp when Roy shows up at the game.

Coach Beard's gasp all the way!  Also I loved when the ticket people didn't believe he was Roy until he let out an F-bomb.  LOL.  And finally, I just love Higgins and his wife.  She has a fabulous smile and she just looked so happy to see him at the game. 

[Kostgard]

Did a mini rewatch tonight and noticed a few other things:

There actually seems to be a ton of clues indicating Ted’s father died by suicide. In the episode where Jamie is trying to get back on the team and he goes to see Ted at the pub, they start talking about how hard Jamie’s father is on him, and he asks Ted if his father was like that. Ted appears to blink back some emotion and says, “No. He was always much harder on himself than he ever was on me.”

Then there was the scene where Dr Sharon seemingly apropos of nothing tells Ted her favorite novel is “The Prince of Tides.” That book is about a football coach from the South with a suicidal family member and he hides his pain by making jokes.

Then of course we see Ted watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” right at the scene where George Bailey is considering suicide, and the camera is pushing in on Ted’s face as some sort of emotion is bubbling up, but gets interrupted when Rebecca is outside his window.

Finally, I noticed that Mystery Man’s handle on Bantr is “LDN 152.” This is clearly a reference to “You’ve Got Mail” where Tom Hanks’ handle on AOL (where he anonymously chats with Meg Ryan and they fall for each other over emails and DMs not realizing that they already know each other IRL) was “NY 152.” For Hanks’ character that was based on his address. Now, I don’t think Ted has “152” in his address, but a self-professed “Rom-Communist” would certainly know the reference.

Edited August 22, 2021 by Kostgard

[whiporee]

I did a rewatch, and I definitely think we're headed towards Nate either suicide or suicide attempt, which is going to send Ted spiraling because I'm also pretty certain Ted's father killed himself. 

If you look at Ted in the Doozerverse, I think his most direct comparison is Perry Cox. They both are repressed and over the top in their actions, it's just that Perry was overly negative and Ted is positive. But they both go too far on the spectrum for a healthy person to go. Both have bouts of binging and both, when pressed, show off their opposite side -- while Perry was fundamentally nice pretending to be mean, I think there's a chance Ted is fundamentally mean working very hard to be nice. 

The other thing at work is Ted is starting to realize just how over his head he is. He doesn't have a strategy for fixing this. He explained to his son that being a soccer coach was mostly letting the team play to their skills, but there's more to it than that, and I think Roy being on the staff is going to highlight the differences between competence and skill. Ted is good at creating culture, but at some point he has to actually coach. He has to help his team get better, and we're not seeing any of that from him. The show skirts it, but at some point I think there's going to be a showing of limitations, and it's going to hit Ted very hard. 

So I think we're going to see something dramatic happen -- Ted might demote Nate, and then Nate tries to kill himself, then Ted spirals down and we get a deeper exploration of the character before Ted rights himself -- probably with Rebecca's help (or even better, Christa Miller as Ted's acerbic sister)-- and the season gets saved. That might even be why the first episodes felt so sweet, because they were needed to balance off the rest of it. 

The rub is, though, I'm not sure BL's writer's room is up to it. In all the years of watching his shows -- and I adore most of them -- his team has never been able to get deep into a  character. Cougar Town didn't even try -- Whisky Cavalier didn't have the run time -- and if you look at the two emotional episodes of Scrubs -- My Screwup and My Fallen Mentor -- they're good and they're powerful, but it's all still very surface and all resolved quickly. For an under-the-radar show like Scrubs, which got renewed but not much attention, that was fine. But for a show everyone talks a lot about like TL, I think it will bring a lot of negativity and harsh commentary. 

[DEL901]

Jason et al have stated that they designed Ted Lasso  to have a three season overarching story arc, which may have been why Apple gave it a 2 season renewal.   IMO, this will ensure there will be time to work through things without rushing.  I have a feeling that if things do go south for Nate and Ted, they may not be fully resolved until the end of season 3.   

Edited August 22, 2021 by DEL901

[mledawn]

I really enjoyed this episode and after the Christmas one I was sure it couldn't possibly be as good.

Ted's frantic behaviour this episode really stood out to me. I love his wacky banter most of the time but at one point I literally said "take it EASY" out loud. I was surprised he laughed at Nate volunteering to speak with Isaac as it seemed out of character for Ted. I was also surprised at his exchange with Doc when he did the "Floor! Carpet! Door!" bit - that was rude. I was glad she rolled with it and got him to (mostly) confess he's a mess, in his Ted way.

Isaac and Ted walking on the dark street and then Ted's text to Roy lights up Roy's face - so good!

I absolutely loved the part at the end where Roy gets on the field (after fixing his knee and the usher hears it) and the crowd starts singing his song. And then when Roy finally participates with his Jerry McGuire "You had me at Coach", Beard gasps, and you can see he has tears in his eyes in a later scene.

3 seasons would be very British of the show.

[MerBearHou]

I would be so sad if the Ted we know turned out to be dramatically different in his core.  I have admired that he has stayed true to his Midwestern, optimistic, goofy-banter, biscuit-baking, good-hearted self in the atmosphere of being such a "fish out of water".  I'll roll with and support him working on his emotions regarding the end of his marriage, missing his son, perhaps a depressed father, but it is my hope that the writers don't make him turn out to be an inherently gloomy character.  

[MerBearStare]

49 minutes ago, mledawn said:

3 seasons would be very British of the show.

Haha, but at least we're getting 10 or more episodes a season and not just like six. It reminds me of one of my favorite lines from The Good Place, "It ran for 16 years on the BBC; they did nearly 30 episodes."

[Fostersmom]

I am hoping Jade was just saving the window table for someone famous.... like Roy Fucking Kent. That could be why they don't take reservations for it, it's a see and be seen table, not some random guy and his parents table.

Can the black on black on black suit be Roy's official team uniform? Please? I need to see that look every time he's on screen. I loved his will call name was Reba McEntire. I do think his being a coach is going to bring on a bad place for Nate. Nate looked nervous already when Roy took his place with the other coaches. I did appreciate Roy standing at the end of the line and not pushing into the middle next to Coach Beard though. 

[AngieBee1]

14 minutes ago, MerBearStare said:

It reminds me of one of my favorite lines from The Good Place, "It ran for 16 years on the BBC; they did nearly 30 episodes."

It reminds me of one of my favourite The Simpsons line, "Not hard to see why it's (Do Shut Up) England's longest-running series, and today, we're showing all seven episodes".

 

[AngieBee1]

12 hours ago, Kostgard said:

Finally, I noticed that Mystery Man’s handle on Bantr is “LDN 152.” This is clearly a reference to “You’ve Got Mail” where Tom Hanks’ handle on AOL (where he anonymously chats with Meg Ryan and they fall for each other over emails and DMs not realizing that they already know each other IRL) was “NY 152.” For Hanks’ character that was based on his address. Now, I don’t think Ted has “152” in his address, but a self-professed “Rom-Communist” would certainly know the reference.

Someone threw out a suggestion on Twitter that normally I would think was a reach but upon reflection would make sense.  Someone suggested what if Trent Crimm, The Independent was Rebecca's Bantr buddy?  The only reason why it slightly makes sense is because James Lance did a podcast a few months ago to promote a film and he was really effusive about series 2 which made it seem s if he's read all of S2 scripts, which he would not have had the chance to do if he was just a day player. He also confirmed that he's been asked back for series 3. I understand wanting to check his availability, but he seemed pretty locked in saying that it will film early next year.